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I purchased new muffler hangars for my 63 because my originals were dried right out and cracked badly enough I figured it was time to replace.
When I got the new hangars, they have a flat metal copper colored plate that has an expansion joint in it and it bridges the gap between the muffler bolts and the frame bolts.
This would negate the 63 grounding straps designed to do the same thing. So I am pretty sure my old supports are not missing this "copper colored metal piece".
So, my question is, if restoring as I am, do people trim the copper like plate off flush with the upper bracket so you do not see it and connect the ground strap so it "looks identical" to the original or are people leaving the copper plate in the bracket and throwing the ground strap on to make it look correct? Any judges want to comment?
This is what I have, and the copper looking plate are not on my original 63 hangars but, are they missing?
Don't alter any of the parts in the kit. Install it as it arrived. The 63 AIM calls out ground straps in that area, but best I can tell after years of looking, no 63 had ground straps installed. That brass piece is the ground strap. Ground straps started in 1964 when they changed the bracket.
Don't alter any of the parts in the kit. Install it as it arrived. The 63 AIM calls out ground straps in that area, but best I can tell after years of looking, no 63 had ground straps installed. That brass piece is the ground strap. Ground straps started in 1964 when they changed the bracket.
Thanks, the old hangars I had did not have the brass plate at all as I mentioned, and, these appear to be identical and not the 64+ type. It was bothering me because as you say, the aim shows the ground straps on this style of rear muffler hangar?
IIRC the LICS ground strap kit comes with some paper guidance about the strapping being different for '63 (e.g. some straps are not used) but its been a while. The rear muffler hangers on my split window (May 29th car) have the repro straps. I do have the old, original straps and will have to dig through my parts "boneyarrd" to match them up and see if the car had them originally. I sure thought it did though..
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Dec 3, 2020 at 09:33 AM.
Thanks Frankie thats interesting, because as mentioned my old Hangar at the tailpipe did not have a copper strip in it, and when I removed the hangar there was no ground strap. I just figured it was never replaced when the mufflers were replaced. As you know I am a late May Car too.
The key here may be the old muffler hangar itself, does it have the metal ( copper colored or just metal) plate with the expansion joint in it? If so, that plate negates straps, there would be no logical reason to strap the hangar by any GM employee or engineer because the plate is the ground. So if the plate is not present then it supports the version in the AIM, if the plate is there, then it raises the question as to whether the AIM is correct, like others are questioning?
Here is my original 57 year old muffler hanger.
There is no separate ground strap.
Wow, thanks for that, so it appears the grounding plate was "in" which "you would think" if they changed the hangar in 64 that 63 would have had the plate as you show and AIM wrong? In which case maybe mine snapped off because my hangar was rattier then yours Is your survivor a late or early 63?
I will wait for Franke the Fink to find his old 63 hangar and compare, thanks
Well I learned something, I made the wife dig through a Tupperware old parts bin (my eyesight isn't great right now) and my brackets had the grounding plate - I assume they were the original ones...guess I'll be pulling off those extra straps I so lovingly installed. And, yes, the AIM can be dead wrong - just read the sections about the optional "turbine" wheels, those never happened on delivered cars for 63.
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; Dec 4, 2020 at 06:01 AM.
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Ground Straps
Is your survivor a late or early 63?