Lift Brackets......Again

[Camarocards]

Searched and searched but couldn’t find the answers to my questions...

I’m going to install the lift brackets on my ‘68 BB L35 engine and have a few questions:

1. Are the bolts longer on the intake manifold to compensate for the added thickness of the lift bracket? If so, what is the length? Also, are they shouldered/non-shouldered and does anyone sell them (AMK?).

2. What type of bolt is used to attach the rear lift bracket to the cylinder head? Size?, shouldered/non-shouldered?, bolt+lockwasher or just a bolt?

Thanks,

Bob

[ko-lek-tor]

Intake-longer (if my memory serves me), & non shouldered. Rear-non shouldered

[Camarocards]

Intake-longer (if my memory serves me), & non shouldered. Rear-non shouldered

Thanks Bentley!

Hmmm....I haven’t found any repro suppliers that sell an intake manifold bolt kit that includes longer shoulder or non-shoulder bolts. They’re all the same size. That’s not to say that they’re correct! No mention in the Chassis Service Manual about different length bolts either. I did find a thread where JohnZ states that the lift bracket was installed at the engine assembly plant:

http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=11009.30

So is it possible they were all they same length????BTW...The same question would also apply to the smog bracket that is attached to the right side cylinder head.  Would the engine assembly plant install 3 different length bolts (2 for the lift bracket and 1 for the smog bracket)? Guess it’s possible but I haven’t found any proof of that yet.

Does anyone have an L35 (or L34) engine with the lift brackets installed that may have gone down this path?

Thanks Bob

[68camaroz28]

Intake-longer (if my memory serves me), & non shouldered. Rear-non shouldered

Thanks Bentley!

Hmmm....I haven’t found any repro suppliers that sell an intake manifold bolt kit that includes longer shoulder or non-shoulder bolts. They’re all the same size. That’s not to say that they’re correct! No mention in the Chassis Service Manual about different length bolts either. I did find a thread where JohnZ states that the lift bracket was installed at the engine assembly plant:

http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=11009.30

So is it possible they were all they same length????BTW...The same question would also apply to the smog bracket that is attached to the right side cylinder head.  Would the engine assembly plant install 3 different length bolts (2 for the lift bracket and 1 for the smog bracket)? Guess it’s possible but I haven’t found any proof of that yet.

Does anyone have an L35 (or L34) engine with the lift brackets installed that may have gone down this path?

Thanks Bob

Bob, our L78 had shouldered bolts and they if I remember are the same length.

[Camarocards]

Thanks Chick. I think I have it all sorted out and will explain to you when I’m down your way in a week or two (or the next time I see you).

[Mike S]

If 67 L35 is the same then I can remove and compare the bolts. This is for LOS. I think NOR installed Big Blocks didn't use the lift brackets yet in 67.

[Camarocards]

Mike,

Thanks for the offer.

I believe you are correct. From my research and at least on NOR built cars, lift brackets weren’t installed until the ‘68 model year. Not sure about the LOS built cars.

I found a thread by JohnZ which showed a harness type system used prior to ‘68 to install the engines. The harness type system was abandoned beginning in ‘68 and lift brackets were installed to speed up the assembly process. Still not sure though if the lift brackets were installed at the engine assembly plant or by GM as the car was rolling down the assembly line.

Bob

[Mike S]

Hi Bob,

  This was a past discussion. Unless proven otherwise, I believe the lift bracket was left in place by April 67.
http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=11792.msg95272#msg95272
  If it would be of help though, I can remove the bolts you have questions on and take pictures and measurements, including the rear bracket.

Mike

[Camarocards]

Mike,

I’m fairly confident that all of the intake manifold bolts are 3/8-16 x 1 1/4” including the bolts that secure the lift bracket. I’m also fairly confident that the two bolts that secure the lift bracket are not shouldered versus all of the other intake bolts which are shouldered. From previous threads on this subject I thought perhaps that the two bolts that secure the left bracket were slightly longer (3/8-16 x 1 3/8”) to compensate for the material thickness of the bracket. In fact, I even purchased a set of bolts (https://www.paragoncorvette.com/p-355394-intake-manifold-attaching-bolt-kit.aspx) from Paragon Corvette which supposedly had two longer non-shouldered bolts. When the bolts arrived, all of the bolts were the same length! A quick chat with Paragon indeed confirmed that all of the bolts were the same length and that their website is wrong! I’ve also come to learn that 3/8-16 x 1 3/8” is an extremely unusual grade 5 bolt size. I’ve yet to find anyone that sells this bolt in that size.

So at the end of the day I’ve decided to use the non-shouldered 3/8-16 x 1 1/4” bolt that came with the Paragon kit. It would, for sure, be interesting to see what the length of the bolt is on your ‘67. My guess is that it’ll be the 3/8-16 x 1 1/4” length bolt.

Thanks for all your help!

PS: The rear engine lift bracket bolt is sorted out since this was a commonly used bolt.