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The Information Source for Corvettes

Production
Coupe Convertible Total
10,594 10,919 21,513
Base Price
$4252.00 $4037.00

1963 Corvette
The Corvette Sting Ray of 1963 was a marked departure from the 1962 which preceeded it. Styled along the lines of the Corvette StingRay racer from 1959, the cars exterior attributes mimicked those of the racer. To gain a larger audience, the new car could now be had in a first ever coupe form, and the look was further characterized by the controversial split rear window. Numerous styling touches abounded, with rotating hidden headlamps, false "grilles" inset into the hood, and dual front fender vents. The rear of the car was much like the 1962's, except now Corvette would no longer have an exterior trunk opening.
This could be considered the first all-new Corvette since 1953, although powerteams were shared with the 1962. Underneath the new body was a chassis which utilized an independent rear suspension. Gone was the live or "straight" axle, replaced by a European inspired suspension system. The Chevrolet Corvair had featured an independent rear since 1959, but Corvette's did not include the "swing axles" which had been deemed a handling issue. Corvette used trailing arms and lower lateral links for axle location and a single transverse multi-leaf spring. The rear axle assembly was bolted to the frame to reduce unsprung weight. Corvette powerteams remained relatively unchanged from the 1962's. The 327 was the only dispalcement available, but was available in four different horsepower ratings. The base engine was rated at 250hp, and for $53.80, a 300hp version could be ordered. These were the only two engines available with the optional Powerglide automatic. If you didn't mind (or preferred) the tick of a solid lifter engine, 340hp was yours for $107.60. If You wanted a Corvette with the most powerful engine offering, the 360hp fuel-injected engine relieved your wallet of $430.40, more than 10-percent of the base price.
Transmission choices for the new Sting Ray were a base three-speed manual, optional two-speed Powerglide automatic, or a four-speed manual (Borg-Warner supplied the gearboxes for early cars, Muncie the later). For 2008, Chevrolet makes a big deal about a 2.73 optional gear ratio for Corvettes with the automatic transmission. In 1963, there were five gear ratios available, a "highway" 3.08, typical gearing of 3.36 or 3.70, a hardcore 4.11, and finally, what one would call extreme today, a wild 4.56 final drive. With no overdrive transmissions, a 4.56 geared Corvette at max revs coupe maybe attain 120mph top speed. But the throttle response. Wow.
Wheel treatment had been debated, debunked, and discussed. The base wheel covers were a 5-spoke design, crafted from stainless steel. Of this, there is little discussion. The optional aluminum wheels are of great debate as to when they were actually released. On the cover of Road & Track's October 1962 issue, there they were. But did any actually leave the factory that way? Perhaps they did, if not Chevy dealers must have had a good supply from their parts departments. The rumor is the early aluminum wheels cars had two-bar spinners, with three-bars installed on the later cars.
Comfort & convenience features were increased. First and foremost was the offering of factory installed Air Conditioning. When Corvettes were all convertibles, A/C wasn't a major issue, but with the confines of the coupe, it was almost a necessity. Air conditioning was late to arrive, with less than 300 being produced with it. It would be a safe guess to say there are more than twice that many "factory installed" air conditioned 1963 Corvettes running around today. Power steering and power brakes were added to the option list although just over 3,000 opted for the two options out of the 21,513 Corvettes produced in 1963.

The Corvette was continuing to be more modern as later in the model year, the FM band was added to the optional radio. As with all Corvette radios until 1978, the radios were unique to Corvette.
As modern as the Corvette was, brakes were still the tried and true drums, something that would plague the car in the performance arena. There was an optional Z06 RPO which enhanced the cars performance as well as providing brake cooling "ears", but this was still no match for the all-disc brake systems of the European competitors.
Inside of the new Corvette was the familiar twin cockpit, with the vertical center instrument panel extension containing a vertical mounted radio and climate controls. The instrument panel flowed into the floor console, dividing the new bucket seats whose backrests now folded forward to allow access to the newly configured storage area behind the seats. Leather interior could now be specified, but was limited to saddle trim. When the 1963 model was shown to the public, Zora Arkus Duntov, accredited Cheif Enginieer for Corvette nor Larry Shinoda, the head of the design studio for Corvette, could have been able to contemplate the icon they had unleased.

Engine Codes Color Codes
RPO Horsepower Fuel System Trans Block Code Code Color
Base 250 4-bbl Manual RC 900 Tuxedo Black
Base 250 4-bbl Auto SC 912 Silver Blue
L75 300 4-bbl Manual RD 916 Daytona Blue
L75 300 4-bbl Auto SD 923 Riverside Red
L76 340 4-bbl Manual RE 932 Saddle Tan
L84 360 Fuel Injection Manual RF 936 Ermine White
941 Sebring Silver
941 Sebring Silver

1963 - Sting Ray & Split-Window
1964 - Function to the Form
1965 - Debut of the Big-Block
1966 - Cubic inches replace Fuel Injection
1967 - End of a Dynasty

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Chevrolet

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Cover of October 1962 Road & Track magazine is the property of Road & Track.

