Don't know about the body but it had virtually the same 6 cyl
engine and transmission as my uncle's 1955 Chevy Bel Aire.
Chevy introduced the V8 (350 in^3?) in 1956 and that's when
it went into the Corvette and into all those Chevys that broke
all the records that year.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

The 327 was not offered tuil the 1962 modle came out. The 350 engine was
still later. I think it was the 1967 or 68 when the 350 engine was offered
in anything. In 1955 it came out with a small V8, the 265 which was the
basis of all the small block engines of that series. Also I think that was
the first year they got away from the 2 speed auto transmission and offered
a manual transmission. The six cylinder was basically the same as in the
other cars but it was setup to produce more horespower than most other
modles of that era.

Duh, I had a '54' vett with a stock six-banger, that was stock from the
factory with a mostly fiberglass body..

The '55' vett's had a 265 cu in v8 and went quite a bit better.. 56 vett's
still had the 265 and it wasn't until 57 that they changed to the hotty 283
with fuel injection and duntov cams.. Then they really went like stink ****!

Jer

"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
...
John Smith wrote:
You are right on target, I would have to ask my dad, but back around 1960
he had a 1956 vet ... however, it did NOT seem gutless to me...

The Corvette was introduced in 1955 with Chevy's old straight
six engine. I remember it in a Mike Hammer movie, "Kiss Me Deadly".
The 1956 models got that first short stroke V8 which was the
grandfather of the engine in my daughter's 2003 Chevy Tahoe.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

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http://www.idavette.net/facts/53.htm

In 1951 a group of Harley Earl's "Special Projects" crew began work on
a GM sports car. Bob McLean designed a general layout for the car.. The
project was code named, "Opel".
William Durant, the founder of GM, said a wallpaper pattern he saw in
a Paris hotel in 1908 inspired the bow tie logo. Supposedly, he ripped off a
small piece of it and brought it back to Detroit.

The man who named the Corvette was Myron Scott... Then Chevrolet's
Chief photographer.

The Corvette was the first and last car with a "Wrap-Around"
windshield.

Corvette was not the first to be made with a fiberglass body, but it
was the first to be built by a company the size of Chevrolet.

Corvettes have been assembled in three different cities. Flint, St.
Louis, and Bowling Green.

"Turbojet" as first used on Corvette engine air cleaners with a
horsepower rating of greater than 390hp.

1953 to 1962

The original front emblem and horn button on the "Autorama" Corvette
featured crossed American and Checkered flags. It was discovered that using
an American flag on a product trade mark was against the law and the emblem
was changed before the New York Motorama.

The hash faces up on front fender molding of the "Autorama", 1953
Corvette and on the actual production car it faces down.

On Tuesday, June 30, 1953 Corvette #1 Serial Number E53F001001 rolled
of the assembly line, and Corvette production began.

Want the rarest Corvette ?- In 1953 the first two Corvettes, VIN
Numbers 1 and 2 were said to have been destroyed, but no records prove that
fact, and there are no witnesses to the destruction.

The first Corvettes were actually "rolled" off the assembly line.
Chevrolet was not prepared for grounding to a fiberglass body; the cars
would not start.

The first five Corvettes to come off the assembly line did not have an
outside rear view mirror.

The only thing really new on the 1953 Corvette was the fiberglass
body. Everything else was directly off the Chevrolet parts shelf. Because of
this, the first Corvette was essentially a regular 1952 Chevrolet that
looked like a million dollars!

Of the 314 Corvettes hand built in 1953 only 183 were sold because of
"average" performance at such a high price, $3513 the Jaguar Xk120 sold for
$3345, $168 less than the Corvette.

There are 13 vertical bars or "teeth" are in the grill of 1956
Corvettes.

One of the few ways to differentiate between a 1956 and 1957 Corvette
without opening the hood is to look at the inside rear view mirror. On the
1956 model, it adjusts with a thumbscrew, on the 1957 adjustment requires a
wrench to loosen the locknut.

The "Polo White" color was last used in 1957.

1957 was the first year a limited slip differential was offered as an
option.

1958 was the LAST year of the tach with the "cumulative engine
revolution counter" which first appeared in the 1953 Corvette. In 1958 the
tach was used on 230, 245, and 250 hp cars and NOT on the 270 and 290 hp
cars. The Part number is #1548631 for 1958.

Optional engines in 1956 had nine fin alloy valve covers, 1957 had
seven or nine fin alloy valve covers, and the 1958 had seven fin alloy
covers on optional engines.

