What fasteners hold the...

[70Hardtop]

HI, 71 Challenger...What type of fastener was used to hold those two plastic grille covers that sit on top of the plenum? Mine have square shaped locaters but there are also round holes in them and the body. Were they some sort of plastic push-in rivet?

Also, I have heard that some cars (maybe RTs?) had this top plenum area blacked out, is this true? My car is a 71 318 but is getting a complete RT make-over.

thanks for your help

 

[moparleo]

Plenum ???

 

[Ray]

Plenum ???

Probably wrong, but I thing he is just asking what fastners hold the covers on.
Goggle plenum ventilation.

 

[Moparparts]

Cowl Plenum screen Fastners

I have seen some 71 with shanked Phillip head screws and hex head shanked screws also i guess it depended on what they had available or what plant it was built at. I know the T/A has the top of the cowl plenum painted black as well as the inner edges of the front fenders from the factory but just the top of the cowl on the R/T. If you need some of those fasteners i may have some originals left but the show cars guys at Chrysler Carlisle cleaned me out of a lot of them PM me

HI, 71 Challenger...What type of fastener was used to hold those two plastic grille covers that sit on top of the plenum? Mine have square shaped locaters but there are also round holes in them and the body. Were they some sort of plastic push-in rivet?

Also, I have heard that some cars (maybe RTs?) had this top plenum area blacked out, is this true? My car is a 71 318 but is getting a complete RT make-over.

thanks for your help

 

[rbbruno3]

my 70 has screws with a shoulder on them I think newer years had just push in type tabs made on the vents. (no screws) So you need the correct cowl vents for the year. Not sure which type 71 has but someone here will know. if indeed this is what your refering to "grill covers and plenum"

 

[rbbruno3]

my 70 has screws with a shoulder on them I think newer years had just push in type tabs made on the vents. (no screws) So you need the correct cowl vents for the year. Not sure which type 71 has but someone here will know. if indeed this is what your refering to "grill covers and plenum"

When I wrote this there were no replies yet

 

[moparleo]

Thanks guys.

 

[challenger6pak]

1970 cowl screens were held on by Phillips screws. Some 71's were snap in covers. Most were screw in. 72- up were the snap in type.

 

[challenger6pak]

Some pics.

 

[70Hardtop]

HI, thanks for the very helpful replies. Yes we say plenum or plenum chamber down here, US terminology more often is cowl. (you say hood, we say bonnet, you say rear deck, we say bootlid, fender=guard etc!)

Anyway, when I pulled my 71 apart a few years ago for painting I couldn't remember seeing the fasteners, so having a closer look, seems as these are snap in. My 73 Chal are the same, although the body still has the small screw holes also.

Looks like I will paint that plenum cowl area black also, I think I remember seeing a bit of info in a Mopar Action mag about the correct shade of black to use.

thanks

 

[70Hardtop]

Chal6Pak, thanks for those photos, Clearly the 70 ones are different. I will have to look at both of mine but I think they are identical, so the 71 must be snap in. Interesting how they make these myriad of small changes between models. All designed to speed up the assembly process I suppose and reduce costs.

 

[70Hardtop]

here is a picture I found, (1970 RT) close up of the painted RT plenum cowl area. Looks like it is a low satin/matt black. Also visible is one of the retaining screws for the plenum cover.

If you think, like me, that the cowl black paint job looks messy and untidy, well apparently this is how many of them left the factory. And as this particular car is the highest scoring and most awarded original restored RT Challenger, then I suppose it is 100% correct

 

[burdar]

Just look at your screens...they will tell the story. If they ever had screws in them, the top of the plastic will have a screw head mark on them.

71's didn't get the cowl blackout.

 

[Moparparts]

Yes 70 are the screws but i have also had very early built 71's with screws with some having a few of both as i mentioned they used what ever was available during the mass production. I don't ever recall any original 70 R/T or T/A cars looking quite that messy on the cowl plenum which is BTW a factory Chrysler term and i have had a bunch of unrestored cars through the years. Of course that could have been a Monday or Friday built car they followed after as goes with runs in some painted areas under the hood etc you have to put them back on during restoration to make it correct.

here is a picture I found, (1970 RT) close up of the painted RT plenum cowl area. Looks like it is a low satin/matt black. Also visible is one of the retaining screws for the plenum cover.

If you think, like me, that the cowl black paint job looks messy and untidy, well apparently this is how many of them left the factory. And as this particular car is the highest scoring and most awarded original restored RT Challenger, then I suppose it is 100% correct