I apologize ahead of time for the newbie questions.

So.... I just got my '68 a little while back and am lovin' every minute I get to drive it. However, the more that I get into it the more I find out that it's sort of a frankenstein already... When I started to work on the weatherstripping I found out that the rear body of the car is from late 1969 due to the design of the rear of window vertical weatherstrip design. Of course I didn't realize that until I was trying to figure out why my '68 strip wasn't even remotely close to correctly fitting... There are several other little things throughout the car that are from different model years as well.

Overall the little discrepancies don't really bother me that much since it's not a numbers matching vehicle and I plan on having fun making it just the way I want. But my questions keep coming back to whether or not it would be worth it to get all of the main parts back to being a '68. I could get a '68 rear body from a local guy off one of his parts cars but then I would have all the work of installing, prep work and then painting everything to match. Am I crazy for thinking about doing all that work just to know that the whole body is a true '68?

Also, my weatherstrip kit is made by CRC and all the parts look great - but the pillar post weatherstrips don't line up exactly with my retainer trim pieces. Are the slots in the weatherstrip supposed to line up exactly with the mount holes in the trim? Since there was no weatherstripping on the car (except for t-tops) when I bought it I'm pretty much guessing since I haven't been able to figure it out by looking at my AIM. Also, I don't have the blow-out clips for the trim and there don't seem to be any mount holes for them either. I know that they're factory riveted, but do they mount inside the trim channel or outside of it?

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

 

Hi MC,
I'd think the answer to whether the body work might be worthwhile has a lot to do how original the rest of the car is AND what your plans for the car are. You describe it as not too original.
It sounds like you're having fun the way it is so perhaps it should stay that way until you're sure. Changing the rear clip is quite a big job.
Is it really a 69 clip? Where are the back-up lights? If the car was hit hard enough to need a clip, was the 68 style rear valance changed too?
Regards,
Alan

 

I agee with Alan, on alot of what he is saying. If you are enjoying the car and not really worried about originality, why not, as you say, just make it the way you like it and keep having fun, IMHO I don't think you are going to think it is fun anymore if you have to go through all those changes, just have more fun, and drive it.

 

I wouldnt bother, it's very costly & time consuming & you already mentioned it's NOT numbers matching..............

So build it they way you like it & enjoy the ride.............

 

Thanks a lot for the input! Since I do plan on modifying the vehicle I figured it was rather pointless to switch it back - but part of me is still a purist deep down inside. However, not replacing the rear clip frees up a lot of time and money to put into other aspects of the vehicle.

Hi Alan,

The back-up lights are built into the inner set of tail light lenses and there are no mount locations for the lights in the lower rear valance. Is that the easiest way to tell if the whole clip has been replaced? I'm trying to learn as much as possible so please correct me if I have something incorrect.


Another random question. Where is the wiring harness connection for the back-up light switch located? I know that my car does not currently have a switch installed as there is nothing mounted to the manual transmission housing but it does have a day/night mirror which I remember reading indicates that the back-up lights were an included option in that package. Is that correct? I would really like to install a switch but haven't been able to find the harness connection yet...

Thanks again everyone!

 

Trying to get things "right" on a non-standard C3 is both troublesome and [usually] expensive. I would advise you...since your car is not 'correct' anymore...to take the easiest route possible to make the car perform properly and be functional. And, if you can't find a required piece that can do exactly what needs to be done, either modify an available part or make one yourself.

It's really nice that you actually like working on your car [that's at least half of why I bought one in the first place]; so many collector car owners only like to drive and/or look at them. That will allow you to be more creative in your solutions. And, since you are the one who will be working on it, you don't have to worry about some other mechanic getting confused with the non-standard components.

Have fun!!!

P.S. No one else will ever see the 'non-standard' components. Or, if someone ever does, it will be nice to talk to someone else who has as much knowledge about that area of the car as you do.

 

Great advice, and in total agreement. The chances of running into someone who would ever be able to tell is few and far between unless you are at BLOOMINGTON or a strictly Corvette meet or something like that.

WAY too much work involved in changing the rear out for really no gain.

 

Thanks for all the input! After the reassurance from all of you - I don't feel so bad for starting to work on part modifications. The current one I'm doing right now is building a custom mount system to use a $5 stoplight switch (lifetime warranty!) as the backup lamp switch. Since I didn't have a backup lamp switch anyway - no real loss there and even after buying materials I'm still saving over $50! As long as I can engineer it correctly, that is...

 

Go for it, MacGuyver!! Just keep "Bubba" at bay...

 

Is your ignition switch on the column or in the dash? I'm wondering whether you might actually have a 69. Post your VIN.

 

There was 68 early and 68 late weatherstrips at the rear of the door glass. The 68 Late had 2 designs. They changed the rear opening mid production. You probably have a late 68 car which is basically the 69 clip on a 68 which is correct. Your seats will show a difference as well. The early 68 had the seat back release low on the seat back and the late 68 had it up where the 69 was.
Welcome to the world of 68 one year only parts. Nice thing if it is a late 68 some of the 69 parts will work.

