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| Word |
Description |
| ABS |
Antilock Brakes System. ABS began on 1986 models and on all four wheels. Do NOT use silicone DOT 5 brake fluid with ABS. |
| ASR |
Anti-Slip Regulation - traction control system that appeared on 1992+ Corvettes. |
| Barker, Alan |
Corvette racer of the '60s, he won the SCCA National championship for 1969 and 1970 in B-Production. |
| Big-Block Chevrolet |
The 366, 396, 402, 427, and 454 Mark IV family of engines. There have been other variations in the aftermarket world and in the Chevrolet special products world of aluminum engines for Can Am and for boat racing but those are expensive and you will rarely see one. The 366 is an old truck engine from the mid '60s and is probably equally rare today, even though many were built. See Rat Motor. |
| Billy Bob |
A derogatory nickname for the 1999 fixed roof coupe, also known as a hardtop, due to some feeling this lowers the esteem of a Corvette, making it available to "common" people. This is a strange reflection back to the days of the '53 Corvette. See Fixed Roof Coupe for more information. |
| Bloomington Gold |
This is one of the oldest Corvette shows in the US. When someone mentions Bloomington, they mean the Corvette show that started in Bloomington, IL at the McLean County Fairgrounds in 1973 as a club event. The show quickly grew to be the largest Corvette show in the country and became a commercial operation. In 1992, the show moved to Springfield, IL to the State Fairgrounds, where it stayed until 1997 when it moved back to Bloomington at the Interstate Center. In 2002, the show moved again to St. Charles, IL to the Pheasant Run Country Club where the cars are displayed on the golf course greens.
Interestingly, both previous sites were on what was Route 66, furthering the association between Corvettes and Route 66. Bloomington Gold is held on the last weekend in June. The certifications from the show have become very important to Corvette owners interested in original or restored cars, as the awarding of a Gold or Silver certificate can greatly increase the value of the Corvette. The swap meet has traditionally been described as "if you can't find the part there, it doesn't exist". |
| Boiling the Brakes |
When brakes get too hot, the heat transferred into the fluid can actually boil the fluid, creating air bubbles near the wheel. This significantly reduces the pressure at the wheel and reduces the stopping power. For this reason, competition cars use brake cooling devices such as air ducts and cooling fans. Early Corvettes also ran insulators on the brake pistons to isolate the heat from the fluid. See Brake Fade and Green Fade. |
| Bondurant, Bob |
A southern California racer who drove Corvettes in the early '60s. Today he operates a high performance driving school at Firebird Raceway in Arizona. |
| Bored and Stroked |
Both the cylinder bore and the crankshaft stroke have been increased to enlarge the displacement and increase power. |
| Bored, Boring |
A machining process where the diameter of the cylinder (the bore) is enlarged. In American engines, overbores are typically .020", .030", .040" and .060" with .030" and .060" being the most common. |
| Bowling Green |
Bowling Green, Kentucky, the current home of Corvette. Corvettes have been built here at the Chevrolet - Pontiac - Corvette plant since 1981. It is located right on I-65 and is easy to find. The National Corvette Museum is located basically "across the street". |
| Bracket Racing |
Drag racing where cars of unequal abilities can race and still determine a winner via a handicap system. Each driver determines his estimated elapse time or "dial in". The start lights on the Christmas Tree will run so that this driver is started before or after the other driver such that each will reach the finish line at the exact same time. The winner is then the first across.
To prevent using slower dial in times (lets you leave earlier) than you can actually run, a break out system is incorporated so that if the driver runs faster than his dial in time, he "breaks out" and loses automatically. |
| Brake Bedding |
A procedure of heating new, green brake pads so as to let the manufacturing gases escape safely and let the pads work at the high temperatures of racing. In some pads, this heating process alters the material such that it grips better. See Brake fade and Green Fade. |
| Brake Fade |
When brakes get extremely hot, they fade and lose their effectiveness at stopping. Two means of this happening are that the material loses its ability to grip as it gets hot or that the fluid actually boils, creating air bubbles which reduces the pressure at the wheel, so lower pressure means less stopping power. See Boiling the Brakes and Green Fade. |
| Bricklin |
While never claimed to be a sports car, the safety vehicle was a two seater and was a natural to be in competition with Corvette in the mid 70s. The Bricklin used both an AMC V8 and a Ford 351 V8. Since mid 70s Corvette performance was poor, the Bricklin was able to put up a good showing. The Bricklin was similar and had many desirable traits - mid engine, gullwing doors, good driver's cockpit, and reasonable weight. It only lasted a few years and disappeared. As the company was near its last legs, they donated several to the police department where they were built to be used as chase cars. |
| Broach Marks |
The ridges or "grain" appearance to the deck of the block where the machining operation leaves lines as the cutter moves across the deck. The factory broach marks are along the axis of the block centerline while most automotive machine shops cut and leave marks perpendicular to the centerline of the block, which are readily detected when suspecting a restamp. However, some very expensive and sophisticated shops cut the blocks like the factory just so they can restamp and be undetected. |
| C1 |
Term used to refer to the first generation of Corvettes from 1953 - 1962. |
| C2 |
Term used to refer to the second generation of Corvettes from 1963 - 1967. |
| C3 |
Term used to refer to the third generation of Corvettes from 1968 - 1982. |
| C4 |
Term used to refer to the fourth generation of Corvettes from 1984 - 1996. |
| C5 |
Term used to refer to the fifth generation of Corvettes from 1997 - 2004. |
| C6 |
Term used to refer to the sixth generation of Corvettes from 2005 - present. |
| Camber Rod |
Often called the Strut Rod. This rod is part of the '63 to '82 IRS and controls the camber of the rear wheel. It is located directly below the halfshaft. |
This Knowledgebase has been developed to cover the most frequently asked questions about Corvettes. Using our system, you can search for topics separated into categories by Corvette generation. Some of the information here comes directly from Chevrolet Service News publications, Service Bulletins, Recall Notices and other technical sources as indicated.
