...not saying this is the case at all here, but someone could've had a very wrecked hard 1980 Corvette that still had a good VIN# and title, then "bought" a stolen 1981 Corvette and installed the 1980 vin tag on the 1981 Corvette. Another poster mentioned something along these lines earlier. That 1981 VIN# off of the broadcast sheet or transmission may perhaps be the key? Was this the 1981 Corvette that at one time was stolen? Is this why the engine #s may have been hand stamped to look like #s matching to the 1980 vin tag when it's really an '81 engine? Would be interesting to know the block casting date on the bellhousing flange below the distributor. Does this car have a 1980 title?
...probably some 20yrs or so, I knew of a guy that used to autocross Corvettes and got an incredible deal on what was "supposed" to be a '64 Coupe that was built up from a stolen car/and or cars. He didn't have it very long and it was confiscated by the Ohio Highway Patrol less than a year after he bought it. He had no recourse from the guy he bought it from and had to pay off the loan like he still owned it. Fortunately I think he only paid $11k for it. He didn't want to pursue it and gave up the car vs being charged with receiving stolen property. I remember chatting with his wife about it and she was not very pleased at all.

 

...also, the build month of H13 would have been from a car around the 23,000 to 25000 range, would have been too late for #16988 car. #24031(trans # lines up perfectly with the build date, so it's definitely an '81 trim tag

 

Very interesting. I just scrolled through pictures from when I replaced the body mounts. The VIN stamped on the frame appears to go along with the VIN from the build sheet on the gas tank. The motor is a CCC motor which I believe started in 81. I pulled the motor to replace so I still have it in a crate. I will get the numbers off the back of the block but I bet it goes along with 81.

I have no plans on making the car a show piece or original by any means. Just something that looks decent and is fun to drive. It is currently titled with the 80 VIN that i transferred to me when i bought the car during COVID.

Thanks for your help. Now I am just curious what the story really is.

 

Dealership location where car was delivered? California?

mapman

 

What does the sticker at the end of the driver's door say? Your VIN should be there, too.

Perhaps there are some other 80 parts on the car? So far, the windshield VIN tag is the only part from a 1980 Corvette. Your Bowling Green-made 81 will have different paint than a St Louis made 80. Lots of other things have date codes (like the windshield).

@stingr69's advice (above) is pretty solid.

 

I typed VIN's in and came up with nothing. I have a "friend" in law enforcement that is going to run both VIN's. Since one is 13 digit and one is 17 digit, 1981 was the changeover, I am most interested in the 17 digit one that was just discovered.

Something tells me the 17 digit has a story to tell. Would have never found it until I lifted the body off the frame or dropped the tank. I did find 6 sugar cubes inside the tank which I found pretty funny.

 

...I think that is the key VIN #, although I speculated earlier what most probably did or could have happened. Like a previous poster said, the door certification label should have that '81 VIN # on it if it wasn't altered OR the door used off of the 1980 Corvette(to help hide this car like the engine #s were done). Somebody somewhere did extra work for a reason.

 

I couldn't agree more. I have owned the car for 4 years. The person I bought it from was in a neighboring state and the title was in that state. I transferred the title, to a new state, and my name when I bought it. Nothing has ever been questioned by either state. I didn't buy the car to be restored or keep as numbers matching.

It is looking like someone at some point went through the effort to replace the windshield to get the new VIN plate on, ground down the number plate on the block and restamp. Those are the obvious places anyone would look that would question anything. I am kind of afraid to know what the 17 digit VIN reveals. There is no plate on the door anymore. Inside the door I recall seeing 1981 stamped somewhere.

All of this for seat color but it makes a good story at the end of the day. I get the feeling I shouldn't say anything more about it.

 

It sure sounds like the OP has a car that's been rebodied, for some unknown reason. His picture shows what appears to be a real 1980 VIN tag with the correct rosette rivets. The casting date on the trans (12-16-80) seems to indicate a trans from a 1980 car. This seems to indicate it's a 1980 Corvette.

The tank sticker is without a doubt from an 81 Corvette as is the trim tag (642 Camel leather - 10L Classic White). The seat covers are dated 81 and look like 81 Camel to me. It was stated that the car had CCC ( Computer Command Control) which was standard in all 81's, but only came in California emission 80 305's. If this was a California 305 the fifth digit in the VIN would be "H", but the "8" in the fifth position of the VIN tag pictured indicates the tag came from a 1980 Corvette with the base Federal emission L-48 350. The block has clearly been restamped, not only is the pad surface wrong, but it has an 81 only engine suffix code (ZDA) stamped on a block with an 80 VIN number (this is not something that could or would have been done by St Louis). These things seem to identify the car as an 81.

Below are some of the differences between 80's and 81's

Original LOF glass was dated by a two letter code to the right of the "LOF" logo, in the form of "GZ", the first letter being the month of manufacture and the second the year. "A is 1979, "Z" is 1980 and "X" is 1981.
What is the engine block's casting date found on the trans mounting flange on the back of the block? The block casting number for all 78-82 Corvette 350's was 462624.
Do the nose and gas door emblems have a chrome frame around them (1980) or are they trimmed in black (1981).
Is the wiper switch bezel black plastic (80) or color coded to the dash (81).
How are the seat belts dated? 80 belts have two numbers for the week they were made, the letter "E" and them two numbers for the year made. 81's are dated the same except they have the letter "L" between the week and year.
The black plastic side louvers used in 80 have no vertical ribs for strength, while 81-82 louvers have two vertical ribs added to strengthen the horizontal louvers.
80 rocker moldings are black with the top rib left a shiny bare aluminum finish. 81 rockers are painted all black.
80 gas caps were metal with "NDH" and a part number stamped in the top. 81 caps are white plastic with either an "S" or "SMC" molded into the top center.
If the emission label is still on the hood, what is the engine code on it? 80 codes are: "ADN", "CX", "DR", "ZU", "ZW". 81 codes are "AUD", "AUF", "AUH", "AUJ".

Before going any further with this car, it would probably be wise to try to confirm that the VIN-frame-body swap weren't done to conceal a stolen car.

 

Everything else you posted was Great info. Thanks!

GM stopped making 1980 Corvettes in August 1980. They also started making 1981 Corvettes in August, 1980. A transmission cast on 16 Dec 1980 would have ended up in a 1981 Corvette.

 

Great work figuring this out guys! Seriously impressed with your knowledge! I am on the team of vin swap. In the world of square bodys, and older Chevy trucks, it’s not at all uncommon for me to come across a truck that has had the body swapped, and in some cases the vin swapped in 1978 and older trucks due to easy access to vin location on these trucks . Of corse that’s different to corvettes. It could be just as simple that someone bought a no title 81 Vette, or lost the title, and just swapped the vin to a 80 so they could drive it “legally” and have it registered. Just a guess to throw into the mix. ​​​​​

 

op request