Topic: 67 SJ Running Change Survey - Windshield Washer Reservoir

[J_Speegle]

Working down the list of running changes that took place during 1967 production at San Jose as the title states we look at windshield washer reservoir change from plastic bag to opaque rigid tank.

Like 65 and 66 production started San Jose started out by installing a black plastic washer bag and bracket. Bracket was welded to the drivers side inner fender panel but differs from 65 & 66 in its design and shape. Here are three pictures to illustrate the typical installation


7R106xxxx



7R1627xxxx



7R1648xxxx 




Then they changed to the hard plastic opaque reservoir attached to the drivers side inner fender panel with three hex head screws

7R2230xx 



And for the record the head markings found on this example. From 7R02S2072xx


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With one of the largest samplings to date the change over point was pretty easy to see once all of the information was inserted into the tables. For all samplings I notate if the car appears to have been restored some time in the past and if there are any indications of possible repair to the area or panels (restored or not restored). Using the actual build date VINs are organized in order and for examples (in this case possibly only 30% of the sampling) those are placed with other similar groups of like sequential numbers)  As in the past orphan findings (most often restored cars) are isolated and not included and with this a strong line exposed itself.  Perfect - no. Best we currently have to go by IMHO yes.



So in terms of build date according to what I've collected and what has been submitted the range for the change over appears to be between March 29th through April 7th 1967.

Believe it might be down to two days but I have three restored cars built on the 5th through the 7th that create the possibility of the wider range. They each have the bag. Without these three the survey drops the possibility within a two day spread but just being safe at this point. 

As for the possibility of both being installed on the line at the same time I  believe that jumping back and forth between the welding of a bracket and not welding one on would only cause confusion and there was really no reason to since the unused earlier version/parts could be recycled back through the service parts channels as they did for damaged parts that arrived at the plant and at close out at the end of the production year.

[Bossbill]

One of members needed one of these wiper bag clips, so I removed it from my parts car:
7R01C189340 Door Tag date 06C
since it has a bag.
The Shelby (date in sig) has a bag as well.

I'm 95% certain they both have single squirters, but I can't find them this minute.

Here is a pic of the one I removed and a link to an album with some dimensions.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wJGsZcxmbBz1xXqM6

[Bob Gaines]

One of members needed one of these wiper bag clips, so I removed it from my parts car:
7R01C189340 Door Tag date 06C
since it has a bag.
The Shelby (date in sig) has a bag as well.

I'm 95% certain they both have single squirters, but I can't find them this minute.

Here is a pic of the one I removed and a link to an album with some dimensions.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wJGsZcxmbBz1xXqM6

a bag car would have had single squirters. The single was changed to a double later in production after the change to plastic bottle. I don't think the two different changes coincided but then again I don't have wide enough data base. I do know I have not seen a bag car with double squirters before.   

[67gta289]

My signature car has the bag

[Paperback Writer]

I used to own a '67 SJ Fastback (7R02S193473) that was built 7 days behind schedule on March 28, 1967.
It had the washer bag as well...

[Bob Gaines]

FYI it is important to remember the build date is the finish date. There is not presently a way to determine when the cars assembly was started only on what day it was finished . We don't have a way of knowing how many stations a car may have gone through before being stalled at some point for one reason or another prior to being finished.  With that said this may explain how a seemingly earlier feature found its way car built after the early item scheduled use  was changed. This is not the answer all of the time but just something to consider when contemplating how a car ended up being a certain way outside different cut off dates.

[67gta289]

Bob, that is a great point.  In this case, are you thinking that a unibody could have been put together with the bag bracket, and then for some reason such as lacking inventory of a critical part was set aside for a while. Then when put back in flow the new plastic container was in play.  Rather than drill out the bracket it was easier to put the bag in? I’m just trying to put your comments into a scenario.  If this is not what you were thinking can you expound? Thanks

[J_Speegle]

FYI it is important to remember the build date is the finish date. There is not presently a way to determine when the cars assembly was started only on what day it was finished . We don't have a way of knowing how many stations a car may have gone through before being stalled at some point for one reason or another prior to being finished. 

