what is the difference between an early or late 1976 vette. how do you tell which you got?
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Re: 1976 Early-Late???difference
Frequently, the difference between an "early" and a "late" version of a car is going to depend on the particular part being discussed. As running changes are made during a model year, you end up with "first", "second", "early", or "late" designs for a number of parts. A car that has the early design of one part could very well end up with the late design of another part. This sort of thing provides great entertainment to restorers years down the road.
From this, it can obviously be hard to discuss in general terms the differences between an early and a late '76. One difference that can be readily noted is the "corvette" emblem on the rear bumper. In '76 there were two different ones. I believe the first design had a smaller emblem and was recessed into an indentation into the bumper, while the later design had a larger emblem and was not recessed into the bumper. This also implies that there were two styles of rear bumpers in '76.
Since, I've got a '75 coupe, I haven't paid strict attention to the variations between different '76s, but I've had a number of friends with '76's, and so I've noticed some differences. The NCRS Technical Information manual that covers the 75-77 model years goes into more detail than I can provide.
Bill Baird
Bill Baird
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