VIN, Cowl Tag, and other Numbers Decoding

Cowl Tag Decoder

Drivetrain Decoding

VIN Information

1. Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Decode
2. Partial VIN Definition and Location
3. 123x7 VIN vs. 124x7 Cowl Tag Code
4. VIN compared to Production Date

Cowl Tag Information

5. Cowl Tag Decode
6. Exterior Color Codes
7. Interior Trim Codes
8. 1967 Cowl Tag - Fisher Body Codes
9. 1969 Cowl Tag - X Codes

Other Decoding Information

10. Protect-o-Plate Decode
11. GM Date Code Formats
12. Julian Calendar Generator
13. Numbers Trivia

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Decode

      12ebbyaxxxxxx

where
      1 = Chevrolet
      2 = Camaro
      e = 3  for 6-cylinder engine, or
          4  for 8-cylinder engine
     bb = 37 for coupe body, or
          67 for convertible body
      y = 7  for 1967 model,
          8  for 1968 model, or
          9  for 1969 model
      a = N  for Norwood, OH assembly, or
          L  for Los Angeles, CA assembly
 xxxxxx = vehicle serial number sequence

 At each plant, the vehicle serial number
 started the year at the following number:

    100001 for 1967 models
    300001 for 1968 models
    500001 for 1969 models

As an example, the first car off the Norwood line in 1968 was an 8-cylinder coupe and the VIN for this car is 124378N300001. The next car would have been 12xx78N300002 (the xx would be dependent on whether it was a L6 or V8 and a coupe or convertible).

In 1967, the VIN plate is located on the driver-side A-pillar (front pillar) and is visible when the driver-side door is open.

Starting in 1968, and continuing to the present time, the VIN plate was relocated to the upper dash panel, on the forward portion of the drivers side, and is viewable through the windshield glass when standing at the front edge of the driver's door. The location is shown in this photo.

Starting in August 1969, the complete VIN was also stamped on a conformance sticker that was placed on the driver's door, just above the door striker.

The VIN does not provide any information other than what is listed in the box above. The VIN does not tell if the car is a Z28, SS, RS, etc.

Partial VIN Definition and Location

1. On the cowl in front of the passenger side (underneath the cowl vent panel). You can see it sometimes if you carefully look with a flashlight through the slots in the vent panel, but the panel comes off with a few screws and the wiper arms pop off pretty easily, so this one is not a big deal to get to. The photo below (with the cowl vent panel removed) shows the typical location for this stamp.

2. On the firewall below the fan motor opening (non-AC cars) or below the heater opening (AC cars). This requires the heater or air conditioning box removal, and therefore most car buyers will not have an opportunity to view this stamp. The photo below of the passenger side of the firewall shows the typical location on a car without air conditioning.

Cowl Partial VIN	Firewall Partial VIN

The format of the partial VIN is:

           yaxxxxxx (1967)
          1yaxxxxxx (1968-69)

where
      1 = Chevrolet
      y = 7  for 1967 model,
          8  for 1968 model, or
          9  for 1969 model
      a = N  for Norwood assembly plant
          L  for Los Angeles assembly plant
 xxxxxx = serial number sequence

Partial VINs were also stamped on most engines and transmissions from 1967 on. Not all engines and transmissions in 1967 were stamped with partial VINs. Details and examples are shown in the Drivetrain Decoding section. However, be aware that the partial VINs can be "restamped" on engines and transmissions by machining off the original stamp (or finding one that is unstamped) and then stamping the desired VIN.

12337 VIN vs 12437 Cowl Tag Code

The 3rd digit of the VIN identifies which engine (L6 or V8) the car had from the factory. A VIN engine digit of 3 indicates a L6 engine, while a VIN engine digit of 4 indicates a V8 engine.

The cowl tags for 1967 Camaros were stamped with a style code of 12x37 or 12x67, where the x was set to 4 for standard interior or 6 for custom interior. All 1968-69 Camaros (L6 or V8) had a style code of 12437 or 12467 on the cowl tag - the 3rd digit of the firewall style number for these two years was fixed to 4 and effectively had no meaning.

