The First '68 Coupe?? - NCRS Discussion Boards

The First '68 Coupe??

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Gordon Peterson #4961

    The First '68 Coupe??

    Hi all -

    My focus is on the Mid-years, and my documentation on C-3's is fairly limited.

    A friend of mine is the original owner of a '68 coupe s/n 194378S413686. He believes it was one of the first '68 coupes made. He worked for GM at the time and knows it was used by Chevy Engineering to test various rear window seal designs before it was sold to him.

    He has raced this car virtually since he bought it, and now has a newfound interest in learning more about this old - and surprisingly original - veteran and hopefully bringing the car back to original.

    He asked me if the s/n of the first '68 coupe was known and when it was made. All I know is that the release of the '68 coupes was delayed. Any help? THANKS!

    Pete

    P.S. - I am working hard on getting this guy into the NCRS.
  • Mike M.
    NCRS Past President
    • May 31, 1974
    • 8365

    #2
    Re: The First '68 Coupe??

    i'm not much into c-3's either but the vin # indicates its the 13,696th vet built that year and i doubt the first 13,695 vettes were roadsters. mike

    Comment

    • George C.
      Expired
      • December 1, 1988
      • 583

      #3
      Re: The First '68 Coupe??

      Pete, I say yes it is possible that this could be one of the first Coupes built or maybe it is the first one built. It could have been a GM exec car "PEP" (test vehicle).Did your friend say how he bought it(GM employee), or at what Chevrolt Dealer was it delivered to ? The 1968 Corvette Coupe # 13,686 was built the 1st or 2nd week of March 68, as you know the 68 Corvette Coupe was delayed several times for a whole lot of problems. The new 68 Coupe did not start going to the dealers until the end of March 68 and early April 68. So with a total build of 28,566, St. Louis you know had to catch up with the demand of Coupes and with only a little more than 5 months left in the model year St. Louis pumped out as many Coupes as possible. People were waiting to have that new style and Zora wanted to get it out to the customer bad. Need the paper work and more input from other members. Hope this is some help. Save the Wave.>George

      Comment

      • Patrick H.
        Beyond Control Poster
        • December 1, 1989
        • 11608

        #4
        Re: The First '68 Coupe??

        John Hinckley should be able to help with this one, or Terry McManmon.

        Coupes were delayed (per my recollection) at least until January of 1968, so yes, Mike, there were that many more convertibles in 1968.

        Per the stories Hinckley tells, EVERY 1968 was a rolling testbed for leaks.

        Patrick
        Vice-Chairman (West), Michigan Chapter NCRS
        71 "deer modified" coupe
        72 5-Star Bowtie / Duntov coupe. https://www.flickr.com/photos/124695...57649252735124
        2008 coupe
        Available stickers: Engine suffix code, exhaust tips & mufflers, shocks, AIR diverter valve broadcast code.

        Comment

        • Reba Whittington

          #5
          Re: The First '68 Coupe??

          Like Mike, I first thought no way for this to be the first coupe, but George's post jarred a memory. I placed an order for one in August 1967 and it was finally delivered around April 1, 1968.

          Comment

          • Mike M.
            NCRS Past President
            • May 31, 1974
            • 8365

            #6
            Re: The First '68 Coupe??

            i knew i'd be stepping on my tally posting a c=3 related response. sorry guys. mike

            Comment

            • Gary Bishop

              #7
              At least you were willing to answer. *NM*

              Comment

              • John H.
                Beyond Control Poster
                • December 1, 1997
                • 16513

                #8
                Re: The First '68 Coupe??

                The initial design for the '68 coupe had a one-piece "Targa" removable roof panel like the Porsche, but you couldn't remove or install it on the prototypes unless the car was on parked on a surface plate due to body and frame torsional deflection; the 2-piece roof center-bar T-Top design that replaced it was a "crash" design program, and wasn't ready at launch. It went through several detail iterations as the second and third generations of prototypes were built and tested, and the few coupes built during the late phases of the launch were built with temporary tooling and hand-made parts and went straight to the Tech Center for testing and development. Production parts and tooling weren't ready until well after the first of the year, and those first production coupes were a water-test nightmare; more Engineering Changes were written on the '68 launch than for any other Corvette program in history. Chevrolet Purchasing had to put most of the suppliers of convertible-specific parts on full overtime or three shifts in order to support a 100% convertible build plan for the first four or five months of production. The convertible launch was bad enough (design, parts, suppliers and tooling not ready), but the later coupe launch made it look like a cake-walk. Ed Teske, Jack Gerbic, John Evans, George Barlos, Phil Hawkins, and the rest of the crew at St. Louis probably still had nightmares about that launch when they retired; I know my guys in Production Engineering and Assembly Tooling never forgot it

                Comment

                • Gordon Peterson #4961

                  #9
                  Re: The First '68 Coupe??

                  THANK YOU ALL!

                  Mike, you mirrored my initial thoughts on this - how could this be? And after reflecting on the known delayed coupe release that year, I thought I'd better post it to see if it might be true. That and the fact that my friend absolutely insists, despite the s/n, that this is a very early '68 coupe.

                  George, Patrick, Reba, and John, I will pass your info back to my friend to see if I can stimulate him into joining this discussion directly. He's got some great stories to tell about this car. It is my understanding that he did buy it through the GM employee purchase program at that time.

                  In thinking about this unusual "delayed release" situation, I'm a little surprised that someone didn't jump right in here with the s/n and build date of the first '68 coupe(s). This odd fact is documented somewhere. And wouldn't this make one GREAT Corvette trivia question!!

