76 paint code
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 30
Likes: 11
76 paint code
So I recently bought a 76 corvette, the vin and title show it’s a 76, I believe the original color is yellow because there’s some yellow spots on the car but I went to look at the color codes and for 76 the code for yellow was 56 my car has a color code of 52, 52 was the code for yell beginning in 77, is something up? Or is it just that my car was produced later into 76 so it had the color code of a 77?
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2022
Posts: 201
Likes: 68
From: Washington
Go to think link. It talks about it.
Can you take a pic of the steering column? Or the badges, that can determine if it’s a 76 or 77.
http://corvettec3.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/...m=1480704437/9
Can you take a pic of the steering column? Or the badges, that can determine if it’s a 76 or 77.
http://corvettec3.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/...m=1480704437/9
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 30
Likes: 11
Go to think link. It talks about it.
Can you take a pic of the steering column? Or the badges, that can determine if it’s a 76 or 77.
http://corvettec3.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/...m=1480704437/9
Can you take a pic of the steering column? Or the badges, that can determine if it’s a 76 or 77.
http://corvettec3.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/...m=1480704437/9
Just another Corvette guy
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 8,518
Likes: 3,865
From: Palm Springs, CA.
Well, this is certainly interesting Mike.
VIN shows a build date of January 1976 but trim tag shows a date (C03) of October 3rd.
Interior trim code 592 was not available in 1976 or 1977. It was offered in 1978 and 1979 as Light Beige, which seems to match the bit of interior shown in your photo. 592 comes up again in 1980 as Doeskin, but not offered with the Code 52 Yellow that year. Interestingly, 1978, 79 & 80 all offered Code 52 Yellow paint.
Do you know any history on your car? Could it have been re-bodied at some point? Stranger things have happened in Corvette world.
Cheers, Greg
VIN shows a build date of January 1976 but trim tag shows a date (C03) of October 3rd.
Interior trim code 592 was not available in 1976 or 1977. It was offered in 1978 and 1979 as Light Beige, which seems to match the bit of interior shown in your photo. 592 comes up again in 1980 as Doeskin, but not offered with the Code 52 Yellow that year. Interestingly, 1978, 79 & 80 all offered Code 52 Yellow paint.
Do you know any history on your car? Could it have been re-bodied at some point? Stranger things have happened in Corvette world.
Cheers, Greg
Last edited by Greg; Dec 14, 2022 at 08:27 PM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 30
Likes: 11
Well, this is certainly interesting Mike.
VIN shows a build date of January 1976 but trim tag shows a date (C03) of October 3rd.
Interior trim code 592 was not available in 1976 or 1977. It was offered in 1978 and 1979 as Light Beige, which seems to match the bit of interior shown in your photo. 592 comes up again in 1980 as Doeskin, but not offered with the Code 52 Yellow that year. Interestingly, 1978, 79 & 80 all offered Code 52 Yellow paint.
Do you kinow any history on your car? Could it have been re-bodied at some point? Stranger things have happened in Corvette world.
Cheers, Greg
VIN shows a build date of January 1976 but trim tag shows a date (C03) of October 3rd.
Interior trim code 592 was not available in 1976 or 1977. It was offered in 1978 and 1979 as Light Beige, which seems to match the bit of interior shown in your photo. 592 comes up again in 1980 as Doeskin, but not offered with the Code 52 Yellow that year. Interestingly, 1978, 79 & 80 all offered Code 52 Yellow paint.
Do you kinow any history on your car? Could it have been re-bodied at some point? Stranger things have happened in Corvette world.
Cheers, Greg
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Race Director
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 14,282
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From: Napa Valley California
Do you have a salvaged title?
A salvage yard could have easily swapped the body.
They can do it legally as long as all the DMV paperwork is filed properly.
Does the number on the engine stamp pad match the windshield VIN.
If it’s a matching numbers car it could help answer some of the questions.
You might want to find and try to read the VIN stamped into the frame.