Before 1958, the only Acrylic lacquer paint used was on the "Inca
Silver" Vettes.

Sun visors became a Corvette option in 1959.

Nylon belted tires first became available on the 1960 Corvette, prior
to 1960 only cotton was offered.

The 1961 Corvette was the last year to feature "Wide Whitewall" tires.

The 1961 Corvette was the first to not have the "round" nose emblem.

In 1961, the big grill teeth disappeared forever, replaced by a fine
mesh.

1962 Was the last of the solid rear axle Corvettes and the last year
for the power top on the roadster.

1963 to 1967

The earliest serial number air conditioned Sting Ray has a production
build date in October, about 6 months before the rest of the AC cars. The
reason? The owner was a GM executive and the car returned to Chevrolet for
refitting with AC.

An error was made in creating the roof panel mold in 1963, using the
wrong side of the dimensions, such that all roof panels were too small. This
left a gap seen in the door pillar above the door latch in all but a few
1963's to 1967. The ones where it is not found were cosmetically covered up
with body filler.

Power steering was first available in the 1963 Corvette.

Bill Mitchell and Zora Arkus-Duntov argued over the "Split" rear
window for the new Corvette. Bill Mitchell won out for the 1963 Model, but
it was removed for 1964 never to be seen again.

The 1963 Grand Sports, while originally looking much like the
production coupes, had no body parts in common. The fiberglass body panels
were roughly half the thickness of production panels to save weight.

The 1963 Grand Sports originally were released without fender flares,
using the stock look. However, they were wider to allow a wider tire 8.25x15
rather than the stock 6.70x15 tire.

Only the driver's side vent on the 1964 Corvette is functional.

The first major tire size change in Corvette history occurred in 1965.
Tire size changed from 6.70x15 to 7.75x15

While the 427 was developed first, the 396 went into the Corvette,
Chevrolet, and Chevelle in 1965 due to a GM policy restricting them to less
than 400 cubic inches.

The 396ci 425hp engine lasted only one year 1965.

1965 was the first year to have two separate hoods - the smooth small
block hood and the bulge of the big block hood.

The 1966 Corvette was not eligible in SCCA Trans Am, due to the upper
limit of 5.0 liter on engine displacement. Chevy's only eligible car was the
Corvair.

1967 was the first year to have three hoods: the small block hood, the
big block hood, and the L-88 hood, even though externally the L-88 looked
like the regular big block hood.

In late February and early March, 1967, some small blocks received the
big block hood due to an industrial accident with the small block hood mold.
These were not given the hood stripe.

The "GM Mark of Excellence" sticker appeared in one year only- 1967.

Federal law mandated the removal of spinners from wheels in 1967, so
the knock off wheel of 1963-66 was replaced with a bolt on wheel.

1967 was the first year "Vinyl" was offered as an optional exterior
covering for the hardtop.

The '67 model was the first to have the "tank sticker", or the build
sheet, attached to the gas tank.

The maximum install fuel tank capacity was offered in the Corvette
from 1963 to 1967, 36 gallons.

An option was offered in 1967 that lasted for only three production
years.. A speed warning indicator.

The '67 LeMans Racer was "DRIVEN" to the track from the airport (in
place of being trailered) was because the trailer was chuck full of parts!

1968 to 1982

Pontiac almost beat Chevrolet to the Coke bottle design body, with
their 1965 Banshee, a two seater convertible sports car that would have been
hefty competition for the Corvette. GM stopped it, and then Pontiac
president John DeLorean later became president of Chevrolet.

T-top does not refer to the shape of the roof, but rather it is short
for Targa Top. The original design was a pure Targa but body flex demanded
the center bar, discovered late in the design.

Due to policy changes in Chevrolet, Corvette was treated like all
other car lines for the first time, and quality dropped drastically. With
bad publicity in most magazines, policy was re-thought and Chevrolet quickly
restored independence and quality to Corvette within a few months, but all
1968s carry the stigma of being "the worse quality" of all Corvettes.

All big block manifolds were redesigned to actually sink into the
lifter valley as the hood clearance was less than in '67 and back. As such,
a 1965 to 1967 big block intake manifold won't fit in a 1968 or newer
Corvette with a stock hood and air cleaner.

The exception to the above was the L-88. It retained the high rise
manifold and also received a special hood, which was externally different
this time.

Emission control equipment was installed on the first 1968's in the
fall of 1967 even though the federal law required it only as of January 1,
1968.

1968 was the first year AM/FM stereo was offered as an option.

