My 79 has a small metal shield that bolts to the alternator bracket to protect the upper radiator hose from being cut if the engine twists enough under hard acceleration....

When did the General add this item... ? 

I have to assume that somewhere between 73 and 76...

The 76 DID have a hole tapped in the alternator bracket for the shield to be bolted on...the 72 DID NOT... (but that car has a 68 327 350 under the hood...so the bracket may not have been correct.

All the sharks now have this shield installed ... since my son managed to accelerate fast enough to twist the engine on its mounts enough that the belt sliced my upper radiator hose...

Just curious...

Bob G.

It's listed in the catalogs as a 77-81 part. I know my friend's 76 didn't have it.   Mike

I've never seen one (factory) before '77, either.

Thanks Mike....  But why would MY 76...have the hole or this shield in the alternator bracket....?   Pretty darn sure the bracket is original to my car ...

Can you (at your leasure) lol...like we all have so darn much ...check if the alternator bracket on your friends 76 has a hole in it or not...

Not really important...I just got curious after reading a post about a shark overheating ....

BTW since you own both a 4 sp &  auto L82 79...how do they compare...???  My 79 is also an L82 but an auto....my 76 L 48 4 sp will run circles around my 79....just a major difference between mine...
and you can guess which get driven harder and longer...lol

Bob G

Bob.
My 75 does not have the shield or a hole in the bracket to bolt on a shield. Everything under my hood is original. I looked at some old pictures of my 76 and it also did not have the shield. The 75 is a L48, the 76 a L82.
Scott

It's possible that the alt. bracket was "pulled forward", meaning they had them in stock, and the engineers determined that there would not be any "functional differences" if used on the '76. It's well known that the factory would use a part designed for the next model year if it would fit and function properly. What is the "build date" on your '76? If it's a late enough build, it might very well be the case. Maybe a survey is called for?!

[QUOTE=Bob Griffiths]


Can you (at your leasure) lol...like we all have so darn much ...check if the alternator bracket on your friends 76 has a hole in it or not...

BTW since you own both a 4 sp &  auto L82 79...how do they compare...??? 

Bob G
[/QUOTE] Well, my friends 76 is long gone, but I knew it well as I did most of the work on it. Was an early 76, with the small rear bumper letters. Pretty sure it didn't have a bolt hole. My 79 4speed definitely FEELS like it would out perform the automatic. At least off the line, don't know about top end. Headers and dual exhaust and the 3.70 gear helps too. I do enjoy driving it more than the others. But the white 79 auto is now more or less my "driver". I really don't drive any of em very hard tho.(if you remember, I NEVER drive the Pace Car) Had an L48 78SA auto back in 91 that would be lucky to keep up with my dad's Caprice.  Mike

Joel:
        The build date on my 76 was in early February ....Much too early
for the Factory to be using parts designed for a 77...maybe I will glance thru the assembly manual and look for a running change

In either case I know of 4 or 5 76's locally and guess what I will be looking at under their hoods.....Its hell when you can not remember IF you did something.

Mike:
       Got to drive these things... and ya got to drive them hard... lol

Just wanted to see if yous "seemed" to be as different as mine... the L48 4 sp 78 will kick the 79's L82 auto's ass day in and day out...by a wide margin...  Not that I mind my wife usually drives the 79 when we go out crusing together on Saturday nights anyway...

Bob

[QUOTE=Bob Griffiths]
Mike:
       Got to drive these things... and ya got to drive them hard... lol

Just wanted to see if yous "seemed" to be as different as mine... the L48 4 sp 78 will kick the 79's L82 auto's ass day in and day out...by a wide margin...  Not that I mind my wife usually drives the 79 when we go out crusing together on Saturday nights anyway...

Bob
[/QUOTE]

I love this idea. Another good reason to talk the wife into another vette other than I would love to have another vette just like the first one.

My 75 has one on the Lower radiator hose, rather than the top.  This is for protection from the A/C belt.  I do not have a top one, but have seen them several times.  I can't tell you with C3s from memory.