leo5

I have this fantastic red /red vette. It has been 90% frame on
restored;suspension,rear end, tranny,engine(upgraded 350hp),
interior,paint job & more.This is a canadian car that has never
seen any winters & has always been pampered.mileage is around
70ks{124,000 kms) but only 3000 miles since restored.
enquiries & pictures upon request,
$ 15000. deal
leo5leos@videotron.ca

The_Dude

What's the 5th digit of the VIN?

wfo76

ve77er

no such thing as a 1980 L-82 four speed sorry, but if it has the L-82, either the motor or transmission was swapped out for an earlier year or perhaps it is in fact the L-48 4 speed. in 1980 the choices were;
L-48 with manual tansmission
L-48 with automatic transmission
L-82 with automatic transmission only
in california you had to take a 305 cubic inch with automatic tranmission. these were the only engine/transmission combinations available in 1980.
.......................................c hris

leo5

I bought the car in 96 with the 4 speed.I suspect that the transmission was changed but would be a very professonial job. I do know that there were
a few early production L-82 4speed,but???!!??.
the transmission is a 1980 model .

leo5

5th digit is 6

The_Dude

I would guess someone swapped the transmission.

ve77er

leo,
where do you find info on 1980 L-82 4 speeds? i was looking to purchase a new 1980 back in 1979 and was told by the dealer that the only way to have a manual shift was to order the L-48. i have also never encountered a L-82 4 speed 1980 that dosen't mean that one or two early models weren't built, i would be very interested to learn more about this. because when i wasl looking in 1979, the '80's were still a month a way from start of production. do you have any documentation or facts to support your L-82 four speed? how about the vin number? my breakdown in 1980 is;
1-CHEVROLET
Z87-CORVETTE
5TH DIGIT ENGINE DESIGNATOR-8-L-48, 6-L-82, H-LG4 (305)
A-MODEL YEAR A= 1980
S-ST. LOUIS PLANT
8-13-,400001-4440614-BUILD SEQUENCE
so, if you have something more, your car may indeed be a rare 1980 model but you would need some proof to support it, window sticker, build sheet, or dealer invoice ect.
i'm not trying to bust your chops, i am interested in learning, thanks!.
............................chris

wfo76

Is the engine original and what is the suffix stamping?

ZBC is L82 automatic, ZBD would be L82 4-spd if any were built.

It is also a Canadian car so could get the original build from George Zapora of GM Canada.

ve77er

i rechecked my sales brochure for 1980 and again it lists the L-82 with the automatic only. in the power teams the only engine that you could order with the manual or automatic was the L-48 both the L-82 and LG-4 (305 C.I.) required the automatic and, the 305 was a california only car. so, please let me know more about your 1980 L82-4 speed!
....................................chri s !

vettebuyer6369

According to the Corvette Black Book:

"The 4-speed manual transmission was not available with the optional L-82 engine, with the possible exception of a few early production builds."

Given the fact I generally believe Mike Antonick, the seller might still have a glimmer of hope.

Now:
1. what is your VIN?

2. Can you check the numbers on your transmission case?

1 & 2 will settle this.

ve77er

vettebuyer,
i agree 100% with your assesment, his VIN would have to indicate a very early (or low) sequence number for him to have any shot at this being a genuine L-82 4 speed if so, and the car is in nice shape he could probably get some more in his asking price.
....................................chri s

vettebuyer6369

Right. This is a circumstance where, "some early ones had it, so it might be right" isn't good enough. Its very easy to determine if the VIN is a very early production, and also to take a flashlight to the tranny case and see what it says. This information would enhance the value of the car significantly if it supports originality, and to find out it's not original will not hurt anything, as any informed buyer will just disregard the possibilty of it being correct without verification.

