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differences between 75 and 78-80?

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Old Jun 29, 2006 | 10:55 PM
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Default differences between 75 and 78-80?

Hey guys, i hope you can help me out here. I have a 75 corvette that needed a total restoration, and upon close inspection, I realized the birdcage was totally rotted out. Repairs looked like they'd be a real bitch, so I found a replacement body with almost no rust. It's got no vin or anything, no idea what year, but its not a 74-76 body... it has the HUGE glass window in the back.. i have a feeling its a 78 or 79.

I'm going to be swapping over all the parts from my 75 body, so I need to know if there are going to be any issues. It appears that the gas cap is much more to the rear, and i have a feeling that my 75 tank is not gonna fit. Will the rear bumper also be a problem? Thanks in advance... sometimes I feel like this car is never gonna be back on the road
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Old Jun 30, 2006 | 03:03 AM
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Well I can tell ya that 78-82's had a 24 gallon tank, hence why yours probably won't fit.
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Old Jun 30, 2006 | 04:32 AM
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Originally Posted by rkrattli
I'm going to be swapping over all the parts from my 75 body, so I need to know if there are going to be any issues. It appears that the gas cap is much more to the rear, and i have a feeling that my 75 tank is not gonna fit. Will the rear bumper also be a problem? Thanks in advance... sometimes I feel like this car is never gonna be back on the road
Yes...you're going from a 17 gal tank to a 24 gal tank. I suspect you'll find the rear section from driver's seats back are different due to the reconfiguration for both the tank and storage area.

Also, I believe 75 was the first year that the fuel sending unit was mounted from the top...in which case you should be ok. Check to see if fuel lines along with emission control line to cannister are in place for both chassis's. The emission control line will run along driver side and come up the fuel sending unit on the driver's side while the fuel lines will come up on the passenger side.

Check the size of the spare tire carrier...went from the full size tire in 75 to the polyspare tire assembly in 78...less real estate to accommodate fuel tank.

I would suspect rear bumper assembly was improved by than as well with the new bumper energy absorbers but not sure if sizing was same size for the shell.

Suspension was the same as well as frame assembly. Best bet is to pickup a copy of the AIM for both 75 and 78 and compare the two chassis and bodys. It will list part numbers and you can get a better idea what you're looking at before you get into it.
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Old Jun 30, 2006 | 04:35 AM
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Does the rear bumper have the little flip in the back? Or does it go down like your 75? If it has the little flip spoiler looking thing, it's an 80 - 82 body.
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Old Jun 30, 2006 | 06:37 AM
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Originally Posted by rkrattli
It's got no vin or anything
What exactly were you going to do about that??????

It's not legal to move vin tags around and it wouldnt be correct on that body style.
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Old Jun 30, 2006 | 07:52 AM
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Originally Posted by fl_rider
What exactly were you going to do about that??????

It's not legal to move vin tags around and it wouldnt be correct on that body style.

BEFORE you get any further, check with the DMV in your state to determine whether you can legally make this swap. No sense going to all that trouble only to learn you can't title/license the car.
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Old Jun 30, 2006 | 08:02 AM
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it may not be legal, but you can get away with it if your carefull. Part out the old body
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Old Jun 30, 2006 | 11:07 AM
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Originally Posted by SIXFOOTER
it may not be legal, but you can get away with it if your carefull. Part out the old body

Until you try to sell it.
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Old Jul 1, 2006 | 12:53 AM
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trust me, i already checked it out at the vermont dmv, its all good. my main concerns are about putting in a new tank... it would be a pain in the *** with my EFI setup.
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