The 22 items are listed in the following table, along with GM part numbers, quantities, and other descriptors. Also shown in the table are the reasons why specific reproduction items are incorrect.

If you purchase the reproduction kits from Paragon that are required for that AIM page, you will discover that only 8 of the 22 items are reasonably close to matching the original GM items. A common failing of the reproduction fasteners is the inclusion of zinc plated fasteners when original items were either dark, plain or black phosphate. Unfortunately, many of those bright zinc items are easily seen and noted as incorrect during judging. Another common failing in the reproduction kits is the multiple use of the same reproduction bolt instead of the original GM bolts, which had different part numbers and therefore different lengths and/or different finishes from each other.

To get you started on the right path of acquiring correct fasteners for 66-67, you must purchase some of the needed fasteners from one of the reproduction parts companies. For example, I know that some required items sold by Paragon are correct. The required Paragon kits are: Paragon # 839K ($5 as of 2021) and Paragon # 1494K ($6 as of 2021). Those two kits will get you the following items: 1a, 2a, 2c, 4a, 4c (not shown on the original GM, AIM page), 6a, 6b (not shown on the original GM, AIM page). That is a total of eight items: Item 1a includes two screws; Items 2c, 4c, and 6c are three locking nuts. Items 2a, 4a, and 6a are three bolts. One observation about bolt 2a: the Paragon version is 1.0” long, instead of 1-1/8” for the GM original. However, I know of no source of a Gr 8, zinc plated bolt with a period-correct headmark, like WB, that is 1-1/8” long. Those 8 items are not included in my kit. I don’t know for a fact if those items will be correct if you purchase kits from any other company. I only know those items were reasonably correct when I purchased those two kits from Paragon for my ‘66.

In my kit you will get the following items from Table 1: 1b, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4b, 5a, 5b. Six of those items come as qty=2. In total you will get 14 fasteners in my kit. I’d like to briefly discuss four of the fasteners in my kit.

First, item 4b is a special spacer (a plain washer, but with very unusual dimensions), that has a unique finish and size. It is not listed on UPC 6 B6, but it has been observed on several, unrestored or Bowtie cars. Its GM part number is unknown. It has a light hue and is unplated. Many years ago, I found a small supply of that spacer. You will not find that spacer from any reproduction parts vendor.

Second, item 5a in my kit is GM 9441504, which is an NOS (GM-discontinued) bolt. That NOS bolt superseded the GM-discontinued bolt 454933, which is what is listed in the AIM. I found a small supply of GM 9441504 bolts. I do know of any differences between those two GM -discontinued bolts in terms of grade and dimensions. It is possible that GM 9441504 has a different headmark from GM 454933. Also, GM 9441504 has a dark finish, which might be black phosphate. The finish for GM 454933 was either plain (dark), or black phosphate.

Third, original lock washers, GM 103328, are dark, plain in finish. I have a source of reproduced 103328 lock washers that are black phosphate treated. I also have several NOS examples of GM 103328 (none for sale), and I can confirm that the reproduced version of 103328 appears virtually identical to my GM NOS examples. This is a case where black phosphate is an excellent substitute for the dark, plain finish that GM originally specified.

Fourth, item 2b in my kit has an OD of 0.74”, whereas the original GM washer, 6255640, had an OD of 0.81”. I don’t know of a source for a washer with identical finish and dimensions to GM 6255640, and I think an OD difference of 70 thousands is a necessary compromise.

The contents of my kit for 66/67 is shown in the following image.

The cost of a 66-67 kit is $45, plus $11 for USPS First Class mailing to US destinations only. Please note, that I do not sell portions or subsets of my kit. You must purchase the entire kit or nothing. I sincerely believe that you will not regret purchasing or using my kit on your prized restoration.

Fastener Kit for 1968-1975

(for 4-speed only)

Details of the 4-speed transmission mount hardware for 1968 thru 1975 are illustrated in the Assembly Instruction Manuals (AIMs) for those years on UPC 6, sheet B4 (1968-1972), and UPC 6Q, sheet 2 (1973-1975). The AIM pages for the eight model years from 1968-1975 list identical part numbers for all fasteners.

The next figure shows a redrawing of the AIM page for 1970, as an example. There are a total of 22 fasteners that apply to that AIM page.

The 22 items are listed in the following table, along with GM part numbers, quantities, and other descriptors. Also shown in the table are the reasons why specific reproduction items from Paragon are incorrect. Note that none of the 22 Paragon items are correct. I repeat, none of Paragon’s fasteners are correct.

My fastener kit for 68-75 contains all 22 items in the above table. The following shows the contents of my kit for 68-75.

The cost of a 68-75 kit is $60, plus $11 for USPS First Class mailing to US destinations only. Please note, that I do not sell portions or subsets of my kit. You must purchase the entire kit or nothing. I sincerely believe that you will not regret purchasing or using my kit on your prized restoration.