I would also post a question on the NCRS site and see what they say, maybe even try to get in touch w/an '80 judge. I don't have an '80 judging manual handy so I can't look it up.

ve77er

so leo,
what's the scoop? do we have an early production possibly rare 1980 L-82 4 speed or don't we? i am (as i believe vettebuyer is also) very interested in hearing more about your car! if you have a factory original you should easily get your asking price!!
........................................ chris

Robertp535

If It was originally a four speed it should have a welded cross member.I thought autos had a bolt on. Did he say what the car had? Bob

leo5

vin being 1Z876AS421960 eliminates the car as being original 4 speed.
furthermore,engine has been modified with "edelbrock" package(aluminium
heads & intake ,cam) headers with 2 1/2" exhaust going through a non
original crossmember(holes on both sides to pass the pipes)& no catalyctic
converter. The car is fast ,sounds great,idles smoothly but most of all,
looks stock

ve77er

leo,
thanks for the clarification, too bad it's not an original L-82 4 speed but that only deters a few die hard ncrs types. i was hoping it would turn out hat you indeed had a rare car, but i still have yet to come across an original 1980 L-82 4 speed, i'm not saying it's not possible, but according to my dealer brochure they just weren't sold to the buying public. there may be a few copo's floating around. now, about your cross member not being original, that is not necessarily true, all cross members had two holes despite the 'Y' pipe going to a single cat and single pipe back to splitting for dual mufflers. the question we had was if the cross member was bolted in (automatic) or welded (manual) in place. anyway, thanks for the update! i wish you nothing but ht ebest with the sale!.........................chris

The_Dude

The '80 and up crossmember was different than the earlier ones. They were designed specifically for the 2-1-2 cat exhaust and didn't have two holes anymore for a true dual exhaust. I think they may have all been "bolt in" as well.
If this one has two holes, someone retrofitted an earlier crossmember.

gbvette62

I contributed to the 80-82 NCRS judging manual. It has always been my understanding that GM intended to offer the 80 L-82 with a 4 speed, but in the end had to cancel it.

The 1980 Chevrolet Corvette parts book lists ZBD as the engine suffix for the 1980 L-82 4 speed, this code also appears in the NCRS judging manual and Pocket Specification Guide. The NCRS included ZBD because GM lists it.

The "Power Team" section of the 1980 Dealer Album listed the L-82 as being available with the auto or 4 speed. The October/November 1979 "Corvette News" magazine (produced by Chevrolet and later replaced with Corvette Quarterly) previews the 1980 Corvette. On page 15, the Corvette News article states "it seems doubtful at this point that the 4-speed manual unit will be available with the L-82 engine because of problems in meeting federal E.P.A. standards."

Dealer albums were printed many months before production started, because they needed to be delivered to dealers in time to place orders for the new years cars. As such, changes often took place after these were printed and before production started. As an example, the 81 album included the color Bright Blue Metallic. Only 1 pre-production pilot car was built in this color and the album contains an additional page which states "Due to engineering changes after publication, color 24 - Corvette Bright Blue Metallic - is not available." Bright Blue was replaced by Mahogany, a color not listed in the Dealer Album.

I doubt any 80 4 speed L-82's were built. Automakers had to submit examples of EVERY engine/transmission combination to the federal E.P.A. for emission certification. This was an expensive and time consuming process. Chevrolet already knew that the L-82 would not be offered in 1981. It would have been impracticle to certify this combination for one final year of production, especially in light of the fact that eventually only 5,700 80's were ordered with 4 speeds.

Because of the federal emission certification requirements, by 1980 it was no longer possible to order an uncertified engine and/or trans like it was in earlier years through the COPO system.

ve77er

thank you for this post!! they say you never stop (or are too) old to learn something and this is so true! this is why i continue to ba such a fan of the shark series!! the dealer booklets may have listed the L-82 4 speed combination but when i was looking in july of 1979, my dealer told me they would not produce it, only the L-48 manual was going to be offered and the brochure bears this out. i also never knew about the change in the frame cross member as i am mostly familiar with 1975-1979 (i have owned 4 in this range) so, thanks for teaching this 50 year "old" dog some new information! in any case leo, you still sound like you have a very nice example and i again widh you luck with the sale!
........................................ .chris