Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

[Don Z.]

Another question please...regarding the side air vent grilles.
What color are the screws holding the grille supposed to be? '66 JG says nothing.
I order from Paragon and they came black. Of both my grilles only one ( the one at the heater box) had what I think may be original screws and they were a flat head phillips with natural / silver /light gray heads and were a self starting type of screw. If I explained that correctly.
Anyway, your help appreciaed again as to the color.
Thank You

[Gary C.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

The 65 JG says;



Cheers,
Gary

[Don Z.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Thanks Gary, the '66 does not have these U-shaped clamp nuts. At least not that I am aware of. I believe these screws go into the air vent surround, and I'm thinking it is fiberglass.
In an earlier question I had asked how they were attached and have found they are held on with 3 screws ( two sides and the top) the bottom hole is for the forward hole in the kick panel.
Hoping someone has another thought on this and if not then I will use the black as the '65 JG says.

[Gary C.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Woops sorry Gents, I thought you ment the grills below the windscreen.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Don,

My memory of these screws is exactly as your description, they are not black IMO.

[Don Z.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Thanks Tim
Are you saying that the screws may be something like a zinc coated or a natural dull silver color?
Just not black.
I may need to re-paint the black ones.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Thanks Tim
Are you saying that the screws may be something like a zinc coated or a natural dull silver color?
Just not black.
I may need to re-paint the black ones.

Don,

Yes, that's my memory of them.

[Scott S.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Another question please...regarding the side air vent grilles.
What color are the screws holding the grille supposed to be? '66 JG says nothing.
I order from Paragon and they came black. Of both my grilles only one ( the one at the heater box) had what I think may be original screws and they were a flat head phillips with natural / silver /light gray heads and were a self starting type of screw. If I explained that correctly.
Anyway, your help appreciaed again as to the color.
Thank You

Don,

If I understand correctly, you are referring to the screws that hold the vent grilles in the driver and passenger footwells, UPC 1ASM-E7 in the 1966 AIM?

If so, I only see the RH vent grille shown in the AIM, and it looks like the bottom screw and the rear-most (toward the back of the car) screw holes are secured with the same trim screws that hold the kick-panel (referencing 1ASM-E1).

For the TOP center screw, and presumably the screw nearest the firewall, it looks like GM 9418378 Screw is called out (Item 2, 1ASM-E7). This same screw is called out for this location from 1963-1966. It changed to GM 4751359 in 1967.

The car I'm working on has C60, so my RH vent grille uses some different fasteners than non-A/C cars, but my LH vent grille should be the same. It is a Jan. '67 coupe, I don't know when the change in screw part number was made on the production line. My vent grilles are off the car at the moment, and I took pictures recently, the screw at the top center and nearest the firewall (LH vent grille) looked like they were gray or maybe zinc, Philips flat head screws, with a flat tip/cut tip (type "BT"), measuring #10-16 x 7/8".

I will post some pictures when I get back this evening, it sounds like they may be the same as yours.

Scott

[Scott S.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Don,

It turns out that GM 4751359 is the same Trim screw (chrome with unique Philips head and attached flat washer) used for four of the six kick-panel screws in 1966 (excluding middle upper & middle lower), and for all six of the kick panel screws in 1967, at some point during the model year. The '67 Revision Record shows the change on 8-17-66, but past Threads show the assembly line did not adopt the change for quite a while after that. In any event, I'm surprised they changed to a chrome trim screw (4751359) for the top vent grille screw (and nearest the firewall) for '67 because it can't really be seen, and is probably more expensive than the GM 9418378 screw used from 1963-1966.

I looked for another place on the car where the 1963-1966 vent grille screws were used. I didn't find GM 9418378 called out anywhere in the '67 AIM, but I did find it in the 1968-1970 AIMs. It is the screw that secures the rear view mirror bracket (1ASM-E10, Item 20 for 1968-69, 1ASM-E11 for 1970).

