Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

[Steve D.]

I need the one for a 350/300. I have one for a 72 but it has the engine oil fill and AC-2 embossed in the circle around the rivet. The guide says for 70 it should be just the rivet with the 4 stake marks. This part is hard to track down.

[Joe L.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

I need the one for a 350/300. I have one for a 72 but it has the engine oil fill and AC-2 embossed in the circle around the rivet. The guide says for 70 it should be just the rivet with the 4 stake marks. This part is hard to track down.

Steve-----


You're talking about the same cap. Your 1972 cap should have the "flat rivet" and 4 stake marks just like the 1970 cap.

I think you'll find that the embossment on your cap is actually "FC2" The complete embossment should read "Engine Oil Fill" and "AC FC2". However, this can be difficult to see on a painted cap since the embossments are very light. The same embossment will be found on the 1970 cap.

Finding one of these caps should be pretty easy in a self-service salvage yard. I once "harvested" about 15 of them in a pass through a self-service yard. Look for 1969 to about 1974 GM cars (and, not just Chevrolets).

[Pat M.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Steve-----


You're talking about the same cap. Your 1972 cap should have the "flat rivet" and 4 stake marks just like the 1970 cap.

I think you'll find that the embossment on your cap is actually "FC2" The complete embossment should read "Engine Oil Fill" and "AC FC2". However, this can be difficult to see on a painted cap since the embossments are very light. The same embossment will be found on the 1970 cap.

Finding one of these caps should be pretty easy in a self-service salvage yard. I once "harvested" about 15 of them in a pass through a self-service yard. Look for 1969 to about 1974 GM cars (and, not just Chevrolets).

Joe, the JG sure seems to indicate the 70 caps had no wording. It says on page 58:

"In 1970, they are stamped metal with a large center rivet. The head is in a square shape with the top having a brad with a cross pattern. Late 1972s have the same style cap as 1970, but the words engine oil fill AC-FC2 are embossed in a circle around the rivet." (bold my emphasis)

I think I have one without the wording. When I got it from a friend I stripped nearly all the paint off to repaint it and saw no wording at all. Conversely, I also had a 72 cap and the wording was clear.

Steve, what I did until I found one that seems to have no wording I filled in the wording on the 72 cap with JG Weld, sanded it smooth and then repainted it. It passed multiple judgings without deduction.

[Terry M.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Don't fill it in. Joe is right -- it is the same cap in 1970.

[Joe L.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Joe, the JG sure seems to indicate the 70 caps had no wording. It says on page 58:

"In 1970, they are stamped metal with a large center rivet. The head is in a square shape with the top having a brad with a cross pattern. Late 1972s have the same style cap as 1970, but the words engine oil fill AC-FC2 are embossed in a circle around the rivet." (bold my emphasis)

I think I have one without the wording. When I got it from a friend I stripped nearly all the paint off to repaint it and saw no wording at all. Conversely, I also had a 72 cap and the wording was clear.

Steve, what I did until I found one that seems to have no wording I filled in the wording on the 72 cap with JG Weld, sanded it smooth and then repainted it. It passed multiple judgings without deduction.

Pat------

The cap I pictured is from a known-original, late build 1969. I highly doubt that this was a situation where 1969 had the oil cap embossments, 1970 did not, and the embossments re-appeared for the 1972 model year. In fact, I KNOW that's not the case. At least a few of the caps I once "harvested" were off of 1970 Chevrolets. ALL of the caps I "harvested" had the embossments and they were off of a range of model years and vehicle lines. Some, however, had other "FC" numbers although the caps appeared otherwise identical. Most of the caps had the embossments so lightly stamped that it was difficult to see them through the paint.

So, could there have been identical caps without the embossments? Of course it could have occurred but I don't think that model year had anything to do with it. I happen to know that AC manufactured these caps for aftermarket brands. It's very possible that they omitted the embossments for those to be sold in another brand's packaging (although the only ones I have seen in off-brand packaging also had the AC embossments). Still, they might very well have omitted the embossments on some. And, it's even possible that some of the "no-name" caps found their way into GM or Delco parts channels.

My opinion is that "embossed" or "non-embossed" caps being correct for certain model years is another example of "urban legend". Most likely, this "legend" was the result of someone observing a small sampling of cars and/or not seeing the embossments through the paint.

[Pat M.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Thanks Terry and Joe, I learned something new.

[David L.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Steve,

I have several AC FC-2 caps from 1969 and 1970 Chevrolet models. I have also have a NOS FC-2 cap (maybe even two). The cap is correct for my 1970 Camaro SS350 (long term project) which has stamped steel valve covers.

Dave

[Patrick H.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Joe, the JG sure seems to indicate the 70 caps had no wording. It says on page 58:

"In 1970, they are stamped metal with a large center rivet. The head is in a square shape with the top having a brad with a cross pattern. Late 1972s have the same style cap as 1970, but the words engine oil fill AC-FC2 are embossed in a circle around the rivet." (bold my emphasis)

I think I have one without the wording. When I got it from a friend I stripped nearly all the paint off to repaint it and saw no wording at all. Conversely, I also had a 72 cap and the wording was clear.

Steve, what I did until I found one that seems to have no wording I filled in the wording on the 72 cap with JG Weld, sanded it smooth and then repainted it. It passed multiple judgings without deduction.

I've not seen them all ( ), and I'm not sure what the JG considers as "late" 1972 in this case, but I've seen the usual push-in rubber plugs in 1972s. Perhaps Terry can fill in more specifics?

Patrick

[Terry M.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Good point Patrick. I thought SB tin rocker covers got the AC-FC2 even in 1972, but now you got me to thinking and I am not so sure.

[David L.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

MY 1972 Corvette Parts Catalog (Sept. 1971) lists GM # 3980273 as the oil cap for the 71-72 Corvette. This same part number is also listed in my 1971 & 1972 Chevrolet parts catalogs for 1971 All 8 cyl. engines & 1972 All w/307,350,400, and 6 cyl. engines. GM # 3980273 is a rubber oil cap.

Dave

[Joe L.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Good point Patrick. I thought SB tin rocker covers got the AC-FC2 even in 1972, but now you got me to thinking and I am not so sure.

Terry and Patrick------


Now that you mention it, I think that most, if not all, 1972 small blocks used the rubber oil filler plug. Very late 1972 might have gone back to twist-lock style, though. The twist-lock definitely returned for the 1973 model year small blocks (but not big blocks). I believe that 1973-80 small blocks with steel valve covers used the AC FC-2 oil filler cap.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Any clue where to lacate a 70 oil filler cap

Terry and Patrick------


Now that you mention it, I think that most, if not all, 1972 small blocks used the rubber oil filler plug. Very late 1972 might have gone back to twist-lock style, though. The twist-lock definitely returned for the 1973 model year small blocks (but not big blocks). I believe that 1973-80 small blocks with steel valve covers used the AC FC-2 oil filler cap.

My car is early June, but I've seen them much later than mine and sure don't recall a twist-in oil cap on a 72 base motor car.

Patrick