C2 67 Firewall Blackout

[Stephen L.]

The firewall was blacked out after color paint in the paint shop. The body then traveled to the finish assy area where all of the various pieces were bolted/screwed/glued on.... things such as the pedal assy and the firewall insulation.

Question: Why would GM go back and repaint the blackout of the firewall to now include such things as the insulation rubber pins, various nuts, and the clutch rod boot? and if they did this then why didn't they paint the heater box...the wiring harness adjacent to the clutch boot....and the wiper motor.... in fact the area behind the wiper motor has a very nice coat of blackout paint. I assume they completed the assy of these components BEFORE they "touched up" the firewall.

Could the judging manual have an error in this area?

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

To finish this post.. I believe these items were NOT painted after installation.... and the firewall was NOT "touched up" Am I wrong?

[Michael H.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Steve,

You are correct in saying that the initial blackout was done just after the body color was completed but there wasn't a final touch up of black paint. What you see on several different items is a tar base sealer that was applied after some mechanical items were installed. This application of sealer was there to insure there was no leak into the passenger compartment. This same sealer was also applied to the outer edge of the heater case.

Michael

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Then why does the judging manual state that the clutch boot is painted. I kind of thought it could be a sealant... a few folks at the judging meets seem to think its paint...

[Michael H.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Painting the clutch boot really wouldn't make any sense as it serves no purpose but applying sealer around the edge at the firewall does. The sealer was thin and I suppose it could be mistaken for paint.

[Joe C.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Steve:

I think that you are referring to the clutch boot on the bellhousing, which might show some "slight overspray" of the engine paint. The clutch boot on the firewall is installed after blackout and shouldn't show any paint. Same goes for the rubber grommets, accel linkage, wiring harnesses, heater box, steering column seal and cover.

Joe

[Joe C.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Steve:

I think that you are referring to the clutch boot on the bellhousing, which might show some "slight overspray" of the engine paint. The clutch boot on the firewall is installed after blackout and shouldn't show any paint. Same goes for the rubber grommets, accel linkage, wiring harnesses, heater box, steering column seal and cover.

Joe

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Joe, I'm refering to the small boot that is on the firewall on the clutch rod. The 67 Judging manual states on page 138 under "Seal, Upper Clutch Rod,...."
"The base of the seal is attached to the firewall with Phillips screws and is coated with the same black paint that covers the entire firewall". I believe that this boot could have had sealant around it for water protection but would not be painted nor would the screws necessarily be painted black. This also goes for the pedal assy bolts etc that were installed after the firewall was blackened.

[Joe C.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Steve:

Here is the passage in the 1965 TIM&JG referring to the firewall seal. There were 2 designs used in 1965. The SECOND design was used after, ABOUT 11,750, and I assume should also apply to your 1967. There possibly were some running changes made in between, but here it is:

"The second design used to the end of production is a seal with a molded-in steel reinforcement which serves as a retainer. The retainer is secured with three Phillips screws. The base of the seal is attached to the firewall. Caulking is not used with this design."

Unless there were design, or assembly procedural changes between mid '65, and the BD of your 1967, then yours should be the same as mine, with no paint on neither the boot nor the mount screws.

BOTTOM LINE: Whether it is true or not, then, if you want to avoid trouble, I would advise you to adhere to what your TIM&JG says. The manuals have been known to be full of errors, and if you want to research further, then you should look for an unmolested specimen to examine.

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Thanks Joe. That makes sense to me... Evidently the TIM&JG info didn't carry over to the 67 version. I have the seal with the molded metal insert.

[Joe C.]

RE: Above Post

Correction: The clutch boot on the bellhousing should show no paint.

[John H.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

The clutch rod seal was installed on the Trim Line, well after the Paint Shop blackout operation, and no sealer of any kind is called out in either the '65 or '67 A.I.M. to be applied at the seal-to-firewall interface. No "touch-up" of firewall blackout was done anywhere, and any "tar-like" black sealant on the clutch rod seal was applied as a water test repair fix.

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2 67 Firewall Blackout

Thanks John, The 67 judging manual doesn't read that way, but I agree with you.