C4 Hardtop Date Codes
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Bloomingron Illinois
C4 Hardtop Date Codes
Is there any way to identify what year a C4 Optional Hardtop was produced?
Do they have VIN Numbers?
Can they be identified by the window date code?
Thanks.
Do they have VIN Numbers?
Can they be identified by the window date code?
Thanks.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,394
Likes: 2,741
Did the OE have laminated glass? The aftermarket tops I believe had a plexi-glass or Lexan. If it's got laminated glass maybe it would be a convincing argument for it being OE.
I certainly don't know "for sure"!!
Last edited by WVZR-1; Jul 19, 2009 at 01:48 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,394
Likes: 2,741
This top has the date code of GG on the AS-2 Tempered/Heated glass. That would put the glass at April/'90. That fits somewhat the history of this car. I didn't see any VIN ID but I believe this top was added a few years after the purchase of the car. My friend is completely disassembling the top for refinishing so he'll watch for something on the "tear down"!!
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 4,689
Likes: 4
From: Yucaipa CA
I stopped by to visit a friend who does quality Corvette Resto's and collision repairs and right in the middle of the shop was a C4 hard top! Imagine that!
This top has the date code of GG on the AS-2 Tempered/Heated glass. That would put the glass at April/'90. That fits somewhat the history of this car. I didn't see any VIN ID but I believe this top was added a few years after the purchase of the car. My friend is completely disassembling the top for refinishing so he'll watch for something on the "tear down"!!
This top has the date code of GG on the AS-2 Tempered/Heated glass. That would put the glass at April/'90. That fits somewhat the history of this car. I didn't see any VIN ID but I believe this top was added a few years after the purchase of the car. My friend is completely disassembling the top for refinishing so he'll watch for something on the "tear down"!!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Bloomingron Illinois
C4 Hardtop Date Codes
I looked at my Date Codes on my hardtop and found;
G Guaridan
Tempered Float Tint
AS - 2 - 94 M51H
Dot 22
What does all of that mean?
Here is the story on the car ( 1996 Black / Black ) built in March 1996;
I bought it from the original owner, with 12k miles. When he purchased it from the original Chevy dealer in November of 1996, he had them install the hardtop, before he took ownership.
Thanks !!!
G Guaridan
Tempered Float Tint
AS - 2 - 94 M51H
Dot 22
What does all of that mean?
Here is the story on the car ( 1996 Black / Black ) built in March 1996;
I bought it from the original owner, with 12k miles. When he purchased it from the original Chevy dealer in November of 1996, he had them install the hardtop, before he took ownership.
Thanks !!!
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
Likes: 487
From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
The hardtops were made and installed by The American Sunroof Company which was located a couple miles from the BG Assembly Plant. Convertibles that were ordered with RPO CC2, were taken there where the top was installed and the door window glass adjusted as needed. Then the car with the hardtop installed was returned to BG for preparation for shipment.
ASC added a label to the inside of the boxed pillar where the attaching bracket goes in and that label would have had coding that reflected the year of the top, and most likely some reference to the car. The tops could also be ordered by a dealer for a dealer-installed option.
All factory hardtops had safety glass with a defogger. Verts that were factory ordered with hardtops also got a ground wire pigtail on the driver's side of the top. This ground wire was attached to the metal pillar for the shoulder belt. All vert's came with the orange power wire on the passenger side next to the shoulder belt tower in a harness under the carpeting.
The defogger control button also varied if the car had a hardtop.
ASC added a label to the inside of the boxed pillar where the attaching bracket goes in and that label would have had coding that reflected the year of the top, and most likely some reference to the car. The tops could also be ordered by a dealer for a dealer-installed option.
All factory hardtops had safety glass with a defogger. Verts that were factory ordered with hardtops also got a ground wire pigtail on the driver's side of the top. This ground wire was attached to the metal pillar for the shoulder belt. All vert's came with the orange power wire on the passenger side next to the shoulder belt tower in a harness under the carpeting.
The defogger control button also varied if the car had a hardtop.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,394
Likes: 2,741
I looked at my Date Codes on my hardtop and found;
G Guaridan
Tempered Float Tint
AS - 2 - 94 M51H
Dot 22
What does all of that mean?
Here is the story on the car ( 1996 Black / Black ) built in March 1996;
I bought it from the original owner, with 12k miles. When he purchased it from the original Chevy dealer in November of 1996, he had them install the hardtop, before he took ownership.
Thanks !!!
G Guaridan
Tempered Float Tint
AS - 2 - 94 M51H
Dot 22
What does all of that mean?
Here is the story on the car ( 1996 Black / Black ) built in March 1996;
I bought it from the original owner, with 12k miles. When he purchased it from the original Chevy dealer in November of 1996, he had them install the hardtop, before he took ownership.
Thanks !!!
DOT 22 : Identifies Guardian the Manufacturer
M51-H: The "pattern" and heated
AS-2 : Identifies the construction/manufacture/type of the glass "tempered" is generally found on all side glass and "some" rear visions.
The 94 has me somewhat baffled. It could and I stress "could" be the method of date coding by Guardian. Don't know. I'm more familiar with LOF/Pilkington.
I also recall that the "plant number" that produced the glass was included on some glass. Maybe the 94 is significant in that respect.
Last edited by WVZR-1; Jul 21, 2009 at 08:22 PM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
