Question: 1967 Corvette Stingray factory built small block car built with big block hood

[2010corvette]

Hi,

Question?

Years ago I heard or read that during the 1967 Corvette Stingray model year St Louis assembly ran out of small block hoods. To continue production without any down time the plant built some small block cars with big block hoods. These hoods were painted the solid color of the car and did not have stinger hood paint design.
If this is true the plant had to be St Louis and not AO Smith in Ionia Mi. AO Smith did not build 427 cars in 1967.
:thankso any of these cars exist/documented?

 

[Huskerman]

I found this article on that...........but as I look into it more there is real doubt it ever happened...........


1967 Chevrolet Corvette - Big-Block Hood-Equipped 327ci C2 Coupe - Corvette Fever Magazine

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

:thankso any of these cars exist/documented?

Every car examined to date has failed to pan out as being 'real', including the ones mentioned in Noland Adam's book.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Every car examined to date has failed to pan out as being 'real', including the ones mentioned in Noland Adam's book.

I'd be interested to read the data which supports that statement.

Adams explanation sounds plausible but then faking big-block hoods on small blocks for the sake of being unique is certainly not uncommon.
I'd like to learn more.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I'd like to learn more.

Join the NCRS.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Join the NCRS.

Not going to do that.
Thanks for the helpful response.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Not going to do that.
Thanks for the helpful response.

I could point you to another popular Corvette discussion board where the issue has beaten the issue to death but am sure you've already thought of that or already been there. It's not appropriate to copy/paste words or pictures taken by others onto this board. I did participate marginally in debunking one of the cars, one examined by Noland during his original research which also features a rather unique VIN sequence and engine stamp pad.

 

[Mac]

I did participate marginally in debunking one of the cars, one examined by Noland during his original research which also features a rather unique VIN sequence and engine stamp pad.

By "rather unique", do you mean they looked factory correct but... :ugh

Mac

 

[Huskerman]

It's not appropriate to copy/paste words or pictures taken by others onto this board.

Can you splain that to me Mikey....seems if the answer is somewhere else then post it up....then we all can be enlightened......

 

[Mac]

Can you splain that to me Mikey....seems if the answer is somewhere else then post it up....then we all can be enlightened......

It seems to me like Mikey is saying the matter was debated extensively without definitive resolution and Mikey himself participated in judging a Corvette claiming to be one of these "one-off" cars... and found it to be wanting...

Mikey, if you want to link to the CF thread, go for it. We play nicely in the internet sandbox.

Mac

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Ah- OK.

Didn't think it was kosher for Simpson's to mention Eaton's. Mac will get that.

Car serial number 12345 (the actual S/N) was used for decades as the classic poster child of being an SBC car with a factory BBC hood. It came to light quite quickly that the prerequisite hood brace had been added subsequent to car completion- a detail that's hard to fake or is overlooked completely on many supposed examples. Other cars pushed forward have been found to be way out of the supposed date range or have been shown to be repaints or aftermarket hoods. Several cars with VINs inside the supposed date range have been examined- no trace of ever having a BBC hood.

There are no records from the assembly plant that mentions any such disruption, no paperwork to authorize substitution and no known supply channel that could explain the inventory extra of BBC hoods that were just lying around to replace the SBC hoods

Our friend JohnZ weighs in:

Stinger hood as an option - Corvette Forum

and

Original '67 With Original OEM 427 Hood ?? - Corvette Forum

along with many other heavy hitters.

 

[Mac]

Didn't think it was kosher for Simpson's to mention Eaton's. Mac will get that.

As long as one isn't standing in the middle of Simpson's telling everyone to head to Eaton's, we're good to go...

On a somewhat unrelated note, did you know there is an active Town & Country store in Pembroke? I thought the franchise was dead. :eek

Interesting details, Mikey. Thanks for posting!!

Mac

 

[Hib Halverson]

I could point you to another popular Corvette discussion board where the issue has beaten the issue to death but am sure you've already thought of that or already been there. It's not appropriate to copy/paste words or pictures taken by others onto this board. I did participate marginally in debunking one of the cars, one examined by Noland during his original research which also features a rather unique VIN sequence and engine stamp pad.

No, I haven't been there. Since I haven't read all the other forum traffic, I was figuring an expert on the subject such as yourself would be kind enough to summarize the issue, but the above is a start.

I take it that, on the basis of your participating marginally in the debunking of one of the cars, your belief is that all the others which are said to have been fitted with these big-block hoods are fakes.

If the number of cars is anywhere close to what that article alleges, that's one heck of a lot of fakes. It might lead one to thing that there's a fair amount of people in the C2 restoration side of the hobby who have nefarious intentions. One might wonder why so many would fake the same characteristic.

it also doesn't say much for Noland Adams' research which, some might believe, after reading one of his books, is pretty good.

Your thoughts?

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Noland has mentioned he now regrets ever mentioning the subject. Take that any way you want.

 

[catbert]

For better or worse, I remember clearly when putting brand new big block hoods on brand new small block cars was a cottage industry. I have a friend who was in the used, but nearly new Vette business. He installed many dozens hoods on slightly used and brand new dealer stock small blocks. He installed big block hood on every one of the dozens of Vettes he sold. He almost couldn't sell a car without one.

He also installed the big block hoods on dozens of owners who knew he did a great job, and lined up for a hood. I don't know for certain if the factory ever installed big block hoods on small blocks, but I never saw one or heard the claim back in the day.

