C3 General General C3 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

I.D. ? Simple maybe

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 09:18 AM
  #1  
macguyver's Avatar
macguyver
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,142
Likes: 74
Default I.D. ? Simple maybe

How can I distinguish the difference between the '70-'72's from a glance of the exterior??
Reply
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 09:34 AM
  #2  
garage-ghost's Avatar
garage-ghost
Melting Slicks
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,220
Likes: 6
From: www.Z16.org North/West Pennsylvania
Default

70 & 71s have clear parking lenses and the 72 has amber.
The 6th digit in the SN is always the best way to tell.
0=70
1=71
2=72

Last edited by garage-ghost; Jun 9, 2012 at 09:37 AM.
Reply
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 09:43 AM
  #3  
macguyver's Avatar
macguyver
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,142
Likes: 74
Default

Originally Posted by garage-ghost
70 & 71s have clear parking lenses and the 72 has amber.
The 6th digit in the SN is always the best way to tell.
0=70
1=71
2=72
Thanks for the quick response- these have always been the most difficult to tell by a quick glance-- never found anyone just thru conversations who ever knew.

So- the '70 & 71 are virtually indistinguishable just by looking @ the exterior.

Also -I am assuming you mean the VIN #??
And that is the 6th digit from the left/ beginning.

Regards

K
Reply
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 09:56 AM
  #4  
garage-ghost's Avatar
garage-ghost
Melting Slicks
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,220
Likes: 6
From: www.Z16.org North/West Pennsylvania
Default

Originally Posted by macguyver
Thanks for the quick response- these have always been the most difficult to tell by a quick glance-- never found anyone just thru conversations who ever knew.

So- the '70 & 71 are virtually indistinguishable just by looking @ the exterior.

Also -I am assuming you mean the VIN #??
And that is the 6th digit from the left/ beginning.

Regards

K
Yes I meant VIN and that is from the left. The side grills on the 70 are painted a little differently but people change paint.
Reply
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 10:54 AM
  #5  
Easy Mike's Avatar
Easy Mike
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Default

Originally Posted by macguyver
...How can I distinguish the difference between the '70-'72's from a glance of the exterior?...
Odds are good you may not be able to tell the difference from first glance. Nothing to lose sleep over. At the least, you will now it's 70-72.

Reply
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 11:28 AM
  #6  
macguyver's Avatar
macguyver
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,142
Likes: 74
Default

A buddy of mine years ago- we always use to spout out what year vette a car was as they went buy or when we walked by them-- we would never be able to tell the diff. from the '70-'72-- he would always want to know and insisted they was a way but didn't know himself, and that always kinda bugged me.
Reply
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 11:41 AM
  #7  
Easy Mike's Avatar
Easy Mike
Team Owner
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Default

You can know for sure what model year you are looking at if you do more than just glance. Checking the VIN tag will solve the mystery in a heart beat, but by that time you are no longer "glancing."

Reply
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 03:52 PM
  #8  
Alan 71's Avatar
Alan 71
Team Owner
15 Year Member
Active Streak: 120 Days
Community Influencer
Top Answer: 5
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 31,172
Likes: 4,250
From: Westminster Maryland
Default

Hi,
Here's a pretty lame one.
The alarm became standard in 72... so, if there's NO alarm switch on the rear panel, it should be a 70 or 71.
Then look at the front grills.... only 1 screw 70, 3 screws 71.
None of this works if the car has been modified.
Regards,
Alan

The differences between an original 70 side grill and a 71/72 side grill is pretty easy to spot once you see them next to each other.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-5

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

 Joe Kucinski
Old Jun 9, 2012 | 06:12 PM
  #9  
macguyver's Avatar
macguyver
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,142
Likes: 74
Default

Are the side grills different color or are the squares different size
Reply
Old Jun 10, 2012 | 08:57 AM
  #10  
69 Chevy's Avatar
69 Chevy
Melting Slicks
 
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,200
Likes: 3
From: Lehigh county Pennsylvania
Default

Originally Posted by macguyver
How can I distinguish the difference between the '70-'72's from a glance of the exterior??
Not definitive by exact year but the best way I have found:

Look at the tail lights. If the center is conical (shaped like a cone) then it's a '70 or early '71.

If the centers are rounded then it's a late '71 or '72.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To I.D. ? Simple maybe





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:29 AM.

story-0
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

Slideshow: 10 major Corvette problems from the last 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-14 16:37:05


VIEW MORE