RPO U17 - firewall hole size

[woodsman1172]

My 69 Camaro has a hole through the firewall immediately behind the distributor, near the ground strap screw from the RH valve cover. The car has the special 'rivnuts' in the transmission tunnel for mounting a console, and the in-dash tachometer, so I'm thinking it may have been a factory gauge console car. The issue is that the 69 AIM, UPC 0, shows that hole for the oil line as being 0.5" in diameter. The hole in my car is slightly smaller, around 3/8". Hard to measure, so I used the shanks of different sized drill bits until one passed through. The AIM doesn't show any other factory piercings nearby. Could this still be a factory oil line hole, despite the smaller size? Anyone else found this hole to be undersize? I assume the hole size would have been specified to suit the oil line and grommet size.....
FWIW, car was assembled at Van Nuys, 04A, in case this is relevant.

[WorkinProgress]

I also have a 04A Van Nuys car.

If I recall the oil line grommet hole is not located in the same spot as the Norwood cars. It appears the assembly line workers were not sure of the location. Cant verify if this is true on all Van Nuy '69 Camaros built at different times.

Not sure of the hole size, but if I can get at the car I will get some pictures to show location.

Do you have the original horns on your car? If so, I would like to know the dates.

Thanks, Warren

[woodsman1172]

Not sure of the hole size, but if I can get at the car I will get some pictures to show location.
Do you have the original horns on your car? If so, I would like to know the dates.
Thanks, Warren

Warren, I would really appreciate a photo if you get the chance. Regarding the horns, the part numbers on the underside are:
9000289  9C1
9000290  9?? (this one has some pitting in the stamp area, so can't be 100% sure what the last 2 are).

Thanks in advance

[WorkinProgress]

The oil line hole on the 04A Van Nuys car is coming through the firewall near the speedometer cable grommet for Muncie 4 speed routing.

Original hole location should be approx 3 3/4" straight across from the center of the lower wiper motor mounting screw. There is a dimple in the firewall if it is not drilled.

The original oil line grommet is slightly larger than 1/2" on the topside. The firewall is drilled 1/2".

Not sure how to post pictures so I am going to send them to your email address in your profile.

Thanks for checking your horn dates for me......Warren

[woodsman1172]

Not sure how to post pictures so I am going to send them to your email address in your profile.

Thanks..... and reply sent.

[toddstoys]

Guys simular issue with 1969 SS build date 01D  Van Nuys car. I have C60 air conditioning option and have the 1" hole for the vacuum lines in the correct location.  However I have the ZL2 cowl induction option also and the wire harness is routed through the same hole.  They both share the hole in the fire wall. Anybody out there on the forum have piculiar issues with fire wall penetrations from early Van Nuy cars?

[woodsman1172]

Guys simular issue with 1969 SS build date 01D  Van Nuys car. I have C60 air conditioning option and have the 1" hole for the vacuum lines in the correct location.  However I have the ZL2 cowl induction option also and the wire harness is routed through the same hole.  They both share the hole in the fire wall. Anybody out there on the forum have piculiar issues with fire wall penetrations from early Van Nuy cars?

Sounds more like your cowl induction system was a retro-fit, either by owner or dealer, and they just used an existing firewall penetration, rather than drill another. Does your cowl hood have a date stamp on the rear driver's side corner?

[toddstoys]

  My car has all of the components for a functional hood with complete flat bottom air cleaner, solenoid, pedal switch, pedal bracket for the switch, relay, wire harness etc. Also has non-SS hood springs.  I know the previous owners history back to 1970, just two previous owners and they say that how the car was.  Not possible to locate original owner. I've owned the car since 1974. The original cowl hood had some serious rust issues and a replaced it with a new OTC from a local Chevy dealership about 25 years ago. So I lost the evidence with the hood date stamp. Its very possible the original owner had it installed by the dealership upon vehicle delivery, again its a early 01D dated car. I read that flat bottom air cleaners were only early cars up to about Aug. 69. Late cowl induction cars has a ridge bottom air cleaner like on a Chevelle.
I hope someone else replies with information with the wire harness hole in not to specification location, or any Van Nuys car with similar issues.   

[69Z28-RS]

My late 09C Z28 has the flat bottom Air Cleaner, although most of the parts on the car, including the engine, are dated late August.

[crobjones2]

What are the differences between the "hose Assembly" and the "pipe assembly" called out in U17?

[woodsman1172]

What are the differences between the "hose Assembly" and the "pipe assembly" called out in U17?

I assume that the 396 engine had an oil fitting for the gauge line on the lower driver's side of the block, hence the different references in the AIM. In the AIM terminology, "hose" is for small block engines, and "pipe" is for big blocks. My oil line was nylon (small block) and perhaps the big blocks may have used a hard line.....?

[mickeystoys69RSSS]

What are the differences between the "hose Assembly" and the "pipe assembly" called out in U17?

I assume that the 396 engine had an oil fitting for the gauge line on the lower driver's side of the block, hence the different references in the AIM. In the AIM terminology, "hose" is for small block engines, and "pipe" is for big blocks. My oil line was nylon (small block) and perhaps the big blocks may have used a hard line.....?

Well Yes and No. My original enginer 396 has a hard line at the lower part of the block, but when it reaches the top of the head there is a bolt right behind the exhaust manifold mounting location with a metal bracket and fittings where the line transitions from a hard line below to a plastic line through the firewall.

[mickeystoys69RSSS]

I looked into this some more. If you look at the 69 AIM for RPO U17 A3 item number 1 shows two different part numbers 3921423 Hose Asm. On my car it seems to more a hard plastic or nylon rather than a rubber hose. The second number 3954225 Pipe Asm. and is for L34, L35 and L78 cars with ROP U17. Plus just like I described above, there is a flange with a fitting betweent the two right at the back of the driver side exhaust manifold. The AIM has a detail view "D" on that page. The AIM that I have is page 416.

[mickeystoys69RSSS]

Photos of the description above. a bracket bolted to the rear of the drivers side exhause manifold with the steel line below to the fitting at the block above the oil filter. Then the black nylon hose above going to the firewall (second photo) through to the console gauge.

[woodsman1172]

An update on the original question:  The undersized hole I described is not for the oil line, but for the firewall insulation fastener. Member "WorkinProgress" (Warren) and I swapped photos which indicate that both our cars have the factory oil gauge line hole passing through the firewall just to the passenger side of the Muncie cable hole, rather than where the AIM shows the hole. Both cars are Van Nuys 04A. I'll post a photo of my car's firewall later on today for reference, but would be interested to know if this hole location is common to other VN cars of the same general build timeframe. Also thanks to Warren for the assistance, much appreciated!