1978 Corvette Specifications

1978 options, quantities and original prices

• A 350 cubic inch, 185 hp engine and a 4-speed manual transmission were included in the base price.
• Two special editions were offered. BZ2 was the Silver Anniversary two-tone paint package, 15,283 built. Z78 was the Limited Edition Pace Car replica with black over silver paint and front and rear spoilers, 6,502 built.
• The body style code changed from 37 to 87 with the fastback rear window.
• Chevrolet originally planned one Pace Car per dealer. Demand pushed production to 6,502, and cars changed hands well over list price during the model year.

1978 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

• VIN plate: on the left hand windshield pillar. The last six digits are the plant sequential number.
• Engine stamping: on the top front of the right hand bank of the cylinder case.

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.

1978 VIN range

1978 used two sequences. Regular cars ran from 1Z8788S400001 through 1Z8788S440274, and the Limited Edition Pace Car ran from 1Z8788S900001 through 1Z8788S906502, all built at St. Louis. Reading across: 1 for Chevrolet, Z for Corvette, 87 for the two-door sports coupe, then the engine code, 8 or 4, then 8 for the model year and S for St. Louis. A Pace Car is identified by its 9 series serial number, not by its paint, which is worth knowing given how many replicas of the replica exist. The VIN decoder breaks down each position, and the build date decoder works out roughly when in the year a car was assembled.

1978 production by month

1978 colors

• Paint quantities do not always add up to total production, because some cars were built with non-standard paint or left in primer only.
• Which interior trims went with which paint is set out in full on the exterior and interior combination page, along with the trim codes.

1978 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 1978

• The fastback rear window replaced the tunnelled backlight, the single biggest change to the C3 body since 1968, and it added real luggage space behind the seats.
• The dashboard was redesigned with a glovebox in front of the passenger for the first time in the generation.
• The fuel tank grew from 17 to 24 gallons.
• The speedometer and tachometer were restyled with square-edged faces.
• Two special editions marked the twenty-fifth anniversary: the Silver Anniversary two-tone paint and the Indy 500 Pace Car replica.

What the manual covers

The 1978 book runs 153 pages and is unusual in the set: alongside the general information, maintenance and lubrication sections it carries the September 1977 Chevrolet news release announcing the Limited Edition Corvette, and the complete MVMA 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.