lastss Posted June 5, 2003 Share Posted June 5, 2003 Did an orginal 71 ss 454 ever come with chrome vavle covers?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted June 6, 2003 Share Posted June 6, 2003 In my experience No, I think they were all painted orange, as well as all SS's had the black closed element air cleaner. for what its worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastss Posted June 6, 2003 Author Share Posted June 6, 2003 I felt the same, but mine has the chrome ones with the Tonawanda sticker & some, not me say it's a option because in some books they show a monte with chrome one's, but I have seen one's in book's with other incorrect part's, like silver or chrome air shock compressor & the book or owner state that the car their showing is a correct orginal car. Later Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 my 70ss has painted covers and aircleaner also. gene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 I was of the opinion that if it had chrome valve covers, it would also have a chrome air cleaner. Does the crank case breather element in the air cleaner connect to the valve cover with a bent solid piece of pipe? The original painted valve covers could have been chromed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastss Posted June 7, 2003 Author Share Posted June 7, 2003 Yes the breather tube is a stock one, but the valve cover come in stock style & their pretty cheap also. Thank's bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jlce88 Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 As a new member I was a good boy and searched...and am resurrecting an old thread! As a former owner of a 71 SS454, I have wondered for years about two metal tags in the engine bay of my car. One was on the drivers side Chrome valve cover and one was riveted onto the firewall directly behind the engine. They were both Chevrolet tags, approx 2"x5", the one on the valve cover stated "heads built by" and had a name engraved and below it said "heads installed by" and had a name engraved. Both names appeared to be hand engraved. The tag on the firewall also stated "engine built by with the name engraved and "installed by with name engraved. All four names were different. The tags had the Chevy logo engraved in it and painted orange with "powered by Chevrolet" also. I bought the car in 1982, had to sell it in 1988 to family. It was/is forest green w/black vinyl roof, auto, buckets, tach, rallyes, with all the normal SS identifying features, plus it had the build sheet and the window sticker. My uncle currently still owns it and it's in storage in NoVA. Those tags have always bothered me as we've never found out what they meant, other than the obvious, which lead me here. Any help is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 71SSMC Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 My car had chrome covers on it when I got it they had the Tonawanda decal also. I was told that they were dealer installed options and all came from factory with painted covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstadter Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 jlc88 - can you have your uncle take some pics and post them here? It would be interesting to see what those tags are all about. Â Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSport Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Bob, I have the same question. I bought a 71SS back in the early 90's that had been sitting out in a field for years. The engine appeared to be unmolested with matching numbers, but it had chevy chrome valve covers with the Tonawanda decal. The car was built at the Kansas City Plant; if that make any difference. Don't know who was the original selling dealer was, but I would sure like to know how those valve covers got on there. Regards, Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastss Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 My was built in Kansas also.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I don't think he's talking about decals. These sound like ID plates; perhaps like the type used to authenticate a special edition or something? Doesn't Shelby and Roush sign & number their cars? Â This is something that would be cool to have pictures of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jlce88 Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 wallaby, I was thinking along the same lines. What I was thinking was maybe at some point between 71 and when I bought the car, the car's engine had been replaced by some sort of Chevy sponsored program? I don't doubt their authenticity as they show signs of having been on there for a long time and this was the early 80's before everyone had the want or means to make repro stuff. I did ask him to take pictures of them and to try to match the engine numbers, which may help with replacement engine questions, but likely i'll end up with polaroids as he is a bit older and computers aren't in his vocabulary! I will post them once I get them asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 71SSMC Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 My was built in Kansas also.. Â My car is also a Kansas car, This is kind of strange 3 cars all with chrome covers from the Kansas plant. Â My car was sold by Timmers Chevrolet in Atlanta Georgia/ They are still in business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capri's 71 SS Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Mine is also a Kansas City Built SS but I do not have chrome valve covers......of course I am the 6th owner. From what previous owners have told me and how they felt about the car, I doubt mine ever had chrome ones - mine are just painted orange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSport Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Huh...mere