1971 ignition shielding

[Steve Beech]

My 71 Lt-1 is missing its ignition shielding. I notice in the assembly manual that shielding is noted as for the FM radio cars. Was it on all cars with radios?
Does anyone know the part numbers and proper chevrolet part nomenclature(eg. bracket vs support)for the various pieces?
Judging wise, are there differences between the orig pieces and the repro stuff that's available from suppliers?
My car has the lower pieces which cover the plugs on both sides, but no other pieces.

[Joe L.]

Re: 1971 ignition shielding

Steve-----

All original radio-equipped cars had the ignition shielding.

Virtually all of these pieces are GM-discontinued, at this point. There may be a few of the supports (the pieces that attach to the exhaust manifold bolts and to which the plug shields attach) that may still be available, but the rest is gone. Used original or NOS is the only way to get original pieces. I think the repros are fine.

[Dave F.]

Re: 1971 ignition shielding

Steve,
I was unable to pry any original shielding from current owner's hands (without sacrificing an arm and a leg), so I had to go the repro route for my '68. In that quest, I did find some quality issues as some repro shielding is (was)manufactured outside of the US, and the main problem with some of that was inferior chrome plating on some pieces. What I did buy was made here in the US, and was of decent quality. I recommend if at all possible, try to see it first before buying to avoid disappointment. If that's not possible, quiz your supplier on the finish quality, and make prior agreement on a return/exchange policy to your satisfaction. The "good guys" in the business will definitely understand your concern.

[Jack H.]

Re: 1971 ignition shielding

Original shielding is pretty easy to find at swap meets, BUT you have to piece it together 1-2 components at a time which means you need to know what you're shopping for and be able to visually identify it. The difference between current reproduction and factory original shielding components is small....

In general, the reproduction pieces are much BETTER than factory original in several respects:

(1) The chrome plating is thick show quality vs. factory original quick & dirty 'smack/flash' chrome plating.

(2) On original pieces you generally see 'pucker' or 'wrinkle' lines in the area of curved edges from factory original stampings where the reproduction pieces are fresh with clean flat curvilinear edges.

(3) Factory original mounting brackets have original supplier logos embossed while reproductions have either no ID marks or the emboss (Paragon). But, once installed with shielding mounted, these tiny marks are hard/impossible to see.

Those who make the effort to piece together a set of factory original shielding components typicially do it as a labor of love, personal pride in restoration. The typical deduction for reproduction vs. factory original shielding is modest, maybe a point or two, and unless you know how to visually ID the components you need, it's a lot easier to open the catalog and write a check....