1985 CORVETTE

Two details marked the 1985 Corvette as being different from its newly-restyled 1984 predecessor.

• The first detail was a new Tuned Port Injection nameplate on fender molding and the second was the straight tailpipes at the rear.
• That nameplate identified a new 350-cid (5.7-liter) V-8 under the hood.
• It had a tuned-port-fuel-injection (TPI) system and 230 hp.
• City fuel economy ratings went up.
• Otherwise, the only evident change was a slight strengthening in the intensity of the Red and Silver body colors.
• The Corvette's smoothly-sloped nose, adorned by nothing other than a circular emblem, held retracting halogen headlamps.
• Wide parking and signal lamps nearly filled the space between license plate and outer body edge.
• Wide horizontal side marker lenses were just ahead of the front wheels.
• The large air cleaner of 1982 was replaced by an elongated plenum chamber with eight curved aluminum runners.
• Mounted ahead of the radiator, it ducted incoming air into the plenum through a Bosch hot-wire mass-airflow sensor.
• Those tuned runners were meant to boost power at low to medium rpms, following a principle similar to that used for the tall intake stacks in racing engines.
• Electronic Spark Control (ESC) sensed knocking and adjusted timing to fit fuel octane.
• Under the chassis, the 1985 Corvette carried a reworked suspension (both standard and optional Z51) to soften the ride without losing control.
• The Z5l handling package now included 9.5-inch wheels all around, along with Delco-Bilstein gas-charged shock absorbers and a heavy-duty cooling system.
• The stabilizer bars in the Z51 package were thicker.
• Spring rates on both suspensions were reduced.
• Cast aluminum wheels held P255/50VR-16 Eagle GT tires.
• Brake master cylinders used a new large-capacity plastic booster.
• Manual gearboxes drove rear axles with 8.5-inch ring gears.
• The Corvette's instrument-cluster graphics had a bolder look and its root panels added more solar screening.
• An optional leather-trimmed sport seat arrived at midyear.
• Corvette standard equipment included
  • an electronic information center
  • air conditioning
  • limited-slip differential
  • power four-wheel disc brakes
  • power steering
  • cornering lamps
  • a seek-and-scan AM/FM stereo radio with four speakers
  • automatic power antenna.
  • cigarette lighter
  • digital clock
  • tachometer
  • intermittent windshield wipers
  • halogen fog lamps
  • side window defoggers.
• Corvettes had
  • contour high-back cloth bucket seats
  • power windows
  • a trip odometer
  • a theft-deterrent system with starter interrupt
  • a compact spare tire
  • dual electric remote-control sport mirrors
  • tinted glass.
• Black belt, windshield, and body side moldings, plus color-keyed rocker panel moldings protected the bodies.
• A four-speed overdrive automatic transmission was standard, with a four-speed manual (with overdrive in three gears) available at no extra cost.
• Body colors were
  • Silver Metallic
  • Medium Gray Metallic
  • Light Blue Metallic
  • Medium Blue Metallic
  • White
  • Black
  • Gold Metallic
  • Light Bronze Metallic
  • Dark Bronze Metallic
  • Bright Red
• Two-tone options were
  • Silver and Gray
  • Light Blue and Medium Blue
  • Light Bronze and Dark Bronze
• Interiors came in Carmine; Bronze; Graphite; Medium Blue; Medium Gray; and Saddle.

V.I.N. NUMBERS

• The serial number [Vehicle Identification Number -- VIN] was stamped on a plate on the inner vertical surface of the left windshield pillar visible through the windshield.
• The Serial numbers ranged from 1G1YY07*7F5100001 to 1G1YY07*7F5139729

• Engine serial number began 0001001
• Corvette engines have the last six digits of the VIN stamped on the block just ahead of the cylinder head on the right-hand side combined with a three-letter engine code suffix
• Also cast into the top rear of the block is a four-symbol code indicating when the engine was built
  • The first letter of the date code shows the month the block was cast
  • The one or two numbers shows the month
  • The last digit shows the year
• Engine suffixes:

• The 1985 Corvette exterior colors were:
  • 13 = Silver Metallic
  • 18 = Medium Gray Metallic
  • 20 = Light Blue Metallic
  • 23 = Medium Blue Metallic
  • 40 = White
  • 41 = Black
  • 53 = Gold Metallic
  • 63 = Light Bronze Metallic
  • 66 = Dark Bronze Metallic
  • 81 = Bright Red
  • 13/18 = Silver and Gray
  • 20/23 = Light Blue and Medium Blue
  • 63/66 = Light Bronze and Dark Bronze
• Upholstery Codes

IDENTIFICATION

Model	Model No.	Body/Style No.	Body Type	Factory Price	Shipping Weight	Production Total
Corvette	1Y	Y07	2-dr. Hatch Coupe - 2 passenger	$21,800	3088	51,547

ENGINE

TRANSMISSION

• Automatic Transmission
  • Four-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic (TMH 700-R4)
  • floor-mounted gear shifter
  • gear ratios
    • 1st = 3.06:1
    • 2nd = 1.63:1
    • 3rd = 1.00:1
    • 4th = 0.70:1
    • Rev = 2.29:1
  • Final drive ratio: 2.73:1
• Manual Transmission
  • Four-speed manual with overdrive
  • floor-mounted gear shifter
  • gear ratios
    • 1st = 2.88:1
    • 2nd = 1.91:1
    • 3rd = 1.33:1
    • 4th = 1.00:1
    • overdrive = 0.67:1
    • Rev = 2.78:1
  • Final drive ratio: 3.07:1 (optional 3.31:1)
  • Planetary overdrive ratios:
    • 2nd = 1.28:1
    • 3rd = 0.89:1
    • 4th = 0.67:1

CHASSIS

OPTIONS

HISTORICAL NOTES