striker pin

[Michael B.]

Well it's down to the last pieces to prep for paint.

Going through the judging guide I see the door striker pin washers are phosphate black but no comment on the pin/bolts themselves.

From looking at the original there is also some confusion because some dealers sell a cadmium plated door striker pin with the first washer in cadmium, not black.
And of the striker pins I've seen, none seem to have the rubber band I have remaining on the left pin (the right pin seems to have washer of sorts between the rotating collar and the pin top!?!).

So, for a 77
1. is the striker pin itself left as cadmium plated.
2. is the top washer left as cadmuim plated
3. is there normally a rubber band below the rotating collar.
4. is that actually a rubber washer above the rotating collar.

For bonus points, I've noticed a flat spot ot the side of the pin top. Is this meant to be a locater of some sort ???

Thanks all for your input.

Michael B.

[Terry M.]

Re: striker pin

So, for a 77
1. is the striker pin itself left as cadmium plated.
2. is the top washer left as cadmuim plated
3. is there normally a rubber band below the rotating collar.
4. is that actually a rubber washer above the rotating collar.

For bonus points, I've noticed a flat spot ot the side of the pin top. Is this meant to be a locater of some sort ???

Michael B.

I could tell you what 1970-1972 is like, but that is not your question. However, for most of 1970 model year through 1972 the pin and the washer is silver plated -- Zinc probably, so that is why some vendors sell that finish.

The flat spot is likely from wear as the door sags as the hinges wear. The pin should be round. Check the amount of play in your door hinges and fix them before you put the new pin in and it gets damaged too. It is actually best to fix the hinges before paint because after repair or replacement of the hinges the gaps on the door may need to be adjusted. All that adjustment is easiest to do before paint -- less chance of damaging the new paint that way, and it was the way the factory did it.

[Michael B.]

Re: striker pin

thanks Terry. I do already have some very solid replacement hinges from a denver donor

Cheers.

Michael B.

[Edward J.]

Re: striker pin

Mike,If It was me doing the hinge replacement, I would just buy a kit for the hinge,with the new bushing and pins , that way you can leave the old hinges in place on the door adn body and you won't be playing with the door alignement, and possiably chipping the paint on the edges. those kits are really cheap.and can be had at most auto parts stores.

[Joe L.]

Re: striker pin

Well it's down to the last pieces to prep for paint.

Going through the judging guide I see the door striker pin washers are phosphate black but no comment on the pin/bolts themselves.

From looking at the original there is also some confusion because some dealers sell a cadmium plated door striker pin with the first washer in cadmium, not black.
And of the striker pins I've seen, none seem to have the rubber band I have remaining on the left pin (the right pin seems to have washer of sorts between the rotating collar and the pin top!?!).

So, for a 77
1. is the striker pin itself left as cadmium plated.
2. is the top washer left as cadmuim plated
3. is there normally a rubber band below the rotating collar.
4. is that actually a rubber washer above the rotating collar.

For bonus points, I've noticed a flat spot ot the side of the pin top. Is this meant to be a locater of some sort ???

Thanks all for your input.

Michael B.

Michael------


Attached and in the following post are photos of NOS examples of every door striker ever used on a C3 Corvette, from 1968 all the way to 1982. These are:

GM #7660559----1968-70

GM #8770193----1971-77

GM #20038395----1978 only

GM #20151275----1979-82

Is it possible that "overlap" could have occurred at the beginning or end of model years? Yes, it's very possible for a part like this. All of the above are 100% interchangeable.

Note that there is virtually no discernable difference between GM #7660559 and a GM #8770193. Both have hex drive and are otherwise seemingly of identical configuration.

The GM #20038395 and 20151275 use a torx drive. Otherwise, the 20038395 and its predecessors are pretty much identical. The 20151275 differs from it's predecessors by the width of the collar between the rotatable sleeve and the washer.

[Joe L.]

Re: striker pin

More striker photos:

Also, note that all of the strikers appear to be "dull" finish zinc plated except the 20151275. The latter appears to have a very slight irridite (dichromate) overplate.

[Joe L.]

Re: striker pin

Even more striker photos:

By the way, I must be feeling really "chipper" tonight to have gone out and dug all of these out in order to picture them here. Very often, I've got the part(s) that questions come up about but I just don't feel like digging it/them out. Maybe I did it because group 10 parts are generally pretty light so I don't need to worry about trying to lift heavy tote bins off their shelves.

