About the engine shroud ground straps.

[66vairguy]

I learned something new about Corvairs!!!! The LM (65-69) engine shrouds usually have weaved copper ground straps at four locations. Often folks insist they are for grounding the engine, other insist they are not required. I found the facts in the Corvair Assembly Manual.

The ground straps are NOT needed to ground the engine, that function is provided by the large ground cable to the engine near the alternator bracket.

The ground straps were ONLY installed on Corvairs equipped with a radio from the factory!!! The straps are to provide a better ground plane to suppress "AM radio noise".

Note that sometimes the Chevrolet dealers would order Corvairs WITHOUT radios and install aftermarket radios (less expensive for the dealer to either make more profit, or sell the Corvair for less). These cars would NOT have the shroud ground straps unless the dealer installed them (doubtful they did).

I have a MOTOROLA Corvair radio. Looks almost identical, but the face plate is just slightly different so the face plate WILL NOT WORK with a factory DELCO radio (I tried).