Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN #?

[Michael B.]

Hello All,

I own a 1962 C1 Corvette that has had the original 327 engine replaced by a 350 (supposedly 300 hp Corvette engine).

I am curious to know what engine and options the car was originally sold with.

I paid for expedited service (through NCRS), to get the original dealer shipment information, and found that the car was originally sold from Loving Chevrolet in Silver Spring, MD. From what I can tell, that dealership is no longer in business, so I do not know where to turn in order to find original documentation.

The build date is 2/1/1962.
The dealer code is zone 14-325.
Loving Chevrolet
Silver Spring, MD

I would really appreciate some ideas as to how to find this information.

Thank you,

Michael Baskin

[Keith B.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

you got everything that is available. your only chance is to track down the original owner

[Michael B.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

Yes. That's what I was afraid of...

This car's original owner, and his wife have both passed away. I have their names, and the city they lived in, but I don't have next of kin, and really don't want to bother them if I can help it.

Supposedly, they were also said to still have the original engine. But I have no way of knowing who to contact.

Mike Baskin

[Keith B.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

if it was me I would try to contact someone from the family and ask. if you live close offer to bring the car there. some times a car will spark all kinds of memories good and bad for people. good luck

[Mike E.]

[Bob R.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

As far as the way your car was originally equipped there are only a few things you can look for. If it was a fuel car there should be some obvious signs of the exterior fuel emblems and some engine compartment items specific to that. If the car has a high horse tachometer and no exterior emblems then a 340 horse is likely. Low 250 horse engines had a 2" exhaust and low red line tach.
I spent a long time chasing down the origins of my 63 and had some success. The dealership that sold my car was also long gone, I tried the following:
Google searches on the name to try and find anyone that might be around with knowledge of the dealership
Check local newspapers at the library for any info on the dealership.
My car was delivered to a local small family dealership and I searched the area for people with the same last name as the dealer. I was lucky and found a cousin who lead me in the right direction. The dealership only sold 2 Corvettes in 1963 so I found someone who knew the person who purchased the car. Eventually after writing many letters I found the son of the original owner. He was very happy to see the car and provided me with some information however he is not really a car guy and his memory from 56 years ago was only fair. It was still worth the time and effort to meet him.
Here is a photo of him seeing the car this past June June

[Michael B.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

Thank you Bob.

The original owner was named Col. Frank K. West, Jr. He lived in Jacksonville Florida, and was a Helicopter pilot in the marines, and part of the Flying Tigers in Vietnam. He owned the car throughout his life until he passed away.
The car was then titled in his wife's name. (Patty Blount West).
She passed away in 2017.
Apparently the family sold most everything of any value.
(This car, and most of Col. West's military memorabilia including Flight helmet and medals...)
For this reason, I doubt that the original engine for this car would still be there.
But it's always worth trying.

The only reason that I know that they still had the engine, was that it was noted on the entry in the C1 Corvette Registry for this VIN #.
20867S106268

I checked through the orphan parts pages here in hopes that it might be there... but no luck.

I also called The Corvette Museum Archives department, and spoke to Derek Moore, who suggested that I contact Dave Heitzman here at NCRS. Apparently Dave is the C1 Expert here that can likely point me in another direction...

I'll have to keep digging.

Thank you for your help.
Michael Baskin
Charlotte, NC

[Dan D.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

Another avenue you could try is the genealogy sites and the people locator sites. Ancestry.com and 23andme sites have a wealth of information on just about everybody. Also the more aggressive sites like Checkmate and Peoplewiz can locate just about anybody. Those sites usually have e-mail addresses, and I find that less obtrusive to strangers than writing letters or phone calls. Phone calls to strangers is not a good way to go. I find e-mails are much better. And you would also be surprised at how many other people are doing family research, and if you hit on one you will find them almost always willing to help out someone else doing family research. If you have any names and locations, that is a good starting point.

I have been doing some genealogy work on my family and these sites have provided a wealth of good info. Also you can usually weed out wrong leads without having to contact anybody. I recently found out the names of my great grandparents and great aunts and uncles, along with their places of burial. I have wanted to find this out for along time, and now I have it.

Just a thought for you.

-Dan-

[Mike E.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

Thank you Bob.

The original owner was named Col. Frank K. West, Jr. He lived in Jacksonville Florida, and was a Helicopter pilot in the marines, and part of the Flying Tigers in Vietnam. He owned the car throughout his life until he passed away.
The car was then titled in his wife's name. (Patty Blount West).
She passed away in 2017.
Apparently the family sold most everything of any value.
(This car, and most of Col. West's military memorabilia including Flight helmet and medals...)
For this reason, I doubt that the original engine for this car would still be there.
But it's always worth trying.

The only reason that I know that they still had the engine, was that it was noted on the entry in the C1 Corvette Registry for this VIN #.
20867S106268

I checked through the orphan parts pages here in hopes that it might be there... but no luck.

I also called The Corvette Museum Archives department, and spoke to Derek Moore, who suggested that I contact Dave Heitzman here at NCRS. Apparently Dave is the C1 Expert here that can likely point me in another direction...

I'll have to keep digging.

Thank you for your help.
Michael Baskin
Charlotte, NC

[William G.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

Find the obituaries for Col West and his wife. If he died recently and lived in JAX it is an easy thing to do. Call the local library and they should be able to provide them. The obits will provide names of children, if any. I would say that most adult children would be happy to hear about their deceased father's old Corvette so go ahead and contact them. I have done this literally hundreds of times when I did Corvette research, and it was a rare occurrence when I was stonewalled in a situation like this. If you have children's names and can't find them feel free to email me.Bill Gould

[Michael J.]

Re: Is there a way to know what the original engine was in my 62 Corvette, by the VIN

The case is solved then.