1962 RPOs from a VIN?

[Mike Mazur]

I bought a 1962 Vette and the seller did not have any original vehicle information. I would like to know what were the original productions options for my vehicle (exterior/interior color, engine, etc.) Is there a way to find out this information from a VIN?

Also did the 62 only come with painted steel wheels with hubcaps? or was there another option?

[Joe L.]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

Mike-----

There is NO way to ascertain originally installed options from the VIN on a 1962 Corvette. Not even the engine option can be so-discerned, let alone other options. Engine options weren't even coded into the VIN until 10 years later for the 1972 model year. Most other options were never coded into the VIN for Corvettes.

All 1962 Corvettes were supplied with painted wheels and wheel covers. I believe that cars equipped with HD brakes used the smaller hub caps and not the full wheel covers.

[Eric J.]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

Mike, Welcome to Corvette ownership. Your 62 is a very nice year. You can check the engine stamping if it is still there and see what HP/transmission came with your vette. The stamp pad is in front of the passenger side cylinder head. here should be a number/letter combination. If you post it someone on the board will be able to break it down for you. There are other ways of checking original color (Grease pencil behind the passenger seat) etc. That are not as easy but are doable. Eric W. Jackson

[Mike M.]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

Joe: in 61 and i suspect 62 also, MOST big brake vets were shipped with the 15x5 1/2 wheels which mandated the dog dish hub caps( off full size chevy) but one had to pay extra for the 15 x 5 1/2 wheels. hence not all big brakers came with dog dishes. One could order a lo HP powerglide and get the 15 x 5 1/2 IF they ordered the wheels. regards, mike

[Mike M.]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

mike: assuming the tach is original, you can determine whether the orig engine was a solid lifter engine or a hydraulic cam'd engine. See judging reference manual for red lines. There are also some items found only on FI 62's , such as the core support on left side and the left inner skirt nut plate and the location on the firewall where the assembly line workers drilled the hole for the tach drive cable housing.What you need to do is get the judging manuals, get out on the NCRS judging fields where the judges can poiint out SOME of the things that may help you narrow down the origins of the engine should the engine pad, as mentioned in a previous post, prove to not be the original engine. good luck, mike

[Edward L.]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

It is possible to determine the original color by removing the passenger seat back and lightly scraping the bulkhead. The exterior color was written there in grease pencil and was covered during the painting process. If the car came with a hard top, this will be designated with a H/T.

[Christer Arakangas]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

How is the color coded when written with the grease pen? I tried it on my '62, and found something written there, but it is really hard to read. I can find a few characters written with a green pen. It looks like NERY or IVERY or similar. Can anyone decipher it for me?

I think that the car may have been white.

Thanks,

Christer in Sweden

[Mike M.]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

probably reads ivory which would be the almond beige exterior color in 62. mike

[Dennis C.]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

IVORY is the asembly line designation for WHITE.

RPO 276 15 x 5.5" "wide base" wheels from at least 1958 - 1962 were a no charge stand alone option and came with the smaller hubcaps, mainly because the outer wheel rim did not have the 4 nubs to retain the full wheel cover.

The appearance of wide wheels has absolutely nothing to do with any other option the car may or may not have had. That being said, it is probably likely that a purchaser wanting to step up the H/D brakes/steering package would normally opt for the no cost wider wheels.

[Christer Arakangas]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

Thanks,

When I check again, it is clear that it says IVORY.

Christer

[Dennis C.]

Re: 1962 RPOs from a VIN?

"IVORY" is the standard usage for a 1958 Snowcrest White or a 1962 Ermine White.
'58's in the trunk, '62's behind the passenger seat... The early-bird trim tag.