1965 Chevrolet Corvette |
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Return to Chevrolet Corvette C2 Wikipedia: Chevrolet Corvette (C2) Reference Desk Catalog of Corvette ID Numbers 1953-93 Page Sections Model Year Notes Cultural References Reference Desk Photographs Merchandise |
Model Year Notes
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Chevrolet Corvette (C2) page on 29 March 2016, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
For its third season, the 1965 Corvette Sting Ray further cleaned up style-wise and was muscled up with the addition of an all-new braking system and larger powerplants. 1965 styling alterations were subtle, confined to a smoothed-out hood now devoid of scoop indentations, a trio of working vertical exhaust vents in the front fenders that replaced the previous nonfunctional horizontal "speedlines," restyled wheel covers and rocker-panel moldings, and minor interior trim revisions. The 1965 Corvette Sting Ray became ferocious with the mid-year debut of a big-block V-8, the 425 hp (317 kW) 396 in³ (6.5 L) ("big block") V8. Ultimately, this spelled the end for the Rochester fuel injection system, as the carbureted 396/425 hp option cost $292.70 to the fuel injected 327/375 hp's $538.00. Few buyers could justify $245 more for 50 hp (37 kW) less, even if the FI cars offered optional bigger brakes not available on carburated models. After only 771 fuel injected cars were built in 1965, Chevrolet discontinued the option. It would be 18 years until it returned.
1965 also added another 350HP small block engine (Option L79) which used hydraulic rather than solid lifters, a milder camshaft and a modestly redesigned smaller oil pan. Otherwise, the 350HP engine was cosmetically and mechanically identical to the 365HP engine (Option L76) solid lifter engine. The smaller oil pan allowed this high output small block 350HP engine to be ordered with optional Power Steering for the first time amongst the optional stable of higher output small block engines. Power steering was previously only available with the lower 250HP and 300HP engines.
Four-wheel disc brakes were also introduced in 1965. The brakes had a four-piston design with two-piece calipers and cooling fins for the rotors. Pads were in constant contact with the rotors, but the resulting drag was negligible and didn't affect fuel economy. Further, the light touching kept the rotors clean and didn't diminish pad life, which was, in fact, quite high: a projected 57,000 miles for the front brakes and about twice that distance for the rear binders. Total swept area for the new system was 461 square inches, a notable advance on the 328 square inches of the previous all-drum system. Per pending federal regulation, there was also a dual master cylinder with separate fluid reservoirs (only on models with power brakes for 1965) for the front and rear lines. Road testers rightly applauded the all-disc brakes. Testers found that repeated stops from 100 mph produced no deterioration in braking efficiency, and even the most sudden stops were rock-stable. The drum brakes remained available, however, as a $64.50 credit option, but only 316 of the 23,562 Corvettes built that year came with drums. A side exhaust system appeared as an option as did a telescopic steering wheel. Also available were alloy spinner rims, at US$322 a set.
A television series called Stingray aired on NBC for two seasons from 1985-1987. Wikipedia's description of the series is “It starred Nick Mancuso, who plays the mysterious character known only as Ray, whose trademark is a black 1965 Corvette Sting Ray. Ray resides in Southern California. He devotes his time to helping those who are in trouble. His background is shadowy; all that is known about him is that he advertises surreptitiously in newspapers, ostensibly offering a ''65 black Stingray, for Barter Only To Right Party' and including a telephone number (555-7687). Those wishing to enlist his services, presumably having learned the ad's real meaning by word of mouth, can call him for help.”
Reference Desk
The Crittenden Automotive Library's "Reference Desk" is a collection of materials that cannot be shared due to copyright restrictions. Information from these resources, however, can be shared. Go to the Reference Desk page for more information.
| Type | Title |
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1993  Book | Catalog of Corvette ID Numbers 1953-93by Cars & Parts Magazine; Motorbooks |
| Type & Item # | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Model Kit Monogram 2724 | '65 'Vette Street Machine | 1:24 scale  |
| Slot Car Set - AMT 9001-600 | '65 Corvette Stingray Fastback Slot Racing Kit | Slot-Stars, 1:25 scale, blue #12 |
