65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

[Michael S.]

Replacing the locking ring (nut) for the ignition switch on my 65. The one I took off was badly scratched and it had somewhat of a dull finish. One of the suppliers I often use lists two rings, one is shiny and one is dull. This supplier says the shiny ring is for 63-65 and the dull ring is for 66-67. What is correct? Thanks for any help.

[Jack H.]

Re: 65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

I believe bright chrome finish is correct. Plus, the bezel changed configuration ('66?) going from three locking grooves to four making the bezel attaching tool slightly different (3 vs. 4 mating prongs)...

[Wayne M.]

Re: 65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

Replacing the locking ring (nut) for the ignition switch on my 65. The one I took off was badly scratched and it had somewhat of a dull finish. One of the suppliers I often use lists two rings, one is shiny and one is dull. This supplier says the shiny ring is for 63-65 and the dull ring is for 66-67. What is correct? Thanks for any help.

I'm gonna go counter to your supplier (LI ?) and Jack H. on this one, for several reasons.

First, the '65 TIM&JG, 5th edition says (I think) that it is satin, not bright finish. To quote ... "The ignition switch is a concave stainless steel [with] satin finished bezel." I've added the [with] as otherwise it seems to be a typo. Both my early '65 and my late late '65 (EOP, in fact) had satin bezels (or to use the GM term, "nut, ignition and starting switch"). The pic below shows the satin bezel from my late car, that I've owned since 1988 and which Bubba obviously attacked with water pump pliers .

Examine the radio and heater spacers under the knobs on your center console -- in '65 they're all satin, and starting in '66, they're bright finish. The GM Chev parts catalogs show bezel # 3816982 for '63-5 (many Chev products as well as Corvette), and # 3879550 for '66-7. Strangely, the bezel on the left in my pic has cast # 3816982 on the back, even though it is bright finish -- I suspect it is the GM service replacement for all the C2 Corvettes. Both have three slots for the special removal tool. The satin bezel has no part # on it.

I'd be interested to hear what '66-7 owners have, or what their respective TIM&JG's say, or better still, what the '65-7 black hats judge as being correct.

[Jack H.]

Re: 65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

You can check the AIM books... I think you'll find there are only two ignition switch nuts defined for mid-year cars and '63-65 used 3794423, a bright chrome piece with three installation notches while '66-67 cars used 3879550 that had a satin finish and four installation notches.

My memory says the tone down in brightness was a trickle down from Ralph Nader's 'Unsafe At Any Speed' book where certain practices like bright reflective surfaces that could 'blind' either the car's driver or the driver of the oncoming car + sharp protuding sufaces (e.g., spinner caps on wheel covers) were cited as being 'dumb' design moves.

The windshield wiper arms + blades made the 'Nader' transistion in 1966 from bright/shinny in 1965... So, that's this Master Judge's take. But, check your copy of the AIM books folks, the ignition switch assy is called out as part of the engine. So, look around in UPC 6, near Sheet B4.

[Michael S.]

Re: 65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

Just took the nut off the ignition switch. I used the tool for the nut with three notches which is what was installed on my car. This nut is almost as badly scratched as the one in your picture Wayne and it has the 3816982 number on the back. The nut I just took off does not have the bright chrome like finish all over like the nut I just got in the mail today (from LI). But maybe that is due to the age of the old nut as it is dull in some spots but chrome like in other areas.

[Gary B.]

'66 TIM&JG, 4th edition; notch number

The 4th edition (dating from Feb 2004) of the '66 TIM&JG says: "The ignition switch has a concave stainless steel face with a satin finished bezel with three notches." The satin bezel on my July build date '66 has four notches and I have no reason to think it's been replaced.

Hopefully the 5th edition of the '66 TIM&JG supposedly due out late this summer will include the four notch possibility.

Gary

[James W.]

Re: 65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

Mike,

My unrestored 1965 coupe #22095 has the dull finish. I just went out and looked at it since I have the instrument cluster out at this time.

Regards,

James West
Omaha, NE.

[Jack H.]

Re: '66 TIM&JG, 4th edition; notch number

Well, after going through the mid year AIM books, I find the 3816982 nut IS called out for Corvette but was replaced with 3794423 on AIM date 8/15/62. I have one of these critters in my stache that I pulled off a 64 Chevy passenger car and the chrome is bright...

The 3794423 nut runs from early 63 through early 66 when it's replaced with a 3879550 nut that carries through 1967. Now, it's possible the factory substituted parts from time to time, but the PN's documented are pretty consistent.

Except for VERY early '63 cars, there were basically two ignition nuts. And, in most cases, the Corvette ignition nut PN's are NOT shared by equivalent Chevy passenger cars.

[Wayne M.]

Re: '66 TIM&JG, 4th edition; notch number

Well, after going through the mid year AIM books, I find the 3816982 nut IS called out for Corvette but was replaced with 3794423 on AIM date 8/15/62. I have one of these critters in my stache that I pulled off a 64 Chevy passenger car and the chrome is bright...

The 3794423 nut runs from early 63 through early 66 when it's replaced with a 3879550 nut that carries through 1967. Now, it's possible the factory substituted parts from time to time, but the PN's documented are pretty consistent.

Except for VERY early '63 cars, there were basically two ignition nuts. And, in most cases, the Corvette ignition nut PN's are NOT shared by equivalent Chevy passenger cars.

