C3 Production Numbers
This week we’ll continue our look at Corvette production numbers through the generations with the 1968-1982 models. This 14-year time span was the longest for any Corvette generation to date. Corvette team designers did a commendable job freshening the car from it’s early “chrome bumper” stage from 1968-1972 periodically until the final, lower production (in anticipation of the C4) 1982. Notable models during this generation include the competition-ready 1968-69 L88, the well-balanced 1970-72 LT-1, the last convertible model until the introduction of the C4 (1975), the base model 1976 Corvette with only 165 emissions-controlled horses, the Silver Anniversary (pictured) and Indianapolis Pace Cars of 1978 and the hatchback-glass equipped 1982 Collector Edition.
| Model Year | Coupe | Convertible | Hardtop | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 9936 | 18630 | 28566 | |
| 1969 | 22129 | 16633 | 38762 | |
| 1970 | 10668 | 6648 | 17316 | |
| 1971 | 14680 | 7121 | 21801 | |
| 1972 | 20496 | 6508 | 27004 | |
| 1973 | 25521 | 4943 | 30464 | |
| 1974 | 32028 | 5474 | 37502 | |
| 1975 | 33836 | 4629 | 38465 | |
| 1976 | 46558 | 46558 | ||
| 1977 | 49213 | 49213 | ||
| 1978 | 46776 | 46776 | ||
| 1979 | 53807 | 53807 | ||
| 1980 | 40614 | 40614 | ||
| 1981 | 40606 | 40606 | ||
| 1982 | 25407 | 25407 | ||
Chevrolet introduces Z06 Carbon Limited Edition & Two New Z06 Option Packages
A Z06 infused with ZR1 components from the factory? Yes, please. Today Chevrolet announced that a limited edition Z06 Corvette will be offered for the 2011 model year, as well as two performance option packages that will equip a Z06 with components trickled down from the almighty ZR1.
Z06 Carbon: For starters, the Z06 Carbon will have Magnetic Selective Ride Control and Brembo carbon ceramic brakes with enhanced brake cooling. The car will ride on 19″ front and 20″ rear wheels will Michelin PS2 Ultra High Performance tires. The “Carbon” designation in the name comes from the inclusion of the aforementioned carbon brakes, a unique carbon fiber hood and black carbon fiber rockers and splitter. Two new colors will be offered: Inferno Orange and Supersonic Blue. The car will come with owner-installed number decals for track day use. Chevrolet will limit production of the Z06 Carbon Limited Edition to just 500 units.
RPO Z07 and CFZ Z06: For those who don’t require ownership of a limited edition production car, two new RPOs for the z06 will be offered. The optional Z07 performance package includes the mechanical upgrades found on the Z06 Carbon: Brakes, magnetic ride control, chassis and cooling upgrades and the Z06 Carbon’s unique wheels. RPO CFZ Z06 specifies black carbon fiber rockers, splitter and roof panel with a full-width body color spoiler.
Chevrolet will debut the Z06 Carbon Limited Edition and Z07 performance option package on March 19th in the Corvette Corral during the 12 Hours of Sebring. The car will go on sale later this summer. The official press release is after the jump.
HVAC Odor Technical Service Bulletin
While we know it’s not the most exciting topic to discuss, we are aware of this issue through several Q&A magazine sections and forum postings. The problem centers on a musty odor coming from the vents whenever the A/C is activated. The odor seems to diminish after a short time, but recurs after the car is shut off and restarted a while later.
More often than not, the culprit seems to be microbial growth on the evaporator core caused by condensation. In humid parts of the country, the condensation doesn’t seem to evaporate on its own. A plugged HVAC drain may create the same condition on the evaporator core.
Fortunately for owners of 1993-present GM cars and trucks (including Corvettes), there is a Technical Service Bulletin (#99-01-39-004C) that remedies this condition. It is a complex job, so it is recommended that a certified GM technician performs the work. However, if you’d like to attempt the procedure on your own, we have the TSB below.
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Corvette Racing’s contributions to the ZR1 and Z06
Click on the pic above for an informative graphic depicting how Corvette Racing’s engineering and development efforts trickle down to the ZR1 and Z06 Corvettes. Very cool. Although for what it’s worth, the 1953-62 Corvettes were sporting exposed headlamps too…
Meet the Grille Teeth that Started It All
In the near future we’ll be showcasing some Corvette parts that we manufacture at our facility in Sawyer, Michigan. But for now, here’s a little history on our first parts ever offered by Corvette Central: the 1953-60 grille teeth. Company founder Jerry Kohn: “Our first parts were grille teeth for the 1953-60. To know why this was more complex than it sounds, you have to know a little bit about the 1953-60. There were five different size teeth for the grille. But Chevrolet did what they normally did to service parts like this…they made three basic sizes (center, tooth #4 and tooth #1, but not teeth #5 and #6). This is what they catalogued as service parts. Well, of course they weren’t right and if you had to replace an entire grille it just wouldn’t look right.
“There was one person, at that time, who made some solid aluminum teeth but they weren’t very good either. So I had to find myself a good set of original teeth as a start point. I had a little bit of trouble even finding a set. I used to travel a bit to Cincinnati on casting business (Jerry once owned a company called Kohn Kastings). On one trip I stopped to see a guy I met in Indianapolis who had a real choice ‘57 grille bar with a full set of original teeth…
“That’s basically how it happened. I needed grille teeth and I assumed that someone else would. The difference between what I did and what other products were available was that I got a full set of original pieces, made a complete set of molds and did quality castings. We didn’t do slush molds or cheap ceramic molds. We did it right. It was as close to what GM did as you could make.
