65-6 HiPo SBC Dipsticks

[Loren L.]

A friend just called and announced that the chrome shop had lost the dipstick for his '66 L79 - did I have any? I went out into the "Room That Does Not Have An Inventory" and came up with TWO possibles.
The JGs talk of the round chromed handle with the black plug - one of mine is black, the other could only be described as "uncolored" plastic. Other than that, the dipsticks are identical & marked per the JG.
Question: do we REALLY have a reason for insisting on "black plastic" for this insert? I have a hard time believing that GM paid someone to sit at the end of the line and sort black plastic for St Louis, all others get anything else.
Second observation - one of these sticks had the outer tube still attached,
with the diameter reduced for the last two inches (as stated in the '66 JG);
the '65 JG that I have makes no mention of this - were they different? Can I sell this tube withour giving up a part that I will need for 65 #23561? My gut tells me that they were the same......

[Michael H.]

Re: 65-6 HiPo SBC Dipsticks

Loren,

Just looked at a factory assy line pic of a 66 L-79 and the plastic tip does appear to be.... black. However, I'm not sure if all would have been black. It's possible that the color didn't actually matter, although that was supposed to be the method of ID for the different applications.

The 66 parts book lists the 65 and 66 L-79 stick as being the same part number, 3864974, for both years. (there may have been an earlier # for early 65?)

Also, the same 66 printing lists the tube with the reduced upper portion, 3876784, as being the same for both 65 and 66. However, that number is too high, numerically, to have been used from SOP of the 65 MY. If someone happens to have a 65 printing of the parts book, we'd like to have the part number listed if possible.

By the way, that tube was discontinued decades ago and replaced with a part that was borrowed from the pass car line. The pass car tube is a slightly different length, so I'd hold on to that one for your project.

[ken magrene #44841]

Re: 65-6 HiPo SBC Dipsticks

my original 65 d/s has black plastic also

[William C.]

Re: 65-6 HiPo SBC Dipsticks

My 1964 dated '65 manual shows part number 3860319 for '65 pass car and Corvette, I don't have the cover for an exact date, but it is copyrighted 1964.

[William C.]

Re: 65-6 HiPo SBC Dipsticks

Just checked the '68 (July 1 1968) parts book and it shows part number 3876784 for all '65-68 smallblock, to confuse the issue a little more, but there definately was a change from '64 to '65.

[Michael H.]

Re: 65-6 HiPo SBC Dipsticks

Thanks Bill. I knew that number had to change some time in the beginning of the 65 MY. It was too high, numerically, to have been used from SOP of the 65 MY.

[Page C.]

Re: 65-6 HiPo SBC Dipsticks

My Oct 1, 1964 parts book list the dipstick of a 1965 Corvette w/sp. H/Per, FI as 3864974 with a list price of $1.45. My Oct 1, 1968 parts book list the same number for the 1965 & 1966 and gives the full and add dimensions as 20 - 5/32 and 20 - 15/16 which agrees with my original "oil gauge"
Page Campbell

Regards
Page Campbell