For related information, see also the Cowl Tag and Numbers Trivia sections.

Cowl Tag Decode

(These discussions apply only to U.S.-built regular bodies certified and sold by GM in North America and are not applicable to models built or final-assembled out of the U.S. Note that 1968 Yenkos and 1968 non-Canadian export models, not requiring the statement of Chevrolet certification to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, were shipped with 1959-1963 style Fisher Body tags that are absent the 1968 certification statement.)

1968 LOS Cowl Tag

1969 NOR Cowl Tag

Field locations (described below) for:
______________________________________

         1967-68 Cowl Tags

          BODY BY FISHER
        a                b
      ST  c            d  BODY
      TR  e            f  PAINT
          g(67 only)

______________________________________

          1969 Cowl Tags
 
          BODY BY FISHER
      ST  c             d  BDY
      TR  e             f  PNT
          a          b(LOS)/g(NOR)

  Field a - body build date code

This is composed of two digits (01 thru 12 corresponding to each month of the model year) and a letter (A thru E corresponding to the week of the month) and indicates when the assembly of the body was started. For example 11C means the body assembly was started during the 3rd week of November of the model year (not the calendar year).

  Field b (LOS vs NOR)

LOS - Fisher Body body scheduling code

The LOS (Los Angeles/Van Nuys) body scheduling code is a letter followed by one to three digits, e.g., F103. Based on data analysis only (there is no GM documentation yet available that describes this code) - but with consistent application to thousands of datapoints - CRG believes the code was used by LOS Fisher Body (and other plants that built multiple carlines) to aid in scheduling the body build order.

The letter indicates the approximate production day of the month for the start of the assembly of each vehicle body. It began with letter "A" on the first day of the month of the Fisher production calendar, incremented at the start of each additional production day to the next alphabetic letter, and was reset to letter "A" at the start of the next production month. (Note that the Fisher production calendar is known to differ slightly from the calendar month, and we also do not yet know exactly how the Fisher production calendar related to the Chevrolet monthly production reporting calendar.)

The one-to-three digit sequence number that follows the letter was reset to 1 at the start of each production day and was incremented serially with each body built by the factory as the day progressed. Data analysis indicates that the sequence number at the LOS plant was assigned regardless of model or body type. By this we mean that Camaros and full-size passenger cars both incremented the same sequence counter. The unit counter was reset to 1 the next day as the day-of-the-month code letter incremented to the next letter. In the example, F103 would indicate the sixth day of production for a given month and the 103rd body started on that sixth day of production.

NOR - (1967 only) NOR interior paint code

The NOR (Norwood) interior paint code, used only during 1967, is a single letter and is the same character as used on the Protect-o-Plate (POP). See the POP decoding section for other details on the Norwood interior paint code.

  Field c - body style code (See also this explanation of why the Fisher style and VIN prefix differed.)

The two digit year ("67," "68," or "69") was followed by a five-digit "ST" body style code. The first two digits of the style code are the model code ("12") and the last two digits are body code ("37" for coupe and "67" convertible). In 1967 the third digit of the style code (the "x") was set to "4" for standard interior or "6" for custom interior. In 1968-69 the third digit was fixed at "4" for all models and had no meaning. While the Fisher style code is often confused with the first five digits of the VIN, the two sets of codes are different because of the different meaning of the third digit.

  Field d - assembly plant code

The next three letters represent the assembly plant ("NOR" for the Norwood, Ohio factory and "LOS" for the Los Angeles (Van Nuys), California factory. In mid-December 1968, the "LOS" was changed to "VN."
The digits that follow, up to six, represent the Fisher body number sequence. The body number sequence is not the same as the VIN sequence. In 67-68, the body number was approximately sequential, increasing as more cars were built during the model year. In 69, the body number was assigned when the order was accepted, not when the body when built. Body numbers from cars that were built at the same time can vary significantly, depending on how quickly the order was fulfilled.

