1969 Corvette Specifications

1969 Corvette dimensions and weights

These are the 1969 car's own figures, read off the factory specification manual further down this page rather than taken from a reference book. Curb weight is the car as it left the line, with fluids and no driver.

Where these figures come from

Page 10 is the 'VEHICLE DIMENSIONS-CORVETTE' table in GENERAL INFORMATION 0-3, which also carries the curb weights; the manual qualifies them as 'with Base V-8'. Pages 153 and 160 are the bound-in AMA Specifications Form ('ENGINE - FUEL SYSTEM, Refill capacity (U.S. gals.)' and 'DRIVE UNITS - TIRES, Size, ply rating, & ply'). The compiled PDF also contains third-party Corvette Black Book pages near the front; nothing was taken from those.

1969 options, quantities and original prices

• A 350 cubic inch, 300 hp engine and a 4-speed manual transmission were included in the base price.
• Two ZL1 cars were built. The all-aluminium 427 cost $4,718.35 on its own, roughly the price of a second Corvette.
• 1969 was the last year for the 3-speed manual transmission.
• The model run was stretched by a labour dispute, so 1969 cars were built from September 1968 all the way through December 1969.

1969 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: 3932386 and 3956618 (350ci 300 and 350 hp), 3970010 (350ci 300 and 350 hp, late production), 3935439, 3955270 and 3963512 (427ci 390, 400, 430 and 435 hp).
• Cylinder head: 3927186 and 3947041 (350ci), 3927187 (350ci 300 hp), 3931063 (427ci 390 and 400 hp), 3946074 (427ci 430 hp, aluminium), 3919840 (427ci 435 hp, iron), 3919842 (427ci 435 hp, aluminium).
• Alternator: 1100825 with air conditioning or transistor ignition, 1100859 (350ci), 1100833 (427ci 390 and 400 hp), 1100882 (427ci 430 and 435 hp with transistor ignition), 1100884 (350ci 300 hp with air).

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.

1969 horsepower and torque

These are SAE gross figures, measured on a bare engine on a test stand with no alternator, water pump, air cleaner or exhaust system fitted. They are not comparable with the net figures quoted from 1972 onward, and they are not what the engine made in the car.

Where these figures come from

'1969 Corvette Engine Specifications', PDF page 88. The book labels the columns by horsepower rather than by RPO; the RPO letters here are the standard ones for those ratings. The 390 and 400 hp 427s share one torque cell, 460 @ 3600.

1969 VIN range

1969 Corvettes ran from 194379S700001 through 194379S738762, all built at St. Louis. For convertibles the fourth digit is a 6, giving 194679S. 1969 is the only C3 year whose sequence starts at 700001 rather than 100001 or 400001, so a 1969 VIN is easy to spot. The 1969 Corvette VIN decoder breaks down each position, and the trim tag decoder works out roughly when in the year a car was assembled.

1969 production by month

1969 colors

• The factory manual lists the 1969 colours without production quantities, so no quantity column is shown for this year.
• Which interior trims went with which paint is set out in full on the exterior and interior combination page, along with the trim codes.

1969 axle ratios

Most 1969 differentials were made at Warren and carry a W suffix. Cars built after roughly August 1969 use 1970 coded differentials. The full list for every year is on the axle code page.

What changed for 1969

• The Stingray name returned, now spelled as one word and scripted on the front fenders.
• The base small block grew from 327 to 350 cubic inches.
• The steering wheel shrank to fifteen inches to free up room, and the door release lost the separate push button of 1968.
• Thinner door panels gained an inch of cabin width, and the passenger side of the dash picked up three map pockets.

What the manual covers

The 1969 book runs to a substantial 169 pages because it carries both the specification sections and a general information and lubrication section, right down to the chassis lubrication diagrams and the body section for the Corvette shell.

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.