When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Help? The alarm is in the fender (early?) and the t top weatherstripping has 18 pins that i can see (late?). Is there a hidden pin or am I
misinformed on what is early and what is late ‘77?
Early/late refers to individual component changes, so your car is both as the term relates to the alarm and weatherstripping.
You are misinformed with the notion that early vs. late applies to the car overall. You could, very broadly speaking, say a car is early/late using a mid-point of production quantities or time range, but your specific component question is determined by when the change happened for that particular component. You could have a component change in early-November such that all cars from Sept to Oct are considered "early" while a November (and onwards) car is considered "late". The same could happen with a component change in May (though less common).
For the car overall, you would have to determine which midpoint to use and see where your car falls in that range if it's not at either end of the range.
Early/late refers to individual component changes, so your car is both as the term relates to the alarm and weatherstripping.
You are misinformed with the notion that early vs. late applies to the car overall. You could, very broadly speaking, say a car is early/late using a mid-point of production quantities or time range, but your specific component question is determined by when the change happened for that particular component. You could have a component change in early-November such that all cars from Sept to Oct are considered "early" while a November (and onwards) car is considered "late". The same could happen with a component change in May (though less common).
For the car overall, you would have to determine which midpoint to use and see where your car falls in that range if it's not at either end of the range.
Thank you. I was wondering if that may be the case. We will just have to be careful and do our research before ordering parts.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Originally Posted by 67:72
You could have a component change in early-November such that all cars from Sept to Oct are considered "early" while a November (and onwards) car is considered "late". The same could happen with a component change in May (though less common).
'76 is a good example. Mine was built on 4/29/76....sounds late, right?
Well, when it comes to the A/C it's early. A bunch of changes including the switch to the R4 compressor happened in late May '76...
Your alarm switch change happened just past the middle at build # 27373...
Early and late are terrible terms the car hobby came up with that have no real basis in when a production change was made to a car. GM always referred to Running Model Changes (RMC) as first design, second design and in some years even third design. As 67:72 said, there was no single point in a year when a car went from being an "early" car to a "late" one. Other than when a change was mandated by a Federal regulation or a recall, when a new, stronger, simpler, better, and/or cheaper part became available, it was fazed into production.
Besides the 18 verse 19 locating pins, the two different types of 77 t-top weatherstrip can be identified by how they're attached to the tops where the weatherstrip meets the door glass. The first design weatherstrip attaches to the tops in the area over the door glass by fitting into a stainless retainer strip that's attached to the top. The "late" second design tops eliminated the separate retainer strip by modeling a metal reinforcement inside the weatherstrip, in the area over the door glass. If your top weatherstrip is flexible all the way around then it's the so called "early" weatherstrips and tops, but if the weatherstrip is rigid in the area of the door glass than you have the second design tops. To be honest, I've been dealing in Corvette parts for 40+ years and in all that time I only knew of two 77's that were confirmed to have come with the second design tops, and they were both very late July or August 77 built cars.
77 tops with the second design weatherstrip really are unicorns, they are 68-77 two handle tops with the weatherstrip that was used on 78-82 single handle tops.
77 tops with the second design weatherstrip really are unicorns, they are 68-77 two handle tops with the weatherstrip that was used on 78-82 single handle tops.
.
And, someone before you may have installed 78 weatherstripping on the tops as a usable replacement....
.
Just make it suitable for your specific purpose....👈
Not a lot of changes through the 77 model year. Clearly the wiring. Easily identified by the alarm switch in the fender or the extra fusible link in the starter harness in the later cars. The weatherstrip on the T tops and the air-conditioning change. Early cars have the VIR system (as factory stock) and later cars had the more modern system found in 78 and up cars.
I really can't think of anything else. And I've had mine for nearly 40 years.
I have a early car with the satin aluminium horn button that was recalled. But I still have mine.
Besides the 18 verse 19 locating pins, the two different types of 77 t-top weatherstrip can be identified by how they're attached to the tops where the weatherstrip meets the door glass. The first design weatherstrip attaches to the tops in the area over the door glass by fitting into a stainless retainer strip that's attached to the top. The "late" second design tops eliminated the separate retainer strip by modeling a metal reinforcement inside the weatherstrip, in the area over the door glass. If your top weatherstrip is flexible all the way around then it's the so called "early" weatherstrips and tops, but if the weatherstrip is rigid in the area of the door glass than you have the second design tops. To be honest, I've been dealing in Corvette parts for 40+ years and in all that time I only knew of two 77's that were confirmed to have come with the second design tops, and they were both very late July or August 77 built cars.
77 tops with the second design weatherstrip really are unicorns, they are 68-77 two handle tops with the weatherstrip that was used on 78-82 single handle tops.
Can I tell without removing the weatherstripping? She will be driving it and if I order it it will take a while to get here.
OK, took some pic's of my driver's side T top in the area where the door glass meets up. About the center above the side window. Note the gloss black channel the weatherstrip fits into. Forward corner. You can clearly see the end of the channel the weatherstrip fits into. Rear corner.
The late 77 and up weatherstrip does not use this channel. The reinforcement is built into the weatherstrip.
Also of note, only the very late 77's used the late weatherstrip. So if you have the key alarm in your fender. And the original tops you should have the early style weatherstrip.
Now if your tops aren't original.........
1977 early/late
