Is it possible my 78 silver anniversary has 73  power brake system?  I ordered a 78 vette  brake line set for power brakes and the front crossover line between rt brake and distribution block is about a foot too long. Also the old line from the brake block to the lt frt brake rubber hose is only three inches long. The one in the kit is twelve inches long. I stopped checking the lines then. I talked to the company that made the lines  and we doubled checked  the #'s on every line and they all matched with what should fit. I looked on- line and looks like the only kit that has the shorter lines is a 1973 vette. I bought this vette from an Illinois bank and it has no  manufacturer vin number on the title, on the car or on the frame to check year. It has 78 on title with an Illinois state vin number to register it.  I registered it in Indiana and put plates on it. . It has a L-82 logo on the instrument cluster and manual tranny. I've had the body off replacing all bushings and looks like it's never been wrecked. No mods on the car, everything looks orginal.  Has 80000 miles on it and looks like it has set a long time in a building. Body and interior is in good shape and it came with lots of options. Sure looks like a 78 vette  but brake system doesn''t match the year. . Dropping a new L-82 in it, painting it but got to figure these brake lines out. Hate to keep ordering brake lines, but I will to get the right ones., if I knew which ones. Any ideas? , thanks

Corvette Central sent me a 73 & 78 brake diagram and I definetly have the  73 brake line system . My switch assy sits closer to the front of the frame and bracket is fixed to the switch assy and the bolts to the frame. The 78 bracket is welded to the frame and the switch bolts to that. The 78 switch assy sits closer to firewall also, making the longer lines neccessary.  I'll have to see what else on the frame is a 73. I can see switching a few parts if this car was parted together but I doubt if a chassis switch is possibe. By the looks of the of things when I lifted the body, the body ahd never been off. Anything is possible.

It would appear that someone took a 73 and converted into a 78 anniversary. All kinds of vettes are changed into what owners want them to be. No vin number kind of leaves everything wide open. Do you have Hei ignition? Do you have a catalictic converter? Do you have a tach driven by a cable?  

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Thanks for reply 440! It does have HEI, cat converter, the interior and body  is definetly a 78,. I've changed all the printed circuits for the instrument panel and they were ordered for a 78. If they put a 78 body on a 73 frame, they did a good job.  It has electric windows, rear defog, power  antenna , A/C , cruise etc . I don't know if the 73 had all of that including a glove box with a door.  I'll try to send some pictures. I have a feeling this vette was stolen years ago, recovered with no vin and sold that way. But like you said, without VIN it's hard to find it's history.

Electric widows, rear defogger A/C were available for 73. Glove box door, power antenna, hei, cat, cruise, circuit boards for tach were not on the 73. More than likely you have a composite of a stolen car. It is giving you fits I see with the brake lines. Now that you have a handle of where your at.........you can order accordingly. Corvettes are always challenging. If you did a body off you seem totally capable of handling your extra/ordinary hurdles!

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Yes, entirely possible. Most parts are interchangeable but of course, not all (as you have already seen) You have a plan now, on how to proceed. Corvette's are challening but worth it. Good luck!

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The frames, for the most part, are basically the same from '68-'80. The biggest difference is at the front, and the rear, for the bumper attachment. The '73 still had the chrome rear bumper, and therefore had a frame that would accept the bracketry for the chromie. The front of the '73 is TOTALLY different from a '78, too....so...if your '78 has a '73 frame on it, someone went thru a lot of trouble to do the swap. Not that it can't be done, but....there is an ample supply of later model Sharks out there for donor frames, so doing all of the fabrication to use a '73 frame on a '78 just doesn't make sense....at least not to me.
I would be leaning more to CC, and other parts suppliers as being slightly incorrect in their parts listings. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard some parts expert tell me "Oh ya sure...it'll fit"....

You should be able to find the frame VIN behind the driver side tire/wheel area, on the very TOP of the frame rail...usually right about where the rear body mount is. They can be hard to see, but a good cleaning, and mirror will help. If you do NOT see the VIN there, or if it looks like that area has been ground on, then someone has deliberately tried to conceal the true identity of the car/frame....

Here's a general idea of where you can(or should) find the frame VIN #

https://www.c3vr.com/member_pages/4401_4500/4427/frame.jpg

|UPDATED|9/19/2011 8:12:41 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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Joel Adams
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Adams Apple, thanks for the reply. By everything I encountered lifting the body off this summer, it doesn't look like this frame and body had every been separated. The body mount bolt heads were not scarred, the steerring wheel coupler had never been apart and the front frame extension bolts looked factory condition. The front and back bumper doesn't look like it  ever had a mod. The front spoiler is missing and I assumed the holes on the vacuum tank is where that will attach along with some  missing parts. Common sense says it's a 78 on a 73 frame. This vette body must of been put on a 73 frame when the 78 car was new or almost new and the bolts came out easy. If it was stolen and reconfigured, those boys sure knew what they were doing. I wish I would of known the location where that Vin may be on the frame before I put the body back on. But I will still look and see if I can find it. Thanks for sending that. Those lines from CC would of fit perfectly if  it had a 78 brake block where it should be. I ordered a 73  line set and looking at the diagram they should fit. I too have ran into " this fits  all models " before.  Hey , thats why I bought this vette, I love headaches and throwing money away. I bought a 67 vette on my way back from Nam I saw while riding the bus home and drove it the rest of the way. Been in love with them ever since. Thanks again for replying.