Hey Smokin'

Feeling old?! Mate, I can't believe how young some of the folks are on this forum.... I'm 24, I think of myself as being quite young to be running a vette. To insure a corvette in the UK... well, if you're any more than a year or so younger than me, you might as well not bother.. it's so bloody expensive!
I got my vette when i was 23, i have it on a limited mileage classic car insurance policy with one years no-claim bonus (= about 25% discount, i think) and i pay about £800 a year - whats that, $1500 or so? I also have to pay the first 500 quid if i make a claim. I dread to think what it would cost for unlimited mileage and no discount - about 30 insurance companies that i first phoned didn't even want to know - just too young! I dunno, you may think thats a pretty standard price, but over here most people, specially guys, can't afford anything more than about 1.4 to 1.6 litres before they're mid twenties - the insurance companies just shaft you!
(I could go on.. a full tank of petrol over here sets me back about 80 quid, $140 ish)
ANYWAY, thats enough of my random rantings...just to make sure you realise you don't know how easy you've got it ha ha!
To the subject in hand...
When you say your number is 43, there should be more to it than that... On your VIN, the format will be something like "1Z876AS4xxxxx" The start bit might not be exactly right, but its just the last 5/6 digits we're interested in. The first digit is a four on all (or many) c3s, i think, and the last five digits is the actual sequence number. I've read that the 80's went up to "440614", i.e 40614 1980 vettes. Which means mine's quite late, being around 34940, off the top of my head. (Bit sad that i can remember that !)
So if you could tell me if yours comes before mine, then maybe that means GM started phasing in the CE light in time for them being put in all the vettes by 1981.
I think you're right about the California cars, in 1980, it was only these that had the computer (and a 305), then 81 came and they all had it.

So basically, we now know that there are 1980's out there, like yours and mine, without a computer, but with a CE light that does squat. Quite why, i'm not sure! Suppose it was easier to make one type of console design for the 80 cars..

Regarding your Q about numbers, i'm pretty sure i've got the original L48 and 3 speed auto. I'm going to get round to tracking down one of these GM restoration packages that i've read about. Apparently you phone them up and give them your VIN, and they send you lots of info about your car's numbers and options. I just keep missing the opportunity, given the 5 or so hour time difference between you guys and me!
Right, i've written a small essay by the looks of it, time to pack it in.
Thanks for the info mate.
If there's anything i can help you with (you've probably got way more experience than me, but you never know) then give us a shout...
Cheers

Theo, my build date was 3/11/80 and like I said no light, only a blank place holder. My guess is like you said, later in the year they may have started to phase in the light preparing for the 81s.

Hey Theo,

I guess I do have it good (not bragging by anymeans) But I am 20 and drive a corvette to college. It's a real nice car but it did not cost by anymeans near as much as what people drive here! Nobody realizes that though, they just think your rich cause you got a corvette(definatly not rich!) My insurance is around 1000 dollars a year. Thats thanks to a wreck (I wrecked our 98 chevy truck 4500 miles, never been in rain .....ran into the back of three cars, i had a trailer with a tractor and everybody stopped REAL fast. I didn't get a ticket so my insurance is not too bad)
It does sound like everything is expensive over there though!

I guess i'm yakin huh? sorry. I guess I don't know my serial number then. My car is at home this week, but i will get back to you the beginning of next week or have my parents check it

Thanks guys, for checking that out...
Seems like our cars are sitting in the middle of a changeover period.
I originally started this thread to find out if my car had been fitted with a non-1980 console - i'm not really a total originality freak (not that there's anything wrong with that -it's just that getting it totally stock is a bit hard in the UK where there's so little info on these cars) but i do reckon a car like a vette probably deserves to be kept as original as possible, at least in the cosmetic stuff....

Take care folks

By the way, Smokin
I know what you mean about people thinking you're rich being young and driving a vette - i always get asked how much mine cost me, and when i say "how much do you think?" I mostly get a figure back about 10 times what it actually did cost. I can live with that(!)
A few people have said things like "whats the top speed - about 180?" Hmm, I wish. If i could get a 6 speed out of a C4, then maybe....

Just a thought, Fla vette,
When you say you just have a blank place holder, is it definitely blank, or is the "check engine" script there, just with no illumination?
Sorry, I'm not trying to insult your intelligence, it's just that i didn't realise there was even a light there myself, until the sun shone on it at the right angle one day, and i could see the writing.. that's what started this whole thing off!

Hy Theo
according to your vette sequence # 34941 your vette birth is
JUL 3, 1980
Normand

Cool, did you get that from the birthday calculator (i've seen a link to it somewhere around here, tried it the other day) I bought the vette on the first of July 2002, not long after her 22nd birthday!

When was yours built?

my birth vette is
23 Jan 1980
Normand
the link is
http://www.ncrswi.bizland.com/wi_ncrs/bdaycalc.htm

Theo, well got my curiosity up. I shined a flashlight in that area and there is a barely visable check engine inscription.

Now I was really concerned, so I opened the hood and checked... Whew, there is an engine... I feel better.