coincidence...the chrome valve covers...maybe? Chrome valve covers with the same engine plant decal, in the same model year and installed at the same assembly plant...conundrum? Based on the decals we could assume that the chrome valve cover were installed at the Tonowanda engine plant. They could have been installed due to usage of remaining inventory or a shortage of painted ones or in error; on a limited batch run destine for Kansas City. From my cars build sheet the production job sequence number is 1205 and a Sched. No. Date 02 09-03; how does that compare to you guys? Is there a way to identify the engine assembly date? Regards, Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monteman1971 Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 My 71 SS was purchased from the 2nd owner who had the car since 1974 with documentation of the cars history from the original owner. It was built in CA. and has painted valve covers. Â From what I know, all Montes had sheet metal valve covers (no chrome) but if you speak with some of the people who built these cars back then, they'll tell you that depending on what was available is what they used that day. Production didn't stop because of an interchangeable part. So anything is possible but if you go by the book...no chrome. Â Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSport Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Monteman, Thanks for that nugget of personel information as to factory's inner workings of that time. I know that it would be near impossible to prove that some cars were delivered from the factory with the chrome valve covers. But, it would be an interesting footnote in the production history of the 71SS's if we could establish within reason that some were. I know that I would retain chrome valve covers in my restoration if I had a good level of confidence that that is how the car was delivered. Having purchased chevy big block chrome valve covers in the mid seventies through dealer service parts; I know that they had no decals. If in fact the car's selling dealers had installed the chrome valve covers. I don't think they would have gone to the trouble of aquiring and installing the Tonowanda engine plant decals. Also, knowing how poor the chrome job was on the service parts replacements; if the cars owners would have replaced them they probably would have opted for a more attractive aftermarket valve cover. There is also the possibility that the chrome valve covers were tranfered from other engines by the owners. But three noted occurrances in this posting alone makes that coincidence seem unlikely. The last possibility is that reproduction valve covers were installed and the deacals added. That is something I might expect to see in a partial or full restoration. But in the case of my car its previous life was as a daily driver and has never been restored or modified. If we could establish that the engines in Bobs, 71SSMC and in my car were produced in close proximity; that would indicate to me a high probability that the chrome valve covers were factory installed. Other opinions on this issue are appreciated. Regards, Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripleydale Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 I can add a 71 402 from LA with a Tonowanda block. No idea if they're original, but it's a numbers matching block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastss Posted September 12, 2007 Author Share Posted September 12, 2007 Hi, Mel mine was built in late march,71 Later Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capri's 71 SS Posted September 12, 2007 Share Posted September 12, 2007 Quote: From my cars build sheet the production job sequence number is 1205 and a Sched. No. Date 02 09-03; how does that compare to you guys? Is there a way to identify the engine assembly date? Â My production sequence #: 7798 Scheduled Date: 15 03-19 Â I have no clue as to where any of the engine info - engine plant stuff is on this build sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monteman1971 Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Hey look at my last restoration.....402/4spd, one of 80. I used reproduction chrome valve covers and was never questioned about them....ever. I say, use what you want and don't worry about it. Â Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSport Posted September 16, 2007 Share Posted September 16, 2007 Bob, I went to my storage unit to get the engine production number, which was T0831CPD. Disappointedly, through a closer inspection of the engine I found that the valve cover retaining tabs and bolts had chevy orange paint on them. Based on that I can only derive that car was delivered with painted valve covers and that a previous owner installed the chrome ones. Regards, Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchetmaster Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 Mel Is your car black on black? I saw one back in 1990 in the SLC area back then. Â My 70 SS was built in Van nuys with a build date of 09 17 CRN engine code. IT was built in 1969. It has orange valve covers and black air cleaner on it. It is completely original and unmolested. Â ttyl Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuperSport Posted October 29, 2007 Share Posted October 29, 2007 No it's classic copper and I've never driven it. It's sitting in a storage unit waiting for me to bring it to my garage in Daybreak and start working on it. I've got a 70 Chevelle SS also that the restoration is just about done. I'm still getting set up in my new home and won't be able to get back to working on the cars for a while. I'd like to see your collection sometime. Regards, Mel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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