Correct part finish
 

What is the correct finish for the metal flywheel cover at the front of my Muncie 4 speed? I had painted it bare steel color, but think maybe it should be black?

Anyone know how it was finished originally?

Re: Correct part finish
 

bellhousing? it could be orange. year and model?

Re: Correct part finish
 

If you're referring to the inspection cover at the bottom
of the bell housing, it should be black ( dipped ) I believe.

Steve

Re: Correct part finish
 

The ones that are still available from GM are satin black. This isn't necessarily proof positive that they came that way back in the day, but that's likely the way they came.

Re: Correct part finish
 

[ QUOTE ]
The ones that are still available from GM are satin black. This isn't necessarily proof positive that they came that way back in the day, but that's likely the way they came.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have one that was purchased in 71 and it is satin black like Rainer says.

Re: Correct part finish
 

Except for the firewall, I think that I would be pretty safe in saying that all the black parts were dipped. Until the mid '80s we had a paint line in the Oshawa truck plant just for small parts that went through a cleaner tank then a black paint dip tank. After that parts came into the plant already painted. We also had a paint line for the coloured rims as well. A few years ago I bought a new GM steering centre link for the Chevelle and it was a semi-gloss black. I see cars restored with the natural metal look. I don't know which way the cars came from the factory. Corvette guys have actually figured out which holes the parts were hanging from when dipped so that the runs are going in the right direction.

Re: Correct part finish
 

Thanks!

Sorry, I was referring to the inspection cover.....

Satin Black it is!

Re: Correct part finish
 

I just saw this and thought I would contribute my info. On our 68 SS427 4 speed the inspection cover is Engine orange. It is the original that I took off the car. I have seen a few other originals in this color.
Hope this helps
Steve

Re: Correct part finish
 

That's so strange Steve. I was gathering 68 SS427 stuff today trying to see where everything is after all these years for the coupe.The original bellhousing and cover were one of the items I located. This one was black original for sure, canadian car but so strange ours would be black and yours orange for the same year and model.

Re: Correct part finish
 

Interesting. I need to check the 07D fastback tomorrow and see what color that one was. It looks like it depended on what factory the car was built at..
Steve

Re: Correct part finish
 

The flywheel covers were painted black when they were stamped, but over sprayed orange at the engine plant.

The bell housings were installed after the flywheel was bolted down, and the black cover was installed, before the engine was painted. The engines were painted after all these parts were in place. So the exhaust manifolds, bell housing, inspection cover, etc were all over sprayed orange. If the inspection cover wasn't in place, the fly wheel would have orange paint on it, and it didn't.

The inspection cover color was recently discussed on Team Chevelle, and several guys with un-restored originals, all said, there was lots of orange paint on their original inspection covers.

Re: Correct part finish
 

Pascoe's 18k mile 69 Z...when looking for references I can almost always find pics on the site to document correctness...
https://www.yenko.net/photos/data/533/medium/Z96D.jpg

Re: Correct part finish
 

This is for a 72 Olds 442 W30. So, black inspection cover with 455 Olds blue over-spray would be correct.

I'm not going to over-spray the blue, but will repaint the cover black while the trans is out of the car.

Thanks!

Re: Correct part finish
 

Guys!

I just remembered that Tonawanda had the bell housings
installed prior to painting, so that lends me to believe
that the inspection cover would be orange. I honestly
can't say I ever saw the back side of a flywheel that had
orange overspray on it. SO, that tends to indicate that
the inspection cover was installed and should be orange.

Sorry for my earlier post about the black color. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/blush.gif
Steve

Re: Correct part finish
 

Hi Steve:
This was a january 13th 68 car. The one with the 67 air controls, flat centers etc.Lots of early stuff. We have another 396 california car scrapped which was also 2nd week of jan she also has the 67 air controls and flat cetres on the rally wheels??? Auto however so we don't have another inspection cover.
No orange paint on the bell housing either and the fork is natural with no indication of any paint.I don't know may be because it was one of 4 they built up here made it different. Motor is stamped totally unique as we discussed before with no letter codes but it matches exactly the gm canada docs.Don't use my feedback as the norm for these.Looks like we have a odd ball.

Re: Correct part finish
 

Thats pretty strange, but it would make sense due to the low production. On our 65 Biscayne, the bellhousing had overspray just on the area that bolts to the engine, and it was also orange where the clutch fork comes out, and the clutch fork was orange too! Every car seems different LOL
Steve

Re: Correct part finish
 

Here is strange Steve. I was at moms today so make a point to look at what was in the barn. 4 covers on a nail all black, six 621 bellhousings no paint on them. One newer truck 11" housing signs of blue plaint. One 10 1/2 housing full of orange.Only in canada I say https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif

Re: Correct part finish
 

Where exactly is your Mom's house?....And does she have any big dogs--or a gun? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/smile.gif

Re: Correct part finish
 

JOZ,
It's been my experience that Tonawanda installed a bare steel inspection cover, bell and fork, then painted it. The degree of orange on the bell, cover or fork varied depending on the guy doing it that day. I believe the final assembly plant installed the rubber boot for the fork when they installed the linkage. All the service replacement inspection covers were supplied black.
IF you look at Pascoe's '69 Z photo, it sure looks like the cover is bare steel with a little orange overspray.

