Good news for owners of some 1965-72 Chevrolet muscle cars is coming from a most unexpected source – the National Corvette Restorers Society.
NCRS has announced that it will begin selling shipping records for 1965-72 Chevelles, Camaros, and Novas sometime in the next three months – a move that could offer hope to restorers seeking more information about their vehicles.
Shipping records, while not the Holy Grail, will still allow owners to find out the dealer code, dealer name, dealer address, and build date for their car, and that information could open the door for further discoveries.
In fact, NCRS official Mark Lincoln tells a story about one shipping record that helped a Corvette C2 big-block owner unearth documentation from the original owner of his car.
The Chevy dealer was still in business, and a former employee remembered the car, directing the current owner to the original buyer.
NCRS is converting the data now from microfiche to digital form, a time-consuming move that once completed will allow much easier access for current owners. Admittedly, some records may not be readable or may be damaged, but in those instances, NCRS will refund the customer’s money.
Since there were 7 million Camaros, Chevelles, and Novas manufactured from 1965 to 1972, NCRS worries that it may be overwhelmed with inquiries once the program opens to the public.
That’s a real possibility, but we salute NCRS for making the effort to help restorers of three more Chevy muscle car models.
While shipping records don’t offer all the information that build records would, at least they’re a start in the right direction. These records could help prove or disprove a car’s history.
For those holding out hope of finding other more in-depth records, don’t hold your breath.
Apparently, build records of pre-1975 Chevy models have been destroyed over the years as efforts by former Chevrolet general manager Jim Perkins in the 1990s as well as a standing $1 million offer by Terry Michaelis, president of Pro Tem Corvette, to anyone who could produce complete build records for early Corvettes, both have gone unanswered.
NCRS will charge $50 for the shipping records when the service begins later this year.
Source:
Hemmings.com
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