The brochure to the right is certainly a sign of the times. If you read it, I'm sure you will notice it's absent any references to performance. While I've always liked the body lines of the 1978 and later Stingrays, I do have to admit they were pretty wheezy. Even the L-82 of that era isn't very impressive. Chevrolet built 53,807 Corvette's in 79, so I don't have to worry that any of the modifications I make will diminish the car's value.
When I purchased my '79, had about 93,000 miles on it. The owner claimed his wife had put 3,000 miles on it the 15 years they owned it. I suspect that was true because I removed at least ten wasps nests from under the hood. The bushings and seals were dried out, the engine needed a tune up, vacuum hoses replaced, etc. After fixing these issues, it ran as intended and I drove it for years that way.
This Corvette is an early year 79, sometimes identified as a 79E in parts catalogs. There are three things that identify this as a 79E: wedge shaped antenna base, three door storage compartment, and 140 mph speedometer. It is a base Corvette Sport Coupe with the 195 hp L-48 motor, wide ratio Borg-Warner Super T-10 four-speed manual transmission, and 3:38 rear-end ratio. It has the following options: sports mirrors, tilt-telescopic steering wheel, radio with cassette deck, and dual rear speakers. Until May of 79, air conditioning was optional, and this car came equipped without it...another indication it is an early 79. Oh, I almost forgot...it also had a really cool "Members Only" label fixed to shifter console. I'm pretty sure that wasn't a factory option, so it was the first thing to go after I signed the title.
About the car