[Michael B.]

Re: striker pin

Joe (and all who responded), thanks you.

This is amazing. Glad I caught you on a good day then.
It also tells me whatever I have is not the same as any in your NOS stock because what I have has a rubber cover below the rotating collar. What's interesting is that the ones that came on the replacement clip are the same. One side has rubber, one does not. Most important I know what not to paint now.

Regards,

Michael B.

[Terry M.]

Re: striker pin

Joe,
In PRODUCTION the Torx striker began to be used in the first week of February of 1970. That date is based on the trim tag date. I haven't looked in the 1970 AIM to see when the part number changed, but I made that observation some years ago, and I am confident in its validity.

[Joe L.]

Re: striker pin

Joe,
In PRODUCTION the Torx striker began to be used in the first week of February of 1970. That date is based on the trim tag date. I haven't looked in the 1970 AIM to see when the part number changed, but I made that observation some years ago, and I am confident in its validity.

Terry------


Now that amazes me. But, guess what? I just checked my 1969 which I KNOW has never had its strikers replaced and it has torx drive strikers!!!!

First of all, that means that some striker other than the one shown in the AIM and as specified in the P&A catalog was used. It could not have been the GM #20038395, the first torx drive striker I have found, since there's absolutely no way that part number would have existed as early as 1969 or anything even close to it. So, it must have been some striker of unknown part number.

Second, torx is, basically, a metric system drive----not 100% exclusively but pretty much. Even though these strikers are not metric thread, I would not have expected any torx drive fasteners to appear on a Corvette until at least the "metric era". As a matter of fact, 1978 was just about the beginning of the appearance of a few metric components on Corvettes and that "jives" with the first torx drive striker I can find, GM #20038395.

What empirical information can others out there in Corvette-land with 1970-77 Corvettes offer?

[Alan S.]

Re: striker pin

Hi Joe,
The known original strikers on my mid-January built 71 have the torx drive striker and the dull finish.
What material is the little 'sleeve' that spins on the shaft?
Regards,
Alan

[Edward J.]

Re: striker pin

Joe, I think that I seem to remember the the metric fastners first started around 75-76 with the newer radial a/c compressor and then around 77-78 may before the bigger amp. alternators started with metric fastners.with the corvette the rear window deffogger required the bigger alt.

As you say the metric really did expand to most parts of the cars in about 78. The fastners were blue in color in the beginning to tell the mechanics they were metric.

[Ralph S.]

Re: striker pin

My Dec.11,1969 has allen head my March 10 1970 has torx

[Joe L.]

Re: striker pin

Hi Joe,
The known original strikers on my mid-January built 71 have the torx drive striker and the dull finish.
What material is the little 'sleeve' that spins on the shaft?
Regards,
Alan

Alan------


It appears to me to be fairly thin stainless steel. It's very weakly magnetic and what little magnetism I can detect could be generated by the underlying steel of the striker body.

[Joe L.]

Re: striker pin

All-------


I think I've discovered something here that I had a vague recollection of. The drives in these strikers which APPEAR to be torx are NOT torx. I tried a T-50 socket and it was too large. A T-45 socket was too small. I don't know of any torx size between these two.

Now it's kind of coming back to me. I think these may be an older, very uncommon drive similar to torx. They MIGHT have been called "star drive".

I also tried the examples of the GM #20038395 and GM #20151275. They are the same----the T-50 is too large and the T-45 is too small.

This still does not explain why the NOS examples of the 68-70 GM #7660559 and 71-77 GM #8770193 are hex drive while those reported on cars have the "star" drive. I just cannot see those part numbers being manufactured in BOTH style drive---the part numbers would have to have been different for the "star" drive pieces and they simply could not have been the 20038395 or 20151275 which are known to have "star" drive.

One other thing: after carefully inspecting the strikers on my car as well as the NOS pieces, there does seem to be some sort of elastomer component involved. It appears like a VERY thin band near the inner end of the "rotatable" sleeve. it may even underlie the sleeve and be some sort of device to attenuate but not prevent rotation of the sleeve.

Now one other inevitable question comes to my mind: why on earth did GM ever use this oddball drive for the strikers?