C2:67 S/B No French Locks

[Gerard F.]

I was reading in the archives where small blocks are supposed to have french locks on the end pairs of exhaust manifold bolts. My late 67 small block doesn't. I even got dinged on it at flight judging.

My exhaust manifolds have never been off the engine. I did take two bolts out when I installed the A/C brace for my Vintage Air system (1 end bolt and one center bolt). Here's a picture of the end bolt I took out:


Does this look like the manifold bolt used without french locks on big blocks?

Jerry Fuccillo
#42179

[Dennis C.]

Jerry, I assume you are the original owner...??? *NM*

[Gerard F.]

Re: Jerry, I assume you are the original owner...?

Close to it, I bought this 67 from my room-mate in the Navy in 68. Can guarantee that the exhaust manifolds were never removed. He would have never on a year old car, and I didn't in 37 years. The bolts are so rusty that you can't discern any bolt head markings, and all the end pairs have that shoulder type head.

Jerry Fuccillo

[Kevin M.]

Re: Jerry, I assume you are the original owner...?

I'd say that's the way your car came, I'd take the deduct because you know they are original.

Kevin

[Gerard F.]

That's the way I figure it.

Kevin,

It's a minor deduct anyhow. But, I know the Judging Guide is wrong on this.

Maybe I should bring up the wrong original carb again. But then I'd get dinged for having the correct one on now. Or the unpainted carb spring bracket on a base engine, I'll take the deduct on that one any day, because that's how I found it. I could have easily painted it when I painted the engine to conform to the Judging Guide.

But I'm having lots of fun restoring things to original.

Jerry Fuccillo

[Mike M.]

Re: Jerry, I assume you are the original owner...?

jerry: the bolt and thick flat washer are so rusty, is it possible there is a remnant of the french lock left on the bolt/flat washer? mike

[Gerard F.]

Re: Jerry, I assume you are the original owner...?

Mike,

I took a close look and no evidence of a french look. What may look like a washer in the picture is part of the hex head. It is a thick shoulder on the head; it is not frozen on, it's part of the head.

Jerry Fuccillo

[Gerard F.]

Cleaned it up, no french locks

Mike,

I cleaned up that bolt:


The one on the right is the end manfold bolt. It has an integral washer as a shoulder to the hex head. The head has a small circle with 6 spokes, there is also a circle which runs through the spokes.

The one on the left is one I removed from the center pair. Similar head markings with the outer circle outside of the 6 spokes. But with no integral washer and no loose washer.

Here's how one of the end bolts looks like in place:


Number on the manifold is 3747042 (right side). And no french locks on any of the end pairs of manifold bolts.

My engine pad is stamped V0626HE and I'm wondering if this is one of those June 26, 1967 anomolies which Al Grenning has written about. I've also had issues with the passenger car carb (which I trashed years ago) and the unpainted carb spring bracket.

Jerry Fuccillo
#42179