Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

[Henry J.]

The Miscellaneous Shipping List (UPC 14, Sheet A3) of the 65 AIM indicates that a supplemental Owner's Guide (#3872422) was to be furnished along with the standard Owner's Guide (#3859589) in all new L78's (i.e. 396's). Shown below are pictures of a booklet, having the number (#3872422), which clearly applies, in part, to Corvettes with 396.

396 1.jpg396 2.jpg396 3.jpg396 4.jpg

The 65 TIM&JG makes no mention of this supplement in the section on glove box items.

Is there evidence that this supplement was indeed furnished with new 396's, as the AIM suggests?

[Joe L.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

The Miscellaneous Shipping List (UPC 14, Sheet A3) of the 65 AIM indicates that a supplemental Owner's Guide (#3872422) was to be furnished along with the standard Owner's Guide (#3859589) in all new L78's (i.e. 396's). Shown below are pictures of a booklet, having the number (#3872422), which clearly applies, in part, to Corvettes with 396.



The 65 TIM&JG makes no mention of this supplement in the section on glove box items.

Is there evidence that this supplement was indeed furnished with new 396's, as the AIM suggests?

Henry-------


I don't know if this supplement was supplied with 1965's, or not. However, it appears to me that very little of the information contained in the supplement would have been of much use to a 1965 Corvette L-78 owner. A Turbo-Hydramatic transmission was not used for any 1965 Corvette (or, any C2 Corvette, for that matter) and a fully synchronized 3 speed manual transmission was not used for 1965 Corvettes. So, the bulk of the information in the supplement was irrelevant for Corvette owners. Of course, that does not mean it was not supplied with the cars.

[Henry J.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

Yes Joe, I agree.

The only aspects of this supplement that would be of use/interest to a new 396 Corvette owner are the maintenance specifications for the new big block engine. This information would be particularly useful if the standard 65 Owner's Manual (#3859589), both first and second editions, contain no information about the new 396 engine. I don't have any of the #3859589 Owner's Guides, so I have no idea whether any one of them refer to the 396.

[Edward S.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

I had a L78 for 12 years - when I first got it I had a repro. booklet with a repro 396 insert. After a few years I saw an ad on e-bay about a owners manual from a 65 vette called about the item spoke to the sonof the orig. owner who passed away and the family sold the car. The son had come across the manual and put it for sale at the price that repros were going for. When I spoke to him I asked about the 396 insert was it in the booklet. He called back to tell me he didn't look for it at first, he found it in the manual. I did purchase it from him - was quite a difference from the repro in terms of color - repro was in black & white, the original had pages that were half in color. Never did see another one

[Carl N.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

Agree that this would have limited application to Corvette. In all the years I have tracked these cars and other 396 applications in '65, I have never seen one with documents in any car. But anything is possible.

[Henry J.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

Ed:

Thank you for your information, particularly your comments about the color on some pages.

From your experience, it appears that at least one Corvette was suppied with this supplemental booklet.

[Henry J.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

Perhaps someone who has access to a standard 65 Corvette Owner's Guide - particularly the second edition - can report on whether there is any mention therein of the 396 engine.

[Dave S.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

Perhaps someone who has access to a standard 65 Corvette Owner's Guide - particularly the second edition - can report on whether there is any mention therein of the 396 engine.

The second edition 1965 OM makes no mention of the 396 anywhere. It does however have 375 HP Fuel Injection information.

[Henry J.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

Dave:

Thank you for this bit of information.

I can't imagine Chevrolet offering a car to the general public without providing useful information regarding performance/maintenance/servicing of the engine. Doing so would be out-of-keeping with normal practice. Without the supplemental booklet, a new L78 Corvette owner would have no such information.

This logic strongly implies that the booklet was included in the glove box items with a new L78.

[Edward S.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

From what I remember the supplement was always inserted into the regular manual - not stapled. etc. in any way. The fellow I bought mine from had no idea the insert was in the manual until I asked him to look.

[Henry J.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

Ed:

This is excellent information. Thank you.

[Pancho T.]

Re: Supplemental Owner's Guide for 65 L78's?

I have had four 65 L78s including 28K mile virtually untouched car that had original paperwork back to day 1. That car did not have the supplement with it. Only one of others that was at somewhat original did have the attachment with it. I also had a very well documented June built 300hp car that did have the supplement in the packet. So who knows.