I recall that in August of 1976, GM edict came out to paint all engines GM Corporate Blue. The early 1977 Corvettes were originally painted orange, and were installed as such. In late August of 1976, they started installing blue engines, but there was a backlog of orange engines still in the stockroom. At the St. Louis Assembly Plant, like many other GM Plants, the factory operated on a LIFO system, meaning the newest parts were installed first and the older engines were installed last. That's why some Corvettes got orange engines as late as mid-September. My 1977 Corvette has a build date of B15, which would equate it to September 15, 1976, and it has a blue L-82 engine. From a collector's standpoint, a 1977 Corvette with the original orange paint would be of more value than an identical Corvette with a blue engine that was built on the same day.

Bizzy77

Bill McCormick

When I was working for Chevrolet in 77 I never saw a orange engine in the new vettes. It has to be rare. Very noteworthy. Thanks