1979 Corvette Specifications

1979 Corvette dimensions and weights

These are the 1979 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

Primary source is the dealer album's 'DIMENSIONS/SPECIFICATIONS' page, PDF page 49, which also gives minimum ground clearance 4.3. CONFLICT: the engineering 'VEHICLE WEIGHTS' page in the same book (PDF page 64) gives curb weight 3503 for 1YZ87 with the 350 L48 (shipping 3374). Both 3519 and 3503 are printed in this manual; the 3519 above is the dealer sheet's figure. Tire size is dimension code L102 on the 'EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS' page (PDF page 62), which also confirms overall length 185.2. Note 185.2 here against 185.3 in the 1980-1982 books.

1979 options, quantities and original prices

• A 350 cubic inch, 195 hp engine and a 4-speed manual transmission were included in the base price.
• An AM-FM radio became standard equipment in 1979.
• The front and rear spoilers developed for the 1978 Pace Car became options. They were functional, cutting drag by about fifteen percent and adding roughly half a mile per gallon.
• The 85 mph speedometers associated with 1980 were fitted to several late-build 1979 cars.

1979 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 on all engines. 14016379 is reported but its usage is uncertain.
• Cylinder head: 462624 on all engines.
• Distributor: 1103353 and 1103285 (195 hp), 1103291 (225 hp).
• Alternator: 1101041, 1102394 and 1102484 without air conditioning, 1102474 and 1102908 with.

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.

1979 horsepower and torque

These are SAE net figures, measured with the engine installed and driving everything it has to drive in the car. They are lower than the gross figures quoted up to 1971 for the same engine, which is a change in how the measurement was taken as much as a change in the engines.

Where these figures come from

'ADVERTISED ENGINE RATING', PDF page 80. The horsepower cell is merged across both L48 rows, so both are 195 @ 4000 while the torque figures differ. That is how the book prints it, not a transcription slip.

1979 VIN range

1979 Corvettes ran from 1Z8789S400001 through 1Z8789S453807, all built at St. Louis. The fifth digit is the engine: 8 for the 350 at 195 hp, 4 for the 350 at 225 hp. With more than fifty thousand cars built, 1979 sequence numbers run higher than any other C3 year. The 1979 Corvette VIN decoder breaks down each position, and the trim tag decoder works out roughly when in the year a car was assembled.

1979 production by month

1979 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.

1979 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 1979

• The high-back seat style introduced on the 1978 Pace Car replica became standard. Heavy use of plastic cut about twelve pounds per seat, the backs folded at a higher point for easier rear storage access, inertia locking replaced manual locks, and both seats gained an inch of forward travel.
• Both engines gained 5 hp from a new open flow muffler design, and fitting the L82's low restriction dual-snorkel air intake to the base engine added another 5 hp.
• The fuel filler pipe was redesigned to make it harder to modify for leaded fuel.
• Tungsten-halogen high beams were phased in early in the production year.
• An illuminated visor-mirror became available on the passenger side.

What the manual covers

The 1979 book runs 133 pages: the General Motors 1979 VIN system chart, the Corvette Black Book summary sheets, general information with the vehicle identification number breakdown, the maintenance and lubrication chapter and the recommended fluids tables.

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.