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In the process of buying a 68 Corvette and have some questions:
The data plate has and X18 or x13 in the upper right hand corner- I believe this is suppose to be month and date of bulid...what month would. X be? Has anyone seen this before?
The VIN on the paper title has the seventh digit as. "5"...I believe this is suppose to be for the factory...what factory is "5"? Have not had a chance to check it to the car VIN plate.
Was the powers window option available on a car that had a 427 ?
The engine is a 427 390 HP 4 speed...the valve covers are painted orange? Is that correct or should they be chrome?
Last edited by Buick59; May 8, 2016 at 03:37 PM.
Reason: Add more info
Hi B59,
Welcome!
First post and considering a 68 bb!!
Very nice!!!
Easy ones first:
The seventh digit is an 'S', it's read as a '5' on occasion.
All bb valve covers were flash chromed for 68 and 69 production.
The power wind option, A31, was available with bb and sb engines.
Then: posting a picture of the trim tag with the build date and exterior/interior colors would perhaps help people figure out what you're seeing.
Regards,
Alan
In the process of buying a 68 Corvette and have some questions:
The data plate has and X18 or x13 in the upper right hand corner- I believe this is suppose to be month and date of bulid...what month would. X be? Has anyone seen this before?
The VIN on the paper title has the seventh digit as. "5"...I believe this is suppose to be for the factory...what factory is "5"? Have not had a chance to check it to the car VIN plate.
Was the powers window option available on a car that had a 427 ?
The engine is a 427 390 HP 4 speed...the valve covers are painted orange? Is that correct or should they be chrome?
X doesn't sound right.
7 digit should be an S, St Louis Assembly Plant.
Hi B59,
Welcome!
First post and considering a 68 bb!!
Very nice!!!
Easy ones first:
The seventh digit is an 'S', it's read as a '5' on occasion.
All bb valve covers were flash chromed for 68 and 69 production.
The power wind option, A31, was available with bb and sb engines.
Then: posting a picture of the trim tag with the build date and exterior/interior colors would perhaps help people figure out what you're seeing.
Regards,
Alan
Thanks Alan...
I have the guy check the S vs 5.
I wonder why the Valve covers are orange...I did check the VIN on the block and it matched the car.
Hi B59,
The flash chrome plating on the valve covers was mediocre quality at best.
Perhaps the originals were painted or replaced with painted covers.
That wouldn't be at all surprising!
Regards,
Alan
Hey man. No teasing. Show us your new vette please!!!!
And welcome to the 68 fun club
Attempting to post some pictures....
Let me know if you see anything concerning.
It seems like an original car that has been repainted.
I looked underneath the car and it is original with surface rust but no rot. I noticed it had thin sheets covering the floor plans with insulation between the thin cover and the floor board - I had never seen that before (new to C3 Vettes) and figured it was original. Interior is original - a seam rip or two, steering wheel crack mild separation of the windshield glass.
Car starts right up, doesn't make any noise and drive nicely other than a bit of play in the non power steering. (car has Radials).
Thanks everyone for their help...hope to hear back to day about the 5/S in the VIN
The thin metal sheets under the floorboards with insulation between them is a correct item. Wether they are original or repro who can tell. It's probably original. Most cars are missing them. It's nice when you see them.
You asked what we could see. The antenna is wrong, it's some kind of generic replaement one. The rally center caps are 67's, not 68's, and the wheels look like they may be later 15x8's, not 68 15x7's. The wheels may be an optical illusion though, caused by the wrong center caps making the wheels appear deeper than they are.
Besides the valve covers not being chrome, they're not the correct stamping either.
The tele column is a nice, and rare option to have.
It looks like it could be a nice car, but it looks like it's coming from a dealer, so be careful. Have you read the sticky at the top of the C3 General section, about buying a Corvette? If not, here's a link to it. Read it over before committing to that car, then go back and read it again. Good luck, and welcome to the Forum!
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
if its a dealer and he has a lift. Put it up in the air and look for rot holes behind the wheels in the frame. Have them take the sill plates and kick panels off and look at the body mounts for rust and there is a panel in front of the rear wheel. You can look in there for rust and with the top down you can shine a light down the rear door pillar to look in that same area. You'll need a good flashlight for that. With the wiper door open look for rust around the windswinds frame and you can look all around the glass. Its better with the trim off but they won't take that off. They'd probably screw up the trim if they tried.
The paper title on my 68 convert has the seventh digit incorrectly shown as a "5" also. Should be "S" for St. Louis. Easy mistake to make. Good luck on the car and on reading 50 year old worn-out numbers on the engine, trans and rear axle! People on this forum have saved my bacon many times fixing previous owner mistakes and general repairs. RA
The paper title on my 68 convert has the seventh digit incorrectly shown as a "5" also. Should be "S" for St. Louis. Easy mistake to make. Good luck on the car and on reading 50 year old worn-out numbers on the engine, trans and rear axle! People on this forum have saved my bacon many times fixing previous owner mistakes and general repairs. RA
Thanks...I was able to confirm today the car has an "s" and it is a typo on the registration which the dealer will fix with DMV
68 corvette data plate and Vin help
