FI 'S' tube screws

[Michael H.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

Joe -

When I ran the overhead Chassis Line at Willow Run from '64-'66 (Corvair .

Are you talkin bout these little cars with the spare motor in the back?

[Joe R.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

John,

I am shocked to find that a union worker would install something that was not specified for the job at hand. I'll bet those Corvair collectors are searching the globe for the correct "L" screws knowing the dedicated union workers would do no wrong.

I've tried to install one "S" tube with those damn little 5/16" screws and won't do it again. Those "top hat" screws will go thru that radiator support like a buzz saw. If you ever see a 64 FI car with those screws straight in the holes of the radiator support you can bet the farm something is bogus about that 64 FI car.

JR

Joe -

When I ran the overhead Chassis Line at Willow Run from '64-'66 (Corvair & Chevy II), the first half of my line installed the five-foot-long sheet metal lower tunnel cover on the Corvair underbody, and the second half installed the large rubber bellows seal all the way around the Corvair engine shroud that attached to the body rails on four sides with loose steel retainer strips.

The Corvair engine-to-body seal retainers were close to impossible to assemble using the specified 5/16" screws (same as the "L" screws for the '63 F.I. "S"-tube), but a blind man could do that job if he used the "top-hat" screws that were specified for the underbody tunnel cover. We mis-used those top-hat screws by the THOUSANDS to keep that job going (28 screws per car); drove the Material Control guys crazy, but avoided filling the Final Line with seal retainer repairs.

[Michael G.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

Me too, just shocked....

I remember one time at Hamtramck we had a bad case of "fish-eyes" in the deck lid paint. It was costing millions.... Turned out that a line operator in the body shop didn't like the noise the deck hinge screws were making on installation, so he dumped them all in a bin and poured hydraulic fluid all over them... They were nice and quiet then, but they threw up a hydraulic fluid roostertail as they when in, spraying the bare steel deck lid with stuff that was impossible to clean off. He was told to stop, but didn't for many days, the union said he didn't have to until we put some other lubricant on the screws to protect his ears....don't know how much those extra days cost GM, but it was a lot.

Oddly, I couldn't find the hydraulic fluid application anywhere in the build documents...

[John H.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

Are you talkin bout these little cars with the spare motor in the back?

Yup! Who's that handsome dude in the Corvair?

[Alan D.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

Well JR just can not agree with that -
"If you ever see a 64 FI car with those screws straight in the holes of the radiator support you can bet the farm something is bogus about that 64 FI car."

After many hours of 4 letter words mine are all straight now!

[Doug L.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

My Dec 13, 1963 built '64 has 2 of each screw. I would have to look at my disassembly notes to see which screws were where but as I recall the 2 high-hats were the lower screws and the "L"s were the upper screws. That would make sense from an installation standpoint because, as I recall the lower screws were a bitch to remove.
Doug

[Joe R.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

Well JR just can not agree with that -
"If you ever see a 64 FI car with those screws straight in the holes of the radiator support you can bet the farm something is bogus about that 64 FI car."

After many hours of 4 letter words mine are all straight now!

Alan,

Exactly!!!! You just proved my point! The union workers don't have "many hours"! That's why all 64 FI cars have screws that were started crooked and that's why the screws were self threading.

All "Original" 64's we're talking about here!!!!

Thanks,

JR

[Scott S.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

The "top hat" screw wasn't released for usage anywhere on the Corvette, but it was on the passenger car and truck lines in the "big plant" next door, and on the Corvair-based forward-control truck line up on the third floor. A couple of handfuls of them would last a long time on only five F.I. "S" tubes per day.

John,

I found this same "top hat" screw (with pointed tip like the one shown by Michael Hanson in post #2 above) on the passenger side footwell vent-cable-clamp assembly (pictures below, 1967 coupe with C60). The screw is called out on C60-E4, Item 16, 3873951. The drawing itself LOOKS like a "top hat". The example from my car measures #10-16 x 5/8", 1/4" across-the-flats. The same picture and p/n is called out on the same pages in the 1965-66 AIMs. I didn't find this screw listed in the P&A books, but it is pictured twice in the Illustrated Parts Books, with group number and dimensions, but not the part number.

The first reference is on a page titled "1965-67 CORVETTE AIR CONDITIONING CENTER OUTLET & CABLES (TYPICAL)". It shows a close-up of the RH grille, but says the screw in question is 3/8-16 x 1-1/8, which must be an error.

The second reference to this "top hat" screw is on a page titled "1964-67 CORVETTE AIR CONDITIONING HEATER & DISTRIBUTOR ASSY. (TYPICAL)" This page shows a blown-up drawing of the same part number screw (picture #3 below) being used for a cable clamp on top of the Heater & Distributor Asm. (C60-E5, "View F" in the '67 AIM), that again looks like a "top hat" (particularly in the Illustrated parts book drawing). The dimensions given at the bottom of the IPB page are the same as the screw that was on my car at the RH grille location, #10-16 x 5/8", except the Illustrated parts book specifies a "BT" tip, and mine is an "A" or "BA" style tip.

This same screw (C60-E4, Item 16, 3873951) is called out twice on C60-E5, securing a cable to Item 17 Bracket in both "View E" and "View F", referencing back to the item numbers (16 & 17) on C60-E4.

I will check to see if the Item 16 screws at those other two locations are also "top hat" style screws, next time I have a chance.

Having fun

[Bill C.]

Re: FI 'S' tube screws

John,

I found this same "top hat" screw (with pointed tip like the one shown by Michael Hanson in post #2 above) on the passenger side footwell vent-cable-clamp assembly (pictures below, 1967 coupe with C60). The screw is called out on C60-E4, Item 16, 3873951. The drawing itself LOOKS like a "top hat". The example from my car measures #10-16 x 5/8", 1/4" across-the-flats. The same picture and p/n is called out on the same pages in the 1965-66 AIMs. I didn't find this screw listed in the P&A books, but it is pictured twice in the Illustrated Parts Books, with group number and dimensions, but not the part number.

The first reference is on a page titled "1965-67 CORVETTE AIR CONDITIONING CENTER OUTLET & CABLES (TYPICAL)". It shows a close-up of the RH grille, but says the screw in question is 3/8-16 x 1-1/8, which must be an error.

The second reference to this "top hat" screw is on a page titled "1964-67 CORVETTE AIR CONDITIONING HEATER & DISTRIBUTOR ASSY. (TYPICAL)" This page shows a blown-up drawing of the same part number screw (picture #3 below) being used for a cable clamp on top of the Heater & Distributor Asm. (C60-E5, "View F" in the '67 AIM), that again looks like a "top hat" (particularly in the Illustrated parts book drawing). The dimensions given at the bottom of the IPB page are the same as the screw that was on my car at the RH grille location, #10-16 x 5/8", except the Illustrated parts book specifies a "BT" tip, and mine is an "A" or "BA" style tip.

This same screw (C60-E4, Item 16, 3873951) is called out twice on C60-E5, securing a cable to Item 17 Bracket in both "View E" and "View F", referencing back to the item numbers (16 & 17) on C60-E4.

I will check to see if the Item 16 screws at those other two locations are also "top hat" style screws, next time I have a chance.

Having fun

I too have seen the top hat screw used on the vent cable to grills and also used to attach the a/c ductwork to the support brackets on many 64-7 cars.

I have also seen it used attaching control cables to heater boxes in 65-70's a/c cars

Anyone seen it used elsewhere?