1976 Corvette Specifications

1976 options, quantities and original prices

• A 350 ci, 180 hp engine, 4-speed wide-ratio manual transmission, T-tops and vinyl interior trim were included in the base price.
• Custom interior included leather seat trim, wood-grain accents and lower carpet trim on the inner door panels, wood-grain accents on the console, and special cut-pile carpeting.
• The FE7 gymkhana suspension included a stiffer front sway bar and stiffer springs. There were no engine or transmission order restrictions with FE7.
• M40 was no cost with the base 350 ci, 180 hp engine but cost $134.00 with the optional L82. M21 was no cost but required the optional L82.
• The only engine and transmission combination available in California was the base 350 ci, 180 hp engine with the M40 automatic.
• Power brakes (J50) and power steering (N41) were listed as separate options at first, then folded into an increased base price during 1976. All 1976 Corvettes had power brakes, and all but 173 had power steering.
• RPO C49 used glass heating elements instead of forced air, and the terminology changed from "defroster" to "defogger".

1976 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, used for both the 180 hp and 210 hp 350.
• Cylinder head: 333882, used for both the 180 hp and 210 hp 350.
• Carburetor, Rochester Quadrajet: 17056206, 17056207, 17056506 and 17056507 on the 180 hp; 17056210, 17056211 and 17056226 on the 210 hp.
• Alternator: 1102474 on cars with air conditioning, 1102484 without.

1976 VIN range

1976 Corvettes ran from 1Z37L6S400001 through 1Z37L6S446558, all built at St. Louis. The fifth character identifies the engine: L for the 350 ci 180 hp, X for the 350 ci 210 hp. The VIN decoder breaks down each position, and the build date decoder works out roughly when in the year a car was assembled.

1976 production by month

GM paperwork shows a final VIN of 446567, nine units beyond the accepted and documented total of 46,558 cars. The specification manual itself gives the production figure as 46,558 coupes.

1976 colors and interior combinations

• Interiors listed are the suggested combinations. Additional combinations were possible.
• Paint quantities do not add up to total production, because some cars were built with non-standard paint or left in primer only.
• Early Chevrolet order guides show exterior code 39 for Dark Green Metallic. The code was changed to 33, but production records indicate one code 39 car was built.

Interior trim codes

112 = White leather, 15V = White vinyl, 152 = Smoked Grey leather, 19V = Black vinyl, 192 = Black leather, 322 = Blue-Green leather, 64V = Buckskin vinyl, 642 = Buckskin leather, 692 = Dark Brown leather, 71V = Firethorn vinyl, 712 = Firethorn leather.

Abbreviations: Bg = Blue-Green, Bk = Black, Bu = Buckskin, Db = Dark Brown, F = Firethorn, Sg = Smoked Grey, W = White.

1976 axle ratios

Only 1,371 cars left the factory with an axle ratio other than the standard one, at $13.00 extra. The full list for every year is on the axle code page.

What the manual covers

Beyond the summary above, the 119-page book runs through general information and lubrication, engine and chassis service specifications, torque figures, capacities, wiring, and the dimensions a dealer needed to order parts and quote work. It is the reference Chevrolet expected its own service departments to work from, which is what makes it useful when you are trying to settle whether a car left the factory the way it sits now.

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.