Thanks for digging deeper, Jack. And thanks for pointing me in the right direction to find the ignition switch in my '65 AIM; couldn't find it for the life of me by looking in the electrical / instrument panel sections .

Weird thing is that I find no parts substitution history in my P&A30's for # 3794423 (Sept '62; Sept '63, July '65, Sept '65, Sept '66, Sept '67, Sept '68, and July '69). Was thinking that perhaps Joe L. might have a source.

[Michael H.]

Re: '66 TIM&JG, 4th edition; notch number

Well, after going through the mid year AIM books, I find the 3816982 nut IS called out for Corvette but was replaced with 3794423 on AIM date 8/15/62. I have one of these critters in my stache that I pulled off a 64 Chevy passenger car and the chrome is bright...

The 3794423 nut runs from early 63 through early 66 when it's replaced with a 3879550 nut that carries through 1967. Now, it's possible the factory substituted parts from time to time, but the PN's documented are pretty consistent.

Except for VERY early '63 cars, there were basically two ignition nuts. And, in most cases, the Corvette ignition nut PN's are NOT shared by equivalent Chevy passenger cars.

I think you're right. I think all 63-65 used the 3794423 in production but the 3816982 was always the service replacement. It's possible that the 3794423 was never available in service.

By the way, the 3879550 nut for 66-67 was a dull finish but not completely. The thin outer/front band was chrome while the rest of the body was dull.
The 66-67 Corvette only 3879550 nut was discontinued decades ago and replaced in service with the nut from passenger car and it was dull without the chrome band.

[Michael S.]

Re: 65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

Thanks James for checking on your 65 and thanks for all the responses.

At this point, I am going to go ahead and install the chrome like nut from LI with the 3 notches. If I install a nut with the dull finish from LI, it will be with the 4 notches and it seems like everyone agrees the 65 should have a nut with 3 notches. I took a one point deduction in flight judging at a regional for the scratches on the nut, so I am just trying to get back a few points at a low cost in preparation for future judging on the car.

[Wayne M.]

Re: '66 TIM&JG, 4th edition; notch number

.... I think all 63-65 used the 3794423 in production but the 3816982 was always the service replacement. It's possible that the 3794423 was never available in service.

This might explain why there's no reference in any of the C2-era P&A's.

By the way, the 3879550 nut for 66-67 was a dull finish but not completely. The thin outer/front band was chrome while the rest of the body was dull.
The 66-67 Corvette only 3879550 nut was discontinued decades ago and replaced in service with the nut from passenger car and it was dull without the chrome band.

Does the 3879550 satin finish nut have the part # cast on the back ?

I finally removed the nut from my early '65 (014xx) out of curiosity. The first two pics show the satin (wearing a little thin), with chrome facing, and the number 3816982 in very small characters.

The third shot shows the ratty one I took off my late '65 car (another view of the same item as in earlier post above; NO cast part # on the backside, however. Thanks for pointing out the chrome facing -- never noticed it before, although this one is so chewed-up that it's hard to see.

The last shot is of the service (?) nut that I picked up at some Corvette meet (Carlisle ?) in the early '90s, to replace the above. All bright chrome, and numers orientation has changed from the pic above.

All three nuts have only 3 slots. My early and late satin finish nuts are consistent with the '65 TIM&JG description on finish.

Can someone please post what the new '63-4 and the '67 TIM&JG's have to say on finish and slots, if mentioned at all ?

[Jack H.]

Re: '66 TIM&JG, 4th edition; notch number

I don't know if the 3794423 and/or 3879550 nuts were embossed with their PN's...

As far as the passenger car 3816982 nut goes, it WAS embossed and it's not 'satin' finished... It's bright chrome. Here's a pix of a lesser used 3816982 and you can see your reflection clearly in the surface.

The text of the current '63-64 JG reads:

"...A tapered chrome plated bezel with three tightening flutes retains the switch..."

The equivalent text in the '66 JG reads:

"The ignition switch has a concave stainless steel face with a satin finished bezel with three notches."

We have to guess whether 'bezel' = switch retaining nut...

For '67, the text reads:

"The ignition switch is flat polished stainless steel with a satin finished bezel..."

No mention of 'flutes' and again we guess whether 'bezel' = switch retaining nut.

Some catalog houses who list by PN the later version nut (3879550), show pictures and describe the exterior finish as 'brushed'.

[Wayne M.]

Re: 65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

Thanks, Jack, for posting what the other TIM&JG's say.

Looks like that bright finish nut in your thumbnail is a "3-fluter".

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Would James West be so kind as to report whether his satin finished late '65 has a part # cast or embossed on the back ? My chewed-up example from a car 1469 VINs after yours does NOT.
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Also, I have a pic of instr. panel of 2nd-last '65 Corvette (# 23563), which hasn't been driven since 1973. I zoomed in on the ign. switch but the bezel finish is inconclusive, as there's so much dust.

[Michael H.]

Re: 65 Ignition Switch Locking Ring Finish

Looking at a pic of the Krughoff 1500 mile untouched 65 green/saddle FI conv. The ign switch nut appears to be frosty, or brushed. If you've been around the hobby for a few decades, you may remember this car. It was driven for a few months when new, then parked. There were newspapers protecting the carpeting dated late 1965. It was/is one of the most untouched 65's I've ever seen. I shot this pic the day the car came in the door in the 70's.