[dataway]

Two questions:

1. What is the proper location for the H clip in the photos? It appears to snap into the square hole in the cowl braces and position the screen. It was in my bag of screen bolts and hardware. Looking through my reference photos I think I see it in place in ONE photo but missing in the vast majority. Just an assembly line aid? Doesn't go there at all?

2. What are the two holes in the cowl braces for (see photo)? The screen is cut-out for them .. I figured for the washer hoses .. but every photo I have shows cars with the washer hoses just run randomly through the screen.

Thanks

[1965gp]

Mine is still attached from the factory on my 69- would it be in the same spot?

[OG68]

This was from 40 years ago. Washer hoses go through the holes you pointed out Data

[gto4evr]

see post 5 for pics of placement. you'd think it was that square hole for the clip but it isn't. the H clip is for holding down that leading edge so it doesn't get caught on the wiper blades.

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...49#post5009449

[dataway]

Most excellent information. At least my cowl screen will be concours perfect since I have the rare H clip

[1965gp]

For years I thought these screens weren’t factory. It’s like a vendor for GM went out of business and a guy in the assembly line said ‘I got this’

[dataway]

Yep, they are not the most highly engineered part you'll find on these cars Between the H clip to keep them from getting tangled in the wipers, to the add on piece to keep it from getting smashed into the wiper mechanism, the sharp spines everywhere, and semi-random location for the large washered screws to hold it down it's not something that screams "We were always planning to do it this way"

[Greg Reid]

Wow, I was totally unaware of that H clip.

[dataway]

You see them missing on even Pebble Beach cars

[Brewster]

I got my "H" clip and placed it in a bag for safe keeping. These cars have been touched by many hands and one wonders if certain things are correct or not. My clip was in the wrong spot according to this read. Arlington car and my screen seems original. The car sat since 77 thus feel pretty good about most items.
My screen however is not tapered like post 5 on py? Also my ends are not turned in as (90 degrees)noted. Most likely another supplier for yet another assembly plant? Either way Im leaving things the way I found them less the location of the "H" clip.
Thanks for the read and info.

[GTO.PAUL]

First off, let me begin by saying that this clip should be referred to as an "I" clip, not an "H" clip. When properly installed (in the middle area of the row of oval slots at the base of the lower windshield SST trim) and viewed from the front of the car, it is an "I". This "I" clip has a black phosphate plating. I have removed several from GTO/LeMans cars in salvage yards across the country and have always found it to be located in one of those slots referred to above and shown in attached pictures. It was always not in the exact middle slot, but usually close to the middle, depending on the lay of the wire mesh. And yes, the wire mesh does have a slightly curved, depressed area running across the cowl to fit down onto the area where the slots are. All 7 of these original wire mesh screens have a wider band at each end, holding the field of soldered wires together. The wire mesh screen looks to have been painted with a semi-flat black paint. Now as far as the position of where the washer hoses should come through the cowl area, the mesh or the holes in the sheet metal? I have to once again refer to what I have seen on original examples. At least 95% of the time it was through the mesh. The assembly manual backs this up by stating that the "276" series (Grand Prix) has it through the holes in the sheet metal and the "Others" through the mesh. Note that engineering change order #10 "View of hose routing thru screen" was removed, but the illustration does show models excluding the 276 have the hose coming up through where the mesh would be. Speculation on why the drawing was removed, it might have been too confusing showing which mesh opening to bring the hose up through because the mesh could be moved L or R somewhat on the cowl. In instances where a GTO had it documented as coming through the sheet metal holes, an assembly line worker might have just done it on a Grand Prix, the car before. One final detail, again from my salvage yard experiences, Arlington built cars used a 5/16" screw that had a screwdriver slot in the head. Other plants did not have the slotted 5/16" headed screw. I am sure it was a supplier thing but the details do matter when properly restoring our cars.

[GTO.PAUL]

Assembly manual pics and Arlington screw used to retain mesh screen.

[dataway]

Is that a 68 or 69 assembly manual?

[OG68]

The view removal date note 10, was dated Dec '68 so it would have been for 69 models after that date. Officially...
The hoses were possibly changed earlier, note 7, (Oct), perhaps in preparation

[dataway]

So a 68 Tempest is still anybody's guess?

I'm having a hard time resisting putting it through the holes instead of the screen ... just feels better to my OCD.

[gtohurstjudge]

The cowl screens on these cars are ridiculous.....I hope GM fired the moron who came up with
the idea for these ridiculous chicken wire screens. I used to snag my California Car Duster and micro towels all the time trying to keep the cowl area clean for car shows......when the later model plastic screens that snap in the holes came out in reproduction, I threw the chicken wire away and installed them.......looks 10 times better and very easy to dust that area now.....the judges can count off whatever they want, I'd never put the chicken wire on again.

[dataway]

They are quite the pain ... literally.

[GTO.PAUL]

Pics were from a '69 Assembly Manual.

[Greg Reid]

As far as I know, no 68 manual has been located.
I've never really paid any attention to that cowl screen until this thread.
With the information in this thread I can see that it is original. It has the kick down at the rear edge over the rectangular holes and it has the heavier gauge wire on each end as described above. Looks more like it's been flattened.
I noticed too that it has the area around the round holes cut out just as dataway's does.
My car is in Arlington build and I do happen to have one slotted screw among the hold down screws. It looks too new to be original to me and as I said I never took that much care with what screw went where. I suspect it's a hodgepodge.
When I took the screen off I just kept all of the screws together and used them wherever they would fit the threads the best when I put it back on.

So, since I have one, where did the slotted screw go?



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[Greg Reid]

Duh... It just occurred to me that you probably meant that all of the screws were slotted in the Arlington cars.