live in NY and would like to document the miles on my 68 Corvette however I do not know how to do this. Thanks Chuck

 

Unless you have some service records throughout the life of the car, there is no good way to do so. Vehicle registration/title documents may record vehicle mileage, but repairs/changes to odometers, "adjustments" to vehicle mileage at past sales/transfer of the vehicle, etc, make it almost impossible to know correct mileage.

If you are lucky enough to retrieve 'stated vehicle miles' for all previous sales of the car...and that data looks reasonable...that's as good as it gets. I purchased my present car about 7 years ago; it had resided with one family through three generations of drivers, but most of the maintenance had been executed by the original buyer. So, detailed records existed for about 30 years of its 'life'. But, very few owners are that lucky.

If the speedometer/odometer still is functioning, and you believe that it has not been replaced or altered, the only question is "How many times has the odometer completely cycled?" Wear on carpeting, brake pedal, etc. might give you a clue to the answer...but not much more than a clue.

If the engine in the car has the original block, could pull a cylinder head and measure the cylinder bore size to see how much wear it has experienced. But, depending on the maintenance care the engine has received, 'rate of wear' can vary tremendously.

All owners are curious about this issue, but there is no simple way to obtain an accurate estimate of vehicle mileage.

 

State inspections document miles driven from one year to the next.

 

For those states which have "inspections". At least, as far back as the inspections go.

 

Any reason to believe the odometer reading is not correct? Providing the odo works.

 

Hi Chuck,
I guess depending on how much the car has been "worked on", just looking for mileage "clues" is about the best you can do.
For instance a car showing 35k miles should probably still have the original brake and clutch pedal pads. They should show some wear but not very much.
Also, a low mileage car might well have it's original shocks, springs, and suspension bushings.
Taking a close look may indicate how far the car has actually travelled. Look for original components that are still there because they haven't worn out.
Regards,
Alan

 

I agree with Alan71, generally, regarding how to check for vehicle "wear". But, I have to say that, I've never seen a 40 year-old shock absorber...that was a factory installed item...which didn't need to be replaced.

 

Hi 7T1,
My original shock absorbers still pass the old 'bounce test'. 46k.
But, as YOU know, even if they didn't, they'd still be there!
Regards,
Alan

 

Alan if that is before and after my compliments (again) to you again.

 

{Hopefully, those are the "after" and "before" photos.}

 

Hi,
Yes. That's one of the before pictures.
The car had surface rust and dirt, but no pitted parts anywhere which was remarkable.
It really was an example of a car telling it's story better than any documentation could.
Regards,
Alan

 

...{with tongue planted firmly in cheek}

You mean that you destroyed a perfectly good "survivor" just to freshen-up your car?