57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

[Ken G.]

I know the newest Judging Manual shows a photo of an air cleaner wing nut that appears as an inexpensive stamped piece with a base about the size of a dime and a small hole in one of the wings. The wings are also formed by folding the metal over since the piece is not cast. Here is my dilemma, the 1957 GM Engineering Standards, page E-74.101 shows a very different cast or forged wing nut. Some claim that this is the correct wing nut for the later 50's cars. Can anyone help me reconcile why the GM manual says one thing and the Judging manual says another?? What am I missing?
Thanks!
Ken
wing nut.jpg

[John H.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

Can anyone help me reconcile why the GM manual says one thing and the Judging manual says another?? What am I missing?
Thanks!
Ken

Ken -

Good question - the A.I.M. shows that #117204 wingnut used on the '57 1x4 and Fuelie, with the #3736162 used on the RPO 469 2x4.

[Ken G.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

John, do you have the drawing for 3736162?
Thanks
Ken

[Adam S.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

Guys that looks like the one GM used (the cast wing nut) on most passenger cars, especially the oil bath air cleaner, every oil bath air cleaner had that simple cast iron or steel wing nut & I myself have seen at least one bow-tie fuel injected pass. car with that wing. My personal 2 cents(may not be sound ) is this engineering sheet was vauge on its total applacation across the line & more or less could have just grouped corvette in with the massed produced pass cars possiably because it was same threads, massed produced in larger quanties from that subcontractor & would function just as well,....... just a though..... But, most importantly, lots of new info. has surfaced from many original un-disturbed cars as well as newly surfaced vintage pictures of factory fresh cars which has gave better understanding & shead new light on the stamped wing within the last few years which has made it more factural that many of C1 especially 57 Corvettes came from St Louis with the low grade chrome stamped steel wing as in JM for c1's.......... there is too a lot of late info. in archives history posted files that are very current on this subject ......

[John H.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

John, do you have the drawing for 3736162?
Thanks
Ken

Ken -

No, I don't.

[Dan P.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

I am having the wing nut that is in the JM made.Should be done in a month or so.Dan 913 515 3721 .

[John H.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

John, do you have the drawing for 3736162?
Thanks
Ken

Ken -

After some digging, I DO have that #3736162 drawing, and it's a STAMPED wing nut, typical of what we see on later 60's air cleaners, and it's chrome; the drawing calls for triple chrome (copper, nickel, and chrome), which is unusual for a production part. The #3736162 wing nut was only used on the '57 2x4 applications - the 1x4 and fuelies used the CAST #117204 wing nut, per the A.I.M.

[Joseph T.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

Ken -

After some digging, I DO have that #3736162 drawing, and it's a STAMPED wing nut, typical of what we see on later 60's air cleaners, and it's chrome; the drawing calls for triple chrome (copper, nickel, and chrome), which is unusual for a production part. The #3736162 wing nut was only used on the '57 2x4 applications - the 1x4 and fuelies used the CAST #117204 wing nut, per the A.I.M.

John..that explains the mystery...between fuelie and dual carb wing nuts.

There is a good vintage photo of a new 57 fuelie on the dealer floor in 57 in Kayser's book that shows the Fuelie air cleaner cast wing nut.

I would not be surprised though to find original production cars using what was available the day they were made.

Joe

[Ken G.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

John, thank you soooo much for your diligence!! Sorry for the slow response, I have been out of town. Now I just need to find two stamped wing nuts!! Anyone have a lead??

Ken

[Dan P.]

Re: 57 air cleaner wing nut - more questions!

Call me Dan 913 268 5314 I have some originals or email dpatch1@kc.rr.com