How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

[Paul Z.]

Hello, this is my first post. Trying to find a way to determine what the rarity of the 64 Riverside Red Coupe, FI, Close Ratio Muncie, 410 rearend, radio delete, hub cap car is. Can someone point me in the right direction? ie 1 of 800 etc. Thanks, Paul

[Hank D.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Welcome to the TDB.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to definitively determine what you seek. We can extrapolate based on known statistics, but it’s just educated guessing. There are several websites that detail Corvette known production statistics – here’s one – but you won’t find stats with combinations of options.

And, of course, you first need to substantiate the originality of all those options. Again, the holy grail of original GM paper for each of our beloved cars has never been located.

BTW….it is not a radio delete but may simply be one of the 1,296 cars built in ‘64 for which the original purchaser did not pony-up the $176.50 for the U69 RPO.

Sounds like a great car!

[Paul Z.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Thank you for the quick response. The car is beautiful.

[Don H.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

You're doing good Paul. Joined the club today, and talking on the tech board today. Your 64 coupe sounds marvelous! Suffice to say it is quite rare, though as Hank says we can't know for sure. Depending on the color of the Interior and other options, ie PWR brake, windows, all tint, BU lites, with no radio, there could be no other 64 coupes exactly like it. That would make it a one of one. What part of the world is your car residing in?
Drop a private message or email note if you would like more info. Just hover over then click on my name and you will get the links.

[Michael J.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Sounds like a great car, pretty rare for sure with what you mentioned, other options would make it even more rare, but no way to know for sure. BTW, it was no too uncommon for people to order a Corvette without a radio. That was a lot of money in the day, and some dealers were pretty good salesman at saying they could get one for you for less money. Good luck, pictures of it would be nice too.

[Joe L.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Hello, this is my first post. Trying to find a way to determine what the rarity of the 64 Riverside Red Coupe, FI, Close Ratio Muncie, 410 rearend, radio delete, hub cap car is. Can someone point me in the right direction? ie 1 of 800 etc. Thanks, Paul

Paul------


As I've said on many previous occasions, if one considers all of the available options, exterior colors, and interior colors, just about every Corvette was fairly unique. There's also the consideration of "rarity" versus "desirability". For example, 3 speed manual transmissions make Corvettes quite rare but they are not desirable by the standards of most aficionados.

True "radio delete" did not occur for Corvettes until the 1984 model year when radios were finally made standard equipment for Corvettes.

By the way, the cost of the radio option in 1964 was $164.50. Inflation adjusted to today, that's $1,686.86.

[Mark F.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

There does not appear to be a "radio delete" option code for any of the mid-years like there is for Heater Delete "C48" (example: 60 in 1964 according to Noland pg. 213).

Did St Louis and Ionia (DowSmith) have a stack of radio delete solid panels for each interior color and just insert them in the dash hole when bodies rolled by w/o a radio?

Or, was that another item specified on the broadcast sheets?

[Roy S.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Mark, because the "radio delete" non option required a different fiberglass center structure for the dash, trim ecl's had to cover the selection of the panel. If you research the trim ecl's you will see there are specific codes for U69 equipped cars in every color combination except black. Was not as simple as the earlier C1 where they just added the block of plate.

[Roy S.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Hello, this is my first post. Trying to find a way to determine what the rarity of the 64 Riverside Red Coupe, FI, Close Ratio Muncie, 410 rearend, radio delete, hub cap car is. Can someone point me in the right direction? ie 1 of 800 etc. Thanks, Paul

Paul, welcome to the best hobbyist organization on the planet. As you know have gathered the information just does not exist, years ago I owned a 64 36,000 mile original unrestored non radio futile coupe. I do not know how many were built optioned like yours but its not many. the number 1296 used earlier by a poster approximated the total non radio 1964 production, in fact you could narrow it down further than that but the number may or may not be accurate. For instance with 1964 production 37.3% of the production was the coupe body, were 37% of the coupes built non radio, I doubt it, but if they had been 484 cars would have been non radio. In fact I think more coupes may have been non radio than convertibles, because I think more coupes were race cars than convertibles and I think that fact may sway the number of coupes with a L84 and non radio to a larger number. But I do not know what that number is. Likewise with only 1296 non radio cars or 5.8% of the production you might assume that 5.8% of the 1325 fuelies were non radio and you get a number of 77 without even considering body style. It is all conjecture there are no published facts. Once again I think that number is low because I personally think as mentioned earlier more race cars were fuelies, were coupes and did not have a radio.

