Long time reader, first time poster. First off thanks to everyone who contributes here the information is invaluable! I bought my dream girl (Candace, '72 Ontario Orange Coupe, Saddle interior, 350 SB #match, auto) last year and have been enjoying her ever since. Thing is she didn't come with much history. I'm wondering if anybody on here would recognize her and could help me fill in the blanks if I tell her story so far as I know it. She was licenced in New Jersey in 1997, from 1997 to 2006, licenced in Pennsylvannia, partially restored and painted green. I have the name of the owner in Pennsylvannia but not sure I should list it here. Purchased and imported to Canada in 2006 to Valleyfield Quebec, returned to trim tag 987 colour. The owner moved to Cornwall Ontario in 2009 which is where I found and bought her in July 2011. I know...not much to go on...the VIN is 1Z37K2S502735.

 

I think I saw your car on Kijjii when I was shopping for mine. I didn't look at it because of the long drive.I purchased mine in Toronto and have the same lack of History/paperwork as yourself. The guy who appraised my car recommended contacting gmheritagecenter.com for $80 they will send you complete history on your car. I haven't got around to doing this yet...too busy enjoying the drive.

Cheers,Barry

 

Not quite. No GM paperwork exists for the early cars. About the most you can get from the Heritage Center is generic model year information. Information is available for 77-81 Corvettes and that may have been what your appraisor was referencing.

If you car was originally exported to Canada, you may be able to obtain informaton from your DMV.

New car shipping data information is available from the NCRS if they have your VIN in their files. http://www.ncrs.org/ The information will list the name and address (at the time) of the original dealer and the date the car probably shipped from St. Louis.

 

Tony,

FYI, You have an earily production vette. Some of your electrical is not like the others. The seatbelt warning system is a timer. You should not have the switches under the seats.

cheers

 

Thanks for the responses so far. I did just get an email from GM Canada sending me to www.vintagevehicleservices.com so I'll try them. I joined the NCRS but they couldn't help me with any historical documents which was a PITA but they said some of the records were damaged. Thanks for the heads up on the seatbelt warning I wondered why I had no wires. Time to press on!

 

True. It is my understanding the records obtained by the NCRS are on old microfiche, some of which is not legible. Had your VIN been available, it is possible the original dealer went out of business years ago or the dealership has changed names/owners.

 

Mike...I might have been a little harsh with my "PITA" comment about NCRS not helping my search, really just disappointed but have decided to take it as more of a challenge...just like when I drive my Vette...it's the journey not the destination that counts!

 

Not really. It is a PITA to be disappointed.

Fact of Life.

 

When I was establishing the history on my 72, NCRS was one of several stops along the way.

First, you need to join NCRS. Next, as an NCRS member, you can supply your VIN and they can run the history to see who the dealer was (based on ZONE and Dealer code). I went through 2 cycles with NCRS on this. First, they had the zone and dealer code but no dealer info. As an NCRS member, Al Grenning will look up the zone & dealer info for you. In my case, his info helped update the NCRS info -- and NCRS in turn sent me an updated letter with their letterhead that identified the dealer etc.

That information, together with the Corvette invoice I got from tracking down the 2nd owner helped a lot.

Then, spending $75 to have the car judged by NCRS in a local event helps to give you a REALLY specific idea about what's right.. and what's not right so you have a starting point.

All of this creates.. MORE DOCUMENTATION.

It's OK to not get "top flight" right out of the gate. The point is creating documentation about your car. Each judging, each letter, each tidbit begins to beef out the history.

I found some things in my NCRS judging that made me go back to owner 3 and then owner 2 and ask. "how.. why...who.. where..."

I was able to call some shops that had done work on the car from the receipts. some recalled the car... some didn't. Lots of info can be found with a few starting clues..

At one point, I went back to the 3rd owner and said.. "any chance you have the original lighter in a cigar box or something out in the garage? Viola! he found it" You have know what you're after. even got the original radio that was pulled out.

