Lower Z bar frame bracket

[gs spoken here]

Interesting how the lower Z bar frame bracket appeared to have 3 bolt holes, and one have been filed by welding. I was thinking I would find a broken bolt behind, but no hole in frame, kinda strange, anyone else seen this?

This is a 66 GS 4 speed car.

[schlepcar]

Looks like somebody made it into a stick car. The third hole was just plug welded instead of drilled out at the factory. Automatic cars only used two holes on the shift linkage, and looking at the welds on your last pic,  I would say the upper bracket was not factory. Just drill it out and make the hole.

[gs spoken here]

Thanks for the reply, from every other detail this appears to have been a 4 speed car all it's life, but anything is possible. Numbers matching drive train, with correct uncut floor hump.

[schlepcar]

I was not sure if I was seeing it clearly, but the factory welded the upper bracket on the short sides,and the pic looked like it was welded on the long side. No big deal, you have to remember that these cars were sort of fast and people used to drink,race,and crash...........The common way to fix it afterwards was just to change the frame. It is definitely possible,if not probable, that a lot of cars were repaired this way.

[gs spoken here]

You are correct these cars were well used in the old days. The upper bracket is welded mostly on the sides but some weld splatter spills over to the front and back. I looked in the chassis manual and 66 4 speed show 3 bolts in that lower bracket. The 66 column shift also shows 3 bolt bracket. It appears the skylark auto conv, is the same bracket as GS auto. In looking at my frame in that area there are 2 more untapped vertical holes slightly to the rear of the two taped vertical ones. I am thinking the auto bracket used the 2 untapped and one of the tapped ones that the 4 speed used. I need to look at my 65 GS auto floor shift car to see how many holes and if any are tapped.

Do you know where the frame number was on the 66? This frame is not that rusty and I may be able to find.

Thanks Bill

[Brian]

Or, it came down the asssembly line and was supposed to be a manual transmission chasis, but someone made a mistake upstreamd and it was not, so they sent it to the repair area and they welded on the upper z-bar bracket in their own way unlike the way the frame supplier would have done it and instead of drilling the extra hole for the 3rd bolt in the lower z-bar bracket, they just welded it.   

[gs spoken here]

Well I think I ruled out a frame change, the 8 digits of the vin are on the frame, on the drivers side, back by the tailpipe hanger on top.

Brian you could be correct on the trans change in mid stream. I think I will drill out the weld in the bracket and drill and tap the frame and add the third bolt.

Thanks Bill.