  Field e - interior trim code

The first three digits of the trim ("TR") code are a unique (for each year) interior color and type code that indicate the color and standard or custom interior.
1967 tags also have a hyphenated suffix that indicate seat and headrest type:
    Z - standard A50 Strato Bucket seats (no headrest)
    Y - RPO AS2 headrest added to the A50 bucket seats
    H - RPO AL4 Stato Bench seats (no headrest)
    T - RPO AS2 headrests added to the AL4 bench seats

  Field f - exterior paint code

The "PAINT" or "PNT" fields show the body paint color and the top color, including vinyl or convertible top, if so equipped. For cars without a vinyl or convertible top, the body paint color was stamped on the tag twice, e.g. E-E or 69-69.
Paint codes were alphabetic in 1967-68, and numeric in 1969. Vinyl and convertible top codes were numeric in 1967-68, and alphabetic in 1969. Two-tone paint was offered only with the 1969 models. Special paint cars were marked with special codes, as noted in the special paint section.

  Field g - body-related option codes (see also 1967 Fisher Option Codes and 1969 Norwood X codes)

In 1967 this was a list of numbered option groups where each character represented a body-related option that required some action on the part of Fisher Body to alter the "baseline" configuration. These groups were eliminated in 1968, but in mid-year 1969 the Norwood Fisher Body plant began using body paint/trim codes, including the famous X codes and other codes including D80, Z10, and Z11. Also included as part of this group are 1967 "fleet and special order" (F&SO) codes that were stamped at both factories to indicate special vehicle order(s). For example, one of the groups of 1967 Norwood-built Indy Pace Car replicas used the "-061A" F&SO code.

Exterior Color Codes

• Stripe Colors
• Special Paint Designation
• Window Sticker Paint Codes

Cowl tags and POP tags in 1967 and 1968 used a letter code for body paint and a numeric code for the vinyl/convertible top. Cowl tags changed in 1969 to use of a numeric code for the body paint (with two-tone paint now a Camaro option) and a letter code for the vinyl/convertible top color (though neither of these codes were included on the 1969 POP). The 1969 colors are presented in the same row as the two-letter RPO suffix that was added to the 1969 "900 code" for that color. For example, 1969 "Dover White", code "50", is shown in the Exterior Paints Table in row "C". This means that the cowl tag would have shown "50-50" and the window sticker, as seen in the "C or 50" row of the Exterior Paint RPO Codes Table, would have had "5911CC DOVER WHITE" printed on it (where the initial "5" is the GM prefix indicating Camaro).

Non-standard body paint and striping could be ordered, and such cars were specially marked. See the Special Paint section for more details.

                                                                  69 Stripe Color vs Top Color
                                                                  ----------------------------
Alpha 1967                1968                 1969      (8)         Body     Vinyl    Conv
Code  Body Color/Stripe   Body Color/Stripe    Code | Body Color     Color  B E F C S  B  A
----- ------------------  -------------------  --------------------  -------------------------
  A   Tuxedo Black/W      Tuxedo Black(3)/W     10  Tuxedo Black      W(4)  W W - - W  W  W
  B   --                  --                    69  Cortez Silver     B(5)  B W - B -  B  W
  C   Ermine White/B      Ermine White/B        50  Dover White       B(5)  B B - B B  B  B
  D   Nantucket Blue/W    Grotto Blue/W         53  Glacier Blue      B     B W - B -  B  W
  E   Deepwater Blue/W    Fathom Blue(3)/W      51  Dusk Blue         W     W W - W -  W  W
  F   Marina Blue(1)/W    Island Teal/W         71  LeMans Blue       W(6)  B W - - -  B  W
  G   Granada Gold/B      Ash Gold/B            65  Olympic Gold      B     B W B - -  B  W
  H   Mountain Green/B    Grecian Green(3)/B    --  --                                   
  J   --                  Rallye Green(3)/W     79  Rallye Green(9)   W     B W - - -  B  W
  K   Emerald Turquoise/B Tripoli Turquoise/B   55  Azure Turquoise   B     B W - - -  B  W
  L   Tahoe Turquoise/W   Teal Blue/W           --  --                                   
  M   Royal Plum/W        --                    63  Champagne         B     B W B - -  B  W
  N   Madeira Maroon/W    Cordovan Maroon/W     67  Burgundy          R(7)  R W - - -  R  W
  O   --                  Corvette Bronze(3)/B  --  --                                   
  P   --                  Seafrost Green/B      76  Daytona Yellow    B     B B - - -  B  B
  Q   --                  --                    72  Hugger Orange     W     B W - - -  B  W
  R   Bolero Red(1)/W     Matador Red(2)/W      52  Garnet Red        B     B W - - -  B  W
  S   Sierra Fawn/B       --                    61  Burnished Brown   W     W W W - -  W  W
  T   Capri Cream/B       Palomino Ivory(3)/B   --  --                                   
  U   --                  LeMans Blue(3)/W      --  --                                   
  V   --                  Sequoia Green/W       57  Fathom Green      W     W W - - W  W  W
  W   --                  --                    59  Frost Green(10)   B     B W - - B  B  W
  Y   Butternut Yellow/B  Butternut Yellow/B    40  Butternut Yellow  B     B B B - -  B  B
  Z   --                  British Green(3)/W    --  --                                   

