67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

[Gary S.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Old post, but seems like the question did not get answered somehow. Pictures of two well known Bowtie cars showing the "floating" plug wire holder for the 67 427 cars. Note there is not one attached to the stand on the end of the valve cover.
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[Stephen L.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Gary, Check out AIM page UPC L36 A7. This also applies to L71 engines. It shows the spark plug wire retainer (item 11) #297555 on both valve covers. It also shows how the retainer is installed onto the metal stand.

The retainers are designed to fit onto the stands as shown on the UPC page.

Referencing your Bowtie photos, those retainers are there. They just are not placed on the stands when the photos were taken. I doubt that these areas have never been touched since new, and they do not stay on the stands very well so I could see where these were just not properly attached anymore. The wire shielding appears to have have been disturbed toward the distributer which would also indicate that the retainers were once installed correctly.

[Ara G.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Old post, but seems like the question did not get answered somehow. Pictures of two well known Bowtie cars showing the "floating" plug wire holder for the 67 427 cars. Note there is not one attached to the stand on the end of the valve cover.
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Wonderful pics Gary....and Mike - Steve's car IS gorgeous....

[Gary S.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Am I reading here that the push-on 4-wire spark plug wire retainer on the driver's side 67 427 valve cover is to be used? I have lots of pictures of Bowtie cars showing it was not used on the assembly line. I have none showing it being used. Even Nick Culkowski's 67 Bowtie car did not have it when he had it on the judging field. Long Island Corvette Supply and Zip sell sets for 67's (only 4 retainers) without the LH 4-wire plastic clip being used (not that they know everything). I don't have my judging manual or assembly manual with me as I am wintering away from home.

It appears to me that the 4-wire floater on the driver's side has rounded sides.

In case you have not noticed, I have no shortage of pictures.

Attached:
1st: Nick Culkowski's 67 yellow Bowtie car (a car I owned also before him)
2nd: Dick Bridges' Bowtie car
3rd: Ed Foos' 3700 Mile Bowtie car
4th: 67 435 motor taken in 1967 by a private owner




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[Kenneth H.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

So, we still have no answer to the question about whether the clip is a floater or is mounted on the stand? The reason I ask is because I'm trying to help my brother-in-law sort out this issue on his restored original engine Top Flight '67 L71. Using the stand seems to be the correct method (otherwise why is it there?) but I've purchased three clips from different sources and none fit over the stand (the stand is too wide). Also, looking at the picture on page 419 of Noland Adams' book, the clip in that picture is certainly a floater, and Noland attributes this picture to Chevrolet as "another Chevrolet photo of a complete L71 engine compartment". That seems to me to indicate that that is how L71s left the factory.


Gary's Bowtie car pictures also seem to point in the direction of floater clips. I don't have a '67 AIM to check what it says, but is it possible that both types of clips were used during the '67 production year?

Thanks,

Ken

[William C.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

OK, if you are referring to part number 2977555 as indicated on the '67 AIM, it is a four way with a provision for attachment on the stand at the upper rear of the valve cover. I'm only relating what the AIM and the factory part number provide as information, The same part is referenced on the U-69 configuration via reference to the L-36 section of the AIM. The 1966 configuration did not use the 2977555 clip on the drivers side and instead used part number 2965736 which is a free standing clip with no attachment. So the real question is the the change from the '66 to '67 in the AIM ever make it into production in St Louis? The build using the '67 AIM would have been slightly more difficult at St Louis due to the proximity of the attachment point for the clip and the exit from the rectangular outlet from the shielding, but it is likely that the plant would have followed the build instructions. It is hard to say if the picture in Nolands book is a production or pre-production or engineering picture. I'm suspicious it is not production due to the presence of the small sticker that appears in black on the foreward top of the passengers side valvecover. That is not typical of a production build.

[Kenneth H.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Bill,

Thanks for the response. I understand what you're saying about the picture of the L71 in Noland's book being of a preproduction engine. I'm just wondering, though about Gary's pictures of Bowtie cars, one with only 3700 miles since new and one taken in 1967, both showing the floating clips. Any thoughts on those two examples?

Also, I don't have the '67 judging manual but was wondering what the judging manual says concerning the clips?

