June
24, 1998
At 7:22 A.M. June 16th 1998
the Last 1998 C5,
a Coupe VIN # 1G1YY22G1W5131069
And JOB # 031064
painted Amethyst
Purple (95U), with Light
Oak Interior (67I), Automatic
Transmission, G92 Performance Axle, started down the assembly line.
According to the Corvette Plant Newsletter "The
Vette Gazette" it was finished at 10:15
A.M. on June 17, 1998 and is heading for Ed
Morse Chevrolet in Lake Park, FL. This
1998 C5
should be delivered in about weeks and will be for sale!
According to the Bowling
Green, KY Newspaper, the Corvette Plant Shut Down
(for lack of Critical Brake & Dash Parts) at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday
June 23, 1998 due to the strike.
June 20, 1998
Hib Halverson's
"The State of the Corvette"
(part 1)
Article in the August 98 edition of VETTE Magazine
is a C5'rs "MUST
READ". Get out of those C5
Sport Seats and go to the Drug Store and pick
it up! Mr.Halverson I feel is
currently one of Corvette's best writers and I'm Proud to say a
friend of the C5 Registry.
The story is five pages long (Pg.28-32)
and is Part 1 of a series. The C5 Registry
is mentioned as the "EVENT"
(Pg.32, 2nd
Paragraph) in which Dave Hill
Spoke to over 300 members at the NCM Birthday
Celebration in March 98, announcing the NEW for 99 Colors and
confirming the C5 Exhaust
system would continue in its present form. Hib, Thanks for letting
everyone know how neat it was to have DAVE HILL speak
to the C5
Registry Group. Perhaps next
year (April 99) you could attend, HAVE SOME
FUN, and then possibly mention our name in your articles. One of your
faithful readers -- JAKE
June 20, 1998
General Motors has
discovered that 1998 Corvettes
in the VIN number range from W5120633
through W5123548 may have an exhaust leak between the
spark plugs, and has initiated a recall
campaign to correct the cylinder heads on these LS1
engines. If your 1998 C5 falls
in this VIN number range, CLICK
HERE to view or print the recall campaign #
C98022 Bulletin.
June 14, 1998
It appears that the Corvette
plant WILL be affected by the GM
strike due to Electrical components (Tachometer
module and the accelerator/pedal control module) shortages which
should force the plant to shut down by the end of next week. Well
there goes the '99 startup!! We'll keep you posted as we learn
more details.
May 30, 1998
The C5
Registry has learned the 1999 Six-Speeds
will begin production in July. This is good news for
those who have 1999 Six Speeds in the order banks at the various dealer.
It seems that the new relocated factory is now building six speed that
are being used in the Camaro and Firebird and on Tuesday
of this week the did a trial run of Six
Speed 1999 C5s
and all went well. So those of you who have six speeds on order and
thought it would take till March to get them , this is
truly good news.
May 28, 1998 We
have confirmed from a couple of sources that the Fixed Roof Coupe has
done a 180! "The Kick Butt
Version is.....BACK"
Corvette has done a 180 on
the production plans regarding the Fixed
Roof Coupe. It is now
available with only the six speed , LS1 non speed limited, Z51
performance handling package. The automatic
transmission is not available at all. It looks like the old
Z19 package which was deleted earlier from the
dealers order book is now standard on the FRC. My hats off for
Chevrolet for building it right the first time. Ladies and Gentleman, WE
HAVE A HOT ROD!!!! Could this be due to pressure
from the Internet,dealers, and future FRC customers???? Or was it
another one of those "FOCUS GROUPS"
that GM is famous for???? I like to think that it is the
Enthusiasts coming out in Corvette Management. I guess "They
Still Like To Play With Cars!"
May 28, 1998 A 300 MPH (Not
Horse Power) C5 Corvette.
This screamer will be introduced Labor Day
1998. Check back here for upcoming press releases.
May 21, 1998 Chevrolet
announces changes in brand management.
May 19, 1998
Looking for the number
of the bulletin for that troublesome fuel
pump fix? It's TSB#
83-63-10 [Click
Here]
May 19, 1998
The "Fix"
for the C5 fuel pump whine
has arrived! Based on the number of C5's
sold, dealerships will soon be receiving a TSB on a NEW
DESIGN fuel cell, Part Number:
12455734 "Fuel Tank Cell Assembly - Left Side".
The new tank has a series of rubber pads to reduce vibrations.
May 17, 1998
Looking for Corvette
Treasure? Check out the statistics on the 1998 C5
Corvette in Aztec Gold. [Click
Here]
May 16, 1998
We've got some stats on the
top choices for the 1998 C5
thus far. Targa Top choices: Dual
16%, Transparent Blue 24%, Painted 70%. Convertible Top colors:
Black 73%, Light Oak 19%, and White 8%. And so
far, 52% were delivered
with the CD Changer Option,
53% with body side moldings, 25%
with Six-Speed Transmission,
and 12.3% with Z51
suspension.
