Topic: 67 Tilt Column Vacuum Release Valve Solenoid Rivets

[67gtasanjose]

Trying to replace the rivets that secure the electric vacuum release valve solenoid to the underdash bracket. I am looking for just two of them. Anyone know what I call this style of rivet?

[67gta289]

I recommend calling Jay-Cee rivets in Farmington Hills.  Get a hold of someone in the tech area and send a picture  if that does not pan out I have an extra and can take it up there in person   

[J_Speegle]

Isn't that just the end that expands and a washer added before it was expanded?


That is what it appears from the picture.  If so test the metal to see if its aluminum or steel. Measure the width (Where the washer rests not the expanded section) and depth and get a small box and one of washers at the local hardware store.

[jwc66k]

Isn't that just the end that expands and a washer added before it was expanded?

Yes, it's a special inside diameter washer for rivets used on thin metal or plastic surfaces acting as a "doubler". The exposed rivet end suggests it's a pop rivet.

- and get a small box and one of washers at the local hardware store.

Oh how I miss Orchard Supply Hardware.
Jim

[jwc66k]

I recommend calling Jay-Cee rivets in Farmington Hills. 

I've used Jay-Cee rivet for years. Their catalog provides rivet measurements so you can find a good if not the the best replacements. I've adapted their rivet die sets to use with my Harbor Freight one ton arbor press.
The website is https://rivetsinstock.com/
Jim

[J_Speegle]

Oh how I miss Orchard Supply Hardware.

Leaves us with Ace or the big box stores. Of course many of us have the left overs of dozens of earlier purchases since you rarely use a whole container. Know I used some of the washers a while back to make something on another project fit correctly

[67gtasanjose]

Thanks all for the replies, that much information does help (some). It would help more to have the rivets and washers in my hands to determine what would duplicate the original installation. Unfortunately I do not, I only sourced the previous image and this one also attached here in this reply from current images on the internet so apologies for lack of clarity. (Zoomed image is rather fuzzie, no Jim, your vision is OK this time )

The style of crimping on the inside or the curve in bracket looks to be a tubular crimp not as much like a pop-rivet in what I see in the fuzzie image.

[196667Bob]

I have been planning for over 30 years to add this Option to my '67. About 30 years ago, I picked up a complete Tilt-Away Column with all of the necessary parts (except the Steering Box and Pitman Arm which I picked up several years later). At the time , I was most concerned about purchasing a Tilt-Away that was complete and could be made functional, than if the individual parts were the "Factory correct" parts for 1967.  Over the last 10 years or so, and particularly the last 4 or 5 when I started taking my '67 apart for "Restoration", I have been more into the "details". I have "dug deeper" into my manuals, MPC's, TSB's and of course into anything pertaining to the Tilt-Away on this Forum.

That is why this Topic you Posted on the Vacuum Release Valve Solenoid Rivets caught my eye. I did not remember any rivets on my valve. Sure enough, no rivets ; my valve is held onto the bracket using the same bolts that hold the bracket on to the underside of the dash. My next step was to go to the WCC site to see of they had pictures of both the 1967 and 68 vacuum release valves. Luckily, they had pictures of both ; the 1967 was shown mounted to the under dash bracket with rivets as in your first picture, and the 68 was shown with no under dash bracket, and just the release valve with "straight ears" on it, not bent curved to fit the curve of the under dash bracket. Next, onto the Parts Diagrams, MPC's, TSB, etc.

I first printed out the 1967 and 1968 Parts Diagrams on 11 x 17 so I could easily compare the two. At this point, since it appeared that I might have a 1968 release valve instead of a 67, it made me wonder about the rest of my parts, and the column itself.
It didn't take long to see that the rest of my parts and column were definitely 1967 - thank goodness. So then, what about the vacuum release valve appearing to be from a 1968 ?

I came up with a couple of possibilities ;  first, the person I purchased it from years ago, never had the correct 1967 Vacuum Release Valve to start with (either he bought it that way, or it was missing and he replaced it with a '68) ; or, the original 1967 Vacuum Release Valve had gone bad, and was replaced with a '68 (since it does have the correct '67 under dash bracket, and the '68 bracket appears to be totally different, I believe that this may be more likely). The next question was then, did the '67 Valve end up getting "Replaced By" the '68, or did his "parts source" just not have a '67, so he purchased a '68 Valve ?
Another option might be that like "Service Part" Ball Joints which were furnished with nuts and bolts for "replacements" instead of the Factory Rivets, possibly the Vacuum Release Valve could be the same ?
Back to the MPC's. The 1967 Vacuum Release Valve is shown as Part # C7ZZ-3D536-A, and does not "say" that it "includes under dash bracket", or "mounting bracket", which I find unusual since there is no separate Part # shown for the 1967 Under Dash Bracket.
For the 1968 Vacuum Release Valve, one would expect to see a Part # similar to that for 1967 ; something like C8ZZ-3D536A ; however, and interestingly, the 1968 Valve is shown as Part # C7ZZ-3D536-B ! IMHO, this says there is just some very minor difference between the two. Once again, there is no note about including a bracket ;  however in this case for the '68, the bracket does have a Part # (see Illustration attached).

In looking at the pictures of the 1967 and 1968 valves shown on WCC site, it appears that the only difference is the "straight" ears on the 1968 valve, versus the "curved" ears on the 1967 valve which are riveted to the 1967 under dash bracket. While it would be possible to bend the straight ears on the '68 valve to conform to the '67 under dash bracket, I don't believe that this was Ford's intent. I say this based on two observations ; first, the curvature in the ears of on my valve appear very uniform, not exhibiting any manual bending. And secondly, since the function of the valve is to have vacuum move contacts to complete an electrical circuit, it stands to reason that no change in the valve itself would probably have occurred, and thus the reason for retaining the C7ZZ Part number, with the "-A" signifying "curved" ears, and the "-B" signifying "straight" ears. I believe that this is further supported by the fact that the 1967 valve (C7ZZ-3D536-A) is never shown as having been "Replaced By" the 1968 (C7ZZ-3D536-B) valve. Both were available for purchase from Ford until sometime between January 1977 and July of 1979, when both were shown as "NR" (Obsolete).

SUMMARY

Based on the above research, I offer the following :

1)  The 1967 Vacuum Release Valve (C7ZZ-3D536-A) and the 1968 Vacuum Release Valve (C7ZZ-3D536-B) Service Parts are identical except for the mounting ears on the valves, which are curved in the 1967's to conform to the 1967 under dash Mounting Bracket, and straight on the 1968 for bolting to the 1968 Mounting Bracket
(C7ZZ-3E639-A).

2)  The 1967 Service Part does not come with the under dash bracket. The old 1967 Vacuum Release Valve must have its Factory Rivets drilled out, and the new valve attached to the existing under dash bracket using bolts and nuts.

Of course, the only way to see if my assumptions are correct is to either find NOS 1967 and 1968 Vacuum Release Valve Service Parts, or find documentation that supports my assumptions. If anyone can confirm, or refute my assumptions, with either of these methods, please "step forward" and Reply.

Bob

[KevinK]

I’m following this post so I can better understand what is going on with my wife’s 67 Tbird. I hear a vacuum leak in drive. It started after dropping the column and pulling the dash to replace the dash pad. I told a quick look and did not see anything.

Thanks for the pictures.