American Car World ? May 2002

By the Numbers

"Suppose you were intending to restore a Corvette to completely original factory specification, where would you start? Gathering accurate data is an important part of the procedure, and can be very time consuming if you don't know where to look. And while the part number can tell you if a component should fit, it cannot tell you if that part is what the car was originally manufactured with. Only the casting number can tell you what a part's exact model and year application is, when the item was manufactured and which plant made it.
So how do you get hold of this information? An easy way is to buy a copy of Corvette by the Numbers 1955-1982 by Alan Colvin (Bentley Publishers Price?[$49.95]). That's quite a price, but it gets you quite a book, at 596 pages with over 1,000 black and white photographs. Crammed with facts and figures, this book shows you where to look for the casting numbers on part and how to decipher their codes so you can be sure you have the correct part for your car.
If you're thinking of buying a Corvette, you'll be able to determine whether the description ?matching numbers' car is correct. You can cross reference casting numbers to the car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and avoid buying the wrong parts and, if you're interested in Corvette history, there are some fascinating stories that explain everything from mid-year running changes to production line idiosyncrasies. The publisher reckons that, whether you are new to Corvettes, or have been playing with them since you were a teenager, you'll learn something new from this book ? and I'm inclined to agree.
Not a book for reading in bed, but a volume that is sure to find a place on any Corvette specialist's shelf.?