Kirk , John, Wayne ,etal. A/C Access panel

[Jim S.]

Hey guys,

I have been reading all the comments about the Access Panel. And have taken some pictures of my 66, as of yet unrestored (sadly), A/C panel for your comments.

I will post them 1,2,3 for a full look.

I am not sure what it all means , but I agree with Page that it looks like it was undercoated seperately. It also shows evidence of paint under the rubber strip as Wayne pointed out . The picture of the fender , however, does not show any evidencr of undercoating under the panel area ? Lastly it looks like the inside was painted black seperately , as the area that should be unpainted if it was instaled first was indeed black .However it also looks like it was left alone and blacked out as part of the normal Blackout Proceedure, because it was not fully painted . Note the exposed areas inside ??? .

I do remember the nuts being covered in undercoating but I don't recall any black paint on the bolts . I am not saying they were not painted , I am saying I don't remember. It was taken off pre digital camera era !

You folks check out the pictures and tell me what you think !

Jim

[Jim S.]

Re: Kirk , John, Wayne ,etal. A/C Access panel

pic two

[Jim S.]

Re: Kirk , John, Wayne ,etal. A/C Access panel

Better picture 3

[Wayne W.]

Re: Kirk , John, Wayne ,etal. A/C Access panel

Is it an AOS or ST. Louis?

[Jim S.]

Re: Kirk , John, Wayne ,etal. A/C Access panel

Wayne,

It is an A O Smith .

Jim

[Wayne M.]

Let me jump in with my 2 bits

Car is late 396, S-body. Believe battery panel is original, although the inner fender is not.

Auto-load pic is of wheelwell side (heavy undercoating). Note ouboard middle-panel hole that is re-drilled over original. Several people have reported this on late '65s.

2nd pic is of engine comp't side (note Bubba repair of hole worn in panel by oversize tires).

Third pic is close-up of corner holes showing thick undercoat. Appears that nuts were just stuck into the undercoated panel (then panel put in place, I assume) and bolt installed, causing the nut to rotate slightly in the "goo" as tightened. NO evidence of ever having had those micro rivets installed.

4th pic: Close-up of that outboard hole (wheel side) showing the color of fiberglass, and thickness of undercoat.

5th pic: outboard side of top inboard corner, showing lack of rivets ever being installed (would rip out of holes if over-torqued). What looks like a rivet head is extruded glue or undercoat -- not metal).

6th pic: Inside of panel showing other side of outboard middle-panel hole as shown in pic #4. Look closely at drilled / bevelled rivet hole -- never had a rivet in it.

7th pic: top engine bay side of top corner, showing original foam gasket. The middle of this gasket showed some roughness, as if installed over undercoat on the wheelwell, as Wayne W. indicates. I'm not prepared to peel back the foam to check for absence of paint. Again, rivet holes filled with extruded glue or undercoat.

----------------------------------
I'd post what my early '65 air car has, but it's too darn cold in the garage .

[Jim S.]

Re: Let me jump in with my 2 bits

Wayne ,

You got me thinking that I had never seen any rivets in my panel as well .

That being said However , doesn't your fifth picture and the one I attached show evidence of them once being installed. I refer to the depression around the hole itself?

Jim

[Wayne M.]

Countersunk holes for rivets

Jim -- I figure (but mostly guessing) that the 3 holes per bolt location (2 countersunk rivet holes and the large hole for the bolt) were all done by a sequential drill machine with the entire panel held in a fixture -- probably small holes first.

The depression (countersink) was part of the drilling operation. What makes me claim that my car (and looks like yours as well) never had rivets installed is that the mere installation of the rivet damages (to a minor extent, leaving footprints) the small hole in the fiberglass; and torquing a rusted bolt can rip the rivets completely out of their holes.

I believe my early '65 C60 both has (and had) rivets with the damage I describe.

[Jim S.]

Re: Countersunk holes for rivets

Wayne,

Does the damage look like the first hole in the first picture I used ? I have two holes that look like that . The other 4 upper holes are fine .

If so an other mystery rears its ugly head. That would mean that some of the holes had and some did not have rivets installed originaly.

This thing is too complex for me ! I think I will just yank all that pesky C-60 stuff from my car and convert it to a base model !!! Less hassle and fewer items from which to deduct points !!

Jim

[Wayne W.]

Re: Countersunk holes for rivets

I have seen them both ways, with or without rivets, but not mixed. My St. Louis 67 BB has the rivits. My 67 AOS SB appears not to have had rivits, but had heavy undercoating on the panel, while the body had little if any undercoating in that area.

[Kirk McHugh]

Re: Countersunk holes for rivets

So what does all of that mean for the bolts. Painted or not. I assume not??