BB spark plug barrel shields

[Ken C.]

? on my 72 BB with A/C. Were the barrel shields on all 8 spark plugs. Noticed that the 2 where the a/c brackets bolts to exhaust manifolds are missing.

[John H.]

Re: BB spark plug barrel shields

I thought '66 was the last year for the screw-attached "barrel shields"...

[Dick W.]

Re: BB spark plug barrel shields

John, the '72's used a barrel shield that attached to the exhaust manifold bolt. Ken, I am not sure if they used 6 or eight. Our '72 has eight, but it is not what you would call a unmolested original car either.

[Joe L.]

Re: BB spark plug barrel shields

John-----

1966 was the last year for the "first design" big block spark plug shields. Then, for 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1971, GM didn't use any shields, at all, on Corvette big blocks.

I think that they must have found out that was a mistake. So, for 1972, they started using them again. A new design was used, though, which attached to the manifold bolts. It's possible that some late 1971's got the shields, too.

The style used for 1972-73 was as seen on the left in the picture below. The style used for 1974 may have been similar to the 1972-73 shields or it may have been similar to the shield shown on the right, below.

The style shield seen on the right is the most effective spark plug heat shield that GM ever developed for a big block. You can be sure that my "ZL-1" will have them.