Hi Everyone,

I've got a buddy that does some restoration work but has never worked on a Corvette before. He was telling me that he has a client that has a 1978 Pace Car that is in need of restoring. The car was painted in Silver Anniversary colors years ago, the spoilers removed and sat out in the weather for years ruining the seats and other interior parts. My buddy was asking me what would be the best source for resto parts to put this car back to its original form. So, that’s my question to anyone out there that has any experience restoring a late ‘70s Corvette… in your experience, who carries the best quality, most comprehensive restoration parts for a 1978 Pace Car?

Thanks everyone!

 

There's no one source of correct, best, most accurate, cheapest etc parts. Gotta shop around like everything else in life.

Are you sure that it's a REAL Pace car?

 

If the interior was open to the weather, the interior needs to be completely stripped out to see what structural damage has been done. I doubt that only an interior refurb will bring that car back. The floors are probably rotted out and you may have some structural support damage. He won't know till he 'digs in'.

 

Do some checking around to see what you got, and what you need.

 

I agree w/ above posts. Also, if the frame, floors ect are good then take a pad of paper and carefully w/ as much detail as possible write down how much you will need to spend on parts. paint , interior , engine , trans ect and dont forget your labor and how long this restoration will take you. Good luck

 

Yep....78 does not a Pace Car make. Check the vin to see exactly what it is. There will be some items that are the same on the Pace Car and the regular 78....and the S/A paint scheme was an option that DOES add value to the car. But there are differences in seats, colors, etc. Then look on eBay, Ecklers, Corvette America....to get the best price for the parts you need. Good luck to ya'!

Deja

 

I owned one of the most original, lowest mileage 78 Pace Cars in the country a few years back - right out of the dealers showroom where it sat from 1978 until 2005 (when I was the first owner). Even though it had only 63 miles on the odometer, I still had to do some restoration to it (pull the radiator for a recore from sitting, detail the entire top end of the engine, replace the brake calipers, etc etc). Looking at the car it was showroom new, but time takes its toll. Even though it Top Flighted right away, I still did the above to freshen it. I didn't touch chalk marks, etc. and used only N.O.S. parts. I sold it in 2007, after showing it for 2 years, with about 2,200 miles on it. Fortunately I made alot of money on that pace car, but I bailed out because I could see them not really going anywhere in value. My point here is that I would not put much money into these, because they aren't exactly "rare" with over 6,500 produced. And they seem to appear at just about every show. Mine stood out because of the history behind it (I even got a "new car" loan on it!), and it was truly a time capsule. But the competition is fierce for these cars when it comes time to sell. Keep the investment in that pace car LOW, because even many low mileage ones aren't bringing the $ that people thought they would long ago. Here's a link to my web page, with that pace car shown (featured in Corvette Enthusiast Magazine) http://mysite.verizon.net/vzevgc2i/k...ied/index.html < (click on the upper left of the web page, which has my C6 on it, to get to the Pace Car page.) Good luck to your buddy on that one.

 

Sorry Guys... I was not clear. The car sat out in the weather for years, but the interior was closed so it faded the seats, cracked the dash, etc. No water damage done to the inside.

The guy gave me the VIN number which I have decoded. Some of you familiar with VIN codes probably already figured out that it did not tell me much. Are there any numbers I can look for on the car to tell me if it is indeed a real Pace Car?

 

OK Guys, never mind... just found a web site that indicated that the eighth VIN digit does indeed indicate if the car is a Pace Car or not. If the eighth number is “9”, it is a real Pace Car (replica). If it is a “4”, its just a plain old Corvette. Now, since the car is painted in SA colors, I need to find out if it is a true SA model… any suggestions on how to do that?

 

The difference between the VIN number for the standard Corvette and pace car replica is in the eighth digit, the pace car replica has a 9, the Corvette a 4. Depending on the condition underneath, there were factory chalk marks in several places that had the last 2 or 3 of the VIN number marked. The last 3 of my vin stood out and were pretty large "454" (no that wasn't the engine size!). I remember one written under the body, near the rear and another near the firewall. There is a painted stencil assembly date on the passenger side frame also, and you have to use a mirror to see it. But the VIN is not there.

I took photos of all of these markings, and they were clear as day. I'm not sure about the VIN being stamped on the transmission. Mine was an automatic (as most were). But that might be a good place to look. If I could find my NCRS judging sheets, I might be able to tell you, because they were under there verifying everything. I also have the 1978 NCRS judging guide book which is very extensive. It might have it in there also. I'll PM you if I can find out more.

 

PCs had VIN from 1Z87L8S900001 thru 1Z87L8S906502 (Corvette Black Book)

 

So are you saying it's a "9" or a "4" on the VIN?
If it's painted the silver/gray anniversary colors that's just a paint option with 15000 78s painted that way, more than any other color.
It does seem to be the most desireable paint for 78 so possibly worth a little more as other buyers would want it(I have one, HAD to be a silver/gray one too!)
On the driver door jamb near the dash you'll find the trim tag. That will tell you original color, int color, and build date.

This is my silver anniversary tag, you want to see the 13/07, that's the paint.
Pace Car colors are black/silver, 19/47 on the trim tag.

 

Thanks KapsSA... the paint code info is a big help.

Just to be clear, the eighth digit is a "4"... therefore, the car is not a Pace Car. Now, I will have the owner look at the paint codes to see if it was a SA or just a "regular" 1978 Corvette.

Thanks to everyone for the info!!!

 

Vettes4evr

If you locate those photos, would like to see them as well.
hunt4cleanair@earthlink.net and thx