What was the first month of production for 70 LT-1's ,or any 70 for that matter?
Thanks,
Tim
Thanks,
Tim
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
I assUme you are referring to regular production. The earliest date on the trim tag for regular production 1970 is A05 for January 5, 1970. There were some pilot cars (somewhat less than ten, but we believe one of those was an LT1 -- however the engine is MIA) built in early October 1969, but I am not sure if you want to count those.
So the short and simple answer to your question is January 1970 was the start of regular 197o model year production. I would have to look at my files at home to tell you the earliest LT1 we have on record. NCRS disease.Terry -
Re: 70 LT-1 Production
Thanks Terry!!!Comment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
Usually production runs July to July but in 70 things were whacked. The strike in 69 caused the 70 models to begin in january and only run to the end of July, the usual change time, to get the schedule back on track, throw in a month long strike in April and you only had six months of production in the model year, thus the low number of 70 Corvettes.Comment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
"1969 Stingray Handbook" talked about one 1969 LT-1 car. Is that one of the pre-production cars?Comment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
Is that Bizzoco's book, Steve? I haven't read it cover to cover, so I am not sure what he was talking about. If you can give me a page number, I will look at it, but I am still waiting to see a factory-built 1969 LT-1. Lots of rumors, and "ghost sightings" but until I can put my fingers in the wounds, so to speak, I don't believe it.
The pre-production probable LT-1 we think went to Corvette News. That was a 1970 in every way, including the VIN. Ontario Orange car -- a color that supposedly wasn't available early in 1970. It was on the cover of one of the 1970 issues of CN, and there was a story inside about the Corvettes they got to drive working for that publication. The title was something like "The Joys of Working in the Candy Store." That is the 1970 LT1 that they fitted Power Steering to (we suspect at Warren) as a test before it became available as an option on later 1970 LT-1s.
Car Life did a story in 1969 for which they road tested a 1969 Corvette with every engine option that was available in that model year -- nine cars if I recall correctly. They had a "LT-1" but the text admitted that they built it with Camaro parts to fill a "hole" that the General didn't fill.TerryComment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
Yes Rick Bizzoco's book on page 91.Comment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
He mentions two 1969 LT-1s, but at another point he says Chevrolet produced one. It is clear one of his examples (the second one he mentions) is the one that a dealer produced for the Car Life test story. That hardly fits our standards of factory production, so we are left with the one used in the 1970 press preview.
The photo he shows at the bottom of the page is a 1969 -- see grilles, so it is not the same car used by Corvette News. The photos in CN, which are a better quality, show stock wheels, and no N19, and 1970 grilles. I think they are likely different cars. I am puzzled they would bring a 1969 body to a 1970 press preview. One would think Chevrolet would want to show the new for 1970 wheel well shape and new grilles to the press.
Years ago I made some efforts to get the hand-out material from that 1970 Press Preview. I would have thought you guys would have been more interested in the LS7 with M40 that Zora had there.
Unfortunately, the material I was able to get made no reference to the specific cars they had on hand that day. So we are left with the press coverage that preview generated.
I can tell you that Zora told me he signed the order to crush the LS7, and he said it with a grin that made me wonder what was really on his mind. And as to Van Valkenburgh's story about his drive of an LS7 across the country (in either Motor Trend or Car & Driver) Zora said Van Valkenburgh never had an LS7. But then to put that comment into context one has to understand the management feelings toward Van Valkenburgh in the late '60s early '70s.
Now we are far afield of the original post with its apparently simple and brief question. Enough already.TerryComment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
lol. This post did take on a life of its own. lol. Thanks for the information Terry.Comment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
But what came out of Duntov's efforts with the LS7 option became a reality in 1971 with the newly created LS6.Comment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
I've heard that MANY times before: "the strike caused..."
What's your source for this assertion? How do you reconcile that with the fact that only the Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro model year change overs were delayed with the rest of Chevy's '70 models going into production in the summer of 1969?Comment
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Re: 70 LT-1 Production
Sort of Warren. The LS6 was the best Zora could do in that political climate. The LS7 (with real compression) was sold through Chevrolet SPO for a long time. There are lots of them out there. Think 454 L88, and you will get the idea.
When I die and go to heaven I want my turn behind the wheel of that LS7/M40 they had at the 1970 Press Preview. It has sidepipes too -- the 4-inch ones that had less restriction than the N19s.
TerryComment
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