1968-1972 the coupe's rearwindow was removeable for more of a true
convertible experience

The Sting Ray name was not used on the 1968 Corvette, but returned in
1969. Spelled Stingray.

Corvette had its first all aluminum engine in 1969 as the ZL-1. It was
not the first GM automobile to do so, beaten by the Corvair in 1960 and the
Buick 215 V8.

In 1969, the ignition lock was moved from the dash to the steering
column. It would remain there until 1997 when it was returned to the dash.

The LS7 engine option, which was never installed in the 1970 Corvette
was $3000.

No Corvettes were painted Black at the factory from 1970 to 1976.

The only outside difference between the 1971 and a 1972 Corvette is
the appearance of the amber front turn signals and vertical chroming on the
egg-crate grills both on the 1972 - that's it. Minor stuff most people miss.

1972 was the only year for Corvette "Big Block" engines in the 1968 to
1972 range to have no horse power sticker on the air cleaner lid.

"Pewter Silver" was only offered as an exterior color in 1972.

The 1970 - 1972 Corvettes were the last to feature chrome bumpers
front and rear. In 1973, the front bumper changed to body-colored flexible
plastic. In 1974 the rear bumper followed suit.

In 1973, aluminum wheels were again available as an option, but the
same problem that plagued the 1963 aluminum wheels, the inability to hold
air, kept these out of the hands of customers until 1976.

The rear view mirror in the 1974 Corvette was increased to a width of
10".

The last true dual exhaust was installed in 1974, after that,
everything went through a catalytic converter.

1974 rear bumper was 2 pieces, 1975-1982 used a one piece unit.

The awesome 454ci engine was only offered for 5 years.. 1970, 71, 72,
73, and 1974

Gymkhana Suspension was first introduced in the 1974 Corvette.

1974 was the last year the Corvette would be produced to run on
"leaded" gasoline.

1975 first year for HEI distributor.

1975 was lowest production year for convertibles for those years that
offered both convertibles and coupes.

1976 Corvette used the same steering wheel as a Chevrolet Vega for the
"Sport Wheel" Option.

1977 last year for the notch back shark.

In 1977 crossed flags returned to the nose and sides of the Corvette.

1977 saw the redesign of the center console to accept standard Delco
radios, the first year that Corvette didn't have a Corvette only radio.

The '78 Pace Car was "Black and Silver" was because it photographed
well. Back then, most magazine articles and ads were still done in Black &
White!

The body in 1978 was widened in the rear fender area. This was
discovered by customizers when converting '78 and newer coupes to
convertibles after the convertible production ended in 1975.

1979 Corvette's highest production year.

By Federal mandate, the 1980 Corvette was the first Corvette to have
an 85 MPH speedometer.

1981 the first Corvette to use a computer.

The 1981 Corvette had two cooling fans to increase engine power.

In 1981, Corvettes were produced with two different types of paint.
Lacquer was applied at the St. Louis plant, and enamel was applied at the
new Bowling Green plant.

In 1982 fuel injection reappeared in the Corvette after a 17-year
hiatus.

1984 to 1996

A total of 43 - 1983 model Corvettes were built, but there were so
many quality problems with them it was decided to halt production until they
could be corrected. By the time the problems were corrected, it was so late
into the model year that the car was brought out as a 1984 model which was
run for a year and a half. The 1983,s were never sold to the public and the
only one that is known to still exist is in the National Corvette Museum in
Bowling Green, KY

The 1984 Corvette was the first American production car to have a 64%
windshield angle.

A single transverse plastic front and rear spring first made it's
appearance on the 1984 Corvette.

Twenty 1986 Corvettes were sent to Lotus in England to be converted
into LT5 powered prototypes for the ZR1 project.

In 1986, Corvette offered the "Malcolm Konner Commemorative Edition"
with two transmissions. A manual 4-speed and an automatic. Only 20 4-speed
manual transmissions were installed at the factory.

In 1987 you could buy a Corvette without an engine installed by the
factory.

A total of 30,632 Corvettes were produced in 1987. 184 of these
Corvettes were Callaways, and 121 of the Callaway's were coupes.

1982 and 1987 Corvettes had something in common, 16 exterior colors
were available.

The last year a CB radio was offered as a Corvette option was 1985.

In 1988 a thirty-fifth anniversary edition Corvette package was
available for coupes only. It featured a two tone exterior of white with
black roof bow, white leather seats, steering wheel, special interior and
exterior accents, a console-mounted anniversary plaque, special emblems and
other special features. Sales totals 2,050 cars.

