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The 1978 Corvette

1978 Anniversay Edition Corvette Ad

1978 was the 25th anniversary of Corvette. To celebrate a competely re-designed body was rolled out with new "fastback" styling. The new wrap-around rear window provided much more space behind the seats but was not a hatchback. Access to the storage space is still accessed from behind the seats. All Corvettes this year came with special 25th anniversay badging. A special "Anniversay Edition" included a unique Charcoal Silver/Silver Metallic two-tone paint job for an extra $399. Production of the anniversay edition was not limited and 15,283 Corvettes were eventually sold with this paint. The 1978 Corvette was the pace car for the Indy 500. Chevrolet created a limited edition pace car replica, this option added over $13,000 to the price of the car (more than the base price!). This car has distinctive Black/Silver two-tone paint with a red pin-stripe. Production of the pace car replica was limited to one for every Chevrolet dealership. This amounted to 6,502 pace cars built in 1978. All '78 Corvettes were built with Rochester Q-Jet carburetors.

Production Options and Build Statistics

Total 1978 Corvettes Built - 46,776

Serial Numbers
1Z87x8S400001 - 1Z87x8S46776

The "Vehicle Identification Number" (also VIN or serial number) is stamped on a plate on the inner vertical surface of the left windshield pillar visible through the windshield.

Serial Number Decoder

PositionCharacterDescription
11Chevrolet Division
2ZCorvette
3-487Coupe
5LL48 350-cid V8, 175-hp, 4-barrel
5HH = L82 350-cid V8, 220-hp, 4-barrel
681978
7SAssembled in St. Louis, MO
8 to 13400001 to 446776production sequence

Engine Suffix Decoder

1978 Corvette engines have the last six digits of the VIN stamped on the block after the engine number. The date code the engine was manufactured was also cast into the block. The engine serial number includes a production sequence number starting with 0001001 and one of the suffixes below.

CodeEngineHorsepowerCompressionTransmissionFuel SupplyExtra Features
CHD350-cid180-hp V-88.5:1AutomaticFour-Barrel CarburetorCalifornia
CKD350-cid180-hp V-88.5:1AutomaticFour-Barrel CarburetorHigh-Altitude
CKZ350-cid180-hp V-88.5:1ManualFour-Barrel Carburetor
CLA350-cid180-hp V-88.5:1AutomaticFour-Barrel Carburetor
CLB350-cid180-hp V-88.5:1AutomaticFour-Barrel CarburetorHigh-Altitude
CLC350-cid180-hp V-88.5:1AutomaticFour-Barrel CarburetorCalifornia
CLD350-cid210-hp V-89.0:1ManualFour-Barrel Carburetor
CLF350-cid210-hp V-89.0:1AutomaticFour-Barrel Carburetor

The body number plate is located on the engine side of the cowl. The Fisher Body Style Number identifies the model of Corvette. 77-1YZ37 - Corvette Coupe The body number is the serial number of the body. The trim number represents the color of the interior, the paint color is the exterior paint color.

Production Options

RPO
Description
Cost
Total
Prod.
%
1YZ37Base Coupe$9,351.89 40,274 86.1%
1YZ87/78Limited Edition Pace Car$13,653.21 6,502 13.9%
A31Power Windows$130.00 36,931 79.0%
AU3Power Door Locks$120.00 12,187 26.1%
B2ZSilver Anniversary Paint (Includes sport striping and two-tone paint treatment)$399.00 15,283 32.7%
CC1Removable Glass Roof Panels$349.00 972 2.1%
C49Rear Window Defogger$95.00 30,912 66.1%
C60Air Conditioning$605.00 37,638 80.5%
D35Sport Mirrors (LH remote and RH manual)$40.00 38,405 82.1%
FE7Gymkhana Suspension (Included with ZN1 trailering chassis equipment)$41.00 12,590 26.9%
G95Optional Rear Axle Ratio$15.00 382 0.8%
K30Cruise Control$99.00 31,608 67.6%
L48350ci. 200hp engine$525.00 34,037 72.8%
L82350ci. 220hp engine$525.00 12,739 27.2%
M214-spd, Close Ratio Manual Transmission.$0.00 3,385 7.2%
MM44-spd, Wide Ratio Manual Transmission$0.00 4,773 10.2%
MX1Automatic Transmission$0.00 38,614 82.6%
NA2Standard Emissions Equipment$0.00 N/A N/A
NA6High Altitude Emissions Equipment$33.00 260 0.6%
N37Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column$175.00 37,858 80.9%
QBSWhite Letter Steel Belted Radial Tires - P255/60R15$216.32 18,296 39.1%
QGQBlack Wall Steel Belted Radial Tires - P225/70R15$0.00 N/A N/A
QGRWhite Letter Steel Belted Radial Tires - P225/70R15$51.00 26,203 56.0%
UA1Heavy Duty Battery$18.00 28,243 60.4%
UL5Radio Delete$0.00 N/A N/A
UM2AM-FM Radio Stereo w/ 8-track$419.00 20,899 44.7%
UP6AM-FM Radio Stereo w/ CB$638.00 7,138 15.3%
U58AM-FM Radio Stereo$286.00 10,189 21.8%
U69AM-FM Radio$199.00 2,057 4.4%
U75Power Antenna$49.00 23,069 49.3%
U81Dual Rear Speakers$49.00 12,340 26.4%
YF5California Emissions Certification$70.00 3,405 7.3%
YJ8Aluminum Wheels$340.00 28,008 59.9%
ZN1Trailer Package (Included heavy duty radiator, and FE7 Gymkhana Suspension)$89.00 972 2.1%
ZX2Convenience Group (Included delay switch for dome, headlight warning buzzer, underhood light, low fuel warning light, interior courtesy lights, color keyed floor mats, intermittent windshield wipers and RH visor vanity mirror.)$84.00 37,222 79.6%