 1969 Two-Tone Coupe Colors
  DC  --                  --                  53-50 Glacier Blue/Dover White
  KC  --                  --                  55-50 Azure Turquoise/Dover White
  DE  --                  --                  53-51 Glacier Blue/Dusk Blue
  ED  --                  --                  51-53 Dusk Blue/Glacier Blue
  GC  --                  --                  65-50 Olympic Gold/Dover White
  SM  --                  --                  61-63 Burnished Brown/Champagne

 Stripe Color: W=White, B=Black, R=Red

Table Footnotes:

1. 1967: Marina Blue and Bolero Red have Black stripes with Black vinyl/convertible tops.
2. 1968: Matador Red have Black stripe with Black vinyl/convertible top.
3. 1968: As of Jan 68; colors A, E, H, and T were retired, and colors J, O, U, and Z were added.
4. 1969: Tuxedo Black coupes with Black interior and D90, DX1, or D96 stripe (not Z28) and without* vinyl top received a Red stripe. (* Note: An original paint black car with a black vinyl top has found and it has a red stripe on it, so GM documentation may be in error on this detail).
5. 1969: Cortez Silver and Dover White coupes with Red interior and D90, DX1, or D96 stripe (not Z28) and without vinyl top received a Red stripe.
6. 1969: While the dealer literature reports that a black stripe is the default color with LeMans Blue, only white stripes have been observed in practice, except for special orders.
7. 1969: The default stripe color for Burgundy was red. However, the "Camaro Striping Color Application Chart" dated 4/1/69 documents the Burgundy models that received white stripes: Z/28 or non-Z/28 with either Parchment vinyl top or white convertible top.
8. 1969: Colors 10, 67, 40, 61, 51, 53/51, 51/53, and 61/63 were initially special order from LOS/VN. 40, 63, 61/63 were initially special order from NOR. The special order restriction was lifted circa January 1969. Note that "special order" is different from "special paint."
9. 1969: 79 Rallye Green was added as allowable color for the Midnight Green Vinyl Roof circa January 1969.
10. 1969: 59 Frost Green was also called Frost Lime in some references.

67-68                             1969
Code    1967 Color  1968 Color    Code 1969 Color
-----   ----------  ----------    ---- ----------
  1     White       White          A   White
  2     Black       Black          B   Black
  4     Med. Blue   Blue

* The default convertible top was white. Black or 
  blue (67-68) had to be specially designated.

67-68                      1969
Code  1967        1968     Code  1969 Top        1969 Body Colors *
----- -----       -----    ----  -----------     ----------------
  2   Black       Black     B    Black           All colors
  -   --          --        C    Dark Blue       50, 51, 53, 69 
  6   Beige /     White     E    Parchment       All colors
      Light Fawn            F    Dark Brown      40, 61, 63, 65
                            S    Midnight Green  10, 50, 57, 59, 79(Jan)
                                                      

  * Other 1969 body colors could be ordered with the non-Black and 
    non-Parchment top colors, but would require confirmation (aka 
    color override) before the order would be accepted into the system.