In 1988, Corvette started using a unidirectional 17" wheel as an
option with RP0 Z51 and Z52. New six slot 16x8.5 were standard with
P255/50ZR16 Tires.

In 1989, the ZR1 was produced to approximately 80 cars, however, none
were sold to the public. The last of these ZR1s were shipped out of the
factory on Dec. 22, 1988

1991 was the 10th anniversary of Corvette production at the Bowling
Green, KY plant

The LT4 exhaust system has a distinguishing feature from the LT1
system. It has a balance tube incorporated into it!

96 Grand Sports: There is a small area behind the hatch roof and in
front of the panel that attaches to the rear window that is taped, not
painted. It is 1" long and the tape is about 18" wide. This change was early
in production. The purpose is to eliminate a problem area in the paint booth
during manufacturing.

96 Grand Sports: The Grand Sport's stripe is not the same width all
the way back. It gets wider as it goes up the hood, and the top is narrower,
and then it gets somewhat wider in the back end.

1997 to ..

The first 200 production C5 Corvettes were painted Red, not the
traditional color for the first production run.

The 1997 Corvette C5 is the first Corvette designed from the ground up
to be a Corvette.. Not borrowing parts from other cars. One of the few "Off
the Shelf" parts - the exterior door handles, same ones used on the
Oldsmobile Aurora.

The first use of a transaxle in a production Corvette occurred in the
'97. However, the first plans for one were in the Q-Corvette in 1958,
planned for the 1960 model. Transaxles showed up in Corvette prototypes in
the mid '60s in running models.

The first 4 speed in a Corvette was built by Borg Warner in 1957. The
first transaxle in a production Corvette was also built by Borg Warner,
forty years later in 1997. Both were introduced late in the model year.

Borg Warner has produced a transmission for each generation of
Corvette: C1 - 1957 to 1962, C2 - 1963, C3 - 1980 to 1981, C4 - 1984 to
1988, and C5 - 1997 to 1998.

The 1997 Corvette is the first Corvette to have windshield wipers that
sweep in the same direction instead of opposing directions.

November 4, 1997 - The 9752nd 1998 Corvette rolled down the assembly
matching the total 1997 Model production run.

The last "Fairway Green" C5 a 1998 Model came down the assembly line
November 10, 1997. The color was discontinued.

It takes 55 hours to build the new C5 Corvette, down from 70 hours for
the previous C4 model.







"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
ink.net...

Don't know about the body but it had virtually the same 6 cyl
engine and transmission as my uncle's 1955 Chevy Bel Aire.
Chevy introduced the V8 (350 in^3?) in 1956 and that's when
it went into the Corvette and into all those Chevys that broke
all the records that year.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

The 327 was not offered tuil the 1962 modle came out. The 350 engine was
still later. I think it was the 1967 or 68 when the 350 engine was offered
in anything. In 1955 it came out with a small V8, the 265 which was the
basis of all the small block engines of that series. Also I think that
was
the first year they got away from the 2 speed auto transmission and
offered
a manual transmission. The six cylinder was basically the same as in the
other cars but it was setup to produce more horespower than most other
modles of that era.

Memory check failure, no aluminium body on a Corvette.

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
Roy:

You are right on target, I would have to ask my dad, but back around
1960 he had a 1956 vet (if I remember the year correctly--it was a 4
speed--again, if I remember correctly--that is really pressing my memory
though--could easily be wrong)... it was an all aluminum body (sure

In 1955 the Corvette was available with either the "bluestreak" 235 CI 6 ot
the new 265 V-8 the 350 was a ways in the future :)

"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
...
Roy Lewallen wrote:
Turns out that the first couple of 'vettes
weren't muscle cars at all, but gutless wonders with a small engine and
two-speed automatic transmission -- it took a while to evolve. I don't
recall for sure, but think it's likely those were metal.

Don't know about the body but it had virtually the same 6 cyl
engine and transmission as my uncle's 1955 Chevy Bel Aire.
Chevy introduced the V8 (350 in^3?) in 1956 and that's when
it went into the Corvette and into all those Chevys that broke
all the records that year.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp

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Ralph Mowery wrote:
The 327 was not offered tuil the 1962 modle came out.

Yep, the 1956 Corvette V8 was 265 ci but could develop
225 hp. The 1956 Chevy V8 was the first stock Chevy that
could out drag my 1949 Chevy with a GMC truck motor.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp


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Jer wrote:
Duh, I had a '54' vett with a stock six-banger, that was stock from the
factory with a mostly fiberglass body..

You're right. I was off by a year.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp


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