Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

[Tim G.]

I’m getting a 1400 mile ‘71 ready for Flight Judging and lots of operations items need attention. Once I got the wipers working the next thing on the list were getting the squirters to work. A quick test to see if water would even pass through the hoses that hook up directly to the wipers showed the drivers side was blocked, I couldn’t get air to pass through much less water.
I really don’t think the squirters have ever been tested on this car. That seemed to prove true when I spotted the hose kinked on the drivers side right by the base of the wiper. Once straightened out, air and water flowed properly. Could this have been non-operational from day one? Here’s a picture of the kinked hose on the driver's side, you can see where it was folded over for 50 years (maybe).

[Eric P.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

Tim,
What an interesting post, and predicament to be in. Do I fix this or not? I would guess many of the "Warranty" complaints dealers dealt with back then had to do with things like this. Along with component parts failures being a big part of their problems, there were likely things that didn't fit or assemble properly on the line. The dealers didn't catch at prep or have the time and or training themselves to remedy all of the problems. So on to the new owner to either tolerate, deal with themselves, or bring it back until it was fixed. It should be very interesting to see the reaction from our membership, especially those knowledgeable (and I am not) of how the judging process views this, and to tell the owners of low mileage cars if they should fix these suspected factory issues and oversights or not? I assume I know the answer, but one could make an argument for these type of issues either way.

Good luck with the judging preparations, and your pursuit of the NCRS awards. Sounds like a great Corvette for the NCRS to see!

[Terry M.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

The first Corvette I bought new was a 1969. It was raining when I took delivery. The wipers worked fine until I crossed a set of railroad tracks about a mile from the dealership. The wiper door closed on the operating wipers as I drove over the tracks. I returned to the dealership, and the rest of the story is a fiasco since the only person there on a weekend was the porter, and none of us knew anything about the Corvette vacuum system -- not to mention none of us had much in the line of tools. This is one of those "If I had known then what I know now" stories..

Many years later I was helping an owner prepare his 1974 for PV. As I recall the car had less than 3000 miles on it. The flap that opens to allow outside air into the engine air cleaner didn't work. The switch on the throttle linkage had never been connected to the electrical system.

I was involved with a 1972 that was delivered to the original owner with only the square (Ignition & door) key. I was asked how to get the spare tire down. Ordinarily that requires the oval shaped key which was, at the time, non-existent. The second owner was anxious to see the spare tire and didn't want to wait for a new key to be made. I showed him how to let the spare down without a key. I am sure we were the first people to see that tire after the installer at St. Louis some more or less 40 years previous. I don't recall the mileage on that car.

I could go on and on. When one is active in NCRS, and for a while National Team Leader, one gets these kinds of requests. As to your last question: Fix it for the PV -- I guarantee your car will fail otherwise. If you want to take pictures for historical reason, as you have, that is fine. They will make for interesting conversation with the NTL when you do your PV, and will show him your attention to detail.

[Edward J.]

[Mark F.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

Tim, being a Tech. In the 70’s and 80’s for a Chevy dealership...Sloppy prep was a common thing, The tech. Use to get about 3 hrs. To prep a Corvette for delivery in the 70’s to about 82, And in the C4 era times started dropping because of less to do at prep...

Edward,
Can you give a quick summary (bullet list) of what Corvette prep involved when you were a tech doing them?

[Tim G.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

This glitch has been fixed and it works properly now. I didn't want to leave those 25 points in the parking lot.

[Joe L.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

[QUOTE=Terry McManmon (3966);901461]The first Corvette I bought new was a 1969. It was raining when I took delivery. The wipers worked fine until I crossed a set of railroad tracks about a mile from the dealership. The wiper door closed on the operating wipers as I drove over the tracks.

Terry------

My 1969 wiper door always closed on the left side wiper blade since the very first time I used the wipers after I took original delivery of the car on 9/30/1969. It still does to this day. Whenever I used the wipers I always used the pull-down wiper door switch to keep the door open until the wiper blades were completely at the stops. Of course, I really did not use the wipers very much even though I drove the car daily for 7 years. In fact, the original wiper blades are still on the car; I never replaced them.

