'68 Chrome Dress-Up Kit?

[caGSxlr8]

Was a chrome dress up kit (valve covers) available for '68 Buicks from the factory or dealer? The December Bugle had a '68 Electra that listed a "chrome dress-up kit" and a part number. The only reference to the part number given that I could find is for a '67 chrome kit. I would like to add chrome valve covers to my '68 but I want to make sure that they were available in '68. I know that '69 GS Stage 1 cars came with chrome valve covers.

[BUICK RACER]

Mike, I can't find the reference to the dress up kit in the Dec Bugle, but in all my '68 stuff, been collecting for 24+ years, I don't remember seeing it.

But that doesn't mean it didn't exist. What page in the Bugle??

[caGSxlr8]

Roberta,

I don't have the Bugle handy right now, but the article about the '68 Electra is where I saw it. It is on the page that lists the options that are on the car (it only shows it as being chrome valve covers). I have checked all of my factory/dealer info and it does not show a chrome dress up kit or valve covers being available for '68. I have a book that shows all of the accessories that were available from '66 to '68 and the chrome dress up kit was shown as only being available in '66 & 67.

Thanks for checking for me...

Mike

[Guest my3buicks]

Mike,as I am sure you know, you can't always assume that an item pictured on a car in the Bugle is proper for the car and year. The 68 Electra Conv in the article is a beautiful car. I noticed the "Guidematic" is a 67 unit also on the car.

[Philippe Racicot]

Keith is right about this 68 Electra. The article also mentions that the chrome dress up kit was added by the owner. The nice chrome wheels on this car were also only available on Wildcats and Rivieras. The best way to know if the chrome dress up kit was available would be to ask the owner where he found his information about the pricing of that kit and make yourself an idea about the validity of his information. About the 68 Guidematic, my 68 shop manual shows illustrations of what looks like a 67 dash with a 67 knob located below the dash instead of having it placed in the lower dash section...so it's quite hard to tell from that how it would correctly instslled on a 68! I am also wondering if the Guidematic could be factory installed or if it was dealer installed only in 68. In that case it would be possible to see different configurations.

[caGSxlr8]

Thanks folks... I figured since I could not find any info on the chrome package in all of my '68 reference material that it most likely was added by the current owner, but I could have been missing some info. The part number that is listed in the article matches the part number for the '67 chrome dress-up kit that is in one of my Buick Accessories books, but the price is different.

I have looked through all of my '68 part number literature and could not find chrome valve covers. I would like to add them to my car and I know its my car and I should do what ever I like with it but I like to keep it as correct as possible.

Mike

[Guest]

Saw that 68 in the Bugle. Looked like a really nice car that was polluted by hanging on a ridiculous amount of options. Many are dealer accessory items that were not offered as factory installation (chrome dress up kit); some are incorrect (67 auto-light setup); some are just plain wrong (chrome road wheels on Electra).

Note also that the license plate frames were shown as part of the proud list of "optional accessories". Actually, frames were standard on Electra and were option on lesser series.

Scary part of this is that the owner of the car, if I'm not mistaken, is listed as one of the BCA tech advisors for this year of car!!!!

[wildcatsrule]

Not sure about the valve covers, but a chrome air cleaner cover was available. I just got one from a guy who originally purchased it at a Buick parts department in 1975. I put it on my '68 Wildcat and it fits perfectly- and looks great too! Good luck- David

[Guest my3buicks]

I personally don't think "anonymous" users have any business taking pot shots at cars, owners, etc. Register and don't hide!

[AK Buickman]

The chrome dress up kit for '67 400/430 will fit on a '68400/430, but the '67 had some differences.

The big difference is the spark plug wire retainers on a '67 are an integral part of the rocker arm cover, while the '68 plug wire retainers were a plastic clip that mounted on a redesigned rocker cover bolt. This means that the rocker arm covers were different between the two years.

Also, one rocker arm cover on a '68 had a hole punched into it providing for an attachment for the crankcase breather tube. This tube ran between the air cleaner and one rocker arm cover. The '67 engine did not use this rubber tube.

If my memory is correct, I recall when I purchased an engine dress up kit from my local Buick dealer a long time ago, it was specifically for a '67, yet it included extra parts in the kit to accomodate the 1967 Buick California emissions set-up.

I'll have to check my '68 Buick sales stuff and the small options brochure to see what was listed.

Those chrome air cleaner covers are pretty generic from '68-'76, and are identical to those used by some other GM divisions during that same time.

AK Buickman.................

[Philippe Racicot]

I don't know if the chrome dress up kit was available in 68 but AK Buickman is correct about 67 and 68 valve covers being different. In addition to the different plug wire retainers, they also had different shapes. The 67 passenger side cover had a flat section at the rear and had no hole for the breather tube like the 68. The 67 driver side cover had two holes in it instead of one in 68. The 67 front hole is where connected the breather tube on California emissions cars and was filled with a rubber plug on other cars. On both years the oil filler cap was located at the rear but the 67 (non calif.)used a breather type cap wich was also chrome plated when the chrome kit was installed.