STRIPE COLORS

SPECIAL PAINT DESIGNATION

In 1968-69, either deletion of a stripe or use of a non-standard stripe color was also considered to be special paint.

On the window sticker and on broadcast copy sheets, "1001AA" and "1001HA" have been observed as designating special paint cars. Note that all cars were painted, no cars were shipped from the assembly plant in primer.

Cowl Tag Coding
1967 special paint cars used the letter "O" instead of the normal color code. For early model year 1968, the designation for special paint cars changed to the letter "Z". However, new mid-year colors needed codes assigned to them, and starting January 1968 the letter "Z" paint code was used to denote the newly available Camaro color called British Green, and simultaneously the notation of special order paint was changed to a dash "-". The "-" (dash) special paint code continued for the rest of the 1968 model year as well as for the entire 1969 model year. Due to changes and differences in how the factories marked the paint codes (especially differences in 1968 factory formats), the special paint formats are easier to illustrate in the examples in the Special Paint Table below than to describe in words.

                  Paint   Vinyl Top/Convertible
                  -----   ---------------------
    1967
      NOR/LOS      O-O             O-2
 
    1968 early
      NOR          Z Z             Z 2
      LOS          Z-Z             Z-2
 
    1968 late 
      NOR          - -             - 2
      LOS          ---             --2
 
    1969
      NOR/LOS      - -             - B
    -------------------------------------------
 
    (1) Note that the Vinyl/Convertible top colors
        used in the examples above should be replaced
        with the actual color code for the top.  Black
        tops are shown in all the examples.
 
    (2) CRG isn't clear at this time how a 1967
        "stripe delete" car was marked. Stripe delete
        was considered "special paint" in 1968-69.
 
    (3) In 1967 only, a dash can follow the standard
        option codes at the bottom of the cowl tag.
        This dash may appear by itself or it may precede
        a Fleet & Special Order (F&SO) code.  This dash
        has been observed on all known special paint cars,
        and precedes the fleet code when the code is stamped.
        It is believed that this dash indicated that there 
        were special instructions (the F&SO paperwork) 
        available for the vehicle.

WINDOW STICKER PAINT CODES

1967: 5900AA TUXEDO BLACK
1968: 5900AA TUXEDO BLACK
1969: 5910AA TUXEDO BLACK

We are currently unsure only about the last two digits of the 900 code for three of the five two-tone colors (though we are fairly sure these three are in, or at one end of, the 954-958 sequence). The characters about which we are unsure are noted with a question-mark "?".

            Window Sticker RPO Code
            -----------------------
Body Color   1967    1968    1969
----------  ------  ------  ------
 A or 10    5900AA  5900AA  5910AA 
 B or 69      --      --    5912BB
 C or 50    5900CC  5900CC  5911CC
 D or 53    5900DD  5900DD  5922DD
 E or 51    5900EE  5900EE  5923EE
 F or 71    5900FF  5900FF  5924FF
 G or 65    5900GG  5900GG  5915GG
 H          5900HH  5900HH    --
 J or 79      --    5900JJ  5925JJ
 K or 55    5900KK  5900KK  5921KK
 L          5900LL  5900LL    --
 M or 63    5900MM    --    5917MM
 N or 67    5900NN  5900NN  5914NN
 O            --    5900OO    --
 P or 76      --    5900PP  5926PP
 Q or 72      --      --    5927QQ
 R or 52    5900RR  5900RR  5913RR
 S or 61    5900SS    --    5918SS
 T          5900TT  5900TT    --
 U            --    5900UU    --
 V or 57      --    5900VV  5920VV
 W or 59      --      --    5919WW
 Y or 40    5900YY  5900YY  5916YY
 Z            --    5900ZZ    --
  53/50       --      --    5954DC
  55/50       --      --    5958KC
  53/51       --      --    59??DE
  51/53       --      --    59??ED
  65/50       --      --    5957GC
  61/63       --      --    59??SM

Interior Trim Codes

Int.
Paint Interior           Standard  Standard  Custom   Custom
Code  Color               Bucket   Bench(1)  Bucket  Bench(1)
----- -----------------  --------  --------  ------  --------
 B    Blue                 717       739
 D    Red                  741                742
 E    Black                760       756      765      767
 G    Gold                 709       796      711      712
 K    Parchment/Black(2)                      797
 R    Bright Blue                             732      716
 T    Turquoise                               779
 Y    Yellow                                  707
-------------------
(1) Bench seat not available in convertible.     
(2) Carpet, Instrument Panel, and Steering Wheel are Black.

