AO Smith Frame Stencil on a 67 - Some Questions

[Kirk M.]

I'm getting ready to "restore" the frame stencil on my car and just wanted to check a couple of things.

1. What is the current prevailing notion on stencils for AO Smith bodies - sprayed or rolled? There has been a lot of talk recently that they should be rolled on. Is that correct?

2. Does anyone have a picture of an ORIGINAL AO Smith stencil on a frame?

3. Do the rear shim marks simply go right over the stencil?

Thanks.

[William L.]

Re: AO Smith Frame Stencil on a 67 - Some Questions

Kirk
I am not sure that I understand your question. I believe that all the frames were assembled in St Louis and that the frame under a St Louis body is the same as smith body, but I could be wrong?
Bill

[William L.]

Re: AO Smith Frame Stencil on a 67 - Some Questions

Kirk; This picture should help. John H will be able to tell you if they were rolled or sprayed,so hard to see and judge that I don't think a judge can tell. Picture is from Nolans Book.

[Kirk M.]

Re: AO Smith Frame Stencil on a 67 - Some Questions

Bill,

Good point. Maybe I'm getting the "story" confused. I swear I heard that AO Smith's were rolled, but if all frames were at St. Louis that wouldn't make sense, like you state. Wonder what the heck I'm thinking of???


Kirk

[Kirk M.]

Re: AO Smith Frame Stencil on a 67 - Some Questions

Bill, Here's John Hinckley's response from before:

A.O. Smith - Granite City used rollers to paint the stencil, which sometimes was applied by the truck driver just before he left their shipping dock with the frames stacked upside-down.

You can count the shims at each mount - just get up close with a flashlight and count the turned-down corners.

The Corvette convention for body mount numbering was different than the one used on passenger cars. On Corvettes, the mount at the base of the firewall was #1, the one under the sill plate on a convertible was #2, the one forward of the rear wheel was #3, and the one aft of the rear wheel was #4. The radiator support mounts didn't have a number. On passenger cars, the radiator support mount was #1, the firewall torque box mount was #2, etc.

[John H.]

Re: AO Smith Frame Stencil on a 67 - Some Questions

Just to clarify, we're dealing with two different A.O. Smith subjects. All midyear Corvette frames were made by the Frame division of A.O. Smith, at their plant in Granite City, Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis; they were stenciled with a roller. The same Granite City plant built all the passenger car and truck frames used at the "big" St. Louis plant adjacent to the Corvette plant.

Half of the mid-'64-up Corvette bodies were built by the Dow-Smith division of A.O. Smith (formerly the Mitchell-Bentley coporation), at their plant in Ionia, Michigan, and shipped by rail to St. Louis for Trim and Final assembly. All bodies, regardless of source, ended up on frames manufactured by A.O. Smith.