Key-fob delivered with keys?

[Oliver B.]

Hi guys,
has there been a key fob delivered with the car's keys originally? If so, by GM or was it a dearler "give-away"?

Here the fob, that came with my car (1977), when I bought it some 16 years ago... Is it original?

[Tom H.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

As far as I can recall, no fobs were ever delivered with the cars.

[Hugh A.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

My 78 only came with a dealer supplied fob. I bought a fob that looks very much like your pic from corvette central.

[Steven B.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

My '77 and '78 SA neither one came with a fob. I have some now, two grey and two black fobs, one similiar to your pic. Alot of these aftermarket fobs were sold and are still available with C1 through C6 emblems. I know of no years with factory supplied fobs.

[John D.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

Peter Lindahl will most likely comment on this. For 63 the keys came with a very small blackened wire ring. Judging doesn't mention this wire ring but it's a very hard one to find. Peter gave me one a few years ago. Maybe he could put a pic up here of one as I imagine it was used for many years. Now you did mention fob. I am just talking about the wire ring.
The closest I could find to the correct wire ring was at Lowe's in the door lock section. John

[Steven B.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

I just checked my '78 SA documents and I still have the wire ring with 4 key plugs on it. The silver ring is approx. 0.75 inch outside diameter. It is attached to 4 brass plug knock outs and a 1.75 inch tall X 1.25 inch wide paper in a plastic sleeve. Both sides of the paper have printed:

YEAR_____________
MAKE____________
MODEL___________
COLOR___________
SER. #___________
CODE___________

290

The back side has none of the above lines filled in but the front side has the following hand printed in black ink filled in with upper case and lower case as indicated:

1978
Chev
CORVEttE
SilvER

There is a 0.25 inch hole approx. 1/8th inch down from the top and 0.50 inch from either side punched in the paperand plastic sleeve for the ring.

'Sorry I can't do pics now but the copier/scanner anddigital camera are all broken!

Steve

[Terry M.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

I got a key holder. Leather-like material with the dealer's logo embosed on it. Obviously supplied by the dealer. I would expect the factory keys to be on a wire ring.

Maybe Ralph Spears will tell us his story and haow he knows how the keys came from the factory.

[John H.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

I just checked my '78 SA documents and I still have the wire ring with 4 key plugs on it. The silver ring is approx. 0.75 inch outside diameter. It is attached to 4 brass plug knock outs and a 1.75 inch tall X 1.25 inch wide paper in a plastic sleeve. Both sides of the paper have printed:

YEAR_____________
MAKE____________
MODEL___________
COLOR___________
SER. #___________
CODE___________

290
Steve

Sounds like a standard dealer stock # tag.

[Steven B.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

Sounds like a standard dealer stock # tag.

I believe it is. I was surprised that the 4 knock outs were still on it.

Possibly () the ring was factory and the tag dealer??? Was the ignition
key in the ignition during transport from factory to dealer? The other
key or keys in an envelope or on a ring? How many keys were delivered with the car from the factory, 2 or 4 or?

[Terry M.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

Steve,
Send an email through this board to Ralph Spears. He worked at a dealership in new car prep in the late '60s and early '70s. He also worked at the rail terminal in Framingham Mass in the 1973-74 range. During that time St. Louis shipped Corvettes to Framingham by rain. They were transferred to car carriers in the yards where Ralph worked. I was hoping he would see this post.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised the practices regarding keys changed over the years, and what was true for early C3s may not have been true for cars much earlier or later.

[Peter L.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

I agree with John on the tag being a Dealer stock tag. I checked a bunch of tags I have like that and I did not see any GM Part Number on them so they were probably not a GM item. Still have the Dealer tag with the KOs from my 86 Chevy Van and it has no supplier's name; but some of the others indicate Victor Key Tags, and Dealers Supply Company and there are probably many others. All these tags came with 7/8" dia. wire ring; but I'm sure other the wire ring size depended on the supplier. Pete

[John D.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

Where in God's name have you been Peter??? About time you reply. Tell them more info on the small wire ring that the two keys came with in say in 63,etc. I appreciate the one you gave me got the LWC.
I see that with CC's new 5th now your orange plug sales must be way down. JD

[Michael H.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

I agree with John on the tag being a Dealer stock tag. I checked a bunch of tags I have like that and I did not see any GM Part Number on them so they were probably not a GM item. Still have the Dealer tag with the KOs from my 86 Chevy Van and it has no supplier's name; but some of the others indicate Victor Key Tags, and Dealers Supply Company and there are probably many others. All these tags came with 7/8" dia. wire ring; but I'm sure other the wire ring size depended on the supplier. Pete

Peter, you are absolutely correct. New cars arrived at the dealer with just the keys and ring.
One of the very first things that the new car department at the dealer did was issue a stock number for each car and attach the keys to the tag that I.D'd the car in their inventory.

Many dealers also attached a small tag to the back side of the inside rear view mirror that had the stock number on it. Without it, it would have been difficult for anyone in the new car dept to find a unit in inventory.

The St Louis Corvette assembly plant didn't use key tags.

[Steven B.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

Steve,
Send an email through this board to Ralph Spears. He worked at a dealership in new car prep in the late '60s and early '70s. He also worked at the rail terminal in Framingham Mass in the 1973-74 range. During that time St. Louis shipped Corvettes to Framingham by rain. They were transferred to car carriers in the yards where Ralph worked. I was hoping he would see this post.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised the practices regarding keys changed over the years, and what was true for early C3s may not have been true for cars much earlier or later.

Great idea Terry! It is sent!

Thanks!

Steve

[Steven B.]

Re: Key-fob delivered with keys?

I checked my dealer tag and unfortunately there is no printer name on it. Since my '77 came from the same dealer I wanted to check that dealer tag and compare but all I appear to have in file is the small metal ring for it.