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Topic: 78 Pace Cars

in Forum: C3 Parts For Sale/Wanted


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78 Pace Cars (1/3)
 8/31/18 9:36am
RPO Z78
Former Member

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Sanford, NC - USA

Vette(s):
-1978 Pace Car, L-82, 4-Speed (M21), Gymkhana Suspension, Leather, AM/FM/CB


Joined: 10/5/2017
Posts: 6

Hay all! I have a couple of hobbies. One is trying to track down all 6502 Pace Cars by VIN. I know I won't be able to get them all due to some being totaled long ago but I'm trying to get as many as I can. for me the search is fun. I've created an excel spreed sheet with an (x) as the 5th digit for the engine numbered from 0001 to 6502. I'm trying to find out which engine/transmission was in each car, what options they have, and the last known location (City, State).  So far I have found 709 VINs.  I'd have a lot more, however some adds of cars for sale don't include the VIN, so although I can get the options, I don't know which car they belong to. I've gone through the Pace Car Registry and C3VR sites and got those, as well as usedcorvettesforsale.com and Youtube. I've also just Google "78 Corvette Pace Car for sale" and checked out those adds. Any suggestions on where else to look?

Thanks

PS: If you have a Pace Car, I'd love to hear about yours. I may or may not already have it on my list, but I still like to hear the story on it.
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Re: 78 Pace Cars (2/3)
 8/31/18 1:54pm
F4GaryGold Member
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Grapevine, TX - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LT-1 convertible with factory air.


Joined: 8/26/2006
Posts: 1406

I never understood why all the Pace Cars didn't just come with an L82.  You're already buying the top of the line Corvette, why skimp on the engine when the L82 wasn't much more.  

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Re: 78 Pace Cars (3/3)
 9/1/18 9:07pm
RPO Z78
Former Member

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Sanford, NC - USA

Vette(s):
-1978 Pace Car, L-82, 4-Speed (M21), Gymkhana Suspension, Leather, AM/FM/CB


Joined: 10/5/2017
Posts: 6

I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that some states restricted the sale of the L-82.  In 1978, The state of California mandated the installation of RPO YF5 (California Emission Certification) which dropped the output of the L-48 from 185 horsepower to 175 horsepower and 270-pound feet of torque, in part through the use of an altered carburetor and distributor combination. This same limitation found its way onto Replicas sold in the states of Maryland, Florida, Oregon and Washington, as well as cars sold in the cities of Boston; Chicago, Des Plaines and Barrington (Illinois); Grand Rapids (Michigan); and throughout Cook County (Illinois).  Cars being delivered to higher elevations (above 4,000 feet) required High Altitude Emission Equipment (RPO NA6).  They also received this detuned, 175 horsepower, L-48 engine.
Also it is my understanding that all cars with RPO YF5 could only be ordered with an automatic transmission, no 4-speed manual transmissions, just automatics only.





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