Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

[Dan P.]

So where did these docs come from? How long have they been available? Who had them? How did they come to light?

I'm sure it's an interesting story - I'm all ears!

[Dick W.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

I am sure that a more detailed answer than what I could give you will be forthcoming in either the Restorer or the Driveline. All I can tell you is they are GM documents and that it took a considerable period of time for the NCRS to obtain them

[Larry E.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

Which begs the question: What else they have in which they will not
share!!!
Larry

[Chris H.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

"will not share"? There are probably millions of documents within GM that somebody in the corvette world would want. However it takes internal GM employees to first go find the docs, put them in a usable format (mircrofiche, etc.) and then decide how to distribute to the wanting public. And as many have noticed GM has been kinda busy lately.

So what documents do you want? How about drawings? When I worked 50' from the file room and I was "fixing" up my '62 (in 1990) I would walk down there and look up the drawing on the file card and get a quick copy. However I often found that the pn I had from the AIM had nothing to do with the part drawing I pulled. I was told at the time that they reused part numbers but I really doubt that. Today I believe all those machines are gone, as are the cards? However many drawings are electronic now. However when I ask my brother (who still works there) to pull one he cannot find them.

Then there is the issue on who gets the docs. I am waiting for the story on how the NCRS got these docs and are able to sell them.

Who put them into a salable format? How was it done? Who approved this? Why NCRS and not Corvette Fever or Vette club of China?

[Jerry W.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

My figures say that 333,785 corvettes were built between 1962 and 1974.....That's a lotta dough at 40 bucks a wack if it were available to others than NCRS members.....total ( $13,351,320 )

Roy won't be able to get his because he's not a member in good standing....make that ( $13,351,280 )

Maybe NCRS will change it's policy and advertise on fleebay.

[Dick W.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

"will not share"? There are probably millions of documents within GM that somebody in the corvette world would want. However it takes internal GM employees to first go find the docs, put them in a usable format (mircrofiche, etc.) and then decide how to distribute to the wanting public. And as many have noticed GM has been kinda busy lately.

So what documents do you want? How about drawings? When I worked 50' from the file room and I was "fixing" up my '62 (in 1990) I would walk down there and look up the drawing on the file card and get a quick copy. However I often found that the pn I had from the AIM had nothing to do with the part drawing I pulled. I was told at the time that they reused part numbers but I really doubt that. Today I believe all those machines are gone, as are the cards? However many drawings are electronic now. However when I ask my brother (who still works there) to pull one he cannot find them.

Then there is the issue on who gets the docs. I am waiting for the story on how the NCRS got these docs and are able to sell them.

Who put them into a salable format? How was it done? Who approved this? Why NCRS and not Corvette Fever or Vette club of China?

There is a frequent poster here that was assigned, by Jim Perkins then head of Chevrolet, to find the records on production options, IE tank sticker information. He was given 12 months to accomplish this task. He found no pertinent information and concluded that IF it did exist, it would take many man years to find it. Chevrolet was then, and still is, in the business of making cars, not in the business of retaining records.

I think that if you look at my previous post and wait for the article, I am sure there will be more factual information than you could find on this or any other forum

[Ronald L.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

The reality is, for those lawyers out there that after Ralph made himself a pile of money and famous, record retention was instituted. For the last 20 years or more it has been two years and destroy. Just because they guys come in with subpoenas and pull every paper in your office that has seat or belt on it if they have a seat belt investigation for example.

One major reason documents don't exist in the corporate domain. Now if an employee had taken stuff home or had it squirreled away in his office - that is another discussion as as an employee you sign away your employment is based upon not having those documents older than two years unless regulated by law.

Those file cabinets with prints? Didn't need anything but an AIM and that cabinet back in 1980.

But - that was before rec ret and we just covered that. I hear in very few places this far down the road that very little was ever digitized.

The question is, for those few regulars that use the forum, what is the information that will be provided?

most know their build date.

Delivery was pretty close to that - but always good to know.

What more - option spec list?

Destination dealer?

[Steven S.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

Shipping weight would be nice

[Larry M.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

Shipping weight would be nice

Very nice.

Larry

[Wayne M.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

Shipping weight would be nice

Don't forget S.A.E. horsepower (formula corelates to displacement), which would weed-out all the wannabe BB's.

[Larry M.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

Don't forget S.A.E. horsepower (formula corelates to displacement), which would weed-out all the wannabe BB's.

Wayne:

Agree. But shipping weight would also do it in most cases. The 149 to 215 pound adder to the base weight for a big block is hard to counterbalance with options.

Larry

[Ronald L.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

If there is anything substantial, this will be really good to weed out the fake jobs.

[Steven S.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

Agreed, this surely could create a whole-lotta unhappy "documented" BB owners

[Art A.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

There is a frequent poster here that was assigned, by Jim Perkins then head of Chevrolet, to find the records on production options, IE tank sticker information. He was given 12 months to accomplish this task. He found no pertinent information and concluded that IF it did exist, it would take many man years to find it. Chevrolet was then, and still is, in the business of making cars, not in the business of retaining records.

I think that if you look at my previous post and wait for the article, I am sure there will be more factual information than you could find on this or any other forum

I have not seen nor do have any current knowledge of the documents that the NCRS is offering.

[Jim C.]

Re: Corvette Delivery Data - The real Story?

This is all VERY interesting stuff. I'll be following this closely, as will others I'm sure. Build sheets would be great to have, if that's what we're talking about here. If we're talking about dealer delivery information, that would be nice to have also. In that case, I'm not sure that GM saved that stuff. Maybe they did. The real repository / "mother load" for that information lies with the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). That organization DOES have a significant body of old documents and microfiche that will provide dealer delivery information, the delivery date, and I believe the dealer code. But that's it. I don't think there's any information regarding a particular vehicle's options, weight, etc. It's just where the car was shipped to from the factory, and the date it arrived at it's destination. That's still good stuff to know if you're trying to figure out where to start looking for previous owners.

Although I'm not entirely sure about this point, I believe NICB's information starts in the early 1960s. Some of those earlier years also have breaks in the information, so basically, there are strings of consecutive VINs that are missing. For example, I am 110% sure that the delivery information for the last 132 Corvettes manufactured in 1966 is missing from NICB records. I also know that other consecutive strings of VINs are missing from earlier years. From the little that I know, it seems that NICB records are mostly complete from about 1967 forward.

Don't get too excited, and don't even waste your time trying to get specific information about your car from the NICB. They won't give it to you. As a matter of fact, it's very difficult to get even for law enforcement personnel. For some unknown reason, they guard that information like it's got something to do with national security.

Again, this is all very interesting stuff. I'm sure many of us will be watching closely.

Jim C.