One last thing, if you go to your local DMV office they can give you the VIN History.
It won’t show you prior owner’s information, but it will give you registration information, prior license plates assigned, any stolen vehicle reports, VIN swaps, data or new VIN’s assigned.
Keep us posted!
A salvage yard could have easily swapped the body.
They can do it legally as long as all the DMV paperwork is filed properly.
Does the number on the engine stamp pad match the windshield VIN.
If it’s a matching numbers car it could help answer some of the questions.
You might want to find and try to read the VIN stamped into the frame.
One last thing, if you go to your local DMV office they can give you the VIN History.
It won’t show you prior owner’s information, but it will give you registration information, prior license plates assigned, any stolen vehicle reports, VIN swaps, data or new VIN’s assigned.
Keep us posted!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 30
Likes: 11
Do you have a salvaged title?
A salvage yard could have easily swapped the body.
They can do it legally as long as all the DMV paperwork is filed properly.
Does the number on the engine stamp pad match the windshield VIN.
If it’s a matching numbers car it could help answer some of the questions.
You might want to find and try to read the VIN stamped into the frame.
One last thing, if you go to your local DMV office they can give you the VIN History.
It won’t show you prior owner’s information, but it will give you registration information, prior license plates assigned, any stolen vehicle reports, VIN swaps, data or new VIN’s assigned.
Keep us posted!
A salvage yard could have easily swapped the body.
They can do it legally as long as all the DMV paperwork is filed properly.
Does the number on the engine stamp pad match the windshield VIN.
If it’s a matching numbers car it could help answer some of the questions.
You might want to find and try to read the VIN stamped into the frame.
One last thing, if you go to your local DMV office they can give you the VIN History.
It won’t show you prior owner’s information, but it will give you registration information, prior license plates assigned, any stolen vehicle reports, VIN swaps, data or new VIN’s assigned.
Keep us posted!
Just another Corvette guy
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 8,518
Likes: 3,865
From: Palm Springs, CA.
Yes, as long as your VIN tag matches your title you should be fine. Body panels get changed all the time.
But I enjoy getting to the bottom of a good mystery, same as the next guy.
But I enjoy getting to the bottom of a good mystery, same as the next guy.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 30
Likes: 11
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 30
Likes: 11
Just another Corvette guy
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 8,518
Likes: 3,865
From: Palm Springs, CA.
Hmmm?
Thanks for sharing the pics Mike.
Nothing wrong with a great project. I always like to see another vintage Corvette saved from the scrap heap.
It definitely looks like a '76 body (so VIN is fine) with a '78 interior installed.
As for the trim tag, perhaps the '76 had some front end damage and the front clip was replaced with the almost identical clip from a donor '78 (the two pin emblem hole above the side vent seems to confirm this), they left the '78 trim tag in place and it's just coincidence that both cars were yellow originally. If the '76 interior was tired, this could explain where the '78 style interior came from as well.
Good luck on the restoration!
Cheers, Greg
Thanks for sharing the pics Mike.
Nothing wrong with a great project. I always like to see another vintage Corvette saved from the scrap heap.
It definitely looks like a '76 body (so VIN is fine) with a '78 interior installed.
As for the trim tag, perhaps the '76 had some front end damage and the front clip was replaced with the almost identical clip from a donor '78 (the two pin emblem hole above the side vent seems to confirm this), they left the '78 trim tag in place and it's just coincidence that both cars were yellow originally. If the '76 interior was tired, this could explain where the '78 style interior came from as well.
Good luck on the restoration!
Cheers, Greg
Last edited by Greg; Dec 15, 2022 at 02:55 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2022
Posts: 201
Likes: 68
From: Washington
That inside doesn’t look like a 76 or a 77. To me that looks more like a 1978 interior. But the outside looked like a 1976. Weird. Somebody that knows more can verify this. Maybe somebody made a effort at restoring it and only got to the inside? Weird about the trim tag tho. 🤔