70 SB Heater/Surge Hose Connection Unpainted?

[Pat M.]

Hi everyone. I got dinged at the National for having a heater/surge tank hose screw-in connection painted orange along with the rest of the engine. I've had trouble find any authority specifying one way or the other.
Do you agree that the connection should be unpainted?
Thanks

[John H.]

Re: 70 SB Heater/Surge Hose Connection Unpainted?

Yes, it should be free of paint. You'll note in the Assembly Manual that both heater hose fittings (intake and water pump) were installed at St. Louis, not at the engine plant, so they'd be unpainted. Anything in the Assembly Manual that calls out a part number was installed at St. Louis.

[Pat M.]

Re: 70 SB Heater/Surge Hose Connection Unpainted?

Thank you John!

[Alan S.]

Re: 70 SB Heater/Surge Hose Connection Unpainted?

Hi Pat,
Your good close-up picture raised a question for me. I didn't know the fuel pump mounting bolts were engine orange. Was any mention made of that at St Louis? I've never noticed that before and I look at a lot of pumps looking for 70 and 71 return line tower clamps. Thanks!!
Regards,
Alan

[Pat M.]

Re: 70 SB Heater/Surge Hose Connection Unpainted?

Hi Alan! I don't recall the judges saying anything about those bolts specifically. I got hit kinda hard on that section, and it's sort of a blur, all the things they listed! And I don't have my judging sheets yet, so I can't check them.
But I'd be just as interested as you to find out what's correct.
Best regards, Patrick

[Terry M.]

Re: 70 SB Heater/Surge Hose Connection Unpainted?

The fuel pump bolts are NOT orange -- for the same reason John cited. Parts applied at St Louis could not have been on the engine when it was painted. And how would the bolts be orange and the fuel pump not orange?

I usually see balck fuel pump bolts.

[Alan S.]

Re: 70 SB Heater/Surge Hose Connection Unpainted?

Hi Pat & Terry,
I didn't think I'd seen any cars with painted bolts but thought I better ask. Where I was headed is... could this be similar to the situation that sees 1 of the coil bracket bolts painted orange on painted intake manifolds. I thought maybe there was something I'd missed down near the pump.
Now about the painted coil bracket bolt... on my 71, 350/270, the bracket has the hole that uses the painted bolt 'clipped' (it looks like it was done with a pair of tin snips) ....to allow the bracket to slip under the painted bolt with out taking it all the way out? Was someone saving a couple of seconds? Thanks!
Regards,
Alan

[Terry M.]

Re: 70 SB Heater/Surge Hose Connection Unpainted?

I haven't seen any slotted mounting holes on Chevroelt engine driven fuel pumps recently, so that story will hold not water (or fuel) for that location.

If the coil bracket has a slotted mounting hole (not all do) AND the intake manifold is painted -- that bolt could have been installed at the engine plant and painted with the engine. We have seen enough original engines that this process is established, but as I said we haven't seen any orange fuel pump mounting bolts that didn't appear to be owner inspired. We added the information about the coil mounting bolt to the TIM&JG because attaching fasteners at the engine plant is not the usual practice, and we wanted to alert owners and judges to it. If the fuel pump bolts were originally paint orange, we would have included a note to that effect.