'67 Big Block AC Compressor Brace Bar

[Mike B.]

Re: '67 Big Block AC Compressor Brace Bar

THANK YOU RIC!

Well, I finally got a post from a '66 L-36 AC owner! Wonderful! And your '66 427 AC compressor brace rod is spot-on with the GM engineering drawing that's shown in Noland Adams Resto Vol. 2 Guidebook. Your rod end that's shown in your 3rd photo says it all. Unique shape for the '66 brace rod #3887168.

I really appreciate you resurrecting this thread. Now it's got the much needed information I was hoping that someone would share.

Take care Ric and thanks! Mike

[Joe L.]

Re: '67 Big Block AC Compressor Brace Bar

THANK YOU RIC!

Well, I finally got a post from a '66 L-36 AC owner! Wonderful! And your '66 427 AC compressor brace rod is spot-on with the GM engineering drawing that's shown in Noland Adams Resto Vol. 2 Guidebook. Your rod end that's shown in your 3rd photo says it all. Unique shape for the '66 brace rod #3887168.

I really appreciate you resurrecting this thread. Now it's got the much needed information I was hoping that someone would share.

Take care Ric and thanks! Mike

Mike------


Something to keep in mind: you don't think that GM changed the design of the 1966 brace for the 1967 model year (and 1966 SERVICE) because the 1966 design worked just as well, do you? I don't. If there was not some problem experienced with the 1966 design I'm very confident that the same part would have been used for 1967.

[Mike B.]

Re: '67 Big Block AC Compressor Brace Bar

Good Morning Joe,

I'm in total agreement with you. I figure GM wouldn't have changed '66 brace #3887168 to '67 brace #3894366 unless they'd made an improved design. I mentioned this in my 5th and 10th posts to this thread. I wish I could speak to an old GM engineer and find out why. Small wonder I know, but I'm still curious just the same.

Thanks to everyone who've responded to this thread. I feel that it now provides anyone who is searching for an authentic '66 or '67 big block AC compressor brace rod a good clear example of what to look for. Happy hunting!

To the best of my knowledge, all photos in this thread up to this point are of authentic '66 and '67 brace rods. I know what the reproduction rods look like. So far there's only one design of those that I know of. I didn't want to post a shot of one of those. For what it's worth, it resembles the '66 brace more than the '67. As I stated earlier, these repro rods have the "MW" stamp on them too.

Thanks for everybody's help. It would be great if folks will continue to post shots of their original '66 ~ '67 brace rods! Mike