Int.
Paint Interior           Standard  Standard  Custom   Custom
Code  Color               Bucket   Bench(1)  Bucket  Bench(1)
----- -----------------  --------  --------  ------  --------
 B    Blue                 717       718      719      720
 D    Red                  724                725
 E    Black                712       713      714      715
 G    Gold                 722       723      721
 K    Parchment/Black(2)                      730
 K    Ivory/Black(2)                          711
 Q    Black Houndstooth                       749
 V    Ivory Houndstooth(2)                    716
 T    Turquoise                               726      727
-------------------
(1) Bench seat not available in convertible     
(2) Carpet, Instrument Panel, and Steering Wheel are Black.
    730 Parchment was early and was a different color from
    the Ivory. 711/716 were late and used the same Ivory color.

Int.
Paint  Interior               Standard Standard Custom  Custom
Code   Color                   Bucket   Bench   Bucket  Bench
----- ----------------------  -------- -------- ------ --------
n/a   Dark Blue                 715      n/a      716    n/a
      Medium Red                718               719
      Black                     711               712
      Medium Green              721               722
      Midnight Green            723               725
      Ivory/Black               727
      Black Houndstooth (1)                       713
      Ivory Houndstooth (1)                       729
      Orange Houndstooth (1,2)                    720
      Yellow Houndstooth (1,2)                    714
-------------------
(1) Houndstooth not available for convertible except
    for RPO Z11 pace cars/replicas.
(2) 720 Orange Houndstooth normally available only with 72 
    Hugger Orange. 714 Yellow Houndstooth normally available 
    only with 76 Daytona Yellow. Other exterior colors,
    such as 10 Tuxedo Black and 50 Dover White, have been
    observed with both interiors, but in much smaller quantities.
    At this time, it isn't clear if these color combinations
    required a special order, or were routinely available.

1967 Cowl Tag - Fisher Body Codes

A table of the known 1967 Camaro Fisher Body option codes is below. The Fisher factory documentation for these codes is not in circulation - if it still exists at all. Nevertheless, a large number of the code meanings have been confirmed via a Fisher production form called the Uniform Option Identification Tag (UOIT) that was sometimes (fortunately for us) left in the car during build - often under the carpet or inside the headliner. Those codes that have been confirmed via available UOITs are so noted - and the exact wording of the UOIT description is shown in capital letters. The remaining codes have been decoded via statistical analysis, and are therefore not known exactly, but by inference. The CRG would appreciate a contact from anyone that has found an original UOIT form so that different versions (even of codes we already know) can be compared, and inferred codes determined exactly.

At the LOS factory, the 2M code was used for either the Powerglide or the TH400 automatic transmission, i.e. the 2Z code was not used at LOS. At the NOR factory, the 2M code only applied to M35 Powerglide transmissions that were in combination with the D55 console.

The 4P code was not used at the start of production at either the Van Nuys plant or the Norwood plant. Van Nuys started using the 4P code on the SS350 cars in September, but Norwood didn't start using the 4P code until October. Early Van Nuys SS350 cars and Norwood SS350 cars built before October will not have the 4P code to verify that they are SS's.

Usage of the 4P code with the L30/M20 is believed to have started in the late December 1966 / January 1967 timeframe. The very first 1967 Z28's and L78's were also coded 4P; the 4L and 4K codes were then used on the remainder of 1967 Z28 and L78 production.  