LIC shows a set of six screws, "Fresh Air Vent Grille Screw Set" (12-38A, three per vent grille?) for 1963-1967, they all look like mine, Philips flat head, except LIC's have a pointed tip and are chrome. Corvette Central (#252186) shows what looks like the same part as LIC, six flat head Philips screws and again calling it correct for 1963-1967. To confuse things further, Corvette Central's drawing shows this screw being used in the BOTTOM center vent grille screw hole only. Paragon's C2 vent screw kit (#13243K) contains EIGHT pieces, but shows no picture (it's a mystery package, as if there's not enough challenge involved already ). Paragon shows a kit with four screws for the C3 application (Paragon #14615K), including a picture which shows two oval head Philips screws and two flat head Philips screws without identifying which is which, so not much help there.

Below are pictures of the screws that were on my LH vent grille, top center and closest to the firewall, any chance they are like yours?

.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Scott,

Your pictures show the correct screws only there should be three per side, top and sides, not bottom.

If you look in the AIM, the picture shows a dia. drill note for three places which is for the sides and top of the vent grill attachment.

The bottom hole gets the 4751359 trim screw and the other kick panel trim screw on the side is the chrome phillips through a eyelit and randomly installed meaning the hole location varies. These have been discussed in another post and are the four and two in 1964-67 until the change to all six #4751359 later in 67.

[Don Z.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Scott, your screws are like the two that I pulled from my passenger vent grille. All of my others had been changed somewhere along the way. Looking in my stash of stuff I did find a set of 6, I must had ordered from LI. I am going to use them or either used the black ones with heads re-painted a dull silver.
Also Scott, Tim I believe has answered your questions regarding the kick panels screws.
Tim, thank you for your assistance.

[Scott K.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Scott,

Your pictures show the correct screws only there should be three per side, top and sides, not bottom.

If you look in the AIM, the picture shows a dia. drill note for three places which is for the sides and top of the vent grill attachment.

The bottom hole gets the 4751359 trim screw and the other kick panel trim screw on the side is the chrome phillips through a eyelit and randomly installed meaning the hole location varies. These have been discussed in another post and are the four and two in 1964-67 until the change to all six #4751359 later in 67.

Going by this, the top and side screws would be our part #252186, and the bottom/kick panel screws would be included in our part # 342182 (1963-64) or 342183 (1965-67).

[Scott S.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Scott,

Your pictures show the correct screws only there should be three per side, top and sides, not bottom.

If you look in the AIM, the picture shows a dia. drill note for three places which is for the sides and top of the vent grill attachment.

Tim,

This is where it gets confusing (to me). 1963-1966 is most definitely different from 1967 in the following two ways:

1) The uppermost screw for the RH vent grille is GM 9418378 (Item 2, 1ASM-E7 in 66AIM), called out in every AIM at this location for 1963-1966. This screw (#10-16 size) has been confirmed by another member via email as being the example I posted above, a Philips flat head screw (zinc plating). I have not found this part number called out ANYWHERE in the 1967 AIM, but they were in my 1967 driver's side vent grille. For the 1967 AIM, item 2 screw is GM 4751359 (UPC 1ASM-E8), which is the chrome kick panel trim screw (#8-18 size) with attached washer. It is called out for the uppermost screw on the RH (and therefore presumably also the LH) vent grille, in the same location where the GM 9418378 screw was located in 1963-1966.

2) The 1963-1966 AIMs do indeed say ".175/.178 DIA. UPPER (3) Holes in Grille". But the same instruction at the same location in the 1967 AIM references only TWO .175/.178 holes in the grille.


Unless I am completely missing something simple, this probably requires a new Thread.

[Scott S.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Scott, your screws are like the two that I pulled from my passenger vent grille. All of my others had been changed somewhere along the way.

Don,

That's what I was hoping to confirm in reply to your original post, i.e., if mine are the same as yours, mine are (aged) zinc plated, which answers the finish question.

Beyond that, things seem to get complicated for '67, but, that's a different subject for a new Thread.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Another Side Air Vent Grille Question

Scott,

My 67 has never been touched in this area so early this week I can get a picture and post. The kick panels have been replaced by me and I still have the originals but the grills have never been out.