My 59 is almost ready for the road minus a fuel pump which decided to blow a diaphragm and now a broken thermostat housing bolt. The thermostat housing on the car is a original early casting aluminum piece. Did they all come this way? The valve covers on the car are also the correct flawed aluminum finned "Corvette" valve covers. 7 Fin. Is there a way to find out your cars purchased original options?
Odd Bits
- Thread starter 59sapphire
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XFIRE82
Power User
The aluminum thermostat housing is what chevy always used . Not sure if there are records kept of these cars option lists.
Respectfully disagree. All base engines in this time frame used curved cast iron thermostat housings bearing the embossed casting number 3711268. Retained with bolts.
Optional engines with with aluminum intake manifolds used an aluminum thermostat hsg with the embossed casting number 3837223. Retained with studs and nuts. The 1958 hsg had a casting seam on the center line and raised bosses at the mounting holes.The '58 casting # was on the bowl facing one of the studs with a diamond shaped logo formedby the word DIECAST. The 1959-60 casting had two recesses at each mounting stud area. The embossed casting number was on the flange opposite the hose nipple. The font of the casting # was smaller in late 1960 production.
Chevrolet motor division maintains that there are no records in existence today in their possession with specific VIN information, options/colours etc.
Can you explain how you determined your thermostat hsg is an "original early casting aluminium piece"?
"Did they all come that way" no, depends on which engine the car was originally equipped with.
You speak of correct flawed v/covers. I'm not aware of a factory installed flawed valve cover either steel or optional engine aluminium v/cover prior to about March of 1966.
Chevy dealers sold lots of what is generally known as the flawed aluminium Corvette small block v/covers over their parts counters well into the 1980-90's. GM serviced this part for a long time. This flaw consisted of a seam or line through the O of the cast word Corvette. The later the v/cover, the more pronounce the flaw. Eventually the center of the O eventually became totally filled in.
So what flaw does your original '59 valve covers have?
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I should have taken a picture of the housing and I will post it later today. The casting number on my housing is 3837223 on one side and a small little GM on the other. As for the valve covers I will post a picture of them as well. The passenger side cover has the most pronounced flaw. The original induction package is not on the car so I have no way of knowing what it originally came with. It has had the 250hp 327 4 barrel intake and Quadrajet since before 1983. Could it have been a troublesome fuelie that got switched? I may never know. The block casting number says 2 bolt main cast in 1959 leading me to believe its the original block and heads. The fuel pump that I removed was a "AC" cast aluminum piece as well. Many mysteries. I will try to track the original owner.
As there are no verifiable documents or reliable owner history with this car you will have to be satisfied with what the car itself can tell you. That will very with the nature of any work done during it's life.
We'll take it a step at a time
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Is the car equipped with windshield washers?
If so what side of the engine bay is the reservoir and vacuum canister mounted on? The right (passenger) or the left (drivers) side?
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- #7
I do not believe it came with washers. It does have the heater pkg. No power windows, no power roof. Optional 4spd, painted coves, and limited slip. Those are all I know so far. The wonderbar also, which I have. I'll update as I go.
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Original rag & hardtop came with the car as well. I installed the hardtop, it fits nicely.
Ok, with no washers that avenue is closed. Let's take a different route. You say you believe it is the original block and heads. Let's follow that trail. Your car having a later VIN # will have a block casting number ending with 519. Will/Can you verify that it is 519?
FWIW there were no production small blocks pror to 1969 with anything other than 2 bolt main caps.
We can look at that later after trying to establish which engine your car was equipped with from new. It just takes things in too many directions for now.
As I intimated I'd prefer to be pursuing one area at a time. But here goes. Does your fuel pump have the AC logo on the top and the very bottom?
From there I have two more questions to confirm your pump.
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- #12
The original pump has it cast into the top at the side. I would have to look at it again to see the bottom.
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- #13
I'm at an Easter function or I would post photos
XFIRE82
Power User
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......Hmmm, I have to respectively disagree back. Unless the Corvette used a different housing than the chevrolet cars , but I based my answer on what I own and the GM parts book 58-68. I have 2 '58 283 2bbl V8's , 348 4 bbl and tripowers , 59 power pak 283 , 235 6 cyls, and more into the 60's and they all have aluminum housings. I have never seen a cast housing on the chev. Parts book says 3837223 on all V8's 58-65. Like I said, if Corvette was by it's lonesome then I stand corrected and learned something.
XFIRE82
Power User
Ok, I dug out my 53-82 Corvette parts book and Rumblegutz is right, the vette used a cast iron outlet on some . The 55-61 w/4bbl was iron 3827369 , 56-60 w/ dual 4bbl or fuel injection used aluminum 3837223 , and so forth a mixed combo over the later years. I never knew the iron outlets existed , never had one on anything and chev / pontiac all had aluminum and some of my 58's have never been out of the car still intact. Only thing the GM book does not say anything about the markings as stated up top so I'm sure Rumblegutz info is accurate .