Would anyone happen to have a part number or a source for the rubber caps GM installed on the fender liner screws that protrude into the engine compartment?

 

http://www.widgetco.com/8-Black-Screw-Protectors.jpg
http://www.widgetco.com/site/widgetc...dgetco-new.png

 

Thanks Drew! I spent the last 30 minutes looking for these things and I couldn't find 'em anywhere. I don't have a parts illustration guide, so Google was my only friend tonight.

 

Thirty minutes? That is child's play. I don't have the physical books either, just a ton of scans of the illustrations. I've gone over them several times, squinting at the artist's renditions, and Googling any part that looks at all close, and so far I haven't found anything. I've gone through the Auveco catalog, and auto hardware catalogs, nothing. At this point, I'm not sure where else to look. There aren't any markings molded into the rubber either.

I'm not sure what all they came on. I know they were used on the 91 Firebirds, and I want to say my 86 Trans Am had them, I can't get at the RS right now, but I assume that my 87 Iroc should have them. I remember salvaging several off a Pontiac 6000, years ago. So they shouldn't be that uncommon.

 

I looked all over the parts book and they are not listed at all, I checked Caps, Covers, boots, thread(covers),notta, not a thing. Maybe the best place to check is a body shop. IIRC my 86 only has one on the RS buy the Overflow Tank that I put a plastic screw anchor on till I find a replacement cap.

 

Timely thread. I just found one of these in my battery tray last night. Would not have known what it was for. Still don't really. I looked around and don't see any others. Where would these be used?

 

They Are Used On The Right And Left Inner Fender Well,They Cover The Sheet Metal Screws,Just Protection So Someone Doesn't Stick Themselves.

 

When I go to the JYard I peal them out of all the cars I can.
I know a friends 87 formula has them, my 89s, 92s do as well.

I wonder if protector would get anywhere in the search?

 

I've tried "protector", "cap", "cover", "Gerbil Prophylactic", etc.

It's not uncommon for these to be laying in the bowels of the engine compartment. If they're not removed before removing the fender liner screws, they just freefall into the inner fender areas. They're nice to have since they keep from tearing up stuff on the self tappers. "Stuff" being your hands, the sponge you use to wash under the hood, etc.

 

I'm spitballing here but I'd bet "Gerbil Prophylactic" brought up some interesting topics in your search...

 

"Gerbil Prophylactic", etc.

 

Screw "party hats" ?

 

Looks Like They Are Called Washer Caps.

 

Oh well DUH! Of coarse I found one laying in the battery tray. I pulled that inner fender to change the power antennae. Never knew these were there on the inside. Jeez, now I've go t to dig around in there and see if I can find a second one!

Thanks for posting this!

 

These are also used in 4th gens.

 

Gonna start taking these off the cars I find in yards now. I can think of a few places on my car were these will come in handy. Like under the hatch glass were the previous owner used too long screws to attach the top trim. Now I discovered that I have 4 holes under the glass were the screws poked through......

 

To add insult to injury, I still haven't found a GM part number anywhere, but they are shown clear as day in the service manual "cap". They've got to be listed somewhere with a bit more information.

Junkyard would probably be the easy answer, but it assumes one has a junkyard available.

 

I might have found the GM part number. 14070933 seems fairly generic, the applications list is varied, which would make sense. Only trouble is I can't find an actual image of 14070933, to be sure it's the right part. Also doesn't help that 14070933 is discontinued and has a list price around $13. I'm not sure I want to spend that much to find out it's not the right part number.

 

It might be that I just have not seen them, and my lack of Camaros, but it seems that they are more likely to be on Firebirds than Camaros. I have yet to pull any from a Camaro, but I know all my Firebirds have them.

Correct me if I am wrong.

I looked at the illustration manual for the Firebird and I cannot seem to find it. I did find something called a "Cap" 14070933, which seems to be the same thing that Drew found, but that does not seem right, the location almost seems wrong for where the diagram puts where I have seen them.

John

 

Is this it John??Section 8.153 ,The cost sounds right for back then $0.22

 

I found a link to a picture of the part on another GM site. It looks like part #75 in the drawing and the description below says all the uses for that part. It includes front fender inner wheelhouse. You can zoom in on the picture and it looks like your part. The second link shows it on another car in the fender opening and is part #12.

http://www.wholesalegmpartsonline.co...roduct=2689689

http://www.wholesalegmpartsonline.co...ssembly=369208

I did a google search for "gm part 14070933" and found it listed for 38 cents and still available. Not sure it is, but it may be.

 

From an 86 Camaro Assembly Manual. See #4.

 

Nice find, I haven't had much time to look through my parts books yet.

Edit, just checked price on whats left in dealer stock, 12.60 retail and 8.40 list. GM has lost their mind

 

Yep, that's what threw the brakes on for me... Found the part number, couldn't justify the price. It's on the junkyard list now, but being rubber and something that falls off often enough, there doesn't seem to be a good solution.

 

Good night! Well, that info makes my trip to the yard this afternoon well worth the effort. Everything in the pic below was $4.00.

BTW, my 85 IROC had none of the caps so the experience was interesting. The first car, a 90+ Camaro had two caps, one of which was pretty much shot. Two 'Birds had nothing, though one was equipped with the large cap in the left of the pic below. It was covering a sharp screw/bolt in the driver's side tray near the charcoal canister. While it was perished, it provided a clue so I investigated the cars again. Found a good one in the 90+ Camaro. Back to hunting the small version. I found all four in like-new shape in a 93 or 94 'Bird.

BTWx2. My IROC did't have the black wiring sheath either, although the holes are drilled for it.

JamesC

 

The last junkyard I was at, everything was so picked over none of the thirdgens had the caps. The last parts car I raided all the caps had been nibbled by mice. Oh well, they'll turn up eventually.

The big cap seems to be more of a Firebird thing, since the battery on the Firebird sits on that side. I need to track down a few of those too, or just dig around a bit and see if I've got an extra or two.

 

Sweet, I need to start looking for these myself!

 

I think that big cap covers the bolts that come up from the battery tray brace on the driver side on the birds.

 

Right, It covers the big one by the subframe rail in the corner. The other frame brace anchor to the tray has a flat clip-in stud that locks in the keyhole on Birds, while Camaros have the stud tacked to the rad support brace. I can't remember seeing a Camaro with the large cap, and they don't especially need it because the battery on the Camaro is generally on the other side of the car. On the Firebird the cap is necessary to keep from damaging the battery.

Maybe an appropriate question is why GM didn't use some kind of improved anchor so a sharp point wouldn't be inches away from the battery.

 

On a related note... Is the big cap supposed to be soft rubber or hard plastic? The one example I have handy could have been either of the above 25 years ago.

 

I was just going to ask the same question! Not sure what the heck it is made of

 

The one I picked, like the smaller version, is soft.

JamesC