 

not to mention that the 68 is an "odd duck" to begin with as many of the parts are unique to 1968 and not shared with additional model years. since you already stated you want to make it the way you want it (which i agree completely with. it's your car after all), i wouldn't worry about trying to re-graft a 68 rear clip on it (assuming the one on there was put on correctly and you're not worried about any structural deficiencies, lol). should you ever decide you want to go in that direction, you can. meantime enjoy your car

 

While I completely agree that its pointless to go through the expense and the trouble of replacing your entire rear clip, I DO think its worth simply switching out your rear valance panel and putting in the '68 with the backup lights. This wouldnt be a terribly difficult job and it would eliminate the obvious "non-68" look from the back end.

Unless the whole car will be very modified, a little touch like that will easily allow you to keep its correct year identity.

 

Threadjack alert....

I feel you pain Casper. I have the same questions/concerns and share your desire to make it original looking. But I've come to realize it is what it is and very few people know the difference...including people who claimed to have previously owned a Corvette. I have decided to try and put the most obvious '68 differences back and worry about the rest later, if ever. So far I've focused on ensuring that its reliable (it is) and safe (as it can be), and get the 68 exterior "right." I'm nearly there. The interior is next. I know I have parts from a 69, 74, 76 and who knows what else inside. I think Johnny Cash was a PO.

Like vettebuyer suggested replacing the valance would be good, and I would add to that replacing the inner tail lights as 68's are all red.

If anybody has some pictures of an original '68 interior, I would love to see what it's supposed to look like.

My guess is there are more obvious mods that are more noticeable than a 68 vs 69 rear clip. Good luck.

 

Here's a couple I have owned
The black interior had a 69 tilt/tele in it.
The tobacco interior is all correct.

 

Mine has the nose off a 72 I think. Gonna put a prettier nose back one & a new frame w an LS7 & 6 speed trans

 

Thanks for the pics. Looks good...but crap, did a little research and my entire interior is TAN!!! NOT a 68 color.

I knew I needed: 1) console to accept fiber optics, 2) door panels, 3) left side dash panel, 4) seats (maybe) and 5) steering column.

I guess I'll be replacing everything though, or dying it? Any sources for 68 console, column, seats, and left side dash? Not much in the way of light colors in 68. I live in Texas and while the black would look great with the red paint, it's not very practical. Gunmetal?

 

Don't worry - "Bubba ain't allowed round these here parts!"

Here's how my new backup lamp switch unit came out. It uses a common replacement stoplight switch and is completely self contained with wiper grommets on both end caps for those connections. It was an afternoon project that turned into all day, but I plan on machining a much nicer version in the future out of aluminum once I finally get a tig welder - I just needed to get something built for the time being. It should hold up just fine strength-wise, it's pretty well "element resistant", it's powder coated, and mostly importantly - it works perfect!





Highschool67, very nice vehicles! The rear of glass weatherstrip in the picture of your tobacco interior car looks like what was on my car. Do you know what year/model strip that is? The only options that I've seen listed have been labeled as 1968-1969 Early, 1969 Mid, and 1969 Late - 1977. From looking at stock pictures of what's available new from most distributers the late 69 rear of glass weatherstrip looks to be the closest - is that correct? Also, does that car have the 68 lower rear valance or does it have the later styled valance?

My ignition is mounted in the dash so the it is a 68 - at least most of it is... The guy that I bought the car from didn't know much about the vehicle's specifics other than what he did with it for the last 8 years. The rear clip is in question of authenticity, the passenger t-top is a mid-late 70's, the seats are between 72-75, the brake lights didn't work, there was not a backup lamp switch, the headlights were nowhere close to aligned, etc... There's a bunch of little things, which is expected, that I'll be fixing over time - but mechanically the car is solid which was the main thing that I was looking for.

Since it's not a matching numbers vehicle, and I do plan on modifying it, I'm not sure what to put back to factory but the rear valance is definitely an option - thanks for the suggestion! Ultimately, I'm going for a tasteful modernization while still keeping the feel of the classic C3. Shave the door handles, locks and possibly antennae, convert to power windows and locks, convert to actuator driven wiper door and headlight housings (maybe even hood if I decide to take it to shows), custom interior (contrasting wood grains with brushed aluminum and black leather accents), relocating the gauge cluster higher for allowing a double-DIN touch screen media center with backup and possibly side cameras, custom luggage rack and side pipe shields, and so on... Oh, I also plan on building an all aluminum small block 440 and coupling it with a T56 transmission. Needless to say, some of these ideas may take a decade to implement - so I'm just happy to be able to drive my car and enjoy it now!

Thanks for the input everyone! If you have anymore ideas or suggestions please let me know. I'm trying to learn as much as possible before I really get into something I shouldn't and end up regretting it.

 

Not true. Tan became available late in the 68 model run. What's your VIN? Your tan may be correct.

You can find all of these; reproduction or good used.

Gunmetal is a dark gray. It's a nice color.

Here ya go:


Pricey, but an excellent photo reference source.

 

We need the trim tag numbers on the drivers door jamb as well.
It will tell the original trim and paint colors of your car.
The vin will tell approximately ( relative to all vins produced for 1968 model year) when your car was built.