Rumblin70SS

Hello all,

Just a quick question I'm sure many of you can answer. I just picked up a nice 1988 IROC-Z 350/auto car thats mostly original. One piece it is missing oddly enough is the flexplate or flywheel inspection cover. Was this piece originally metal or plastic on these cars? I have a metal one, but it looks like from the bolts that are in the trans now that the original was plastic. I know its not a huge deal, but I like it to be as original as possible!

phess11

1983 had black plastic.

MillerTime21

I think plastic, but not positive. My 88 was also missing it.

dustpusher

I have a 88 and it is plastic.As far as i know it has never been changed

jermdm

I think they are all plastic. My 89 iroc has a plastic inspection cover. All thirdgens I've seen have been plastic.

Rumblin70SS

Thanks for the info guys, I appreciate it. I'll hang the metal one on the wall......(like it was in my friends shop for 20 years) and pick up a plastic one. Wonder if you can still buy new from GM?

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Humm, I could swear that the cover is metal on my 85. My CD lists two covers 86-91:

Cover, Flywheel Hsg (MC4, M39, MK6) 14073767
Cover, Flywheel Hsg (MB1) 14036055

JamesC

DJP87Z28

Original was plastic, but if you have a metal one use it. Who cares if it metal and save the $25+ for a common replacement plastic one.

Rumblin70SS

JamesC,

Good to hear from you......you actually helped me with the exhaust on my B4C about a year ago!

Any idea why one would be metal and one plastic? Maybe what plant it was built in or the build date?

DPJ87Z28,

I just want the car to have what it did originally. I have a friend who has a ton of this stuff and I'll get one for free with no issue. If he doesn't have it, I'll use the metal one.

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Glad to have helped with the exhaust. As for GM, sometimes there doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason for their decisions.

JamesC

okfoz

Sometimes there is no reason for the way things were done... Some things were done JUST to keep the line moving. Screws, inspection covers etc would not stop the line, if they had something that would work they would keep pounding out cars... So there may have been an inspection plate for one reason or another that was made from Metal. If the supplie of the plastic covers could not supply them then a replacement was used until the correct one could be gotten. Of course I have heard that GM used to have at LEAST 3 suppliers for each part.

john

Rumblin70SS

Thanks for all the info guys, I appreciate it!

okfoz

Even to take this further, There is another thread where they had cars on the very last day that did not have RH door glass. In the article I think it said that PPG flew in 50 Door Glass' for those cars. In this case I would be interested to see if they did in fact get PPG glass or LOF. For the most part The Windshield and windows from Van Nuys got LOF (Libby Owens Ford) and the Norwood cars got PPG. Your case in point is the supplier may not have been able to get enough covers to the plant so someone took them from another plant (say a Truck Plant) and sent those instead to keep the line moving.

John

Rumblin70SS

John,

Thanks for all your help here and I learn something new each day. I have a Van Nuys car and of course I had to go check the glass. All LOF......lol. Suprised it ended up here in the tri state are being built in CA.

okfoz

I have not read or seen anything that really stated that LOF was on all Van Nuys cars and PPG on Norwood cars, but I have owned enough of them to see the trend...

Actually all 1988 cars may have gotten LOF glass as they were all made in Van Nuys.

John