Big Block - Any one have an Original...

[Joe R.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

No, no, Joe -- dirt is good -- they haven't figured out how to repop it .

Here's an example of very late L78 car, now owned by one who frequents this board. Late style large keyhole; question is: what size and shape is the tach cable cut-out on the back ?

Wayne,

Wow, that's some serious filth! I thought my engine was dirty when I got it.



Joe

[Joe R.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Joe, probably chrome polish would clean it well.

Ron,

Is there any particular brand or technique that you prefer?

Joe

[Ronald L.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Joe,

Not off hand, what ever the autparts stores sell, look for one that does not have a high abrasive content. I see you have some rust there, but the reality is the chrome on these is very thin. I was actually going to see how brasso might work on one I have - that is with a buffing wheel to help the process along. I'll let you know. Do you have a picture of the back side and then - what is the build date (month) of your car?

[Joe R.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Joe,

Not off hand, what ever the autparts stores sell, look for one that does not have a high abrasive content. I see you have some rust there, but the reality is the chrome on these is very thin. I was actually going to see how brasso might work on one I have - that is with a buffing wheel to help the process along. I'll let you know. Do you have a picture of the back side and then - what is the build date (month) of your car?

Ron,

I may have a can of Nev-R-Dull around somewhere (I think that's what it's called). Is that too abrasive? Maybe I'll just clean it up a bit with some Simple Green and let it go with that for now. I don't have any back side pictures yet. I can get you one tomorrow or Saturday. My car was born in May 66. How about you?

Joe

[Joe R.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Hi Bill,

I'm looking for the back view of the base shield, the area cut out for the tach cable.

Ron,

Here you go. If you think it looks bad now, you should have seen it before the Simple Green and Nevr-Dull treatment!

Joe

[Ronald L.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Wayne - are you watching???

Joe - your shield is identical to to the one from my 50k car!

Can you send me a close up of that sharp corner? Maybe due to the pixel limit, my email.

I blew up my camera card this morning un plugging it from the computer so my pics will follow a new card tomorrow.

[Joe R.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Wayne - are you watching???

Joe - your shield is identical to to the one from my 50k car!

Can you send me a close up of that sharp corner? Maybe due to the pixel limit, my email.

I blew up my camera card this morning un plugging it from the computer so my pics will follow a new card tomorrow.

Ron,

I think this picture is about as hi-res as I can get.



Does that help? I can try a little more if need be.

Joe

[Wayne M.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Wayne - are you watching??? ....

Yup .. and my eyes hurt . I've been poring over everyone's pics and conclude that (in the case of your and Joe R's shields) that production in the May '66 timeframe seemed to match Noland's dwg. for 1967 # 3900517 (pg. 437) but the square corner is sharper than 0.25" radius.

Would still like to see other (earlier ?) '66s with the 1.50"R tach cable cut-out, per Noland's two versions on pg. 371. Know why we're not getting any response ? Because the back of the distr. surround shield is not/cannot be judged .

Re my '65 L78 2nd design shield; I'm adding a big front view pic, to go with the big rear view in one of the posts above. Yes, the clip is broken off . Two thumbnails below big pic.




The tach cable cut-out is much larger (3" wide x 2_1/8" high) than shown for both the early and late versions on Nolands pg. 304/5. [1.5"w x 0.88"h], but the corner radii seem to be the 0.44" for both, as shown in Noland. Close-ups are shown in the two thumbnails attached. Obviously a factory stamping and not some Bubba with a pair of tin-snips . So I'll repeat my request for 396 owners to report.

One other point: My shielding is a heavy piece; measured with caliper at several flat locations and get 0.043" thickness.

[Ronald L.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Wayne Joe, thanks so much.

What I can see from your pictures Wayne is the die lines that trimmed this, for sure the real deal w/o doubt.

Joe's looks like the one from my 66, where these old parts that have been on cars for several decades are DIFFERENT that the reproduction

Then I ask -Why the difference to Nolan's drawings???

Could it be "similar" to what we would do in this modern age where it "can't happen: ...that is in production...early on we had a "little" issue and we have the supplier in their plant modifying the parts as we feed production until a die change can be implemented...

[Dan P.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

Wayne,

Wow, that's some serious filth! I thought my engine was dirty when I got it.



Joe

Actually, that's a thing of beauty...

[Wayne M.]

Re: Big Block - Any one have an Original...

.....Then I ask -Why the difference to Nolan's drawings???

Could it be "similar" to what we would do in this modern age where it "can't happen: ...that is in production...early on we had a "little" issue and we have the supplier in their plant modifying the parts as we feed production until a die change can be implemented...

Ron -- it's getting stranger . This just popped up on eBay. Advertised as a '67 distrib. surround shield, but is obviously a '65 2nd design with the large keyhole. Now look at that back cut for the distrib tach cable -- it's like the '66 you and others have shown, and not at all like the 2 variations that Noland shows in the L78 GM drawings, or my large rectangular cut-out, shown in the posts above.

Maybe the paragraph in your post (above) is closer to the truth. So if this stuff was really happening on the supplier side, after feedback from the plant or the dealers, I'd like to be able to put a timeline on all these running mods.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220772808075&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT