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I just bought a 75 Cvt project. It has a nice body and a rust free frame. It is out of Oklahoma. I have no history on the car.
The wierd thing is: its VIN starts with 1Z37, denoting a T-top, not 1Z67 (Cvt). The rivets for the VIN tag appear to be GM style (star). I looked for the VIN at the rear of the frame, but there was nothing there. There were no signs of grinding or welding, either.
Is there a difference between the frames for the Coupe and Convertable?
Do I have a rebodied T-top or a re-VIN-ed Convertible?
You may have neither. I too have also seen a handful of "seventies" Corvettes which were coupes w/convertible VINs & convertibles w/coupe VINs. These cars I looked at "appeared" unmolested & untouched. One was a Silver '75 convertible in Pa with a coupe VIN that was an original owner car GM's assembly workers made mistakes too, afterall they're "human" too This is one possibility. Although it's rare & uncommon, it did happen.
Could be a VIN mistake, or a VIN swap, or a conversion. Check the other component numbers.
The data that I have says that 74 and 75 coupe and verts have the same frame.
If you suspect a conversion, check the structure behind the door jam. It would have to have been cut and fittings put on for the soft top and door pin receiver. Should be a mater of taking the interior trim panel off and carpet out of the way. Another check is that in most convertable conversions (not all) the cross braces under the dash are left out. They run from the hump out to the sides.