1980 Part Number help please

[Bryan W.]

I am preparing my 1980 L48 manual for flight judging. The car is very original with only 3500 miles on the clock and I cannot figure why the following two items do not match the numbers given in the Tech Information and Judging Manual.
Can anyone help with an explanation please?

Emissions Label number should be 14021874 mine is 14026103??
Front Spring Broadcast Codes mine show 14003397 BHC??

Thanks in anticipation.

Bryan Wharton
Brisbane Australia

[Joe L.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

I am preparing my 1980 L48 manual for flight judging. The car is very original with only 3500 miles on the clock and I cannot figure why the following two items do not match the numbers given in the Tech Information and Judging Manual.
Can anyone help with an explanation please?

Emissions Label number should be 14021874 mine is 14026103??
Front Spring Broadcast Codes mine show 14003397 BHC??

Thanks in anticipation.

Bryan Wharton
Brisbane Australia

Bruce-----


I find that there were 2 different emissions label part numbers used for 1980 with 350 cid engines and 4 speed trans. These were as follows:

GM #14021875 which was emissions code "ZW"

GM #14026103 which was emissions code "32"

The 2 character codes should appear on one corner of the label.

I cannot find a label of GM # 14021874, although there may have been one.

Also, I do not know what the differences were between the 2 codes.

Front spring GM #14003397, broadcast code "BHC" was one of three possible front coil springs used for 1980 Corvettes with standard suspension. This was the "base" level spring. If required to establish proper ride height with heavier vehicle weights (i.e. more and heavier installed options), springs GM #14003398 or 14003399 were used.

Your GM #14003397 almost have to be the originally installed springs for your car. That's because while the 14003398 and 14003399 springs were once available in SERVICE, the 14003397 was NEVER available in SERVICE. So, barring the extremely unlikely possibility of used springs from another 1980 Corvette being at some point installed on your car, the 14003397 springs could only have been installed at St. Louis.

[Tom R.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

I find that there were 2 different emissions label part numbers used for 1980 with 350 cid engines and 4 speed trans. These were as follows:

GM #14021875 which was emissions code "ZW"
GM #14026103 which was emissions code "32"
The 2 character codes should appear on one corner of the label.

I cannot find a label of GM # 14021874, although there may have been one.

I have an "unofficial" version of the updated 1980 tech manual and it lists the 14021874 ZU label for an L48 4-speed car. And I'll add that I've seen the "32" code before on 80 cars.

What is the engine suffix code? I'll assume its ZAM.

can you post a photo of the label

Bruce, I would suggest leaving it as is and let the judges figure it out.

[Terry M.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

Tom,
In the early C3s we often see changes to the emissions labels during the run of the model year. Changes in part number and code are usually accompanied by changes in the text of the label.

If you can get a good quality photo of each of the labels the changes in the text or graphics might shed some light on why the label numbers and code changed.

[Bryan W.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

Wow you guys are good. So much knowledge! I hope that our judges here in the "land down under" are as knowledgeable.
Not that the score really matters - it's the process that interests me the most.

I have taken the best photo I can of the label, I hope this will add to the base of knowledge and information in some way.

Thank you Joe for your wisdom also Tom and Terry for your interesting contribution.

[Terry M.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

Bryan,

I like that concept -- It is not the destination, but the journey that is important.

Well said.

[Tom R.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

Wow you guys are good. So much knowledge! I hope that our judges here in the "land down under" are as knowledgeable.
Not that the score really matters - it's the process that interests me the most.

I have taken the best photo I can of the label, I hope this will add to the base of knowledge and information in some way.

Thank you Joe for your wisdom also Tom and Terry for your interesting contribution.

Bryan

Among my collection of emission labels, I actually have this label as an 80 label. Other references have labeled this as an 80 label but it hasn't made it to the tech reference. Again...don't change it.

[Bryan W.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

I was not going to change it as I was sure that it was the one that the car was built with.

The really interesting part is going to be in three weeks time when the flight judges here in Australia judge it as not being original.

What should I tell them?

[Terry M.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

Print this thread and take it with you. Produce it only if they want to make a deduction for the label. It may not work, but it will be worth the try.

[Bryan W.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

Thanks, will do.
Kind Regards Bryan

[Tom R.]

Re: 1980 Part Number help please

I was not going to change it as I was sure that it was the one that the car was built with.

The really interesting part is going to be in three weeks time when the flight judges here in Australia judge it as not being original.

What should I tell them?

A judges task is to assess originality and condition. If they apply these standards on what I suspect is an original Corvette, they'll have to ask "Why would this be changed out" and than look for evidence of change. In the absence of "evidence of change" they must conclude that this component was factory installed, original to the car and therefore in conflict with the judging guide. Easy for me to say...I'm probably four thousand miles away. have em fly me out and I'll splan it.

Recall the name "Technical Information & Judging Guide" with the operative word guide. These are not bibles but guides and information is learned continually that influences changes to the guides to improve our understanding of factory methods of assembly and production.

Considering the 80 guide was last updated 1999, suggests that it is not current, long past due and in process of update. These are the type of changes that must be considered and incorporate after a period of academic deliberation (well really not all that technical) but you get the point.

The benefit of doubt goes to the owner. And in an obviously original Corvette that has obviously few alterations, it suggests to me that this is an original component that deserves deliberation and, in which case, the benefit of the doubt goes to the owner.

If the Corvette has been restored and excessive alteration, all the above changes.