Thanks,

Ken

[William C.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

No real way of being 100% sure. I don't have a copy of the most current '67 Judging guide, so I'm uncertain as to what it says (if anything) on this detail. Perhaps an original owner or two will chip in.

[Kenneth H.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Thanks, Bill. I just took a look at pictures that I took of my Brother-in-law's engine bay about two years ago and it turns out that his also had the floating clips. His car was restored a number of years ago while it was still part of the Otis Chandler collection, and I don't know who did the restoration, so it can't be considered an original car. Hopefully we'll hear from some original owners.

Thanks,

Ken

[Stephen L.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Here is the page from the 67 AIM, showing a typical stand and retainer in the center of the page.

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The L36 (1966) pictured in NOLAN ADAMS book, page 351 looks like the left valve cover doesn't have a metal stand at the rear. In fact there appears to be no retainer in this area on the left side. The wires just come out of the rubber grommet at the shielding and that is all. That also appears to be the case in the photo (shielding removed) on page 353. So is the left valve cover different from 66 to 67???
On page 413 showing 2 views of a L36 engine one has a 4 wire retainer that is on the mounting flange due to the angle of the wires in that area. Another photo in that same group looks like the retainer is floating or even missing...

The 67 Judging Guide page 99 indicates there is no 4 wire retainer on the left rear valve cover.

GM must have "intended" to have a retainer on the stand or they wouldn't have the stand welded on the valve cover and shown it in the AIM.

I guess it boils down to who was installing these parts on a given day in St Louis......

By the way, the retainers slide right onto my stands ... both sides. It looks neater that way too

[Wayne M.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

..... So is the left valve cover different from 66 to 67??? ....

Not only that,... the '65 396 drivers side rear valve cover has no stand, either (although you'd never know that from the '65 TIM&JG, which states: "valve covers (plural) ..with wire stands in the middle and upper rear...... Plastic wire holders are used on the center and right rear") So, my interpretation is that they're saying there's a stand on driver side, but no wire holder.

My L78 originals have no stand on driver rear inboard. IMO, there's no reason for one in 1967 either; the "floater" does the job; if there really was need for one on the valve cover, it's too close to the distributor shield support asm.

[Ara G.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

For what it's worth, it was my understanding after having to talked to a lot of guys in the know - as well as having seen a number of real, original cars - is that the 67 valve covers were unique. Each side had a wire stand, but the drivers side had the stand on the cover, but it did not have a clip to hold the wires to it. Only the "floater" was used to hold the wires together, but the wires were not held in place on the end of the stand that was attached to the valve cover.

[Ronald L.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Have to remember Chevrolet was a mass production division, as was the engine division. These valve covers went on a lot of passenger and truck applications; non Corvette applications that did not have the shielding.

[Joe L.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Have to remember Chevrolet was a mass production division, as was the engine division. These valve covers went on a lot of passenger and truck applications; non Corvette applications that did not have the shielding.

Ronald-----


Yes, but there were a "jillion" different configurations of these big block valve covers (although not all were available in SERVICE). The vast majority of the different configurations involved welded-on brackets and clips. These were usually specific as to application. It would have been very unusual for there to be UNUSED brackets or clips on a PRODUCTION valve cover, especially a bracket such as the rear wire stand which is quite prominent.

I expect that GM's reasoning in this regard was that unused brackets don't present a very "professional" appearance and also don't inspire customer confidence when noted by the customer.

[Ronald L.]

Re: 67 L-71 4 Spark Plug Wire Retainer On Driver's Side

Joe - GM of the 60's worried about engine compartment appearance? Not likely.
There were not that many of these at a given time either. A closer study of real original parts will show 396/427 for 65 66 had two, one for Corvette and SHP and a low HP version for pass cars (less drippers).

Each year there would be variations added - changes not backward compatible as far as appearance, but GM was not considering NCRS and originality, just being able to make a profit on service parts.

So if you stack up a change or two every other year over ten years there are about a half-dozen variations important to Corvette, but back to the main point of the mass production asy line - this time the engine line. There were NOT a jillion there - complexity would have been impossible to manage then, as it is impossible to manage today. Try a couple variations tied to engine code.