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VIN 1Z37L6S414759
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Car Year: |
1976 |
Car's approximate birthday: |
December 11, 1975 |
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Owner: |
Mark Howard |
City: |
Maryville |
State: |
Tennessee |
Country: |
United States |
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Purchase date: |
12/23/2010 |
Status: |
Current Owner |
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Nickname: |
1Z37L6S414759 |
State: |
Project Car |
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Exterior: |
69 Dark Brown |
(9.55%) |
Interior: |
692 Dark Brown (Leather) |
(13.28%) |
Wheels: |
Silver |
(100.00%) |
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Delivery Dealer Zone: |
Unknown |
Delivery Dealer Code: |
Unknown |
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1YZ37 |
Base Corvette Sport Coupe (180hp) |
100.00% |
7,604.85 |
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? |
Custom Interior Trim |
78.96% |
164.00 |
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C60 |
Air Conditioning |
87.60% |
523.00 |
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J50 |
Power Brakes |
100.00% |
59.00 |
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M40 |
Turbo Hydra-Matic Automatic Transmission |
78.67% |
0.00 |
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N37 |
Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column |
89.77% |
95.00 |
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N41 |
Power Steering |
99.63% |
151.00 |
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Total |
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0.000005623084224% (1 Cars) |
8,596.85 |
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Factory job nr.: |
Unknown |
Export Car: |
Non Export Car |
Engine details: |
Numbers matching engine stamped ls6414759, engine code V1125CKX which translates to Flint, Michigan November 11, 1975, CKX= 1976 350 a/t L L48 180hp 4 Corvette |
Other details: |
Mileage: 37,513 odometer not currently working Added to Registry 12/03/2010 |
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Car history: |
Feb. 20, 2011
Replaced some belts today and decided to check the engine numbers since I was under the hood and near the engine pad. I read off the engine number which sounded vaguely familiar 16S414759. Wait a minute! That's an L; that's the vin number!
When I bought the car the previous owner said when his family bought the car they were told that it was not a matching numbers car, the engine had been replaced with a rebuilt engine with a two bolt main. Obviously that is not the case.
No believing what I say, I ran the engine code: V1125CKX. 1976 Corvette 350 manufactured November 11, 1975. Yep, it is the original! Cool! No way to tell yet if the engine has been rebuilt or not. The odo stopped working at 37K and some change, no way to know if that was 37K or 137K. When I replaced the valve cover gaskets there was some gunk in the head but not 137K worth. So is the engine original or has it been rebuilt? The mystery continues.
Now for the second surprise. While I was checking things I wrote down the trim and paint codes. The trim was 692, dark brown leather which is what I expected. But the paint code was not yellow -- which the car was painted at one time -- it was 69 - Dark Brown.
So the old Corvette still has some surprises. I thought I bought a fixable car with a replacement engine and find I have an original numbers engine that possibly has never been out of the car. I like this!
And in case you are wondering, there is not a chance I would sell it!
Mark
Feb. 16, 2011
I purchased the car from the previous owner Jeff on December 23, 2010 and picked it up January 23, 2011. After consulting with Jeff I elected to drive the car back from Georgia.
Jeff drove the car to meet me at the local Kmart and the car was exactly as he presented it. While we were there two people stopped by asking if the car was for sale. I took the car for an immediate oil change, stopped to get a spare set of belts, and drove the car 100+ miles on the interstate with no problems. I did not check the exact numbers but the highway mileage seemed excellent, only 1/8 tank for the trip.
I was told that the car had been purchased by Jeff's uncle in 2000 from someone in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He was told at that time that the engine was not original but was a rebuild. We have confirmed that the block and head numbers are correct for the year but have not determined whether them are correct for this specific car. The engine runs strong and so far has not used any oil. The transmission has been painted which I assume means it has been rebuilt at some point as well.
Jeff's uncle passed away in 2004 but not before meeting up with a guardrail on the right side. Jeff received the car from the estate settlement and kept it in covered storage, starting and driving it occasionally until I purchased it from him. The tag on the car when I received it was from 2004.
The brake problem turned out to be a leaky right rear wheel cylinder. That has now been replaced as well as the brake booster and master cylinder. The brakes now function as they should.
We had the car up on the lift and the underside, besides the dented oil pan, is very clean with the only sign of rust being the radiator support.
The car was originally yellow, some of the original paint is still visible under the hood and on the cowl vent where the red has chipped. Someone spent a lot of time and money in the past to do the complete color change to red. You have to know where to look to tell it was not original.
The interior, except for the carpet and seat covers, is original as is most of the car. The seats are dark brown leather and worn out and will need to be reworked at some point. Pretty much everything on the car works. I am still sorting out small issues like switches, dash lights, belts, etc.
The car is currently registered as an antique. In Tennessee this means you can drive it to shows, club meetings, a mechanic, and unlimited on Saturday and Sunday. I am driving every weekend to shake out any problems I find. Tops on the list for the future is to get the right side fixed up and the car repainted. I will probably stay with the red since it would be an enormous job to repaint it is more important to me to keep the car drivable than to do a complete restoration.
Mark Howard
From the previous owner, Jeff:
I received the Corvette 6 years ago. I wanted to fix it up, but never had the time or money. It was garage kept for 5 of the last 6 years. This last year it was kept under cover outside. I made it a habit to start it every other month. It has a 350. When I received it, I was told #'s did NOT match. It still starts fine, with no knocking or smoking, or oil leaks and I drove it from Atlanta to Chattanooga last summer with no problems. The transmission shifts fine. It has t-tops. I was also told that it had new bushings in the front, and all new universal joints, I did have an alignment done on it a couple years ago.
Ok here are things I know about it, it was run into a guard rail, as you can see from the pictures. It was not a direct hit, it was more of a scrape down the side. I located a new fender for it a couple of years ago in a popular vette magazine for around $300.00 if I remember right. The tires were new just before I received it. They still have alot of life in them. The brakes feel like they need to be bled. There are brakes, but very soft. The interior is an ugly original brown leather that is in rough shape. I found someone in Atlanta that was going to do a complete upgraded interior color change for $1,400.00. That included seats, dash, carpet, steering wheel, doors, anything that was brown. I will supply you with his info, if you would like.
I believe you may have to buy the driver side door panel, it doesn't stay on well, maybe just clips. Also to start it, you have to push the shifter forward? This is a 35 year old car and it noticeable, but if I was going to keep it, I was going to have body work done with new paint, interior redone and have a mechanic go through it. The car can be driven, but I would recommend it be trailered when purchased.
We can drive it up on the trailer. That is about all I know about it, oh it does not have a radio. When I drove it last summer all the blinkers, lights, wipers, etc. worked. Also mileage is unknown.
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For Sale: |
No |
Number of visits on this page by other users: 204
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