Production
Coupe	Convertible	Total
10,594	10,919	21,513
Base Price
$4252.00	$4037.00

1963 Corvette The Corvette Sting Ray of 1963 was a marked departure from the 1962 which preceeded it. Styled along the lines of the Corvette StingRay racer from 1959, the cars exterior attributes mimicked those of the racer. To gain a larger audience, the new car could now be had in a first ever coupe form, and the look was further characterized by the controversial split rear window. Numerous styling touches abounded, with rotating hidden headlamps, false "grilles" inset into the hood, and dual front fender vents. The rear of the car was much like the 1962's, except now Corvette would no longer have an exterior trunk opening.
This could be considered the first all-new Corvette since 1953, although powerteams were shared with the 1962. Underneath the new body was a chassis which utilized an independent rear suspension. Gone was the live or "straight" axle, replaced by a European inspired suspension system. The Chevrolet Corvair had featured an independent rear since 1959, but Corvette's did not include the "swing axles" which had been deemed a handling issue. Corvette used trailing arms and lower lateral links for axle location and a single transverse multi-leaf spring. The rear axle assembly was bolted to the frame to reduce unsprung weight.	Corvette powerteams remained relatively unchanged from the 1962's. The 327 was the only dispalcement available, but was available in four different horsepower ratings. The base engine was rated at 250hp, and for $53.80, a 300hp version could be ordered. These were the only two engines available with the optional Powerglide automatic. If you didn't mind (or preferred) the tick of a solid lifter engine, 340hp was yours for $107.60. If You wanted a Corvette with the most powerful engine offering, the 360hp fuel-injected engine relieved your wallet of $430.40, more than 10-percent of the base price.
	Transmission choices for the new Sting Ray were a base three-speed manual, optional two-speed Powerglide automatic, or a four-speed manual (Borg-Warner supplied the gearboxes for early cars, Muncie the later). For 2008, Chevrolet makes a big deal about a 2.73 optional gear ratio for Corvettes with the automatic transmission. In 1963, there were five gear ratios available, a "highway" 3.08, typical gearing of 3.36 or 3.70, a hardcore 4.11, and finally, what one would call extreme today, a wild 4.56 final drive. With no overdrive transmissions, a 4.56 geared Corvette at max revs coupe maybe attain 120mph top speed. But the throttle response. Wow.
Wheel treatment had been debated, debunked, and discussed. The base wheel covers were a 5-spoke design, crafted from stainless steel. Of this, there is little discussion. The optional aluminum wheels are of great debate as to when they were actually released. On the cover of Road & Track's October 1962 issue, there they were. But did any actually leave the factory that way? Perhaps they did, if not Chevy dealers must have had a good supply from their parts departments. The rumor is the early aluminum wheels cars had two-bar spinners, with three-bars installed on the later cars. Comfort & convenience features were increased. First and foremost was the offering of factory installed Air Conditioning. When Corvettes were all convertibles, A/C wasn't a major issue, but with the confines of the coupe, it was almost a necessity. Air conditioning was late to arrive, with less than 300 being produced with it. It would be a safe guess to say there are more than twice that many "factory installed" air conditioned 1963 Corvettes running around today. Power steering and power brakes were added to the option list although just over 3,000 opted for the two options out of the 21,513 Corvettes produced in 1963.
	The Corvette was continuing to be more modern as later in the model year, the FM band was added to the optional radio. As with all Corvette radios until 1978, the radios were unique to Corvette. As modern as the Corvette was, brakes were still the tried and true drums, something that would plague the car in the performance arena. There was an optional Z06 RPO which enhanced the cars performance as well as providing brake cooling "ears", but this was still no match for the all-disc brake systems of the European competitors.
Inside of the new Corvette was the familiar twin cockpit, with the vertical center instrument panel extension containing a vertical mounted radio and climate controls. The instrument panel flowed into the floor console, dividing the new bucket seats whose backrests now folded forward to allow access to the newly configured storage area behind the seats. Leather interior could now be specified, but was limited to saddle trim.	When the 1963 model was shown to the public, Zora Arkus Duntov, accredited Cheif Enginieer for Corvette nor Larry Shinoda, the head of the design studio for Corvette, could have been able to contemplate the icon they had unleased.

Engine Codes					Color Codes
RPO	Horsepower	Fuel System	Trans	Block Code	Code	Color
Base	250	4-bbl	Manual	RC	900	Tuxedo Black
Base	250	4-bbl	Auto	SC	912	Silver Blue
L75	300	4-bbl	Manual	RD	916	Daytona Blue
L75	300	4-bbl	Auto	SD	923	Riverside Red
L76	340	4-bbl	Manual	RE	932	Saddle Tan
L84	360	Fuel Injection	Manual	RF	936	Ermine White
					941	Sebring Silver
					941	Sebring Silver