                  Pete

                  Comment

                  • Patrick H.
                    Beyond Control Poster
                    • December 1, 1989
                    • 11608

                    #10
                    Re: The First '68 Coupe??

                    George,

                    The correct answer is that the serial number of the first coupe WAS documented. The chance of that bit of trivia still surviving is between slim and none.

                    Terry M may be able to tell us the first 68 coupe in the NCRS survey.

                    Patrick
                    Vice-Chairman (West), Michigan Chapter NCRS
                    71 "deer modified" coupe
                    72 5-Star Bowtie / Duntov coupe. https://www.flickr.com/photos/124695...57649252735124
                    2008 coupe
                    Available stickers: Engine suffix code, exhaust tips & mufflers, shocks, AIR diverter valve broadcast code.

                    Comment

                    • Rich G.
                      Extremely Frequent Poster
                      • August 31, 2002
                      • 1396

                      #11
                      Re: The First '68 Coupe??

                      There is a 68 registry on the web. I just looked at it and found 2 coupes, with pictures, with lower serial numbers. One was in the 12000 range and the other was in the 9000 range. The 9000 one may be a transcription error. My friend owns a 68 coupe which I think has an 11000 serial #. I'll check that. This 68 registry could be all wet, as most people apparently did not understand how to enter their VIN, so this is REFERENCE ONLY.

                      Rich Giannotti
                      1966 L79 Convertible. Milano Maroon
                      1968 L71 Coupe. Rally Red (Sold 6/21)
                      1963 Corvair Monza Convertible

                      Comment

                      • Rich G.
                        Extremely Frequent Poster
                        • August 31, 2002
                        • 1396

                        #12
                        Re: The First '68 Coupe??

                        The following are some of the coupes, body style 37, listed on the 68 registry.
                        6360
                        8456
                        8840...Body Build F 11
                        9819
                        9878...Body Build F 24
                        9968...Body Build F 25
                        11271..Body Build G 13
                        12018
                        12709..Body Build G 29
                        13219..Body Build H 06

                        S/N 4102 is also listed as a coupe, but there is another entry with 4102 as a vert, so either there's a typo, or somebody has a fake car

                        Hope this helps.

                        Rich Giannotti
                        1966 L79 Convertible. Milano Maroon
                        1968 L71 Coupe. Rally Red (Sold 6/21)
                        1963 Corvair Monza Convertible

                        Comment

                        • Terry M.
                          Beyond Control Poster
                          • September 30, 1980
                          • 15573

                          #13
                          Re: The First '68 Coupe??

                          1968 # 8650 and 8671 are both coupes. Trim tags show F09 -- Jan 9, 1968. There may be some earlier for all I know, but these are cars I or reliable individuals have seen. I would be interested in communicating with your friend regarding the history of his car, nonetheless.
                          Terry

                          Comment

                          • Gordon Peterson #4961

                            #14
                            Re: The First '68 Coupe??

                            Rich, are you looking at the vettefinders.com '68 registry? I found that one using Google, but there's one little oversight - they never ask if the car is a coupe or a convertible! And without a picture, it's anyone's guess. There is a picture of a coupe in the 9000 range tho.

                            Terry, my friend is named Tom Runstrum, and he says he will try to join the NCRS forum this weekend. If he is unsuccessful, I will have him get in touch with you (and Reba Wittington) directly.

                            A middle-of-the-night thought - there are some very early examples of '68 coupes out there because at least three made it into the '68 Sales brochure.

                            Pete

                            Comment

                            • Michael Jones

                              #15
                              Re: The First '68 Coupe??

                              I too placed an order for a '68 coupe around August of 1967 at Jim Rathmann Chevrolet in Melbourne, FL.

                              I had ordered it with air conditioning but when I saw the new styling and T-top design I went into the dealership and asked if it was too late to amend my order. They made the change and dropped the AC (Big Mistake) and the Long Wait began! I got a call from Rathmann's in late February, and I'll never forget one of the happiest days of my life was going down to pick that car up. I spent the night in it that day! Ah, the smell of new Corvette leather!

                              That day was February 29, 1968. I remember it well because it was a leap year.

                              It's VIN ended in S41218. Is the serial # part of that?

                              This was supposedly the first '68 coupe delivered in central Florida according to Rathmann.

                              I remember being in a restaurant about 2 weeks later where I parked my shiney new Vette. It drew attention! While we were eating, some guy comes into the restaurant and bellows loudly: "Whose red Corvette is that out in the parking lot?" The place grew quiet. I said it was mine. I was sure he had dinged the door or something worse. After settling down, he accused me of highjacking "HIS" car! He'd ordered one from Rathmann's in August also. He rattled off a list of options: maroon w/black leather interior - YES, 4-speed - YES, 427 engine - YES but alas, mine was the 390hp and he had ordered the 435hp version. I never saw him again - I hope he finally got his car! I wish I still had mine!

                              Mike

                              Comment

                              Working...

                              Debug Information

                              Searching...Please wait.
                              An unexpected error was returned: 'Your submission could not be processed because you have logged in since the previous page was loaded.

                              Please push the back button and reload the previous window.'
                              An unexpected error was returned: 'Your submission could not be processed because the token has expired.

                              Please push the back button and reload the previous window.'
                              An internal error has occurred and the module cannot be displayed.
                              There are no results that meet this criteria.
                              Search Result for "|||"