John – I hope you don’t mind but it didn’t take me long to copy-paste this statement of yours to my Camaros folder for safe keeping. I don’t know of anyone that would be in a position to argue your point, Nationals or otherwise. And, it certainly makes things manageable and as you’ve stated, relieves much of the stress.
Two last questions John; Does NCRS Top Flight Judging require fasteners to be factory / NOS, or will “correct” repo fasteners suffice? And, can you tell me if AMK’s fasteners are recognized or acceptable for the NCRS Top Flight Award category?
And last; can you recommend a source that shows which three headmarks are the most recognized for early built 69's?
Much appriciated!
NCRS judging is based on the APPEARANCE of "typical of factory production"; for fasteners, that generally means headmarks that are typical of that period in time, and specifically, correct configuration of the fastener (the part number dictated the fastener's configuration - plain or recessed head, flanged or plain head, separate or captured washer, washer type, etc.).
There were LOTS of headmarks during that era that are "typical", including TR, UR, RBW, RSC, E, EL, F, AD. D, WB. L, LS, LE, C, M, Anchor, and others, in Grade 2 (plain), Grade 5 (3 lines), and Grade 8 (6 lines); that's why it's insanity to claim that only "one" bolt is correct for any usage.
If a fastener is noted that's the correct configuration, but has a headmark not typical of that period (like some AMK fasteners have), it's a very minor deduction or just a notation on the judging sheet with no deduction. There are lots of things more important than fastener headmarks, and experienced judges know which headmarks are typical of the era and which ones aren't.
NCRS doesn't recommend or endorse anyone's parts, but AMK is an excellent source for correctly-configured fasteners; sometimes the headmarks are typical of the era, and sometimes they aren't; the fastener's configuration is far more important than the headmarks.
