VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 48 engine bay

Not that concerned with "correct" cap...You can get a 3-4 pounder for $4-5 bucks...Looks just like yours... Sorry, more concerned with the engine and radiator flush...! I want to drive it this summer...Remember it gets HOT down here..!

Easy now.....Kevin had a foul on page 7 with his advertisement for air filters......coulda moved that to the "Parts For Sale" forum

Caught me in a good mood

Foul..? Page 7...I'm confused...Ken, I thought I'd just "throw' that in...You know as well as Charlie that advertisement in the "Parts for Sale", works about as good as far as you can "throw it"...While I'm at it...WHEN were you in a good mood...?

A little leeway among friends.

Your pushing it boys...We need to find some documentation for these cap!

That's what I thought it was.
Let's keep it light......

By the way Kevin, that air cleaner in my picture did come off a 1947 Chevy truck..........

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1947truck/47ctsm0603.htm

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1947truck/47ctsm0660.htm

OK, OK! We all agree, they are NOT shown in the reference photo of the '47 in the front of our parts book. Found no mention in group 1.2********, in my '29-'48 or my '29-'50 parts books. Now we have sufficient evidence that they do exist. I have no idea where to look. Thoughts.

When there was a production change, was a bulletin sent to the service/parts departments as was when a service change was made?

Okay, then I'll have to apoloigize my friend about the truck filters...I just recall all the farm trucks I drove here in dusty California had been changed over to oil bath filters...I'm sure there was a reason for that...!

Was the original top radiator hose for the 48 straight or pre-moulded"curved"?

A production change on a minor item like tha would not have been mentioned. Especially as it did not require any changes in an operation.
I have searched through the parts book and can not find them.The dealers in dusty areas of the country usually ordered the oil bath air cleaner. It was cheaper to get it as a factory installed option.
The 1942-1948 top hose was a moulded curved hose.

Fellas,

We seem to be hitting a dead end on documenting the elusive radiator support cap. One more avenue of investigation might be to contact the 47-48 VCCA Technical Advisor to see if he can shed some light on this mystery. I can try calling him tomorrow afternoon, unless one of you prefers calling.

What do you think?

Austin Ott, now why didn't I think of that. I contacted Mr. Ott several times back in 2000/2001 wanting information. He was able to find what I needed, make copies and send it to me . Just a slight charge for materials and postage. Nice fellow. Spoke with his son Dennis a couple time too.

You make the call, Please.

Also bought his hood spring removal/install tool he designed and sells.

I'll give him a call tomorrow afternoon.

Good club, this VCCA outfit........they got Technical Advisors, a neat magazine called the G&D and all kinds of other benefits too

Bruce: Your killing me, of course it was "molded". Don't you have green stuff inside of yours....?

Been out of town (well, actually I still am), so I'm late to this discussion. My experience with the radiator support filler caps has been that they were on all the '48s I've purchased or parted out, but not on the one '47 I've owned. I never did find a part number for the fillers either...

Well, there you go ...Information from an expert...

Where have you been...? Out of town, I mean...Oh,Oh...Here I go ticking off the moderator again...

Kevin I received one from COT40's and was just a straight hose,I haven't changed it for years and did not recall...Must have gotten the wrong one

I've thought about those supports some more. Read on. (Note. This is longer, owing to some redundancy, than I intended. Sorry.)

I have thought of it from the manufacturing angle. While the subject "support" (it obviously doesn't support anything) it may have covered a glaring and perhaps unsightly hole (albeit square one) right next to the main radiator support and thus not in keeping with the other covers/pans, etc that helped the engine compartment have a more completed look. A tweak type thing from the designers point of view, perhaps.

Yet one must consider the job of placing that part in there. Take a good look at it. A square item that:

a. must be turned in one of four positions so the attaching hole lines up.

b. could be easily dropped down the hole

c. must be secured by a screw that must be finger and thump placed through a hole without dropping it

d. then grabbing a screwdriver to complete the assembly.

e. all while the car was moving

f. and, something that hadn't been done before

g. learning curve from 1947 to 1948 immense.

h. possible slowing of assembly line, or not, so this added feature could be installed

If this was a solely 1948 item change - as we seem to have settled on - then the assembly line had another item to install as the car moved by. It would take a skilled and fast assemblers to stick those items in there and then secure it in a timely fashion.

It appears to me that those "supports" would be a devil to install and to get it right every time. I can imagine that some may have been dropped down the hole and then having to be fished out so as not cause a rattle, the screw dropped or just been subjected to "all thumbs" on occasion, etc. I doubt the assemblers liked them all that much.

In keeping with the above, I expect that after some complaining from the assemblers, that Chevrolet decided to drop them at all but the California plants, or whatever.

Why keep them at the California plants? I have no idea. May have been because those folks out there are more discriminating when it come to the fine arts, etc. Especially around San Francisco.

Of all the items that were changed for the 1948 run (Gene has mentioned, over time, that there were several) this is one that I expect we'll never know the answer to. I guess you could say that this "support" was unique to the 1948 model.

Just my thoughts on the subject, albeit with a lot of speculation. What are yours.

For me, so far, this subject has had a fine and enjoyable run. One of the most interesting of all posts for a long time. A real puzzle.

Best,
Charlie

I was down at the Area 9 VCCA National Meet in Dahlonega, GA last week. Drove in driving rain coming and going, but the weather for the show was cool and sunny - a beautiful day.

More to topic...I might have a couple really rusty used filler panels from a parts car. Plan to be home Thursday night and I can check. Visiting the 3 month old grandson in Virginia on the way home...

Let me know if you're interested.

I'm not sure how you could install a straight radiator hose at the top. Wouldn't you have to put a 90 degree bend in it that would really kink it up?

I "don't have a dog in this hunt".

Why couldn't you hold those little pieces with a magnet while you install 'em (if you happen to have a pair). If you still fear you'll drop 'em, tie a string to your magnet.

The cap appears to have the edges folded at a 90º angle to the top. If the edges are pulled out a little the cap will be a snug fit into the hole and falling down should not be a issue.

Sorry, I must really be "clueless" at this point...I thought this "thread" had moved to the upper radiator hose, itself...

This post has been one of the longer ones I've seen in resent memory...Interesting, huh...?

Yah Kevin,it would a the story of me trying to force that top hose on with a nice big kink in it...Who would care about the leaky clamps I would have NO water entering the motor..Need to call COT40's!

P.S.Dale I will be the 1st bidder if you find the caps