Could anyone decode this data plate for me? i looked at it at a dealer’s lot. Just want to know what all the numbers, etc mean on the data plate. It has a 502 BB in it now, and wondering if it is a real BB car. Thanks

 

Welcome to the Corvette Forum. The trim plate you listed shows a 65 Coupe, Milano Maroon over Maroon interior and the body was made by AO Smith, versus St Louis.
I have an L78 roadster in Maroon over Maroon Leather (436 code). I and another Forum Member, and NCRS Member, have been compiling a list of any and all 1065 396
Corvettes we come across and so far have over 360 out of the original 2157 made in 1965.
Can you supply any more pics of this 65 so we can check it out?
Are they saying it's a matching number car?
There are a number of things to look for to determine whether it started out as a real L78 from 1965 and 'all' of those items can be added since most are bolt ons but one that stands out
would be the battery location. On all Midyear Air Conditioned Corvettes and 65 L78s, the battery was located on the drivers side and there was a removable panel at the back of the
inner wheel well that allowed access to the battery location.
One other item to look for is the VIN number since it's believed that the L78s didn't start production until very late February or early March of 1965, so from what we've seen,
most have VINs starting in the high 12K range.
Keep us posted on your search.
Mike T - Prescott AZ

 

The color is maroon with maroon interior. A rare color combo. But the trim tag looks to have been removed and installed with incorrect looking rivets But it could be the angle of the picture The date code D18 is November 18th of 1964. Way too early to be a real BB car. As that option was introduced in March of 65

 

Thanks for the info. I’ll get a picture of the VIN, and post it. I’ll go back and see about the battery location. So, I am clear on what to look for, there is a removal panel to access the battery in the front of the driver’s side wheel well, correct?

 

For a AC car and 396 car but like I said this car is way to early for that.

 

Thanks, I’m going to post a picture of the VIN shortly.

 

It does have headrest seats, original?

 

Uh-oh, that VIN is way too early to be a factory 65 L78. In the end, maybe that Coupe is a modded car where someone added a 396 to it but not an original factory L78.
And as for headrest seats, they became an option for the 1966 Model Year. Not overly popular though, I think there were only about 1033 Corvettes outfitted with them.
Mike T - Prescott AZ

 

I guess I don’t mind it not being an original BB car, as long as the money reflects that. It does have vintage A/C, Richmond 5 speed transmission, knockoff wheels, and aftermarket side exhaust. Paint and interior look nice. Does anyone have an opinion on its value? I can post more pictures of the interior/exterior. Thanks!

 

Yes indeed, do post up a lot more pics and we need closeups of the undercarriage and engine compartment. While anything could have been altered, and it sounds like that is the
case, post up some pics of the interior including the dash cluster.
Mike T - Prescott AZ

 

Mike,
In the OP, he states the car has a 502 in it currently.

 

AO smith trim tags codes didn't indicate interior options so the odds of it being originally a headrest car is slim. the option numbers are not in your favor. and being a Smith car means the side pipes were added as zero bodies from there had pipes and furthermore that option was introduced in March of 65 as well. values for mid years is all over the map but if its clean, well sorted out and presents itself well then 60-70K should get you in the ballpark. so post a all the pictures you can

 

Hey Leif, my slipup, I did see the 502 but got stuck thinking about 396s :-O, As to the tach, I was just curious if it was the low redline for a 250/300 horse 327 or the high(er) redline for an L79.
This coupe kinda sounds like the way I built my 65 Coupe, I added tons of stuff like PS/PB/PW, Teak/Side Exhaust/KOs/4-way Hazard Flashers and changed the Blue on Blue to Black on Black and
the only thing that's original on that car is oddly, the 300 horse 327.
Mike T - Prescott AZ

 

 

 

 

Okay, these are my observations.
Hood is a 67 type Bigblock Hood, very popular for folks to add to their midyears.
Front and rear suspension had been changed out to fiberglas springs. Not sure why they went to that system but I've seen it before. Others will be better able to comment.
Spare tire tub - MIA. Do they have it or did it get tossed?
High Redline Dash Cluster - at this point, we know this Coupe did not start out as a factory L78 so the high redline cluster could have been from a 65 365 horse L76 or a 65 L84 Fuelie...if that's the original cluster.
Engine Specs - Maybe I missed it but other than knowing it's a 502, or them at least saying it's a 502, do you have any other info or casting/stamped characters from it? And, was it a crate ZZ502?
Trans - I had a Richmond Street 5- Speed in my 61 Vette. Okay trans but to me, it was a bit stiff. And, the street 5-speed is not an overdrive trans, the fifth gear is 1 to 1. First gear is usually very deep
like 3:28 to 1. In my 61 Vette, I had 3:08s out back and it cruised around 2100 rpm so it was okay but the Doug Nash/Richmond trans is now considered an old design, with Tremec Transmissions more popular.
Interior - Someone added the headrests to your 65 style seats, not a problem. They also seem to have added a shoulder harness setup. It wasn't until late 66 that the shoulder harness setup became an actual
option so if that installation was done well, then that's a plus because...the stock steering columns back then did not collapse.
Side Pipes - Aftermarket style. Can't tell if those are the ones where you can add 'inserts' to muffle down the sound but even if they are, there are no protective covers like in factory side pipes, so they can get quite hot to the touch.
Grill - Surprisingly, that's a 65 Grill. Maybe not the original one but even the repro's are over $800 so that's a plus.
Passenger Side Rear View Mirror - The Factory never installed one, if that installation was done well, another plus.
Are you familiar with Corvette Fiberglas? Reason is, it's been a while since the mid 60s and a lot of Corvettes, if they got driven, got banged up. It's a matter of did they repair the fiberglas correctly? If you aren't maybe up to that task,
you should consider finding someone to accompany you to check the body out.
Aftermarket Radio - Not a huge plus, most folks with side exhaust don't listen to their radios anyway. Do they happen to have the original AM-FM radio to go with the car?
Price - All Corvettes are desirable but do think about what you might get for it if you found you need to sell it later on.
Good luck.
Mike T - Prescott AZ

 

is there replacement parts for that suspension

 

Yes, I believe that Van Steel Products services both the front and rear set ups. - Fred

 

Does anyone know what a factory type side pipe set up would cost, and if it’s available? I hate those chrome sidepipes. Also, any guesses as to what would be a great buy, where you could afford to spend some money? Thanks