68 splash shield answers yes or no

[Chuck R.]

I'm in kind of a grey area and would like input from those who either do, or used to own a 68

My donor 68 body which was number 23343 off the production line has the insulation retaining tabs on both the driver's and passenger's sides of the fire wall on the engine bay side.

There is a heavy tin tab on either side at the bottom of the fire wall that is centered to each foot well that extends beyond into the engine bay area where the I assumed the single bottom ear of the splash shields would attach to.

I picked up a pair of reproduction splash shields that don't stand a snowballs chance in H-E- double hockey sticks of attaching to these tabs AND cover all of the insulation. What am I missing?

Are there 68s out there with just the insulation on the fire walls with no splash shields to protect it?

Were the original splash pans larger than the knock offs I picked up?

I'd be curious to know what the configuration is on anyone elses 68.

Pictures would be a wonderful thing.

Thanks, Chuck

[Jack C.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

On my early original 68 (9643), the tabs are there on the bottom (each one is centered) to accept the shields but no hint of any insulation tabs or insulation ever being installed. I have a PB and a Job # on the bare fiberglass scribed in chalk on the exterior section of the foot wells.

[Chuck R.]

Re: Weird and weirder Jack

Thanks for the response back,

There was insulation remains in two of the clips when I spread them open, so they were used.

This might be just another one of those "only on a 68" pathfinder, prototype, push the envelope, guinney pig things.

I hope a couple more 68 Dudes or Dudettes chime in on this as I'm getting close to priming up and painting the firewall, I'd like to get it squared away BEFORE I drop the body back on the chassis.

Chuck

[Jack C.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

Good luck, we 68 owners are definetly a different bunch.

[Jim T.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

My original owner 68 has some of the fiberglass insulation mat stuff left on the drivers side. It also has the metal splash shields. I do not have a digital camera or even a phone with a camera. I will take a look at it later and try and try to post a descriptive detail of a FEB built 1968.
I examined my car and the piece of fiberglass insulation the drivers side that is still on the car only covers the vertical area which is somewhat protected by the splash shield. Have no insulation left on the passengers side, but it was there when the car was new. The piece of insulation that is remaining is retained by two steel retainers that just about in line with the wiring harness.
Both steel splash shields are retained by three bolts each secured to the frame and both also have another attachment to a steel bracket riveted to the bottom front area of the floor pan.
The passenger side has three riveted brackets, one forward of the transmission crossmember, somewhat centered on the floor pan, one in front of it is at the front area of the floorpan, and the third ones location is between and just slightly lower than the two rubber plug retainers for the carpet.
The drivers side has four riveted brackets, the two mentioned earlier and then two secured to the floor pan locations like the passenger side.
The fiberglass was retained by having the two pointed ends of each bracket folded over the center of the backet.

[Terry M.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

There was a 1968 TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) which described, with part numbers, the additional insulation and heat shields which could be added to the under body of Corvettes in which the owner commented on the level of heat in the interior. I am certain some Corvettes left St. Louis with this additional material as well, but we have never seen enough of them at meets to get a handle on which cars would have had it.

[John C.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

Chuck

My April built car still has all it's orginal insulation and shields in place. It has the large insulation blanket and the trianglular shields only. It does not have the large rectangular metal shields that cover the back portion of the insulation or the the white plasitic shields that came later.

John

[Anthony S.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

Chuck,

I have what Jack's car has, my car was built right after his (9736).


Anthony

[Bryan M.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

Very early 68 #4888 no sign of ever having insulation. It only has a tab at the bottom of each footwell as an attachment point for the splash shield. The other splash shield attachment points are on the frame.

[Rich G.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

My 68 BB coupe has insulation and rectangular shields. It was built July 18, 1968.

Rich

[Grant W.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

I'm in kind of a grey area and would like input from those who either do, or used to own a 68

My donor 68 body which was number 23343 off the production line has the insulation retaining tabs on both the driver's and passenger's sides of the fire wall on the engine bay side.

There is a heavy tin tab on either side at the bottom of the fire wall that is centered to each foot well that extends beyond into the engine bay area where the I assumed the single bottom ear of the splash shields would attach to.

I picked up a pair of reproduction splash shields that don't stand a snowballs chance in H-E- double hockey sticks of attaching to these tabs AND cover all of the insulation. What am I missing?

Are there 68s out there with just the insulation on the fire walls with no splash shields to protect it?

Were the original splash pans larger than the knock offs I picked up?

I'd be curious to know what the configuration is on anyone elses 68.

Pictures would be a wonderful thing.

Thanks, Chuck

Hi Chuck
I helped judged an original 17000 mile 68 L89 and it is a mid to late june car serial number 248XX It has the square pan underneath, and the white front splash shield. If you want to know the L shaped brackets and the large square pan is gray phosphated. Early 68's did not have the square splash pan. There was also a 68 original Jan car and did not have the rectangle splash pan and early 68 stuff is different. So much to learn. Thanks, Grant

[Rich G.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

Those pictures are the same as what is on my July 18 L71

Rich

[Henry J.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

My mid-February built 68 appeared to have had the insulation up the footwell and under the floor on both the right and left sides. There was evidence of the front splash shields also. I can't say whether the underfloor shields were ever there, but they are now.

[Jim B.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

I'm in kind of a grey area and would like input from those who either do, or used to own a 68

My donor 68 body which was number 23343 off the production line has the insulation retaining tabs on both the driver's and passenger's sides of the fire wall on the engine bay side.

There is a heavy tin tab on either side at the bottom of the fire wall that is centered to each foot well that extends beyond into the engine bay area where the I assumed the single bottom ear of the splash shields would attach to.

I picked up a pair of reproduction splash shields that don't stand a snowballs chance in H-E- double hockey sticks of attaching to these tabs AND cover all of the insulation. What am I missing?

Are there 68s out there with just the insulation on the fire walls with no splash shields to protect it?

Were the original splash pans larger than the knock offs I picked up?

I'd be curious to know what the configuration is on anyone elses 68.

Pictures would be a wonderful thing.

Thanks, Chuck

Chuck

I have an original owner late 68 vert. The bottom of the floor boards are coveered by a fiberglass mat which is then covered by a thin steel plate sttatched by thin steel strips rivited to the frame wtih sheet metal screws screwed nto the plates. The firewall. just as it turns upward from beneath the car has fiberglass mats attatched to the car in the same manner as the ones below with rivieted spikes which are bent over to hold the mat. Covering the mat on the firewall is a white plastic sheild which does not cover all of the mat but attatches to the car in the same manner using the thin steel strips riveted to the frame(two lower and two upper on each ide) with a sheemetal screw and a big washer from the strip to the plastic.

Does this help?

[Joseph K.]

Re: 68 splash shield answers yes or no

Chuck

I have an original owner late 68 vert. The bottom of the floor boards are covered by a fiberglass mat which is then covered by a thin steel plate starched by thin steel strips riveted to the frame with sheet metal screws screwed not the plates. The firewall. just as it turns upward from beneath the car has fiberglass mats attached to the car in the same manner as the ones below with riveted spikes which are bent over to hold the mat. Covering the mat on the firewall is a white plastic shield which does not cover all of the mat but attached to the car in the same manner using the thin steel strips riveted to the frame(two lower and two upper on each ide) with a sheemetal screw and a big washer from the strip to the plastic.

Does this help?

I have a 69 built in April. The Shields look like the 68 but they are white as they go vertical along the firewall. Was there insulation on them in 1969 also?? Mine has no insulation....