 1968-1982 CORVETTE PRODUCTION NUMBERS, CORVETTE HISTORY & PHOTO'S: | Production History Home Page | | Corvette History Home Page | | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 
HARD TO FIND CORVETTES?! SAVE MONEY - CHECK eBay!  |
The Calendar and Links Pages are for Members ONLY! To Get The Most Out Of The UCCC Site - Join Now! It's FREE!      
| 1979 Corvette History Home Page | Factory Price Guide | | Body Codes | Engine Specs | Trans./Chassis Specs | | 1979 Corvette Serial and Production Numbers | 1979 Corvette History Introduced: September 25,1978. Model-year production: 53,807 (Chevrolet initially reported a total of 49,901 units). Calendar-year production: 48,568. Calendar-year sales by U.S. dealers: 38,631. Model-year sales by U.S. dealers: 39,816. For what it's worth, 7,949 Corvettes were painted this year in Classic White, while 6,960 carried Silver paint. Only 4,385 Corvettes had the MM4 four-speed manual gearbox, while 4,062 ran with the close-ratio M21 version. "The Corvette evolution continues," declared the 1979 Corvette sales catalog. Not much of that evolution was visible, however, after the prior year's massive restyle. Under the hood, the base engine received the dual-snorkel air intake introduced in 1978 for the optional L82 V-8, which added 10 horsepower. The L82 V-8 had a higher-lift cam, special heads with larger valves and higher compression, impact-extruded pistons, a forged steel crankshaft, and finned aluminum rocker covers. The "Y" pipe exhaust system had new open-flow mufflers, while the automatic transmission received a higher numerical (3.55:1) rear axle ratio. All Corvettes now had the high-back bucket seats introduced on the 1978 limited-edition Indianapolis 500 Pace Car. A high pivot point let the seat backrest fold flat on the passenger side, level with the luggage area floor. An AM/FM radio was now standard. Corvettes had black roof panel and window moldings. Bolt-on front and rear spoilers (also from the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car) became available. Buyers who didn't want the full Gymkhana suspension could now order heavy-duty shocks alone. Standard equipment included the L48 V-8 with four-barrel carburetor, either automatic transmission or a four-speed manual gear box (close-ratio version available), power four-wheel disc brakes and limited-slip differential. Other standard items included tinted glass; a front stabilizer bar; concealed windshield wipers and washers; a day/night inside mirror; a wide outside mirror; an anti-theft alarm system; a four-spoke sport steering wheel; an electric clock; a trip odometer; a heater and defroster; bumper guards, and a luggage security shade. The standard tires were P225/70R1 5 steel-belted radial blackwalls on 15 x 8-inch wheels. Corvettes had a four-wheel independent suspension. The bucket seats came with cloth-and-leather or all-leather trim. The aircraft-type console held a 7,000-rpm tachometer, a voltmeter and oil-pressure, temperature and fuel gauges. Seat inserts could have either leather or cloth trim. Content May Not Be Copied Or Reproduced Without Written Permission. |