Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

[Kirk M.]

Hey Everyone,

Decided to crawl under the rear end today and see if once and for all I could ID the rear end on my car. I own a 1967 Ermine White Convertible with Powerglide Transmission, Power Steering, Power Brakes, Air Conditioning, and Shoulder Harnesses. Here is what my rear end said (see pic):

AK 4 11 67

So, it seems I have a 3.36 rear end, which I guess is what you have to have if you have a Powerglide and the "AK" designation means that it is NOT positraction. That would mean my car is in the 11% of 1967 Corvettes without positraction. Makes sense because I once tried the rear wheel positraction test on the car when it was on a rack and it didn't appear to work as described, so I guess it really doesn't have a positraction rearend.

By the way, my car was build April 18th, 1967, so the rear end would precede the build date by only 7 days.

Now I have a simple question for the NCRS judges. If it is NOT a positraction rear end do I still need to have the plastic red fluid tag around the plug? Clearly, even a non-positraction car still needs fluid, right? So, Tag or NO Tag?

Thanks.

[Andre R.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

I'm not an NCRS judge, but my original 70k mile '66 AK non posi rear does indeed have the red plastic tag attached complete with a 42 year old triangle shaped rust outline.

[Robert R.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

Hi Kirk,
I used to own a '67 Coupe with a build date of April 15, 1967 (15,8xx). This car was an AO Smith body. By any chance was yours also one or is it a St Louis built?
Bob

[Kirk M.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

Hi Kirk,
I used to own a '67 Coupe with a build date of April 15, 1967 (15,8xx). This car was an AO Smith body. By any chance was yours also one or is it a St Louis built?
Bob

Yes, mine is an AO Smith body 16,4xx.

[Robert R.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

I know that somewhere in the Restorer articles archives there is info as to how many they made for GM, but it seems that there were a number of them made with AO Smith bodies near that date.

[Mike M.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

HI kirk
Typically, the standard rear end would not have the Posi tag.
Another clue would be the underside of your jack compartment cover board, likewise, should not have the posi label.
Are you the original owner? If not and you have both the Posi tag and label, the rear end may have been changed out.
Posi's with PG's were very rare. The original PG cars that I have owned in that VIN range all had standard rear ends.
HaND

[John H.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

I know that somewhere in the Restorer articles archives there is info as to how many they made for GM, but it seems that there were a number of them made with AO Smith bodies near that date.

Robert -

A.O. Smith made 50% of all Corvette bodies from January, 1964 through the end of the 1967 model year (except for a 4-month strike at A.O. Smith from September, 1966 to mid-January, 1967).

[Robert R.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

John,
I never realized it was that high of a percentage. Thanks for the info.

[Kirk M.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

HI kirk
Typically, the standard rear end would not have the Posi tag.
Another clue would be the underside of your jack compartment cover board, likewise, should not have the posi label.
Are you the original owner? If not and you have both the Posi tag and label, the rear end may have been changed out.
Posi's with PG's were very rare. The original PG cars that I have owned in that VIN range all had standard rear ends.
HaND

Mike,

One clue that made want to find the stampings on my car's rear end was the fact that there was no posi label on my jack compartment cover and there was no evidence of one ever being attached. In contrast, I was missing my carpet label, but I could clearly see where it had once existed (of course no where near where the JG suggests it should be). The jacking instructions on the board look original to me as they are in pretty bad shape, but all there.

So, it seems my car is presenting a very consistent case that it still has the original rear end/diff (obviously the date would suggest that too). Pretty cool when things work out as they should. It seems my Dr.'s wife cream puff of a car wasn't tinkered with much as it continues to amaze me as to how many original parts it still possesses. This leaves me with a problem when it comes to all the NCRS stuff, because I love real original parts and refuse to remove them for reasons of condition. I feel the car has been running beautifully with these things for over 40 years - who am I to remove them because they aren't quite shinny enough! So, I am doing a balancing act with my car - somewhere between a survivor and NCRS-corrected vehicle - maybe that makes me a "sportsman"!

[Mike M.]

Re: Finally Figure Out My Car's Rear Axle Today - 67

Yes, Kirk. That's the real fun part when you find the parts as they should be. A lot like actually finding a prize in the bottom of the cereal box when you were a kid.....the Men & Boys thing.
HaND