A CRG Research Report
Fisher Body Numbers
on the First-Generation Camaro
© 1999-2007,
Camaro Research Group
Edited by
Reviewed by the CRG
Last Edit: 01-Nov-1999 (corrected 1968 B thread last known)
Previous Edit: 14-Oct-1999
Original Release: 14-Oct-1999
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Summary
The meanings and patterns of Fisher Body Numbers stamped on
the body cowl tags of first-generation Camaros are fully
decoded for all three years and assembly plants. While
portions of this story for a given year or factory have been
known or guessed at by various Camaro enthusiasts, to the
best of our knowledge this is the first time since the
original knowledge was lost that the full story for both
U.S. assembly plants for all three first-generation years
has been told. The body numbering patterns at the 1967 Van
Nuys factory (and related 1968 Van Nuys patterns) were
deduced from CRG data by the Camaro Research Group, and
these have never before been presented. The CRG research
results are shown in the summary
table at the bottom of this discussion.
Background
One of the mysteries of the first-generation Camaro has long
included the Fisher body number on the firewall cowl tag.
Was there a system for numbering the bodies, and if so, what
was it? Lacking an original GM source of explanation, we are
reduced (again) to deduction from available data. However,
examination of a few pieces of data only provide more
confusion. In some cases the body numbers appear to be
numbered consecutively (or nearly so) with VIN, while in
other cases this is obviously not true. The numbers often
appear to be disordered in relationship to either time or VIN.
And in 1969 the numbering system obviously changed radically
from that used in 1967-68 - but to what?
1969 Fisher Body Numbers
Comparison of body data and correlation of this with window
stickers and other background data shows that the 1969
system used a central office order confirmation number as
the body number. This is the same number used on body
broadcast sheets in the IDENT number field, and as
sent to the dealer as the order confirmation, and as appear
on the Window Sticker/Shipper. These numbers were unique
for both Norwood (NOR) and Van Nuys (LOS
or VN) in 1969 since they were assigned to the
plants from a common pool of numbers (for example, 220340
may have been built at NOR and 220341 may have been built at
VN).
1967-68 Norwood Fisher Body Numbers
Further data review shows that the 1967-68 Norwood Fisher
body factory used a local and purely incremental body number
starting at 1 and increasing generally in order with the
VIN, though usually offset from the VIN a small amount.
1967-68 Van Nuys Fisher Body Numbers
This leaves the most difficult example to explain; the body
numbers from the 1967-68 Van Nuys (LOS) plant, with
the 1967 data possibly being the most perplexing.
Not only is the maximum known 1967 Van Nuys body number
(39678) well below the 65008 vehicles known to have been
built there, but there appears, at first glance, to be total
chaos in the organization of the body numbers. However,
given enough data, sorted properly, it eventually becomes
evident that there are four distinct "threads" of body
numbers (listed below as A, B, C, and D). Within each of the
four threads, the body numbers correlate nearly perfectly
with the build date and Fisher model number (12437, 12467,
12637, 12667). Furthermore, adding up the totals of the
maximum known body count for the four separate "threads"
yields a body build that correlates well with the total
vehicle build (even without knowledge of the last body
numbers built):
Current
Highest 1967
1967 LOS Cowl
Body # Tag
Thread Known Description Model #
------ -------- ------------------------------ -------
A 39678 coupe standard interior 12437
B 1954 convertible standard interior 12467
C 20737 coupe custom interior 12637
D 2150 convertible custom interior 12667
----------------
Total: 64519 (compare to 65008 built at LOS in 1967)
1967 LOS Ramifications
- Body numbers below about 21000 are not unique in 1967 at
LOS. Body numbers between about 2000 and 21000 can have a
duplicate, and body numbers below about 2000 can have a
quadruplicate.
- It is even possible to have a duplicate body number in the
same production week, since there are some weeks in which
the body number threads overlap. This is true especially
in the earliest few weeks, and possibly in week 11B for
threads A and C. There may be other weeks where some
overlap is possible for A/C or B/D pairs.
- However, due to each thread corresponding to a unique
model, the cowl tag is always guaranteed to be unique.
- Each distinct Camaro Fisher model number will have a
body number that will fall within known patterns for that
model. This allows, among other things, verification of
correct cowl tags. It also allows us to know approximately
how many coupes and convertibles were built at Van Nuys, and
how many of each were equipped with a given type of
interior. For example, one interesting fact revealed by
this data analysis is that Van Nuys built disproportionately fewer
numbers of convertibles than did Norwood.
1968 Van Nuys Fisher Body Numbers
The same analysis applied to 1968 LOS data shows the same
effect, except that there were only two threads of body
numbers:
Current
Highest 1968
1968 LOS Cowl
Body # Tag
Thread Known Description Model #
------ -------- ----------- -------
A 45481 coupe 12437
B 1320 convertible 12467
----------------
Total: 46801 (compare to 49164 known to have been built)
Even with a late May, 1968 body number (1320) as the current
highest CRG body number datapoint for the convertible thread
(and with April being at the start of the most significant
spring/summer convertible production and thus many
convertible bodies as yet unaccounted for), the total number
of bodies can be seen to begin to closely approximate the
number of Camaro built at Van Nuys in 1968.
Summary of Fisher Body Numbering Conclusions
A summary table of the body numbering approaches by year and
factory is shown below.
Fisher Body Numbering Systems
1967-69 Camaro
LOS (VN) NOR
---------------------- ----------------------
1967 numbered consecutively numbered consecutively
by cowl tag style across all styles
(4 styles)
1968 numbered consecutively numbered consecutively
by cowl tag style across all styles
(2 styles)
1969 numbered by order numbered by order
confirmation number confirmation number
that is generated that is generated
centrally for both centrally for both
LOS (VN) and NOR LOS (VN) and NOR
