Topic: 68 BB details on engine

[68 S Code]

While looking at the cars at Des Moines I saw a intresting detail on a few cars. It seems that the end of the coil was marked with a number in white paint which corresponded to the number at the far RH side of the battery decal on the apron. The decal column said "CHECKED" and under it was an identifying inspectors number. That same number was on the end of the coil. The intresting part is that one car was missing the smog. Thinking about this on the drive home I would have thought that on this particular 68 it would have been difficult to put a number on the coil because the smog tube bracket would have blocked the coil end. Would it have been on the bracket if the smog was there?

There was also some odd paint marks on the vacume tree at the thermostat housing. I only saw this on one particular car but the stem had a yellow, green and red slash next to eack stem on the tree. The vacume advance on the distributor had a green dot and when I asked the owner about it he said there was a yellow mark at the carb and a red one at the front vacume block. Was this representing what was done at the engine plant or by a past mechanic working on this particular car so he wouldn't mix up the lines?

[TLea]

This is why unrestored cars are your best bet for studying. Have only seen coil marks and the vacuum tree mark on restored cars. I think the thought is the marks on the vacuum tree correspond with the stripes on the hoses. Never found anything like that on original cars. If its the car I am thinking of (blue) there were a lot of paint marks under the hood I would seriously question. Talked to the owner for a while, nice guy.

[Bob Gaines]

This is why unrestored cars are your best bet for studying. Have only seen coil marks and the vacuum tree mark on restored cars. I think the thought is the marks on the vacuum tree correspond with the stripes on the hoses. Never found anything like that on original cars. If its the car I am thinking of (blue) there were a lot of paint marks under the hood I would seriously question. Talked to the owner for a while, nice guy.

+1. Bob

[68 S Code]

Yes there were a lot of "x"'s and daubs by the shock tower perches, brake booster, etc. That is why I questioned some of the details. I spoke with him and the engine and engine compartment were detailed by a restoration shop so that is why I defer the question here. He was nice enough to share his build sheet as his car and mine are optioned similar and built pretty close together. It looks like I should have kept my front springs striped as I originally had researched. Now I have to try to redo them on the car.

[J_Speegle]

This is why unrestored cars are your best bet for studying. Have only seen coil marks and the vacuum tree mark on restored cars. I think the thought is the marks on the vacuum tree correspond with the stripes on the hoses. Never found anything like that on original cars. ..............

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I've seen one original that had corresponding very small dots (like spindles but about half that size) matching the stripe on the hose but it was not a 68 car

There were a number of cars that either had paint marks from other cars (years and assembly plants) as well as other issues at the show but that is typical and they likely were deducted for

[68 S Code]

Studying an original unrestored car would be the best way but does the average hobbiest have the access to such cars? I spent some time talking witha judge who was standing next to the pastel grey 70 which was unrestored (modified with the T bird lights). he was saying how hard it is to find unrestored and unmodified cars today. Then figure in plants and build dates and you see how daunting the task looks.

[J_Speegle]

Studying an original unrestored car would be the best way but does the average hobbiest have the access to such cars? .....

In ways yes - in others no. Must say that the internet has increased tenfold the access the average hobbiest has compare to before. Never a perfect world and never easy - but if it was , everyone would be restoring cars

[68 S Code]

Jeff your statement about the Internet is dead on. It has completely changed the hobby from an informational point of view. Mostly in good ways. It allows one almost immediate answers to questions and information. The quality of restorations makes that evident.