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/wink.gifVerne

Re: Correct part finish
 

[ QUOTE ]
Where exactly is your Mom's house?....And does she have any big dogs--or a gun? https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm the gun collector not mom most BBC guys seem to be. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...ns/naughty.gifThere is some up there but living in canada by the time she got the lock off the cabnit, then the lock off the trigger then the lock off the ammo bin she would have had you beat with the stock.
Not really a worry up here. Not a person within 200 miles would want a 621 housing unfortunately. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/frown.gif
Did find three more yesterday when looking for a console for a guy and two did have orange overspray on them but the other was natural.
I look at that original inspection cover posted and also see some black, and would suspect if it was bare we would see a bit of rust like the bottom of the oil pan etc.Not saying verne is not 100% correct just seems it may not be consistant at least in canada. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/beers.gif

Re: Correct part finish
 

That may be 3mac1, but one location built all the engines. Do you think someone said, "let's paint this differently because it's going to Canada"?

I admit, I have some eyesight problems these days, but I sure can't see any black on that Z-28's inspection cover, not when I look at how the black on the starter lasted.
The oil pan was bare steel also before it was painted orange.

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gifVerne

Re: Correct part finish
 

[ QUOTE ]
That may be 3mac1, but one location built all the engines. Do you think someone said, "let's paint this differently because it's going to Canada"?

I admit, I have some eyesight problems these days, but I sure can't see any black on that Z-28's inspection cover, not when I look at how the black on the starter lasted.
The oil pan was bare steel also before it was painted orange.

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gifVerne

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi Verne:
May be it is just the picture glare but I see black just up from the right bottom cover bolt.Regardless still owning both canadian and american produced cars of the same year and model YEP they did a lot different on either side of the border.
Give you one example our canadian GM documented impala ss427 has it's original engine stamped TO1113T from the plant you refer to.You won't find that in any of your books and if you were buying the car would probally say it is a CE block that I stamped but right in the GM docs same number. Why??? did that same plant stamp a canadian block differently. Because it was coming to canada.Maybe no bell housing was fitted on the export engines they produced so they got painted with out them I have no idea.. Just like she didnot have smog and she has option codes which no one can tell me what they are like Z49 refered to as special canadian package.I have had my chevelle since 76 another canadian car and her original cover is on the wall and it is black no signs of orange and her clutch fork is bare steel.
I am only telling what I see. I didnot blast any of these housings and many were put away 25 years ago. 9 housings 7 bare two with orange paint and more in the attic which i will check what are the odds. Never say never with GM especially GM canada. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...iggthumpup.gif

Re: Correct part finish
 

Joseph,

I'm wondering about this.......

I have a Corvette article that featured the BBC engine
assembly process at Tonawnnda. Painting was also covered.
This is a much debated topic on the NCRS technical forum.
Verne probably also saw this on that site some time ago.

I have a photo showing the BBC's coming down the paint
line and the bell housings are clearly installed. Unfortunately,
the photo is in B&W so it's almost impossible to tell for
sure. Why you have several '621 bell housings w/o paint is
a mystery to me. I do know that the painting process was very
subjective, depending on the person actually painting. This
is clearly evident from the different levels of overspray
found on original cars.

I have a '621 bell housing that came off an original L/71
'69 Vette and it has orange overspray all around the perimeter
of the housing ( where it mates against the block ).
I bought it from the original owner because of this
original paint scheme. BTW, it also has its original
yellow crayon inspection mark over the orange paint.

I wonder if painting was bypassed on certain days due to
personnel availability or production pressures. Some
engines I have seen sure look like they were never painted. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/hmmm.gif

BTW, I have an invitation from GM to visit their historical
archives for research purposes. Engine painting was one of
the topics I had planned to look into. Time is my problem.


Steve https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/grin.gif

Re: Correct part finish
 

Hi Steve:
I honestly don't know unless they were cleaned prior to me buying them which I cannot see that taking place back then.One had $20.00 on it so that will tell you something.I am going to dig out the original out of my chevelle that one I know has never been touched it was removed when the car was just about new and replaced with a lakewood shield. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif

Re: Correct part finish
 

[ QUOTE ]
Give you one example our canadian GM documented impala ss427 has it's original engine stamped TO1113T from the plant you refer to.You won't find that in any of your books and if you were buying the car would probally say it is a CE block that I stamped but right in the GM docs same number. Why??? did that same plant stamp a canadian block differently. Because it was coming to canada.........Just like she didnot have smog

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll connect those 2 concepts. In Camaros, they didn't use a unique assembly code for non-smog export cars. Big cars are a higher volume and may have used a unique code for export (no holes in the exhaust manifolds).

Re: Correct part finish
 

The topic is interesting enough while just considering US built cars, but when you add in exported engines, it certainly adds more questions. As far as different suffix codes used for Canadian bound engines, that's perfectly normal to expect them, since the equipment itself was different. Perhaps at some point during the assembly process at Tonawanda, engines going to Canada were directed to a "side line" where they were dressed and racked differently.
One way to answer the question would be to look at the Oshawa plant AIM to see if there are assembly instructions for the bell housing and clutch cover. If those parts were already on the engines when they left Tonawanda, there would be no mention of them in the AIM.

https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...mlins/wink.gifVerne

Re: Correct part finish
 

Hi Verne:
Funny part is she is the only one that I have ever seen with a code like this and I have touched many a big block over the years and still have a few.All the others would be stamped the same as the US codes. She is also the only car I have had from the St.theresa plant rest were Oshawa.
I used to guess it was because she didnot have snog and has a chrome dress up package I call it on the engine but that being said my chevelle had no smog and had the chrome covers etc and she had a standard three letter ID code.
God knows https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/imag...lins/dunno.gif