Those original grille teeth are still manufactured in Michigan as part #421006 (1953-57) and #421106 (1958-60) and they are included in a mix of over 3,000 parts that we currently produce. Stay tuned for more history on Corvette Central exclusive parts, and the production processes behind them.
2010 Corvette Racing Schedule
Schedule courtesy of Corvette Racing (www.corvetteracing.com).
| 2010 Corvette Racing Schedule | ||
|---|---|---|
| DATE | VENUE | TV |
| March 20 | Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Sebring, FL |
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| April 17 | Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach Long Beach, CA |
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| May 22 | Monterey Sports Car Championships Salinas, CA |
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| June 12-13 | 24 Heures du Mans Le Mans, France |
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| July 10 | Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix Tooele, UT |
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| July 24 | American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix Lakeville, CT |
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| August 7 | Acura Sports Car Challenge Lexington, OH |
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| August 22 | Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase Elkhart Lake, WI |
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| August 29 | Grand Prix of Mosport Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada |
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| October 2 | Petit Le Mans Braselton, GA |
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2010 Corvette C6.R Looks Ready for Sebring
The 2010 Corvette C6.R was spotted in what appears to be full-race livery by Dan from BadBoyVettes. Photographed at Pratt & Miller’s race shop. This car will feature a new 5.5 liter production-based block, and will debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring March 17-20.
Vette in a Snowstorm
There’s a reason why the Corvette team does cold weather testing. Photographed by a CorvetteForum.com member somewhere near Oklahoma City on I-40.
LS Engine Swap for C4 Corvettes
The following is an engine swap workshop guide that was produced by Chris Petris (www.petrisenterprises.com) in cooperation with Corvette Central, with assistance from Jared Ochs of Current Performance (www.currentperformance.com), and Chris McDonald of www.mcspeed.com. Developed in conjunction with GM Performance, Corvette Enthusiast, TCI, Holley and Vette Brakes & Products. Photo credit: Chris McDonald. We will share with you our experience in upgrading our 1985 project Corvette to a 2007 LS2 with a 4L60E automatic transmission. Our workshop includes discussion of some common tools needed, modifications necessary, fabrication required, and part numbers for the components to complete the swap. Many of the considerations to complete the swap into a C4 would also be pertinent to other generations.
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The following is an engine swap workshop guide that was produced by Chris Petris (www.petrisenterprises.com) in cooperation with Corvette Central, with assistance from Jared Ochs of Current Performance (www.currentperformance.com), and Chris McDonald of www.mcspeed.com. Developed in conjunction with GM Performance, Corvette Enthusiast, TCI, Holley and Vette Brakes & Products. Photo credit: Chris McDonald. We will share with you our experience in upgrading our 1985 project Corvette to a 2007 LS2 with a 4L60E automatic transmission. Our workshop includes discussion of some common tools needed, modifications necessary, fabrication required, and part numbers for the components to complete the swap. Many of the considerations to complete the swap into a C4 would also be pertinent to other generations.
Read the rest of this entry »
Corvette Market Insider’s Buy, Hold & Sell Insights
We were present for the 3rd Annual Corvette Market Insider’s Seminar at Barrett-Jackson this year. This year’s panel of experts included David Burroughs (Bloomington Gold), Jim Jordan (County Corvette), Kevin Mackay (Corvette Repair), Terry Michaelis (ProTeam Corvette), Michael Pierce (NCRS) Roy Sinor (NCRS) and Mike Yager (Mid America Motorworks). Before the seminar concluded, the panelists were asked to present their Hold, Sell, Buy and “Holy Grail” cars in today’s market. Drum roll, please…
HOLD
- Burroughs: 1963-1972 high horsepower convertibles
- Jordan: 1967 427/435
- Mackay: 1965 327/350 convertible survivor
- Michaelis: 1963 fuel injection coupe
- Pierce: “Z” code cars (ZL1, Z06, etc.), original spec M-22 cars
- Sinor: any unrestored originals
- Yager: 1958, 1967, 1968 and 1978 model years
SELL
- Burroughs: 1963-66 coupes under 360 HP
- Jordan: 1990-95 ZR-1
- Mackay: “basket case” cars with replacement block and no documentation
- Michaelis: 1966-67 427/425 and 427/435 cars
- Pierce: “Any car that will cost more to restore than it’s worth”
- Sinor: Any C3 or C4 that is not considered to be rare
- Yager: unique cars with high options
BUY
- Burroughs: 1953-57 cars at least 75% unrestored with little deterioration
- Jordan: 1968-69 L88
- Mackay: 1968-69 L88 “with documentation”
- Michaelis: 1968-69 L88 “with documentation”
- Pierce: L88 cars, tankers (1959-67 24 or 36 gallon fuel tank option), early fuel injection cars
- Sinor: well documented early fuel injection cars
- Yager: 1963 Z06, any rare C4
THE HOLY GRAIL
- Burroughs: 1967 L88 Daytona race car
- Jordan: 1963 Grand Sport #002
- Mackay: 1963 Grand Sport #004
- Michaelis: any 1963 Grand Sport
- Pierce: any 1963 Grand Sport
- Sinor: 1967 L89 with original engine
- Yager: Corvette CERV I or 1963 Grand Sport