Last 81?

[Peer81]

Hello,

Just curious. When was the last 81 build? I mean the Bowling Green 81

Greetings Peter.

 

[bill81vette]

peter,

according to the ncrs tech manual for 1980-1982 corvettes the last '81 corvette was produced in october of 1982
(had to find it in the book)

bill.........

 

[Yoda]

I plugged the last VIN into the NCRS Birthday site and it came up with what you got Bill, as I recall it was October 23, 1982 ;squint: I found this hard to believe, but I guess it could be possible

All the information I've read about the 1981, says the Corvette was built at 2 plants, St. Louis and Bowling Green during July and August of 1981. I've also read somewhere that production was actually during June and July at both plants with St. Louis Closing its doors July 31, 1982 and Bowling Green continued production into August.

Someone going to Bowling Green and maybe bumping into Gordon Killebrew or one of the old timers from the plant, might be able to shed a whole different light on October and the operations at both plants at the same time

If my assumptions are correct, production numbers at Bowling Green would lend to the June ~ August theory with shut down and getting the plant ready for production of the 1982...

Bud

Bud

 

[67HEAVEN]

There's at least one error in the story. Under the small photo at the top of page one it says "from 300 cars in 1953........". Those first 300 were actually built in Flint, MI.

 

[Yoda]

Thanks 67 for taking time to dig through your archives to provide this information

(After I read my Corvette Enthusiast each month I toss it, The only history I've kept over the years are hard bound books..)

Bud

 

[Peer81]

Whooow Mr. Heaven, that is a very cool piece of history you got there! I never seen a picture of an 81 on the assembly line very nice

I think there is a typo in the NCRS history records. Every model is produced from the year before till ... in the next year. So 81 corvettes from "end 80 till somewhere in 81". The only difference is that the 81 has 2 begin and 2 end date's from the St. Louis and the BG plant.

My 81 was produced on august 8th. When "extracting" the VIN numbers for the BG plant, the last 81 should be build around 30 september 81 I think maybe halfway october. And then my question is as Rare states correctly, there is no room left to change the plant for the 82 model if they begin normaly around end september begin october (if i'm correct that is).

So Gordon Killebrew is the man to ask these things? The last 2 years he has been here in Holland at your Fame meeting. He and his wife know Mark v. Diepenbeek overhere very well so maybe i'll ask him if i get lucky so see him

Maybe somebody else has some other opinions about this? I would be glad to hear them.

Greetings Peter.

 

[craig32]

the date on my build sheet says '10-07'

 

[Tom Bryant]

That does seem like a rather late date for the final '81. There were only 99 '81s built in Oct 1981 and 515 '82s. That would seem to put the end of '81 production early in the first week of the month.

Tom

 

[craig32]

My trim tag also reads - B 10 A 108124. The L81 registry lists the newest as 108806 - a little more than 99 if all numbers were consecutive. I thought I read somewhere that they made the 81's and 82's at the same time until all the orders for the 81's were filled. BTW, when I got new seats for my Vette, Willcox determined that they were '82 Red' Someone already changed the carpet once (probably from Eckler's, as it was the wrong color) but it is the correct Dark Red now.
Craig

 

[John Ulrich]

when I got new seats for my Vette, Willcox determined that they were '82 Red' Someone already changed the carpet once (probably from Eckler's, as it was the wrong color) but it is the correct Dark Red now.
Craig

I found out the same thing when trying to match carpeted floor mats!
JU