I'm so confused....

[Larry S.]

Every now and then there's a comment about the number of C2 BB impersonators out there and their authenticity can't be disproved because the factory destroyed/lost the records. But how do we know, for example, that there were 20 1967 L88's and 16 1967 BB's with auto, air, and 400 hp produced? What am I missing?

I may have my numbers wrong, but I'm sure you know what I mean. Am I confusing apples and oranges?

[Donald T.]

Re: I'm so confused....

GM published production records which indicated the total number of cars produced with a certain option (20 1967 L88s). However, there are no records to determine which VINs are associated with those options. So without documentation accompanying the car (and sometimes even that is dubious), there is no way to verify what options a particular car was born with.

[John H.]

Re: I'm so confused....

Larry -

Chevrolet kept production records of the number of individual options produced (which are shown in the NCRS "Corvette Specifications Guide"), but not of all the possible number of combinations of different options that could be ordered on the same car.

However, the numbers produced of some of the combinations (of only two options at a time) can be derived from the ECL (Exception Control Letter) code description charts at the beginning of each option section for each year shown in the Noland Adams Restoration & Technical Guide (Vol. II, 1963-67).

Without getting into a lot of gory detail, the ECL system was computer-based, and each different ECL for a given option generated a different parts list for that option, which triggered the purchasing system to procure the parts required for that car, and triggered the Broadcast system in the plant to produce a Broadcast sheet for each car that showed the line workers exactly which parts to install on that car.

For instance, the C60 (air conditioning) option in '67 had twelve different ECL's that covered its parts requirements for use with every possible combination of body style, engine, and transmission, so using the C60 ECL chart shows us exactly how many of each of those unique combinations were built, plus the total.

[Larry S.]

Re: I'm so confused....

Thanks, Donald and John; that explains it. I'm trying to learn, and you guys are making it a lot easier.