Clutch Inspection Cover

[Joseph M.]

Hello all. Was the clutch inspection cover in place during the painting of the engine. I need to know if the bolts were painted orange. Tx

[Bill C.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

On my 1 owner BB the inspection cover was installed when the engine/bellhousing assembly was painted.

It was lightly dusted around the bottom area (including bolt heads), but there was much more natural steel as you went further up.

[Joseph M.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Bill

Tx for the info.

[Don L.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

On my 1 owner BB the inspection cover was installed when the engine/bellhousing assembly was painted.

It was lightly dusted around the bottom area (including bolt heads), but there was much more natural steel as you went further up.

Hi Bill. Might you have a photo of what you are describing? This is interesting!

[Bill C.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Don,

I will put a pic up next week after the 4th.

[Don L.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Thanks. Will be watching. Hope this is of benefit to others as well.

[Scott S.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Don,

I will put a pic up next week after the 4th.

Bill,

I been waitin' almost two and a half years now for that picture...

[Alan S.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Hi Scott,
Although I don't have a picture I can describe what I found on my 71 sb.
Since the oil pan is installed when the painting is done it's shape and proximity to the cover prevents about a third of the cover (near it's center and top) from getting any real paint coverage. The resulting appearance is much the same as the amount of paint seen on the timing cover since the water pump blocks that paint coverage in the same way.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Alan

[Scott S.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Hi Scott,
Although I don't have a picture I can describe what I found on my 71 sb.
Since the oil pan is installed when the painting is done it's shape and proximity to the cover prevents about a third of the cover (near it's center and top) from getting any real paint coverage. The resulting appearance is much the same as the amount of paint seen on the timing cover since the water pump blocks that paint coverage in the same way.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Alan

Alan,

Thanks very much for the reply. On your car, can you tell if the inspection cover was black before being painted orange with the engine, or is there black paint on the cover where the orange paint did not reach?

Besides trying to approximate the factory overspray when the engine is painted, I'm trying to figure out if the inspection cover was bare metal, or black like the NOS service replacements, or something else. I have what I think is the original inspection cover for the '67 I'm working on (no tabs, unlike the later version), but it was stripped and re-painted early in the restoration. My error, one of several early mistakes that I have tried not to repeat

[Joe L.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Bill,

I been waitin' almost two and a half years now for that picture...

Scott-----


The subject of the painting of the flywheel cover has come up time-and-again here. Simply put, all of these covers from 1963-81 were painted with the engine. That much we know.

As far as the degree of coverage, that's another matter. It varied widely and virtually every engine was at least a bit different. To know what it was for any particular car you'd need to have an early photo of the undercar or, at least, a situation in which the engine paint was original and in relatively good condition. That's the ONLY way to know how any particular engine was painted. Photos of another car just tell you how that engine was painted. We know the range of paint coverage so what would come out of a photo of an original painting of the flywheel cover escapes me.

[Joe L.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Alan,

Thanks very much for the reply. On your car, can you tell if the inspection cover was black before being painted orange with the engine, or is there black paint on the cover where the orange paint did not reach?

Besides trying to approximate the factory overspray when the engine is painted, I'm trying to figure out if the inspection cover was bare metal, or black like the NOS service replacements, or something else. I have what I think is the original inspection cover for the '67 I'm working on (no tabs, unlike the later version), but it was stripped and re-painted early in the restoration. My error, one of several early mistakes that I have tried not to repeat

Scott------


The PRODUCTION flywheel covers were bare metal prior to painting with the engine assembly. This was the case at least through 1972, if not through 1981.

[Scott S.]

Re: Clutch Inspection Cover

Scott------


The PRODUCTION flywheel covers were bare metal prior to painting with the engine assembly. This was the case at least through 1972, if not through 1981.

Thanks Joe.

About the pictures, I understand that one picture is just a snapshot of one particular car at one specific point in time, and each one is different. The car I'm working on spent most of its time in PA and OH, so there wasn't a lot of paint detail left on the underside of the car. Absent any other frame of reference, a good color picture is usually helpful.

I don't see these old cars "in the wild" very often, especially sitting still, and people in uniforms make detailed observations difficult if I go past the ropes and try to crawl under cars at the museums