What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

[Wayne M.]

Interesting thread (link below) on firewall ballast resistors, but what about "resistor delete" cars ? The '65 AIM offers no co-ordinates for factory drilling the resistor bracket mounting hole, as they do for all other firewall clip holes. Was there a target dimple in the fiberglass ? Any difference between A and S-body panels ? The '65 TIM&JG says T.I. cars "do not have any evidence of a hole in the firewall".

Can someone post a close-up pic of this area (say, covering a 3" x 4" zone) of an unmolested T.I car (no fill and feather jobs, S.V.P.)

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthread.php?p=377695&uid=7493

[John H.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

Wayne -

Responses to this should be interesting - there are no references either in the Chevrolet Assembly Manual or in the much more comprehensive A.O. Smith process sheets for drilling a hole for the sheet metal-type resistor screw on a standard car, nor are there any instructions for filling an existing hole with bond material on a K-66 car (like there are for filling the expansion tank bracket rivet holes on a big-block).

[Steven S.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

DCP_2990.jpg

Here is a pretty good close up, early January '66 St. Louis car. The hole doesn't have any evidence of ever having a screw present, and there is a "glob" of a hard black substance, the same as what is seen directly to the left of the hole, which has mostly fallen out. I don't have any documentations, but I strongly believe this was an original T.I. car.

Steve

[Joel F.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

I wish more people with original cars would chime in here.

[William C.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

Steve, if you are trying to verify original K-66, look for the clip under the drivers side hood latch, added for TI cars only, page A3 of the K66 section in the assy manual. This is an additional clue (or not)

[Joel F.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

Bill,

Good point, but the way I read Wayne's post was more of a question as to whether all cars (even TI) had target dimple or even a pilot hole for the ballast resistor screw. This might be the case since the AIM does not seem to call out the mounting dimension. In the case of TI cars, obviously no resistor would have been mounted but the hole or dimple might have remained.

Steve's picture seems to suggest that might be possible, but we know a lot can happen to a car in 40 years, including the removal and reinstallation of a TI system.

Joel

[Alan D.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

Here is a shot of a Mar64 TI car. Also note that an additional clip which 65 AIM calls for is not applicable to 64, just production clips. Just hard to get a good picture of the area.

[Wayne M.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

...to verify original K-66, look for the clip under the drivers side hood latch, added for TI cars only, page A3 of the K66 section in the assy manual. This is an additional clue (or not)

Bill -- good point for Steve, but only applicable to 1966 and '67; 1964 and '65 had T.I amplifier mounted on RH side rad support, except L76+C60 cars (also add L79+C60 in '65); I guess they hadn't figured out the need for a clip for only approx. 160 cars.

[Steven S.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

Well, you got me on the clip... if I am understanding the AIM correctly, there was never any hole in that area on this car. Does anyone have a good picture of one? And can anyone make out the revision record on their copy of the AIM? A little background on the car in my first pic... it's an unrestored car that has not seen use since approx. 1975, in the state in which I purchased it the T.I. distributor was not being used, the amp was still attached and connected to the wire harness, and there is overspray of the original color on the amp. Anything is possible, but the absense of this clip is the only evidence I have found so far against it being a T.I. car. I'd be happy to take and post picture of any area the sake of discussion.

Here is a pic from my archives, it is not my car, it was on eBay a while back, and to my surprise it appeared to actually be a nice car (so I saved some pics for reference). December '65 L72, restored (which isn't ideal for this type of research), note the obvious "glob" in the area of the ballast resistor screw hole. Now while purely speculation, if someone was going to fake/clone a T.I. car, then they would do there best to hide a hole they didn't think belonged, if you were restoring a nice original car, you would leave that glob there.
66vette425058.jpg

[Wayne M.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

I wish more people with original cars would chime in here.

Joel -- I share your wish -- would'a thought that 50-plus L71 owners would proudly post their pics of virgin fiberglass by now. Thanks to those that have: Alan, Steve.

OK, to encourage others, here's 2 pics of original (but ex-) T.I. cars that have had holes drilled for ballast resistors: Both '65s; both S-bodies; left pic is of a late 396 which owner of 1971 pulled T.I. to add Mallory tach drive & coil (which I still have somewhere). Second is an early A/C coupe that still had its T.I. by mid-'70s, according to dealer Galen Lee of Kansas City (was his wife's driver until it sold). Ignore the orange +ve battery cable .

What I find amazing is that if there was no target dimple, how come that (most of us) seem to have evidence of a hole at precisely the same distance and orientation from that cone end of the rubber plug -- those holes should be scattered all over.

[Douglas L.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

Here is an early 67 - 390 with TI(St. Louis body) documented with a tank sticker that has been restored. Ballast resistor mounting hole is pre-drilled, but no evidence of being tapped. Firewall insulation plug is missing.

[Joel F.]

Re: What about "NO ballast resistor" C2 cars (K66)

Thanks Doug! Great picture.