1973 TCS solenoid bolt to intake

[Charles P.]

The 1973 L-48 4 speed had the TCS solenoid (PN 1997410) bolted to the front right of the intake manifold using the forward 1 1/8" intake bolt. The TCS solenoid bracket is zinc. Should the bolt head used to secure it be natural zinc or be painted orange? I understand the bracket itself should have no paint on it.

Technical question: Would there be any harm in using a 1 inch bolt for the intake manifold versus the normal 1 1/8" (ie seal/oil seepage)?
Thanks

[Harmon C.]

Re: 1973 TCS solenoid bolt to intake

Charles

The bolt should be orange and the bracket unpainted as judged now. I have seen many of the solenoids with paint on them in the collection I have and have thought that a mask could have been used but was unable to find out for sure.The paint pattern looks more like original than overspray in the same pattern made with rattle cans. They may have been painted when used on other GM non Corvette engines.
Lyle

[Charles P.]

Re: 1973 TCS solenoid bolt to intake

Thanks Lyle. I believe you did some mechanical judging on this car at NCRS Kissimmee in January. I am thinking the engines were delivered new without the TCS and the freshly painted intake bolt was removed to add it. From looking at several plus cars I can't come up with concensus though. I believe my low mile bracket had paint on it but I can't say for sure that it wasn't from touch up over 34 years. By the way, I was impressed with your judging technique. You tended to rule something in before ruling it out and backed it up with examples of how anamolies could happen (ie fasteners, firewall paint techniques etc). I was reading a thread here about St Louis Plant workers who seemed to reinforce this idea.

Regards

[John H.]

Re: 1973 TCS solenoid bolt to intake

Charles -

If the Assembly Manual shows a part number callout for the TCS solenoid, it was installed at St. Louis; if no part number callout is shown, it was part of the engine assembly as received from Flint.

[Charles P.]

Re: 1973 TCS solenoid bolt to intake

If that is correct this reinforces what Lyle mentioned since this part and number are featured in the assembly manual. Thanks