Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

[Roger D.]

The shifter plate has of course 4 screws, 2 at top and 2 at bottom. My '72 350/200 is missing one screw. The heads on the remaining screws are black in color and are flat not rounded. I looked at another 1972 just like mine in Dallas last weekend. The car was advertised to be completely "original" and had only 28k miles on it. The console screws on it were black in color but had rounded heads.

Question: What are the correct console screws on a '72 350/200 automatic? Flat heads or rounded?

Thanks.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

Roger,

Technically they're called oval head screws. In profile, the top has a slight rise to it. They are not perfectly flat. In this application they have a Phillips slot.

Patrick

[Joe L.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

The shifter plate has of course 4 screws, 2 at top and 2 at bottom. My '72 350/200 is missing one screw. The heads on the remaining screws are black in color and are flat not rounded. I looked at another 1972 just like mine in Dallas last weekend. The car was advertised to be completely "original" and had only 28k miles on it. The console screws on it were black in color but had rounded heads.

Question: What are the correct console screws on a '72 350/200 automatic? Flat heads or rounded?

Thanks.

Roger-----


All I can tell you is this: the console plate screws used for 1972 were GM #3843505. I don't have specs on these screws. However, the screws used on later 1969's were also GM #3843505. My original owner very late 1969 has console plate screws that are flat head phillips, definitely not round head.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

Replacement screws sold by vendors the head size is smaller on the ones I have seen and they set deeper in the countersink. Sometimes I think small items like this may have been installed at the factory but not match the judging manual or a judges idea of what is correct. If a shortage on a part like this happened they would pick the part up locally to fill in till the shipment came in where I worked. I would say flat or oval in this spot would not have stopped the assembly line or caused the cars to be built without the screws and installed later in the repair area.

[Reba W.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

We have found both oval and flat screws on known original cars from 1968-up. The latest JG should have mentioned this, but somehow we overlooked it. I seem to remember that earlier JGs did specify one type.

A car owner once brought both types and asked which I wanted to see on the car, as he had previously lost points for each style.

Most likely suppliers changed over time. I don't know if part numbers did; that is Joe's department.

[Roger D.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

Thanks all for those answers. I'll pull one of mine out and take a look at the profile. Looks flat though. One I've seen online definitely are not flat, e.g., these at Eckler's

http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?pf_id=28931&dept_id=1644

Yep Reba I didn't see it specified in the JG. By the way my wife's name is also Reba!

[Patrick H.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

Thanks all for those answers. I'll pull one of mine out and take a look at the profile. Looks flat though. One I've seen online definitely are not flat, e.g., these at Eckler's

http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?pf_id=28931&dept_id=1644

Yep Reba I didn't see it specified in the JG. By the way my wife's name is also Reba!

Yes, those are the oval head ones.

Patrick

[Jim T.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

My July built original owner 70 has the "flat phillips type" screws and they are black.
My February built original owner 68 has "slightly rounded phillips type" screws and they are black.

The console screws are known to be the original screws installed at the factory.

[Roger D.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

Sounds like flat then according to Joe's original owner car. I'll look and see what I can find unless someone can suggest where.

[Joe L.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

There were actually 4 different screws used over the 68-76 period:

GM #9420610---used for 1968 only;

GM #9424929---used for early 1969 only;

GM #3843505---used for late 1969 through 1973;

GM #9420554---used for 1974-76 EXCEPT for lower left side hole for THM-400 plates. That location used the GM #3843505.

Unfortunately, I can't come up with specs for any of the above screws.

[Roberto L.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

I think that #3843505 could be #8-18 x 1/2". They are the same used in the rear compartment (side) and in the body rear grille, acording to the 1970 AIM (pages 85, 89 and 112).

Other source suggest #6-18 x 5/8" but I doubt it is correct.

Best regards

[Joe L.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

I think that #3843505 could be #8-18 x 1/2". They are the same used in the rear compartment (side) and in the body rear grille, acording to the 1970 AIM (pages 85, 89 and 112).

Other source suggest #6-18 x 5/8" but I doubt it is correct.

Best regards

Roberto------


The screws used for 1969 in the locations you mentioned were the same as for 1970---all are called out to be GM #3843505. I checked the screws on my car in all those locations. The screws used for the rear grilles MAY have been changed by me at sometime in the past, so I'll not consider those here. Actually, I don't really think I did change them, but I MAY have, so I don't want to get them into the mix.

The screws for the console plate and the rear compartment frame I KNOW to be original. Both are #8 X 1/2", both are flat head countersink type, and both are phillips head. However, the screws for the console plate are black and those for the rear compartment are zinc or chrome plated. So, they could not have been the same part number. In fact, it would seem like the screws used for the rear compartment would have been black since that would have matched the frame. However, these frames varied in color according to interior color, so, maybe, they decided to use a more "neutral" screw finish to be compatible with all.

Attached are photos of the screws. Notice that the design of the head is also different between the screws.

[Sal C.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

I have seen several low milage, original cars in the 1970 to 1972 range where both types of screws were used on the same car. Example: my 1970 Coupe #8998 and Drew Papsen's 1972 Coupe. Many, many others.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

Joe
The screw on the left that is black looks larger than the chrome one in the picture. Is this true or is it just the angle of the picture that makes the thread diameter and head size look larger.
Lyle


I have seen several low milage, original cars in the 1970 to 1972 range where both types of screws were used on the same car. Example: my 1970 Coupe #8998 and Drew Papsen's 1972 Coupe. Many, many others

Sal
When two types of screws were used did the heads set the same depth in the shift plate?

[Roberto L.]

Re: Shifter Plate Screws on '72 350/200 Automatic

Interesting Joe, thanks for the pictures. Actually the AIM shows the same part number in those positions.

So, apparently there were alternatives not mentioned in the AIM, perhaps a later modification. The 70 AIM seems to be a later production type (EG shielding drawings shown are the second variety, not the box like type).

In my car the screws seem correct but when you unscrew them a longer size is apparent (I suspect they were changed sometime in the far past).