Car or body would not be "stalled" at any point on the line only at the end of the body and trim section. It could be pulled out according to workers but that would not be for a lack of a part. And if pulled that would be a very random event and not one that often happened while the rest of production would provide the data we would be studying in these surveys

Bob, that is a great point.  In this case, are you thinking that a unibody could have been put together with the bag bracket, and then for some reason such as lacking inventory of a critical part was set aside for a while. .........

The build would not have been started until all the parts were in house and available according to workers and managers. Now a slight hold up at the mid point was expected and room made for within limits. Looking at data from later built cars were we have more information there could be 3-6 days between when the body was started and the car completed. But for more of these running changes a range covering even that amount of days will bring allot of clarity to the information.

For this particular discussion the choice of when the change over would take place would be in the first half of the build since the bag bracket needed to be welded before painting and in turn make for a tighter/narrower range when compared to other changes that would come into play on the later half of the cars build.

NOTE: Posted my findings in the first post of this thread. Turned out a neater pattern than I would have expected.

[67gta289]

Thanks as always Jeff

[J_Speegle]

Unfortunately I don't expect to have as many samples for many of the other running changes in 67 as we did this one. The inclusion of the Shelby data helped allot - especially when it came to real build dates. 

[67gta289]

Jeff, here are a few more that I have Marti reports and therefore dates.

In looking through many more pictures, but no dates unfortunately, I see things starting to flip over in the 194xxx to 198xxx range. 

VIN                    Actual          Type
7R02S100xxx   8/22/1966           Bag
7R02S108xxx   9/21/1966           Bag
7R02S114xxx   10/5/1966      Bag
7R01S117xxx   10/18/1966   Bag
7R02A143xxx   12/5/1966     Bag
7R01S148xxx   12/5/1966    Bag
7R02S159xxx   12/23/1966   Bag
7R01S157xxx   1/5/1967      Bag
7R02S166xxx   1/6/1967      Bag
7R02C176xxx   1/30/1967     Bag
7R01C203xxx   4/22/1967    Bottle
7R01C200xxx   4/27/1967           Bottle
7R03C222xxx   6/27/1967    Bottle

[Bob Gaines]

Bob, that is a great point.  In this case, are you thinking that a unibody could have been put together with the bag bracket, and then for some reason such as lacking inventory of a critical part was set aside for a while. Then when put back in flow the new plastic container was in play.  Rather than drill out the bracket it was easier to put the bag in? I’m just trying to put your comments into a scenario.  If this is not what you were thinking can you expound? Thanks

That was exactly the scenario I was trying to convey . It might not be the answer every time but it certainly is a possibility in some cases.

[J_Speegle]

Jeff, here are a few more that I have Marti reports and therefore dates.

In looking through many more pictures, but no dates unfortunately, I see things starting to flip over in the 194xxx to 198xxx range. 

Thanks will add them to my - they seem to line up perfect with all the others

VINs can be more difficult since we know they were built in sequential order. I've got 7R192xxx with bottles and 7R193xxx with bag

May (by date) even expand the VIN range plastics to 7R182xxxs in some examples but that is why  dropped the VIN range out of the 67 and up graphic and went with the more solid, know, completion date.   For the 67 and up cars VINs are too IMHO unreliable and will mislead owners/builders more.

[Texas Swede]

My 67 GT500, #1317, was built at San Jose on January 31 and has the bag.
Texas Swede

[Paperback Writer]

The earliest documented bottle example I could find was for a Diamond Green Hardtop (7R01T1969XX) built on April 12, 1967 - six days behind schedule.

So based upon my earlier posting, that seems to put our transition timeline at SJ sometime between 3/28/67 and 4/12/67...