Color Options for 1978

Interior options for exterior colors are suggested by Chevrolet. Any combination could be ordered.
RPO
Color
Cost
Interior Color
Total
Prod.
%
10Classic White$0.00B-DB-DBR-LB-O-M-R 4,150 8.9%
13Silver$0.00B-DB-M-R 3,232 6.9%
13/07Silver Anniversary$0.00B-O-R 15,283 32.7%
19Black$0.00B-LB-M-O-R 4,573 9.8%
19/47Black/Silver$0.00SV 6,502 13.9%
26Corvette Light Blue$0.00DB 1,960 4.2%
52Corvette Yellow$0.00B-DBR-O 1,243 2.7%
59Corvette Light Beige$0.00B-DB-DBR-LB-M 1,686 3.6%
72Corvette Red$0.00B-LB-O-R 2,074 4.4%
82Corvette Mahogany$0.00B-DBR-LB-M-O 2,121 4.5%
83Corvette Dark Blue$0.00DB-LB-O 2,084 4.5%
89Corvette Dark Brown$0.00DBR-LB-O 1,991 4.3%
Color Codes: B=Black, C=Cloth, DB=Dark Blue, DBR=Dark Brown, L=Leather, LB=Light Beige, M=Mahogany, O=Oyster, R=Red, SV=Silver

Interior Colors

RPO
Color
Cost
Total
Prod.
%
12COyster Cloth$0.00 2,226 4.8%
15CSilver Cloth$0.00 2,606 5.6%
19CBlack Cloth$0.00 1,353 2.9%
29CDark Blue Cloth$0.00 1,168 2.5%
49CDark Green Cloth$0.00 517 1.1%
59CLight Beige Cloth$0.00 693 1.5%
69CDark Brown Cloth$0.00 564 1.2%
72CRed Cloth$0.00 1,221 2.6%
76CMahogany Cloth$0.00 763 1.6%
122Oyster Leather$0.00 8,999 19.2%
152Silver Leather$0.00 5,703 12.2%
192Black Leather$0.00 7,218 15.4%
292Dark Blue Leather$0.00 3,207 6.9%
592Light Beige Leather$0.00 3,338 7.1%
692Dark Bown Leather$0.00 2,449 5.2%
722Red Leather$0.00 4,067 8.7%
762Mahogany Leather$0.00 2,443 5.2%


1978 Corvette Specifications

Mechanical Dimensions

FeatureDimensions
Wheelbase98 inches (2.489 m)
Overall length185.2 inches (4.704 m)
Overall width69.0 inches (1.753 m)
Overall height48 inches (1.219 m)
Ground Clearance4.5 inches (11.4 cm)
Front tread58.7 inches (1.491 m)
Rear tread59.5 inches (1.511 m)
TiresP277/70R-15 steel-belted radial
PositractionStandard
SteeringRecirculating ball
Front suspensionIndependent, unequal-length control arms with ball joints, coil springs, and stabilizer bar
Rear suspensionIndependent, trailing link, transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs
BrakesHydraulic, vented four wheel discs 11.75-inch diameter, single calipers
IgnitionHEI electronic
Body constructionSeparate fiberglass body and box-type ladder frame with cross-members
Fuel tank24 US Gal (20 Imp Gal) (91 liters)


Engine Specifications

FeatureBase Engine RPO L48RPO L48RPO L82
TypeV-8, 90-degree Overhead valveV-8, 90-degree Overhead valveV-8, 90-degree Overhead valve
BlockCast IronCast IronCast Iron
Displacement350 cid (5.7 liters)350 cid (5.7 liters)350 cid (5.7 liters)
Bore & Stroke4.00 x 3.48"4.00 x 3.48"4.00 x 3.48"
Compression ratio8.2:18.2:18.9:1
Brake horsepower185 @ 4000175 @ 4000220 @ 5200
Torque280 lb-ft @ 2400270 lb-ft @ 2400260 lb-ft @ 3600
Main bearingFiveFiveFive
Valve liftersHydraulicHydraulicHydraulic
Fuel supplyRochester M4MCRochester M4MC California emissions and high-altitude emissionsRochester M4MC

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