Second generation · C2 "Sting Ray" · 1963–1967
1963Chevrolet Corvette
The Sting Ray — introduced the nameplate, the first Corvette coupe, and independent rear suspension. The 1963 coupe's one-year-only split rear window makes it the most iconic Corvette body.
Photo: Mustang Joe / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Quick facts
- Engines
- 1offered327 cu in V8 (250–360 hp range)
- Production
- 21,513units
Body stylesCoupe · Convertible
Start here
What do you need to know?
This page covers the whole 1963 Chevrolet Corvette model year. Choose your task first; exact trims and engines are separated where the factory offered different versions.
Documented lineup
Find your exact 1963 Corvette
Start with a family, body style, or engine. Every card opens the facts and maintenance information for that factory version.
Exact factory pairings documentedHow this lineup was verified
These source-backed records identify published body, engine, and transmission combinations. Exact pairings do not by themselves assert that every factory option or special edition is represented.
Corvette Sting Ray 250 hp Sport coupe — 3-speed manual
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in V8 (250 hp)
- Gearbox
- 3-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray 250 hp Sport coupe — 4-speed manual
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in V8 (250 hp)
- Gearbox
- 4-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray 250 hp Sport coupe — 2-speed Powerglide automatic
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in V8 (250 hp)
- Gearbox
- 2-speed Powerglide automatic
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray 250 hp Convertible — 3-speed manual
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in V8 (250 hp)
- Gearbox
- 3-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray 250 hp Convertible — 4-speed manual
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in V8 (250 hp)
- Gearbox
- 4-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray 250 hp Convertible — 2-speed Powerglide automatic
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in V8 (250 hp)
- Gearbox
- 2-speed Powerglide automatic
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L75 Sport coupe — 3-speed manual
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in L75 V8 (300 hp)
- Gearbox
- 3-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L75 Sport coupe — 4-speed manual
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in L75 V8 (300 hp)
- Gearbox
- 4-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L75 Sport coupe — 2-speed Powerglide automatic
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in L75 V8 (300 hp)
- Gearbox
- 2-speed Powerglide automatic
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L75 Convertible — 3-speed manual
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in L75 V8 (300 hp)
- Gearbox
- 3-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L75 Convertible — 4-speed manual
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in L75 V8 (300 hp)
- Gearbox
- 4-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L75 Convertible — 2-speed Powerglide automatic
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in L75 V8 (300 hp)
- Gearbox
- 2-speed Powerglide automatic
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L76 Sport coupe — 3-speed manual
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in L76 V8 (340 hp)
- Gearbox
- 3-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L76 Sport coupe — 4-speed manual
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in L76 V8 (340 hp)
- Gearbox
- 4-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L76 Convertible — 3-speed manual
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in L76 V8 (340 hp)
- Gearbox
- 3-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L76 Convertible — 4-speed manual
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in L76 V8 (340 hp)
- Gearbox
- 4-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L84 Sport coupe — 3-speed manual
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in L84 fuel-injected V8 (360 hp)
- Gearbox
- 3-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L84 Sport coupe — 4-speed manual
- Body
- Sport coupe
- Engine
- 327 cu in L84 fuel-injected V8 (360 hp)
- Gearbox
- 4-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L84 Convertible — 3-speed manual
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in L84 fuel-injected V8 (360 hp)
- Gearbox
- 3-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
Corvette Sting Ray L84 Convertible — 4-speed manual
- Body
- Convertible
- Engine
- 327 cu in L84 fuel-injected V8 (360 hp)
- Gearbox
- 4-speed manual
- Built
- Regular production
No factory configuration matches those filters.
The 1963 model year
Overview
The 1963 Corvette Sting Ray was a complete redesign: the first Corvette coupe, the first with fully independent rear suspension, and the only year of the famous split rear window. Rear-visibility complaints meant the split window was dropped for 1964, making the 1963 coupe a one-year-only icon.
Specifications
- Engines
- 327 cu in V8 (250–360 hp range)
- Transmissions
- 2-speed Powerglide automatic, 3-speed manual, 4-speed manual
- Body styles
- Coupe, Convertible
- Production
- 21,513
Year over year
What changed
- First-ever Corvette coupe, with the one-year-only split rear window.
- Introduced the 'Sting Ray' name and independent rear suspension.
- Chevrolet's June 14, 1963 price schedule lists the Z06 Special Performance Package with dual-circuit power brakes, special metallic linings and heavy-duty shocks and springs. It requires separately ordered Positraction, a four-speed manual and the 360-hp fuel-injected engine. The N03 large tank is a separate coupe-only option on this sheet, not universal Z06 equipment.
Worth knowing
Notable
- The split-window coupe is among the most coveted Corvettes ever built.
Living with it
Reliability & ownership notes
- Split-window 1963 coupes are top-tier collectibles; originality and documentation are everything.
Maintenance & service parts
Keep your 1963 Corvette on the road
Start with the service interval, then match the engine or exact version you own. Order links appear only when a catalog-backed part number is available, and every listing still needs a fitment check.
Service desk
What this car needs & when
Use this as a service-planning checklist for 1963 Chevrolet Corvette. Start with the interval, confirm which engine or configuration you have, then use an exact ordering reference when one is verified.
- Service topics
- 10
- Factory intervals
- 8
- Fitment-scoped
- 10
- Exact references
- 1
Before orderingIdentify your engine, options and build date.Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.
Air-cleaner element — replace
Sourced interval available
The table groups 1963–67 Corvettes and specifies the paper element.
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
PCV valve — replace
Sourced interval available
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Engine oil and filter — service
Sourced interval available
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Engine oil — change
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Engine oil filter — replace
At every engine-oil change.
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Fuel filter — replace
Sourced interval available
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Transmission fluid and lubricant — service
Sourced interval available
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Powerglide — check fluid level
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Powerglide — replace fluid
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Manual transmission — check lubricant and add as necessary
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Battery — service
Sourced interval available
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Terminal felt washers — lubricate
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Terminals — clean
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Electrolyte level — check
Twice monthly.
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Coolant level — check
Fitment must be confirmed
At each fuel stop.
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Front wheel bearings — lubricate
Sourced interval available
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, maintenance-interval matrix, printed page 34 · checked
Chassis lubrication points — lubricate
Sourced interval available
The guide's 1963–74 Corvette lubrication diagram specifies this cadence.
Source: Chilton — 1963–1984 Corvette Repair & Tune-Up Guide, 1963–67 maintenance matrix · General Information and Maintenance, 1963–74 lubrication diagram, printed page 40 · checked
Engine oil filter — catalog fitment
Exact reference available
Manufacturer-catalog fitment only; no service interval is inferred.
Baldwin P18 cataloged fitment
This manufacturer application record establishes replacement-filter fitment only; it does not alter Chevrolet's service interval.
Source: Parker/Baldwin Filters — 2025 Automotive Applications catalog · PDF page 784, Chevrolet 1963 Corvette 327-cu-in carbureted and fuel-injected V8 row — Lube — P18 · checked
Verified ordering references
- Validated equivalentBaldwin P18
Qty. 1 · Engine lubricating-oil filter · catalog-listed
Cataloged for the 1963 Corvette 327-cu-in carbureted and fuel-injected V8; confirm the installed engine and filter dimensions.
Catalog: Parker/Baldwin Filters — 2025 Automotive Applications catalog · PDF page 784, Chevrolet 1963 Corvette 327-cu-in carbureted and fuel-injected V8 row — Lube — P18 · checked
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