1973 Corvette Specifications

1973 options, quantities and original prices

• A 350 cubic inch, 190 hp engine and a 4-speed manual transmission were included in the base price.
• 4,000 vehicle identification numbers, 24,001 through 28,000, were never used. That is why the final 1973 serial number runs 4,000 ahead of the production total.
• 1973 was the last year for the big block in a Corvette convertible and the second to last for the big block altogether.

1973 engine identification codes

The engine suffix code is stamped on the front of the block, on the pad ahead of the passenger-side cylinder head. Read it together with the VIN to confirm an engine belongs with the car.

Casting and component numbers

• Block: 3970010 (350ci 190 and 250 hp), 3999289 (454ci 275 hp).
• Cylinder head: 3998993 (350ci 190 hp), 330545 (350ci 250 hp), 353049 (454ci 275 hp).
• Carburetor: Rochester Quadrajet 7043202 and 7043203 (350ci 190 hp), 7043212 and 7043213 (350ci 250 hp), 7043200 and 7043201 (454ci 275 hp). For California applications the fifth digit of the part number is a 5.
• Alternator: 1100950 (350ci), 1102353 (454ci), 1100544 on cars with air conditioning.

The full casting number breakdown per engine, including intake and exhaust manifolds, is on the casting number page, and the carburetor numbers are on the carburetor page.

1973 VIN range

1973 Corvettes ran from 1Z37J3S400001 through 1Z37J3S434464, all built at St. Louis. For convertibles the third digit is a 6. The fifth digit is the engine: J for the 350 at 190 hp, T for the 350 at 250 hp, Z for the 454 at 275 hp. Note that the last serial number is 34,464 while only 30,464 cars were built, because 4,000 numbers were skipped. The VIN decoder breaks down each position, and the build date decoder works out roughly when in the year a car was assembled.

1973 production by month

• * Includes the loss of 4,000 VIN plates: 424001 - 428000

1973 colors

• Which interior trims went with which paint is set out in full on the exterior and interior combination page, along with the trim codes.

1973 axle ratios

The axle code is stamped on the differential carrier housing. The full list for every year is on the axle code page.

What changed for 1973

• The front bumper was redesigned to meet the federal five mile per hour standard. The body-colour system added thirty-five pounds and could take a five mile per hour hit without damaging lights or safety equipment. The rear was essentially unchanged from 1972.
• A new coolant recovery system routed overflow into a holding reservoir for return to the radiator after cooling.
• Sound deadening material was sprayed on several inner panels and a sound-absorbing pad was added to the inner hood surface. New rubber and steel chassis mounts isolated road chatter.
• The lifting windshield wiper panel was deleted and a new hood with rear cold air induction was introduced.
• Radial tyres were used on Corvettes for the first time, and the doors gained interior beams for side impact protection.
• The rear window was no longer removable, but luggage space gained two inches of height once the window storage shelf was gone.

What the manual covers

At 69 pages the 1973 book is one of the slimmer manuals in the set, but it is dense: model identification, colour and trim, power teams and engine specifications, lubrication, and the complete AMA specification form for the passenger car.

For part numbers and exploded illustrations rather than specifications, the parts manuals are the companion set. Other model years are on the specification manuals page.