C2 core support paint question clarification

[Scott S.]

Re: C2 core support paint question clarification

The radiator supports were stamped and assembled (welded) at the Chevrolet-Indianapolis stamping plant, and shipped raw to St. Louis and to A.O. Smith, where they were flow-coat primed black (St. Louis) and spray-primed green zinc chromate (A.O. Smith).

Indianapolis stamped almost all passenger and truck radiator support components, which were welded together at the assembly plants; Corvette was the only car line that received them already assembled.

John,

Thank you, it is fun to learn new details about these cars

Since the Corvette radiator supports were the only ones assembled at Indianapolis, it raises a question about C60 vs. non-C60 radiator supports, at least for 1966-67 small blocks (I'm not sure if BB was similar). Were the small block C60 radiator supports special-ordered in small quantities without crossed reinforcement rods, so that they arrived that way at St. Louis and AOS? Or were the reinforcement rods removed at AOS and St. Louis on an "as needed" basis for cars ordered with C60?

[Tony S.]

Re: C2 core support paint question clarification

Michael--question. I've seen a couple of later C2 core supports where green primer shows without any black paint coverage--on the lower sections of course. If they were black dipped, why would some of the lower portions of the core support show only green primer?

Tony

[John H.]

Re: C2 core support paint question clarification

John,

Thank you, it is fun to learn new details about these cars

Since the Corvette radiator supports were the only ones assembled at Indianapolis, it raises a question about C60 vs. non-C60 radiator supports, at least for 1966-67 small blocks (I'm not sure if BB was similar). Were the small block C60 radiator supports special-ordered in small quantities without crossed reinforcement rods, so that they arrived that way at St. Louis and AOS? Or were the reinforcement rods removed at AOS and St. Louis on an "as needed" basis for cars ordered with C60?

Scott -

The C60 radiator supports arrived at St. Louis without the rods - that's why the C60 support had a separate part number (3894536).

[John H.]

Re: C2 core support paint question clarification

I've seen a couple of later C2 core supports where green primer shows without any black paint coverage--on the lower sections of course. If they were black dipped, why would some of the lower portions of the core support show only green primer?

Tony

Tony -

The radiator supports on A.O. Smith bodies weren't black primed - they were sprayed with green zinc chromate, and required extra work in the A.O. Smith paint shop blackout operation to try and cover all the green primer. The radiator support on St. Louis-bodied cars was black flow-coat primed at St. Louis, and Service replacement supports were black flow-coat primed at the Regional Parts Depots.

[Tony S.]

Re: C2 core support paint question clarification

Thanks John. That makes sense. The core supports that I saw with visible green primer were A. O. Smith cars. Thanks as always for your insight.

Tony

[Ronald L.]

Re: C2 core support paint question clarification

Tony for the record a couple years back I posted a pic of a 66 AOS core support with the C60 and M35 marking written on the bottom

Green

[Ronald L.]