VK3 & Early C3

[Tom R.]

Early C3s came with either the center grille or the license plate assembly hardware and attachment kit. It appears by looking at the AIM, that the center grille was base and VK3 ordered when the state required both front and rear license plate display. Anyone familiar with how these were supplied and confirm?

[Dave F.]

Re: VK3 & Early C3

When I took delivery of my new 68, it did not have the front license plate assembly. This was in a state that only required rear plates.

[Terry M.]

Re: VK3 & Early C3

What year(s) are you referring to Tom?

[Tom R.]

Re: VK3 & Early C3

It appears this was from 70 through 74...when center grilles were being equipped as base.

[Chuck S.]

Re: VK3 & Early C3

Tom, this is an interesting fact I didn't know, but your question caused me to do some research: In the 70 AIM, there are no special notes or other information that would indicate that the center grille (UPC11/13, Sheet A5) or the license plate bracket (UPC14, Sheet A3) was not a base car installation.

HOWEVER, if you look at UPC0(zero), there is a list of items that were shipped loose in the center storage compartment. There you see "LICENSE PLATE ATTACHMENT UNIT, UPC REF. 14", along with trim ring instruction sheet, the radio instruction sheet, the license plate frames, and other items. This indicates that the license plate bracket was installed during dealer delivery preparation.

I don't know if there were other codes on the order sheet that eliminated the placement of the license plate bracket in the center compartment for one plate states, but I assume that all 70s got the center grille regardless of state of delivery. In fact, my car had the center grille (Texas delivery, two plate state); one would assume that if the center grille waw deleted, it would have been on cars delivered to two plate states.

[Chuck S.]

After A Good Night's Rest...

Two new brain cells have flickered back to life, and these are the ones that contain more information on the "LICENSE PLATE ATTACHMENT UNIT". This was actually a small manila envelope with zinc plated hardware for attaching the license plates, and to the best of my knowledge, NOT the front license plate bracket.

In view of this, and considering the information in the AIM showing the center grille and license plate bracket as being installed during assembly, I am doubtful that any 70 Corvettes were delivered to one plate states without both items. However, it would have been easy enough for either the dealer or the new owner to remove the unused front license plate bracket during the dealer delivery prep or soon thereafter.

What happened other model years, I haven't nary a clue.

[Terry M.]

1970-72 front center grille

To the best of my knowledge, and we did look this up when we wrote the 1970-1972 TIM&JG in 1993, the center grille was provided to the dealer installed on all 1970-1972 Corvettes. The frame assy, and license attaching hardware was sent loose, along with other items, inside the car. We found no indication that there was any different treatment for cars going to one-plate states, or two-plate states.
I'll review the materials to be sure we didn't overlook something.

[John H.]

Re: 1970-72 front center grille

Recalling the years I spent in assembly plants, Chevrolet waffled back and forth several times on the VK3 issue over the years, although I don't recall the specifics for Corvette. For a while they only put front plate brackets in the trunk on cars destined for ordering dealers in "front-plate" states; then the "front-plate" state dealers bitched because they got cars without the bracket (especially as a result of state-to-state dealer swaps from "no-plate" to "front-plate" states) and had to order them to deliver the cars. So Chevrolet starting putting them in every car, and then the Chevy bean-counters bitched about the "giveaway". Then they went back to VK3 again, and changed back to "all cars" at least once again - don't know how it finally settled out.