One of my friends has a '68 Mako shark convertible under a tarp. How do I identify it? It is obviously a mako shark, but I have no idea what the engine is supposed to be. The color is British Green and the trim is STO (I think). The original engine is gone and the trans is a turbo 400.

|UPDATED|7/22/2003 12:30:07 AM|/UPDATED|

We can help, but you will need to get some numbers off of the car. There is no way to identify the correct engine by the vin number. On the top left side of the gas tank its possible that the tank sticker is there. If so, this is the key to all your answers. You will have to drop the tank to get at it so you can read the options that the car came with. If no sticker, then look at the tach redline. 5300 rpm = 327/300hp, 6000 = 327/350hp, 5600 = 427/ 390 or 400hp, 6500 = 427/435 or 430hp. Open up the drivers door and there will be a plate on the A pillar. This will tell you the paint and trim code. It also tells the date the car was made. Get those three codes and let us know and we can decode them for you. Also get the block casting number. This will tell us if it is a corvette block. Three blocks were available in 68. 914678 was a 327. 3916321 and 3935439 both were 427's. Also get the numbers off of the pad. Its located on the passenger side just in front of the head. There will be two numbers. One is the engine code and the other is a partial vin of the car. To see if its the orginal transmission, for a turbo hydra-matic, the production codes are on the passenger side on a vertical plate. If its orginal, the partial vin number will be there. Suggest you get those numbers also and let us know and we'll decode them for you. Also, check the fron sway bar. small blocks had a 3/4 inch bar and big blocks had 15/16. Exception is small blocks with the F41 supension option, but that is rare. Also, if the car has a stock rear sway bar, its almost positive that its a big block car. There are other things, but I've got to limit this for now. Suggest you get those numbers and I can tell you what color trim, paint, etc. the car came with.

Mark
68 coupe

Thanks Mark, I got a chance to stop by briefly and look at the car again today. The trim code looks like STO but it is hard to read. The paint code is 983 for British Green. The tach face turns yellow at 5000 and red at 5300 so it looks like it came with the base 327/300hp engine. There is no rear sway bar. I know the engine is not original and I didn't even bother to check the numbers, it is sporting a 2 barrel carb on an EGR manifold and some crusty M/T valve covers. I didn't get a chance to crawl under it and look at the tranny, plus I was wearing good clothes. Dropping the tank is a remote possibility, as I would imagine that any sticker would have gotten lost whenever the Mako Shark body kit was put on. It has a flip-up fiberglass nose and the rear deck sports '67 firebird tail lenses. There is also a gas fill in the middle and two small grilles above it further out on either side. Thanks for your help.

OK, now we're cooking. The paint code 983 stands for British Green. STD stands for Black Vinyl interior. As the tach red lines at 5300 looks like a 327 small block rated at 300hp. To tell when it was made, look on the A pillar tag and it will have a letter and two numbers.
A = August 1967 build date. The number would be the day of the month. B= Sept 67, C= Oct 67 and so on. 68's were built up and into early August of 68.

Hope this helps.

Mark

I believe the build date is May of 1968. The interior is indeed black vinyl, though rather dilapidated.

|UPDATED|7/22/2003 7:37:49 PM|/UPDATED|

Thanks for your help. It really is an interesting car, but it needs a total restoration. The frame appears to be solid and the body is rust free. LOL. The metal parts of the doors are good and it has both hard and soft tops. Oddly, it has no headlights or front bumper. It looks like a movie prop car or something. I have a pic but no way to post it.

Next question is how much do you have to pay for it? Sound like a possible basket case. Suggest you get a Corvette America or Mid America or Eckler parts catalog to see what interiors, etc run. Also check ebay. You can pick up some good items there also. Each of these catalog companies have web sites, so you should be able to order their catalogs on line. Sounds like a $4,000 top $5,000 car.

Mark

I am going back to finish my last year of grad school at the end of the month and I have decided that I just don't have time to get involved with the vette. If anyone wants to see photos I have listed the car on eBay. I am acting as an agent for my friend, who is paying me a nice commission to photograph and sell the car for him. It is item number 2426131020.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6168&item=2426131020

I took a look at the pictures and I do believe you're doing the right thing. Grad school vs. restoration. Wow! There is a lot of work there and it would be expensive. Car really needs work! Good luck! Now, after grad school you have got to get yourself a C3 Vette. Suggest one that is running, etc. so you don't get bogged down and loose interest.

Mark

If Motion made it it "should" have a little plate in the door jamb, Silva also numbered his cars, of course someone might have just built it which in that case it's a custom and the ID will really only mean the year, engine , etc....
For a fee Mr Motion will document a car as to being his, worth it when you consider how much real Motion items fetch.....Ebay Motion key fob...over 400.00
Best of luck, and how about some pictures,
T.