NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

[John W.]

I got a note the other day that I had not updated the C5 and C6 sections on the NCRS Lingo Page. When I updated it, I noticed what appears to be the origination of the C designations. I would like to expand on the explanation and to further clarify what is on the page.

From the Lingo Page, terms with an * are taken from an official GM Abbreviations/Acronyms Manual.

C3

1968 - 1982 Corvettes. Includes 1968 Shark, and 1969 - 1976 Stingray years.

CAE, CAD and CAM (3 C's) Command, communications and control *

C4

1983 - 1996 *note: There were no 1983 production cars due to plant change over from St. Louis to Bowling Green.

CAE, CAD, CAM and CIM (4 C's) computer-controlled catalytic converter system *

As you can see these acronyms were apparently started based on the emission control systems on the C3's and C4's. There is no C1 or C2 in the GM Abbreviations/Acronyms Manual.

I need to provide definitions for the CAE, CAD, CAM, and CIM. Can anyone provide official definitions for these terms.

Now the problem becomes how to define C1 and C2, C5 and C6. Technically the C1 would be C0 since they had no CAE, CAD, CAM or CIM. Not sure the C2's had any of these either.

Next question is what additional C acronyms make up the C5 and C6?

All documented input is appreciated.

[Jacob A.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

Thats really cool!

I always just thought it was C-1, Corvette 1st generation. C-2 second, and so on...

Thanks for sharing, can't wait to learn more!

Jacob
# 40987

[William C.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

Actually, when I first heard the term was in a Corvette Pre-release drive in 1983, and was told that it referred to the fourth generation Corvette series, similarly the "new" Camaro being designed in the late eighties was a F4 designation. I never heard the term used in a car program before the early 80's as GM had always used number codes GM-10, GM-30 or singal letter codes L-N-H and the like for program identification. Corvette was the "Y" car for many years.

[Warren S.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

It would be a lot simpler if ALL the letter designations were dropped and denote that you have 67 Corvette 427cu. 435 hp. or whatever year and horsepower. Some people just don't have the time and a ready reference at hand at all times to look up C this and C that. It sure was a lot eavier on the old brain than it is now.

[Verle R.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

CAE - Computer Aided Engineering
CAD - Computer Aided Design
CAM - Computer Aided Manufacturing
CIM - possibly Common Informational Model - Computer networking term

The new Corvettes have multiple computers which communicate with each other.

They probably model the network....

pure guessing, someone else come up with this one.

Verle

[Verle R.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

(CIM) is manufacturing supported by computers.

It is the total integration of Computer Aided Design / Manufacturing and also other business operations and databases.

I think this the real answer. My previous guess was just exactly that.

Verle

[Mark S. Lovejoy]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

I think Verle is spot on.

Mark

[Loren L.]

Sorry, John

"There were no 1983 production cars due to a plant changeover from St Louis to Bowling Green.". Wasn't it 1981 when both St Louis and Bowling Green built cars? And there were 1983's, just none released to the public. Engineering supposedly "used them up" as test cars.
I saw one, #27 as I recall, wired up with al the sensors at the Millard Fillmore Corvette event, Labor Day 1984, and it had been brought in by either Scott Leon or Jim Contes of the Desert Proving Ground.

[Art A.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

John, I'm not sure how to respond to your query about the "C" designations as I'm not at home with my data, and won't be until late April. However, I can tell you this.................

You stated, " I noticed what appears to be the origination of the C designations",however, I think you are reading something into the data from the Abbreviations/Acronyms Manual that isn't there. We did not use the C-1,C-2,C-3,C-4,C-5,C-6 as an engineering or design classification. The "C-" designations were created by the Corvette world OUTSIDE of GM and should not appear in the Abbreviations/Acronyms Manual as such.

GM does use the "C-" terminology in some public relation materials that are geared to the outside Corvette world.

As far as the "CAE, CAD, CAM, and CIM', definitions go, I can't recall each of them off the top of my pea brain or maybe crs is creeping in, but I'm pretty sure that they are in the manual .............which of course is at home.

Art

[Kent K.]

Agree with Loren

Plant change over was 1981. No 1983 Corvettes sold to the public. All 50 were for testing, however, one of them GM donated to the National Corvette Museum. It had/has a white exterior, interior color I don't remember since it was a long time ago when I saw it in the assembly plant lobby during our museum Building and Grounds committee tour(?) prior to museum building construction. Does the museum still have it?
Kent #6201

P.S. - As one of the museum founders, I served on the Building and Grounds committee to select the architect for the building.

[Art A.]

Re: Agree with Loren

Kent, to my knowledge, the NCM still has the only legitimate 1983 Corvette.
Around the time that GM was considering donating the vehicle to the museum so they could raffle it off, I was asked to research the possibility of making the vehicle able to be licensed. The Federal certification process (which as you probably know is a very involved and expensive process)would have had to be completed. Since that wasn't going to happen, GM loaned it to the NCM for display as they do with most of the vehicles that are in various museums and schools.

BTW, there were only 43 1983 Corvettes produces.

Some day I may donate the 1983 AIM I have to the NCM.

Art
P.S. I, also a founding member, was the first person the NCRS (amongst others) committee contacted at GM to start the investigation process within GM to see if GM would "help" build a museum on the corner of the assembly plant grounds.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Agree with Loren

Kent, I beleive it is still there, and maybe more than one...If it's the one I think it was, it still had the white exterior, but it was a low gloss white, almost flat (That could have been for the display though...all the people and their clothes were flat white too. )

There were a couple of C4 cars in development diorama displays...seems like one of these was smashed, and another had body panels missing or cut out to expose the inner workings.

[John W.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

Art,

Thanks for your reply.

Directly from the GM ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS Book 4-21-89 REV:3-01-90.

C3

CAE, CAD and CAM

command, communications and control

C4

CAE, CAD, CAM and CIM (4 C's)

computer-controlled catalytic converter system

I may be reading into this something that has nothing to do with the C1-C6 designations that we all are familiar with. The definition given is not very complete. Can you or anyone elaborate on what these terms apply to if not the model groups we are familiar with. What do CAE, CAD and CAM have to do with command, communications and control vs Computer Aided Engineering, Computer Aided Design, and Computer Aided Manufacturing? In the case of C4 what do they have to do with computer-controlled catalytic converter system?

Should I be reading it as two definitions of the Acronym C3 or C4? Does C3 stand for CAE, CAD and CAM (OR) command, communications and control?

If this is the case should C3 and C4 also include the common (not GM originated) terms for 1968 - 1982 and 1983(4) - 1996.

Thanks for the feedback. I am just trying to make the NCRS Lingo as accurate as it is possible to do.

[Chuck S.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

John...You are correct that you have misread the commonly used C1-C6 generation designations as having ANYTHING to do with CAD, CAM, CIM terminology as General Motors uses it.

I believe Art is correct in saying the generation designations originated in the OUTSIDE Corvette world. That doesn't mean that Corvette engineers don't use the informal designations loosely at work...I think they understand the nomenclature, and might occasionally use it informally in communicating, but it would have been picked up from rubbing elbows with Corvette owners at the NCM, and other PR meetings with the public. Doubtful the generation designation use is official GMSpeak.

IMO...FOR YOUR PURPOSES...I would not tie the C3-C4 designations to CAD, CAM, CIM, etc. If it means anything special to GM anymore, I highly doubt that anyone contributing here would be using it in that way...confusion is the more likely result.

[Art A.]

Re: NCRS Lingo Defined Question C1-C6

Chucks easement is spot on.

Art