 

Scott
Thanks for the perspective. I am a member of the NCRS and wondered how their judging works. Does my Vette have to meet a minimum standard? For a first judging what might I expect could they tell me to forget restoring it cause it's too far gone? I know for sure my engine (number match) has been worked, weber carb, edelbrock intake, mallory EI, chromed air cleaner, 72 turbo hydramatic 400 tranny (but serial #2982) and a radio out of a 76 I think? That's the obvious stuff...I'm thinking it would be a long and expensive road but it might be nice as you mention to know where she stands now? I'm really enjoying the car as is so really just want to know more of the story that brought her to me.

 

The NCRS judging process is easier than most people think. Easier in a sense that anyone can go through the process -- and the amount of preparation is up to you.

I would recommend that you participate in a local chapter event. They are often advertised or promoted via your local Corvette shop or you can tap into the NCRS community and see if there's a local or regional event.

In my case, I did relatively little to prep the car -- as my goal was to simply get a baseline by putting it through the process as is... generate the documentation (i.e.: create a history for the car) and then at the end of the 6 hours it takes to go over the car, they actually hand you an extensive evaluation of what they found ... (well, they actually mail it, but during the six hours, you will hear/learn more about your car than you ever imagined.). Sort of like getting a crash course on 72 corvette in 1 day.

THe way the car is scored is broken down in to sections..Mechanical, Operational, Interior, etc. You start with ALL of your points. As the car is judged for ORIGINALITY and CONDITION, points are taken away (deducts). For example, let's say it's 3 points for wiper blades and you have none original blades in good condition. They might take 3 points because they not original, but 1 point if they are in good shape.

In the end, you add the deducts and they do calculation to see what you score.

- Top Flight is greater than 94%
- 2nd Flight is greater than 85%
- 3rd flight is great than 75%

(the percentage is a reflection of what % of points you didn't lose).

http://www.ncrs.org/awards.html#Flight


The Top Flights are very very clean and often frame off restored vehicles.
ALOT of work and money goes into readying a Corvette for top flight. These cars are also often trailered and not driven much.

2nd & 3rd flight. Often, as is my case, a 3rd flight car can become a 2nd flight with some preparation.

How do you prepare?

Buy the JG & TIM from NCRS. Judging Guide and Technical Information Manual will walk you through everything that will be checked and describe what the judging team will look for.

http://www.ncrs.org/archives/judging_manual.html

While the car should be clean, the judging process is not about who went to the car wash. It's about "how close to "as delivered" does your car appear? If you think about what the car would be like when the dealer delivered it to you... that's the measure of comparison.

The oddest things:

- There's supposed to be a small tan bag with a red string (which I now
have) that contains SHIMS for the seat.

- You should also have the knock-outs for your keys

- RFI shield under the distributor cap is usually missing

- an NCRS Sticker in the window will get you 1 point

- You get credit for actually driving your vette to the judging event.

Stuff like that.

Hope this helps. You should just do it.

 

"a crash course on a 72 corvette in 1 day"
Wow, thanks again. You certainly describe it as a worthwhile process even for as you say a "baseline"...for some reason I saw the process as "...nice try mister but your Vette doesn't measure up.." instead of looking at it in the terms you give. You'd think I'd learn, I had similar miss givings about my local Corvette club but joining has been the best thing I have done, all great people, no pretense just a love of Vettes! I will definitely investigate the judging and let you now how I make out...

 

Order the 72 Technical Specifications and Judging Guide and read through it. The Guide tells you how the car will be judged and what the judging standards are.

Too far gone is a matter of personal opinion. Only you can decide whether your car is "too far gone." Read the available Corvette literature and you will find several examples of cars which were in much worse shape than yours and which became Top Flight winners.

Those items can be corrected.

The TH400 was the optional automatic transmission for the 72 model year. If the transmission is original to your car, your VIN derivitive will be stamped on it. The same VIN derivitive as stamped on the block.

Possibly expensive; not necessarily long.

Good luck.

 

The transmission is not judged

 

I assume you're referring to the Capital City club. Paul 74 here is a member. You're right that it is a great bunch of folks, say hi to Wendy next time you see her. Look up Steve Bell- he's got extensive experience in NCRS judging and restoration and can help with your questions.