[Mark F.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Mark, because the "radio delete" non option required a different fiberglass center structure for the dash, trim ecl's had to cover the selection of the panel. If you research the trim ecl's you will see there are specific codes for U69 equipped cars in every color combination except black. Was not as simple as the earlier C1 where they just added the block of plate.

Hi Roy,

Thanks and I have just reviewed your and Al's Authentication Library Vol 1 and see exactly what you're saying about the 1963/4 ECLs . I now see those '63/4 ECLs also considered "Includes" and "Excludes" C60 usage as well as U69 (both of which make sense to me).

I guess I'm a bit confused now because it looks like the '65 thru '67 ECLs dropped the "Includes" and "Excludes" for U69 and/or C60(?)

So, maybe I'm missing something basic here, but how were the different center dash sections produced, identified and properly sequenced for assembly for those 3 years w/o ECLs clarifying that - when C60 and/or U69 delete were in play for an individual '65 to '67 car?

[Roy S.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Mark, now your asking me to answer the same question I have ask for years, I have never looked at the AIM regrading this subject. Does it show a different center section for the dash of a radio car or A/C or combination of. Maybe two years into production they were expedient enough that they just had the proper center section queued by the time it reached that assembly point. I simply do not know. The simple answer might be it was included in other ECL's no longer covered by the trim tag but available in some type of production record. The Corvette Order Copy and therefore the car shipper carry ECL's as published in Noland's book for each individual option.

[Mark F.]

Re: How to determine rarity of my 1964 FI Radio Delete Coupe

Mark, now your asking me to answer the same question I have ask for years, I have never looked at the AIM regrading this subject. Does it show a different center section for the dash of a radio car or A/C or combination of. Maybe two years into production they were expedient enough that they just had the proper center section queued by the time it reached that assembly point. I simply do not know. The simple answer might be it was included in other ECL's no longer covered by the trim tag but available in some type of production record. The Corvette Order Copy and therefore the car shipper carry ECL's as published in Noland's book for each individual option.

Roy,

I only have a ’67 AIM, but I believe I may have deduced how you surmised that there was “another non-ECL means” of designating the correct dash panel piece configurations for C48, C60 and U69 usage (at least for ’67s).

My understanding of the AIM is it starts with a base Corvette (Coupe or Convertible) and then progresses thru complete assembly, assuming no options are added. The AIM then moves thru modifications to that base configuration, based on which RPOs are added to that base configuration.

So, here's my cut on why ’65s thru ‘67s don’t have Trim Plate ECLs specifying C48, C60 and/or U69. We have 4 instrument panel part numbers – each one of which specify unique configurations (colors are probably in a sub-table as I have seen for other options) from base thru multiple RPO additions: 3894579; 3897471; 3897472; and 3897473. My guess is Dealer Orders were translated into these 4 instrument panel configurations (part or assembly numbers) outside of having to create additional Trim Plate ECLs – ALL speculation on my part, though.

BASE INSTRUMENT PANEL:
Page 37 in my AIM
UPC 1 Bolt Weld; Sheet A9; Item 21 3894579 Panel Assembly – Instrument. Note that this part number (at least in the ’67 AIM) comes pre-drilled (or molded that way) with the holes for heater controls. No surprise about this, but apparently, GM thought heater delete would be a rare request and wanted to be prepared for the majority of production, rather than accommodating rarely requested deletions.

C48 “Less Heater Equipment” INSTRUMENT PANEL:
Page 268 in my AIM
UPC C48; Sheet A2 shows a 3894579 base Panel Assembly (even though the base assembly is not numbered as an item). As noted above, the base panel is pre-drilled with the holes for heater control holes pre-drilled. Item 2 shows part number 3847773 (2 Plugs) – for filling the pre-drilled base panel heater control holes.

C60 “Air Conditioning” INSTRUMENT PANEL:
Page 271 in my AIM
UPC C60; Sheet A3 shows two Instrument Panel part numbers:
Item 1; 1^st line part number 3897471 – which apparently is the panel number for A/C ONLY (i.e., A/C w/ radio delete?)
Item 1; 2^nd line part number 3897473 - which apparently is the panel number for A/C AND UPC U69

U69 “AM/FM Radio” INSTRUMENT PANEL:
Page 398 in my AIM
UPC U69; Sheet A2 shows Item 1 part number 3897472 Instrument Panel Assembly to be used with U69.

I love these puzzles