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The 1979 Corvette

1979 Orange Corvette Coupe Ad

The 1979 Chevrolet Corvette was a much smaller change from the last year. The standard seats are now the lighter weight and taller version that was introduced on the pace car in '78. The passenger seat now folds flat to the level of the cargo area. The bolt-on spoilers from the '78 pace car were now available as an option. These reduced drag by approximately 15%. Both the base and L82 engines now use a dual snorkel intake to add 5 horsepower to the base engine. The L82 engine option has a higher lift cam, special heads with larger valves and higher compression, impact-extruded pistons, a forged steel crankshaft, and finned aluminum rocker covers. These improvements added another 10 horsepower to the L82 engine. Some late 1979 models were "upgraded" to the new 85 MPH speedometer that would be standard on the 1980 models. The automatic transmission equipped models had the rear gear ratio changed to 3.55:1. This was the last year for the "Corvette" named colors.

Production Options and Build Statistics

Total 1979 Corvettes Built - 53,807

Serial Numbers
1Z87x9S400001 - 1Z87x9S453807

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
58L48 350-cid V8, 195-hp, Four-Barrel
54L82 350-cid V8, 225-hp, Four-Barrel
691979
7SAssembled in St. Louis, MO
8 to 13400001 to 453807production sequence

Engine Serial Number Decoder

1979 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
ZAAL48 350-cid Early Production195-hp V-88.2:1ManualFour-Barrel Carburetor
ZABL48 350-cid Early Production195-hp V-88.2:1AutomaticFour-Barrel Carburetor
ZACL48 350-cid Early Production195-hp V-88.2:1AutomaticFour-Barrel CarburetorCalifornia
ZADL48 350-cid195-hp V-88.2:1AutomaticFour-Barrel CarburetorHigh-Altitude
ZAFL48 350-cid195-hp V-88.2:1ManualFour-Barrel Carburetor
ZAHL48 350-cid195-hp V-88.2:1AutomaticFour-Barrel Carburetor
ZBBL48 350-cid225-hp V-88.2:1AutomaticFour-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. 79-1YZ37 - 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.
%
1YZ87Base Coupe$10,220.23 53,807 100.0%
A31Power Windows$141.00 20,631 38.3%
AU3Power Door Locks$131.00 9,054 16.8%
CC1Removable Glass Roof Panels$365.00 14,480 26.9%
C49Rear Window Defogger$102.00 41,587 77.3%
C60Air Conditioning$635.00 47,136 87.6%
D35Sport Mirrors$45.00 48,211 89.6%
D80Front and Rear Spoilers$265.00 6,853 12.7%
FE7Gymkhana Suspension$49.00 12,321 22.9%
F51Heavy Duty Shock Absorbers$33.00 2,164 4.0%
G95Optional Rear Axle Ratio$19.00 428 0.8%
K30Cruise Control$113.00 34,445 64.0%
L82350ci. 225hp engine$565.00 14,516 27.0%
M214-spd, Close Ratio Manual Trans.$0.00 4,062 7.5%
MX1Automatic Transmission$0.00 41,454 77.0%
NA6High Altitude Emissions Equipment$35.00 56 0.1%
N37Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column$190.00 47,463 88.2%
N90Aluminum Wheels (4)$380.00 33,741 62.7%
QBSWhite Letter Steel Belted Tires - P255/70R15$226.20 17,920 33.3%
QGRWhite Letter Steel Belted Tires - P225/70R15$54.00 29,603 55.0%
UA1Heavy Duty Battery$21.00 3,405 6.3%
UM2AM-FM Radio Stereo w/ 8-track$228.00 21,435 39.8%
UN3AM-FM Radio Stereo w/ Cassette$234.00 12,110 22.5%
UP6AM-FM Radio Stereo w/ CB$439.00 4,483 8.3%
U58AM-FM Radio Stereo$90.00 9,256 17.2%
U75Power Antenna$52.00 35,730 66.4%
U81Dual Rear Speakers$52.00 N/A N/A
YF5California Emissions Certification$83.00 3,798 7.1%
ZN1Trailer Package$98.00 1,001 1.9%
ZQ2Power Windows and Door Locks$272.00 28,465 52.9%
ZX2Convenience Group$94.00 41,530 77.2%

Color Options for 1979

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-DG-LB-O-R 8,629 16.0%
13Silver$0.00B-DB-DG-O-R 7,331 13.6%
19Black$0.00B-LB-O-R 10,465 19.4%
28Corvette Light Blue$0.00B-DB-O 3,203 6.0%
52Corvette Yellow$0.00B-LB-O 2,357 4.4%
58Corvette Dark Green$0.00B-DG-LB-O 2,426 4.5%
59Corvette Light Beige$0.00B-DB-DG-LB-R 2,951 5.5%
72Corvette Red$0.00B-LB-O-RW 6,707 12.5%
82Corvette Dark Brown$0.00B-LB-O 4,053 7.5%
83Corvette Dark Blue$0.00B-DB-LB-O-R 5,670 10.5%
Color Codes: BG=Blue Green, B=Black, DB=Dark Blue, DG=Dark Green, L=Leather, LB=Light Beige, O=Oyster, R=Red

Interior Colors

RPO
Color
Cost
Total
Prod.
%
12COyster Coth$0.00 2,606 4.8%
29CDark Blue Cloth$0.00 2,142 4.0%
49CDark Green Cloth$0.00 517 1.0%
59CLight Beige Cloth$0.00 2,224 4.1%
122Oyster Leather$0.00 9,316 17.3%
292Dark Blue Leather$0.00 4,768 8.9%
492Dark Green Leather$0.00 907 1.7%
592Light Beige Leather$0.00 8,818 16.4%
722Red Leather$0.00 9,181 17.1%


1979 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)
Wheel size15 x 8 inches
TiresP225/70R-15 SBR (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 L82
TypeV-8, 90-degree Overhead valveV-8, 90-degree Overhead valve
BlockCast IronCast Iron
Displacement350 cid (5.7 liters)350 cid (5.7 liters)
Bore & Stroke4.00 x 3.48"4.00 x 3.48"
Compression Ratio8.2:18.9:1
Brake Horsepower195 @ 4000225 @ 5200
Torque285 lb-ft @ 3200270 lb-ft @ 3600
Main BearingFiveFive
Valve LiftersHydraulicHydraulic
Fuel SupplyRochester M4MCRochester M4MC

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