I suspect, but sure don't know, that the story started because dealers were selling brand new Vettes which had been fitted with big block hoods as a kind of unofficial "dealer installed option" that didn't appear on the paperwork.

 

[mjdart]

Interesting story, the damaged mold is definately possible. (The GM factory I worked at had close to a 100 mold makers and mold repairmen, so they would have jumped on that problem quickly.) I've read the A.O. Smith bodied C2s arrived at the factory completely assembled and painted. This would be the easy way, just substitute completed bodies that matched the orders, but having worked in a GM factory I can see a supervisor giving the OK to use the stinger hoods to keep the line moving. I guess if I ordered a Sting Ray and it showed up at the dealer with that hood I might not complain.

 

[2010corvette]

Interesting story, the damaged mold is definately possible. (The GM factory I worked at had close to a 100 mold makers and mold repairmen, so they would have jumped on that problem quickly.) I've read the A.O. Smith bodied C2s arrived at the factory completely assembled and painted. This would be the easy way, just substitute completed bodies that matched the orders, but having worked in a GM factory I can see a supervisor giving the OK to use the stinger hoods to keep the line moving. I guess if I ordered a Sting Ray and it
up at the dealer with that hood I might not complain.

I agree with you 100%.
I spent 39 years and 8 months at GM.
If the substitute is an upgrade the department Superintendent notifies the Plant Quality Control Manager and the area specifications man writes a plant deviation.
The deviation goes to the Material Department and the additional parts are ordered. The automakers biggest goal of the day is to get that count (Keep the iron horse running)
This happened frequently.
This is a small example and will not get into any others.
Back during C4 production, the upper radiator hose production clamp was not holding and the hose was blowing off the nipple.
To keep production running stainless steel band clamps were purchased at the local parts store down the street from Bowling Green.
The stainless steel band clamps kept the plant running.
The production tension clamp was fixed quickly by the supplier.
I must give Bowling Green big time correct for correcting some items very quickly.
I would like to talk with more stories but can't.

PS: My 1967 Corvette L36 was ordered in July 1966 by me and my father. The VIN 194677S100560 was produced on September 09 1966.
The body was not a Dow body (Division of AO Smith) AO Smith did build a few big block 1967 early bodies. In fact 1967 VIN 365 is a documented big block AO Smith body. Chevrolet took the big block body away from AO Smith early because AO Smith couldn't perfect the silk screening operation of the hood stripe (Stinger) When my 1967 Corvette arrived at dealer back in the day, you could see Rally Red paint through the black hood stripe, and the outboard stripe on the right side near windshield needed repair. This was a brand new 1967 Corvette body produced at St Louis (What a joke)




​

 

[mjdart]

Nice to have another factory experienced person chime in "General Mommie" always wanted those lines moving, I love the clamp story, that's the way it was. For the folks who know Sting Rays in and out I am always impressed and in awe at the details they've documented but then the human factor surfaces from time to time muddying the waters.

 

[2010corvette]

Nice to have another factory experienced person chime in "General Mommie" always wanted those lines moving, I love the clamp story, that's the way it was. For the folks who know Sting Rays in and out I am always impressed and in awe at the details they've documented but then the human factor surfaces from time to time muddying the waters.

Hi mjdart,

Is your 1964 Corvette Coupe Dow manufactured Corvette.
Starting in mid 1964 Corvette model year to end of 1967 model year "Dow" division of AO Smith built Corvette bodies with identical tooling as St Louis and under contract by Chevrolet shipped these bodies on specially built rail cars to St Louis for final assembly. Some exceptions did exist. AO Smith did not build regular production option N14. N14 is the dual side mounted exhaust. AO Smith didn't have the trimming tool for this body operation. Also AO Smith was not allowed to build 1967 big blocks after messing up a few hood stripes on early cars.
The only known 1967 AO Smith big block is VIN365 that went through either Barret Jackson or Mecum a few years back.
My 1967 Corvette big block (L36) was an early 1967 Convertible (Both tops) but was a St Louis body according to trim tag on tie bar just under glove box.
Some 1967 Corvette's had an extra broad cast sheet (Also known as tank sticker) stuffed under the dash. The tank sticker is really not an adhesive piece of paper.
In the plant all gas tanks were checked for leaks. Tanks were checked in tank of water and pressurized with water. If bubbles were present the tanks were rejected. After tanks came up out of water the manifest was laid on top of the wet tank and sent to the Corvette body. When the wet manifest dried on tank it looked like a sticker.
My brand new 1967 Corvette big block VIN194677S100"560" back in the day had quite a few quality problems.
The biggest problem was engine piston slap and bad water leak through the air vents.
This Corvette #560 had factory regular production option N11 (Off Road Service Exhaust) at $36.90 back in the day. The supplier to Chevrolet was "Arvin' and the dual side mounted muffler supplier was Walker. Today I believe they have merged (Arvin Walker)
PS: My brand new 1967 Corvette big block VIN560 built September 09 1966 had right side valve cover sprayed chevy orange over chrome (True story and I'm the original owner)

 

[mjdart]

Yes, my 64 is an AO Smith built coupe, final assembly was the last day of production on July 21, 1964. I have an odd mix of options L76 C60 N11 M20 T86 J50 J65 U69 G81 P92 which make the care some what rare. My dad worked for Rochester Products starting in 1939 finally retiring in 1986. He was on the team assigned to the Fuel Injection project in 1956 and then he was on the Tuned Port Injection team right before he retired. If he was still around I would have bought a fuelie as I could have leaned on him hot keeping it running correctly. I'm caught up in the details of these cars, I'm amazed at how documented they are.