Looking for a definitive answer on which clamps were used on the 72 A bodies for these applications. I have a pile of tower clamps to use, but little/no spring clamps. If those spring clamps were used, what size for the 3/4 and 5/8" hoses? Thanks! - A Body newb
Adam, The types used depend on year and application. Is the 72 an AC car or non-AC? I can look up what you need in the 72 Assembly manual and get back to you. Duane
I know the By-pass clamps were the flat 3-fingered band clamp on 69-71 cars (although some other people will dis-agree), but will have to see about the 72 cars. Maybe James Weinmann can answer that one. He has an Original 72 Stage 1 car. Duane
They were also plant specific. Flint only used pinch Clamps. GMAD plants used all towers, the bypass was olive green three finger style Duane mentioned. Same color as main fuel lines but they are bigger 15/16”. They are not easy to find like smaller ones. Don’t go by what suppliers say. Guys here will give you better answers.
Also big heater hose used a red pinch clamp and smaller one was gold. I am amazed at suppliers sell bigger green one for the large hose and people wonder why it leaks. AMK are the only ones I know that sell the correct pinch clamps. Red have RC-17 stamped in them and gold Has RC 15 . I can’t find one but I wrote it down.
Dave, Not all GMAD plants used towers. I think it depends on the year. I have this all figured out somewhere for Judging. Duane
The pinch type are pictured however note the different part numbers depending on plant. This is 71 anyway. Consult a 72 to be sure. I don’t know squat about 72
Duane I agree but looks like in 71 they did use a different part number which I understand is a tower.
The original hose clamps from my 72 Stage 1 are long gone. I swapped motors/transmissions back in 1981, but luckily kept the original WS block and BB trans which are now back in the car.
Dave, You're right about 71. Yeah it's crazy. Different parts for different years, then you add in the plant differences, plus Ac vs Non-AC it's nuts. Then if you use the 71 assembly manual to figure out the clamps on the emission hoses they do not match what was originally installed on the cars. I put the ones on I knew were correct from looking at original cars. The good thing is no one knows the right answer so no one can bitch. (I actually used both original emission hoses and clamps for my 71 car. I gently cleaned up the original painted/heat embossed hoses with a pumice hand cleaner. They turned out perfect, and got my hands clean at the same time.) I do have a question, and I am doing this from memory so bear with me. On the overflow hose clamps I only remember seeing them in Black on the original cars. I know Kleiner was only able to find new ones of the right size in an Olive Green, but remember him painting them Black. I thought they were the same size as the ones on the hose between the valve cover and the air cleaner. He told me above a certain size they were not color coded but were all black. Your thoughts? You should try building a 69 Oshawa car. They have a lot of different stuff. Duane
So I guess the safe answer is to to towers on the radiator hoses and pinch for the heater hoses...and the goofy 3 pronger for the bypass. Where can I find the big 3 prongers? I think I can source the pinch clamps.
Adam, I will get you the info later tonight.......and can probably get you the seller as well. Mike, It looks like one of the Yellow/Red/Olive green clamps in the pic but bigger. I don't know what they are called but I refer to them as 3 fingered band clamps. Duane
Hi Duane, you are confusing me on Overflow hose but I think you mean bypass hose because you refer to air cleaner hose being same but they are different size. I have found both sizes. What I find is air cleaner black clamp is 1” in new ones and it fits pretty tight. I tried the one inch black on the bypass and it leaked like hell. The next size down is the olive and they are listed as 15/16” and they work fine. This is what Kleiner must use. My memory of originals was they were oversprayed engine red along with the hose. I saw many of these oversprayed red years ago in a U pull it yard near Reading PA when I was sent there for short term job. There is a local guy that had an Original 70 GS 455 convertible from Flint. Car is a gem. He replaced the thermostat and hose and re-used his original clamps. His were red overspray but said they were green under? Either way I can get both. But if you want to have black for bypass use the green and paint black. I preferred to paint mine red. Problem solved.
Anyone who needs bypass hose clamps(three finger pinch) let me know and I can try and pick some up from a local source.
