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I'll let others advise on the Nova, that's a CFOT discussion.
As to why your car lacks Astrovents? I think you ended up with Johnny Cash's Corvette (but not his Cadillac).
That trim tag has a 75 exterior color, and a 74 interior (any "natural" interior left?) and I don't know if trim tag rivets can rust. The partial VIN on your engine is not lined up, as if it were stamped by hand with the head still in place. CKZ is the engine code for a 1974 190hp 4-speed car. The VIN tag looks to have proper rivets, and you need to remove the windshield to do that anyway.
My guess:
VIN and (new) title are correct. Restamped motor, but whatever. Rear clip replaced at some point with a 76 (no vents, new badge). I won't speculate on the trim tag, perhaps my website source has a typo.
You have a car, a title, a matching VIN, and a great project. Make it the most fun 1974-75-76 Corvette you can, and you'll have a great story to go with it!
right and whoever buys my car after I die is going to get an 81 convertible with a coupe vin tag....
I wouldn't lose any sleep over the non "factory perfect " combination and just enjoy the "legally yours" ride..
Hi Dave,
Wow, this is a real head scratcher. I love a good mystery
The trim tag you've posted looks legit but is certainly from a 1974 with Code 74 "Medium Red" paint and the Code 408 "Neutral Vinyl" interior (408 was not used in 1975) which looks similar to this picture:
I agree with the earlier post, the VIN tag and rivets on the A pillar look legit. According to that VIN it is an April build, which is just over half way through the production year. So that rules out the idea of a very late build where '75 & '76 parts "might" be used.
The engine stamp pad is positively a re-stamp. The gang holder used at the factory would have prevented the misaligned numbers on your pad. And, as Bikespace pointed out, the CKZ suffix was used in 1974 not 1975.
The interior pics you've posted seem to show a car that maybe looks like silver or gray paint from the factory in the rear area, rocker sills, upright panel and inner wheel wells. Hmmm?
The car just does/did not have the value for anyone to go this far if the car had been stolen and changed up to hide that fact. So, upon reconsideration, I think what we may be looking at here is a car that has had some extensive body panel replacement at some point in it's life. It appears to have 3 different years of Corvette parts. '74, '75 & '76.
Does the front clip have the small protruding bumperettes outside the license plate area like the '75 and later or are they missing like the '73 and '74?
I thought the E03 was a Feb 3rd 1975 build date? The 74L would be the dark red exterior but I have no clue what the 408 would be for interior. It had the 75 (or later...lol) front bumper.
With the engine stamp not being legit (bummer) and a hodgepodge of years in this car, would you guys go ahead and paint/change the car however you want instead of trying to go original?
Currently the nicest '76 you could find does not command so much money that keeping it all original would make a huge difference in value. That will probably change some time in the future. The engine re-stamp is not bad or good. It just is what it is, so I wouldn't be too concerned with that. You have a blank canvas Dave. This is a fun and complete project so you can go any combination you like regarding colors and/or drive train. It will not hurt the value of the car. In fact all you can do at this point is increase the car's value from what you paid, so good luck and keep us posted with the progress!
The E03 is the body build date code and probably associated with the 1974 model year same as the trim code..
1974= Dec. 1973 build
1975= Feb. 1975 build
1976= Dec. 1975 build
Thank you for sharing this fascinating story/mystery! As Greg said, you have a blank canvas on which to paint your masterpiece. You don't even have to concern yourself with keeping the paint color original. Make the car yours, fixed up just the way you want it to be, and enjoy every moment!
I shouldn't say anything cause I have no grounds to speak on but is it possible that sometime when the car was new the owner had it converted to look like a 76'? I've heard of people converting late 1990's ford pickups to look like late 2000's trucks via a conversion shop. Just my two cents, don't take me too seriously lol.
Like anyone on here has grounds to speak?
My 69 is an example, it had a 73 modded front clip, not a wrecked car just a rich kids toy and they wanted to make it look more modern which at the time was a trend for chromies.
Like i suggested before without saying "Frankenstein" i believe the most logical explanation is the OPs car has had a interesting life with lots of work done to it,
And as far as value goes most resto mod 74 to 77s will be worth more than bone stock except maybe some rare low miles examples.
I have to say I am learning so much from you guys. What really stumps me is the interior code is for a 74 and is for neutral. All of the interior is red and it is definitely dated. It also doesn’t have the split bumper so we know it’s not a 74. The vin says it’s a 75 which is what the title also says. The metal floor pans and no vents on the rear deck says it’s a 76. Either I have the frankenvette or GM really screwed up on this one. I do plan on keeping it the dark red but changing the interior to black. I am replacing the front and rear bumpers with 75s since they are pretty rotten. I haven’t decided on trying to keep most of it original and spending more or just go aftermarket on the seats, mod the engine and change out the rims to something more modern. I will keep you guys updated with the progress and hopefully the brakes will be finished this week so I can at least drive her in and out of the garage while I am working on her. Pushing this car back in the garage is killing my back...lol.
...I would restore the car "original" as possible, even as original looking as you can, then take it to an NCRS meet. The judges would be scratching their heads for days.
...car definitely has a story to it.. The car could even have been two cars spliced. Windshield frame and forward from a '75, rear half a '76. If you really looked hard you may be able to see this. The '74 trim tag was just added for fun or they found one at a swap meet and stuck it on.
The 1975 did have fiberglass floors EXCEPT for the area above the catalytic converter. It had a steel plate with orange sealer glued to the fiberglass floor in this area. The motor was probably picked up for the car the same time the trim tag was. probably at the same swap meet.
Car would be a perfect candidate for a "Resto Mod" since that's the thing to do today or did we pass that fad yet???
...I would restore the car "original" as possible, even as original looking as you can, then take it to an NCRS meet. The judges would be scratching their heads for days.
...car definitely has a story to it.. The car could even have been two cars spliced. Windshield frame and forward from a '75, rear half a '76. If you really looked hard you may be able to see this. The '74 trim tag was just added for fun or they found one at a swap meet and stuck it on.
The 1975 did have fiberglass floors EXCEPT for the area above the catalytic converter. It had a steel plate with orange sealer glued to the fiberglass floor in this area. The motor was probably picked up for the car the same time the trim tag was. probably at the same swap meet.
Car would be a perfect candidate for a "Resto Mod" since that's the thing to do today or did we pass that fad yet???
That "fad" or "trend" much to the disdain of some purists isnt going to pass in fact its growing as more and more c3 owners want cars to really drive and that means upgrades....