May 15, 1998
Wondering how the C5
exterior color sales are going for 1998? We hear the
breakdown is as follows: White 11%, Pewter
8.5%, Silver 15.3%, Radar
Blue (Purple?) 5%, Nassau Blue 3.9%,
Black 20.6%, Carmine Red 5.3%, Aztec
Gold 15 Cars, Torch Red 27.8%,
Fairway Green 1.5% and Metallic
Purple 1.1%.
May 8, 1998
This is for all you "NAVY
BLUE" FANS the RPO ORDERING CODE is "28U".
As Dave Hill told the C5
Registry Birthday Celebration Gathering in March, "NAVY
BLUE METALLIC"[RPO:28U]
will be the second NEW
Color for the 99 C5
Corvette. He mentioned it was the same color as
currently used on the 98 Camaro & Firebird brands.....It turns out
the RPO Code is also the same....Your Dealer will be receiving a new
"UPDATED" Ordering Guide VERY Soon from GM,So knows the time
to tell him the COLOR you want before his Ordering Guide Comes in....It
always amazes Dealers when YOU know Everything about the C5...BEFORE
THEY DO!!!
One last point it is not clear as of this date if All Colors will be
available at the start of 99 Production...But usually after several
weeks into production all COLORS are then available.
NOTE: "NASSAU BLUE"
WILL NOT BE DELETED FOR 99...So there will be TWO
BLUES in 99.[For ALL you Nassau
Blue Folks there has been LESS than a
1000 Produced so far in 1998.] On the other HAND, Pearl
Purple RPO:95U is History less than 300 made so far this
year.
May 6, 1998
The C5
Registry has just been notified that the Fixed
Roof coupe Option RPO-Z19 ‘kick
butt version’ Performance Package has been of the lineup for 1999 and
will NOT be available. This will be a shocker
for all of us waiting for a light-weight performance Corvette.
April 25, 1998
Our reorder of "I
still play with cars" T-shirts
have come in and we are now filling all orders. Today we shipped
out over 55 T-shirt orders to all of you who have been patiently
waiting. Thanks for your support.
April 22, 1998
1999 C5's
will have BLACK PLASTIC SILL PROTECTORS
embossed with the word CORVETTE.. We
believe this going to be STANDARD on every C5
for 1999.
April 20, 1998
You've got to read this C5
Registry members report on the Bowling
Green Corvette Plant, tornadoes, and the 1999 C5
Corvette. [
Click Here! ]
April 16, 1998
Attention:
6-speed C5ers! Eckler’s has
available a big shipment of ‘CAGS’
by-pass Switches – For those of you
who have been bothered by the 1st to 4th shift –
this easily installed switch, placed in the wiring harness by the
transmission, eliminates the C5 ‘having
a mind of its own’. The Eckler’s Part Number for this ‘CAGS’
by-pass Switch is #33993. Remember C5
Registry Members to use your Discount Code
when ordering from Eckler’s. The suggested retail price of this
item is ….. $24.95.(prior to
discount). Eckler’s Toll-Free Number is 800-327-4868.
April 16,
1998
The Fixed Roof Coupe in it's Economy
Model Form will have a Speed Limited LS1.
The top end of this model will max out at 126 MPH. For
those C5 Registry Members who DON’T
LIKE LIMITS (!) We recommend the Z19 ‘kick
butt version’ Performance Package. The Gymkhana/Autocross
Enthusiast Performance Package includes:
Stiffer Springs and Stabilizer Bars, Non-Speed Limited LS1
Engine, Manual 6-Spd (MN6) Transmission,
Variable Power Steering, Aluminum Wheels, Performance Handling Package, P245/45R17
BW Front Tires and P275/40R18
BW Rear Tires.
Dan Says
couple this with an LS1 Power Pac from Pro Autotech and a good free-flow
exhaust system and you’ll be bustin’ 13s in the quarter on Saturday
nite!
April
7, 1998
In 1999 a POWER
Tilt & Telescopic Steering Wheel
option . It appears this option will be available at the start of
1999 production. It is an electric Tilt
& Telescopic Steering Wheel that works with the memory
feature (RPO AAB) To
control it manually there will be a button switch on the lower right
side of the steering column. We are not sure of the price yet but our
best guess is $250.00. Memory
package (RPO AAB) and
dual zone A/C (RPO
CJ2) will be required.
April
7, 1998
In 1999 Head
Up Display (HUD). It appears this
option will be available at the start of 1999 production. It will
show Tach (in linear form...starting from the
bottom left side and curving up to the right), Speedometer (in
digital form) with a three digit display going up to 299Km.
On the right side will be three bars; TOP BAR-oil, MIDDLE
BAR-temp, BOTTOM BAR-fuel. You activate the BARS
by pushing a button located on the left side of the instrument cluster (above
the knob to dim the instrument panel, that panel piece has been modified)
You can push the button to activate one of the BAR GAUGES.
Not sure of the price yet but best guess is $375.00.
April
6, 1998
The ZR1
people have the "ZR1Net",
and we all have the "VetteNet"-
But there's a new Net! The C5Net
is now up and running, waiting for it's first subscribers! One
Catch! This is a private mailing list for C5
Registry Members Only. Check it out
with the link from the Members Page,
or click here.
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