[Frank D.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

Ha! I worked in post-sales in the used car and new car biz in the 60' in Norfolk ; Kimnach Ford, Wilikins Chevrolet, Lurhing Rambler (yeah Rambler) and a Cadillac dealer whose name escapes me. Many cars had issues from the time they rolled off the car carriers - A/C that didn't work, wiper issues, electrical/lighting problems, some REALLY sorry paint jobs, ill fitting components, boogered up interiors. Remember these cars are from a time before Edward Demming's quality principles migrated to us from Japan.<br />
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Having said all that its a testimonial that these cars are still around and driveable; I question whether the econobx models with computers controlling everything sold today will have a smiliar lifespan.

[Terry M.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

[QUOTE=Joe Lucia (12484);901471]

The first Corvette I bought new was a 1969. It was raining when I took delivery. The wipers worked fine until I crossed a set of railroad tracks about a mile from the dealership. The wiper door closed on the operating wipers as I drove over the tracks.

Terry------

My 1969 wiper door always closed on the left side wiper blade since the very first time I used the wipers after I took original delivery of the car on 9/30/1969. It still does to this day. Whenever I used the wipers I always used the pull-down wiper door switch to keep the door open until the wiper blades were completely at the stops. Of course, I really did not use the wipers very much even though I drove the car daily for 7 years. In fact, the original wiper blades are still on the car; I never replaced them.

As I said, Joe, "If I would have known then what I know now." I took delivery without reading the Owner's Manual and the salesman (the dealership owner) was as clueless as I was. Neither of us, nor the porter knew there was an override control. We were all "blind", so there was no-one to be the leader. We did get the door off so I could get home and returned later, during the week, to have the door reinstalled. The mechanic (they weren't called techs for another several decades) showed me some of those controls when he fixed what we had done to the door, but it wasn't until my next Corvette (the 1970 with missing parts from St. Luis, but that's another story) that I learned more about vacuum systems and their operation.

[Leif A.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

Wasn't it Noland Adams who once said (and, I paraphrase)..."a new car rolling off the assembly line couldn't achieve a Top Flight back in the day".

I'm sure he was only somewhat kidding.

[Edward J.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

Edward,
Can you give a quick summary (bullet list) of what Corvette prep involved when you were a tech doing them?

Mark, there was a check list We used a sheet off paper with line items listed, basically it was a operation check list,lights, key and locks,checking for leaks, nuts and bolts check, wheel lug torque, installing components in back of car, Front Air dam, trim rings and center cap when they had them, a 11 mile road test listen for squeaks and rattles, air leaks, water test T-tops windows (we had a shower head made up, gassing up the cars, filling washer reservoir, checking and topping off all fluid levels, there were other things also checked.once completed it was signed off by tech and Service Manager.

[Terry M.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

Mark, there was a check list We used a sheet off paper with line items listed, basically it was a operation check list,lights, key and locks,checking for leaks, nuts and bolts check, wheel lug torque, installing components in back of car, Front Air dam, trim rings and center cap when they had them, a 11 mile road test listen for squeaks and rattles, air leaks, water test T-tops windows (we had a shower head made up, gassing up the cars, filling washer reservoir, checking and topping off all fluid levels, there were other things also checked.once completed it was signed off by tech and Service Manager.

I have seen images of those pre-delivery check lists posted here and elsewhere. There were either carbon copies or owners were able to eventually get them from the selling dealer. Some cars are displayed at shows with copies of them with all their paperwork.

[Mark F.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

Mark, there was a check list We used a sheet off paper with line items listed, basically it was a operation check list, lights, key and locks, checking for leaks, nuts and bolts check, wheel lug torque, installing components in back of car, Front Air dam, trim rings and center cap when they had them, a 11 mile road test listen for squeaks and rattles, air leaks, water test T-tops windows (we had a shower head made up, gassing up the cars, filling washer reservoir, checking and topping off all fluid levels, there were other things also checked. once completed it was signed off by tech and Service Manager.

WOW, Edward. thanks for listing all of these - I had no idea at all they were that extensive!
But then again, I only bought my 1st Brand new vehicle in 1980 - and it was a pickup truck

[Mike E.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

This is the original for my fourth-owner LS6. (1971) Ink color varied by year. I am guessing that the time it took to run it and the protecto-plate through the machine took the most time of any of the items.
Documents--scan of original (12).jpg

[Mark E.]

Re: Could a 1960's or 1970's Corvette pass operations or PV when new?

What a cool car, Tim! I can't wait to see your incredibly low mileage LT-1 at Frisco.

I wish the only issue my car had was a pinched washer hose.