13 Digit Vin Number Decoder
How Do You Decode A 13 Digit Vin Number
Vintage Chevrolet Serial Number Lookup

Example 1960-1964 VIN: 87. Using the above decoding reference, this sample VIN would belong to the 87th 2-door sedan, V8 Impala, built in Los Angeles, CA in 1962. Vehicles manufactured in 1966-1968: First digit: Division of GM. Second, third, fourth, and fifth digits: The second – fifth digits display the Chevrolet. Chevy 13 Digit Vin Decoder By drivanpresov1981 Follow Also amongst modern automobiles, the limitless strings of alpha-numeric rules type a never-ending internet of details. Finding produce recorded information on a pre-1981 model can end up being downright intimidating. G-13 vehicle identification vin decoding amc/eagle 1974-79 (13 digit number) a 9 s 0 5 5 a 100001 1st - manufacturer 2nd - year 4 - 1974 5 - 1975 6 - 1976 7 - 1977 8 - 1978 9 - 1979 3rd - transmission 4th - car line 8th thru 13th - seq number 7th - engine 6th - car series 5th - body type cont.

VIN Information

Cowl Tag Information

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for the fullsize Chevrolets built in the United States had 4 components – the model year, the body style, the assembly plant designation, and sequential serial number. 1964-1966 Canadian VIN’s had a different format, see Canadian. The VIN number plate can be found on 1964-1967 Chevrolets by looking at the A-pillar in the front door jamb. Starting in 1968, it was moved to the driver’s side dash panel and can be seen by looking through the windshield.

Up through 1964, the VIN number was 12 characters. This early format had the model year at the front followed by the body style, assembly plant designation and sequential serial number. Starting in 65, it changed to 13 characters. The only change was that the body style was now in front followed by the model year.

The year is identified by the last numeral in that year so 4=1964, 7=1967, 0=1970, etc.
Body Style Number

The body style number consists of three parts. The first part is always 1 to designate Chevrolet, 2nd for the series and 3rd for the specific body style. An odd third digit designates a 6 cyl. engine, while an even number designates an 8 cyl.

There were quite a few body style codes used from 1964-1970 due to the wide array of models available such as the Impala, Bel Air, Biscayne and Caprice. The Impala Super Sports even had their own body style code from 1964-1967. All body style codes in 1964 were four digits, which were changed to five for the 1965 model year. The basic format remained the same though. In addition, the body style number also appears on the cowl tag, typically in a V8 format.

Sample 1964 body style breakdown – 1569
(1) Chevrolet
(5) Bel Air series (6-cyl)
(69) Four door sedan

Sample 1969 body style breakdown – 16639
(1) Chevrolet
(66) Caprice series (8-cyl)
(39) Four door sport sedan
Here is a chart showing all the body style numbers for each of the years. The majority of the assembly plants showed an 8 cyl. body style on the cowl tag, regardless of the engine size. However, some plants showed a 6 cyl. designation if the car was to have such an engine. When trying to figure out if your car had an L6 or V8, always go by the VIN number.

Here is a chart of VIN number assembly plant codes. Plant years in parenthesis

The last six digits of the VIN# are the sequential serial number. All assembly plants started at 100001 except in 1969. Number 2 would be 100002, etc. To find out your sequence number, you can subtract 100,000 from it. In 1969, all assembly plants except for Janesville and Lordstown start the sequence at 000001.

Sample 1964 VIN number decode – 41169S207810
(4) 1964
(1169) Biscayne 4-door sedan – 6 cyl. engine
(S) St Louis, MO assembly plant
(207810) 107,810th fullsize Chevrolet built at St. Louis, MO

Sample 1965-1970 VIN number decode – 164878J206840
(8) 1968
(16487) Impala 2-door sport coupe – 8 cyl. engine
(J) Janesville, WI assembly plant
(206840) 106,840th fullsize Chevrolet built at Janesville, WI
1964-1966 Canadian VIN Format

Before 1967, the Canadian VIN format was different than what was used in the U.S. It started with the year followed by the body number and the sequential serial number. No plant code was used. The last six started at 000001.

Sample 1964-1966 Canadian VIN number decode – 516469012345
(5) 1965 (16469) Impala 4-door sedan
(012345) 12,345th fullsize Chevrolet built at Oshawa, Ontario
Partial VIN Definition and Location

In addition to the VIN plate, the partial VIN of the car was sometimes stamped on the body in up to two places. Starting in 1967, the partial VIN was stamped on the top of the cowl (under the cowl vent panel) or on the firewall around the opening that would be covered by the heater or air conditioning box.

Cowl Tag Decode

The cowl tag is an aluminum tag attached to the firewall of the body. It contains interesting information pertaining to the body of the car such as what week it was built, the paint and interior colors and the options that would have required modifications to the body shell. In 1964, the cowl tag can be found on top of the firewall on the passenger’s side. Starting in 1965, it was moved to the front of the firewall on the driver’s side by the brake booster. The general format of the cowl tag remained the same from 1964-1970 and will be explained below. One exception is the cowl tags of cars built at Oshawa, Ontario (until 1967) and those assembled overseas. Those tags will be covered in a future update.

The body build date tells the month and week the body was produced. The date code starts with a number for the month, followed by a letter for the week. For the month: 01 = January, 05 = May, 09 = September and 12 = December, etc. For the week: A = 1st week of the month, B = 2nd, C = 3rd, D=4th and E=5th. In a few cases, the build date might vary such as the week being identified with a number. In 69, the location changed from the top line to under the interior code.

The top line can contain more information depending on the assembly plant. Some plants put a sequence number next to the date code or above the body number. The sequence number was used in the body plant for scheduling the shells to come down the line in order. A single letter can sometimes be found in this location as well, which usually identifies the interior paint code. That code can also be found on the protectoplate. During 1964 and 1965, the Euclid, OH plant, which produced convertible and wagon bodies for final assembly at Flint, MI stamped an F in that location. It is to denote the Flint plant and is not for the interior color.

2nd Line

The 2nd line (1st in 69/70) contains the year, body style number and assembly plant info. The year precedes the body style such as 64, 67, 70, etc. For information on decoding the body style, see the chart in the VIN number section. The body style on the cowl tag is typically in a V8 format, even if the car came with an L6 engine. Some plants however, did stamp a L6 body style on the cowl tag if it was to be assembled with that engine. In most cases, the assembly plant code is followed by either the sequential body number or the order confirmation number found on factory paperwork like the window sticker.
Plant Code Chart

Notes:

Oshawa starting using OS in 1967. In previous years there was no plant designation on the cowl tag.
Euclid produced convertible and station wagon bodies for the Flint plant in 1964 and 1965.
The plant code for Los Angeles/Van Nuys changed mid-year in 1969 from LOS to VN.

3rd Line

Paint

The paint code can consist of letters, numbers or both. It varied by year. It was a three digit number up to 1965 when it became a letter. It returned to a number in 1969. The numerical code is listed in parenthesis next to the paint name. Flowjo 10 mac cracked torrent. Note: Wilmington put the color of the wheels as a third letter (or 2nd on convertibles) in the paint code for 1965.

Two-tone Paint Codes

The typical two-tone paint code was a combination of two of th