The "5O" code has been observed a number of times. Thanks to Ove Sjoholm of Camaro Club Sweden, we have found that this code appears on all Swedish export Camaros (it has since been observed on most Camaros exported to other countries), suggesting that it is related to the export conversion of a Fisher installed component. Ove has noted that Sweden had more restrictive belt/harness requirements and it is known that Swedish Camaros had Swedish-compliant belts added locally. We have also received corroborating evidence of this code being a seat belt delete on Corvair from the 65-67 Corvair tag code research of Kent Sullivan and crew. As of November 2004, we are upgrading our call on this code to a firm declaration that 5O indicates RPO A48, seatbelt delete.

Note: one code that has previously been reported in the Camaro press, "2K" for the N33 tilt wheel, has not been observed on any vehicle in the CRG database. Specifically, it was not used on any 1967 database vehicle with a documented N33 option installation. A Fisher Body code would not be expected for this option because the tilt wheel was installed in the vehicle during the Chevrolet portion of the assembly process, not during the Fisher portion.

1969 Cowl Tag - X Codes

1. The meaning of the X-codes in general
2. The applications of the X11 code
3. X-codes used on '69 COPO cars

Background: The Xnn codes were a mid-1969 model addition to the Fisher body cowl tags of Norwood-built Camaros, starting with the 12B (second week of December) build week. (CRG has found 12B cars both with and without these codes. Our data for all cars in prior weeks is absent this code, and our data for all cars in weeks following contain this code.) These codes were an aid for Fisher body assembly workers to identify body trim and paint changes required for different Camaro models. The codes are divided into two groups, those with the Z21 style trim option, and those without the Z21 style trim option. (Since the Z21 Style Trim group also was included in the Z22 Rally Sport option, all Z22 cars are included in the Z21 X-code group. The only differences were the headlamp and taillamp lenses.)

    with Z21 (or Z22)        without Z21 (or Z22)
 -----------------------    ----------------------
 X11* non-SS396, non-Z28,    X44* non-SS, non-Z28
      includes SS350         X55  SS350
 X22  SS396                  X66  SS396
 X33  Z28                    X77  Z28 

 * COPO Camaros were an exception, as most COPOs 
   were built out of bodies coded with X11 or X44.
   Some early cars were built from X66-coded bodies.
   And a few COPOs were ordered with the Z21 option
   and arrived with either the X11 or X22 code.

 Additional 1969 Norwood Fisher codes that were 
 used instead of the X-codes include:
   Z10 - Indy Pace Car replica coupe
   Z11 - Indy Pace Car replica convertible

 Additional 1969 Norwood Fisher codes that could be
 combined with the X-codes include:
   D80 - signifies the car was equipped with D80 
         spoilers, but the code was not always used.
    A  - signifies the car was equipped with power 
         windows, but the code was not always used.

Note that X11 and X44 codes also included L26 230ci/130HP and L22 250ci/155HP 6-cylinder engine cars, as well as models equipped with the LF7 327ci/210HP, L14 307ci/200HP, L65 350ci/250HP, or LM1 350ci/255HP engines. The CRG will not attempt to refute or list all of the incorrect interpretations of the X11 code that have been (and still are being) wrongly quoted. Far better to devote some space to an understanding of why the X-codes were logically arranged for their specific purpose; the above organization is far from random - it has meaning.

The need for this organization becomes obvious once you consider the elements of the Z21 Style Trim option in 1969, which included the following items:

• Bright vertical bars in taillamp lenses
• Bright driprail moldings (except convertible)
• Black body sill (except certain colors)
• Bright wheel opening moldings
• Wheel opening paint pinstripes
• Bright rear quarter simulated louver moldings
• Bright headlamp bezel face moldings

So what specific features did the X-codes imply; what did the codes mean to the workers on the Fisher assembly line? The X22, X33, X66, and X77 code differences are easily explained by paint differences (Z28 stripe and 396 tailpan), so it is the X11, X44, and X55 codes that require greater analysis. To further confuse matters, the non-Z21/Z22 1969 SS cars did incorporate a subset of Z21. To understand the differences between the X11, X44, and X55 codes, examine the comparative table below:

                                 Non-SS                  SS
                            -----------------     ------------------
                  Code      X44    X11    X11     X11   X11   X55

                           no Z21                            no Z21
                  Option   no Z22  Z21    Z22     Z21   Z22  no Z22
                           ------  ---    ---     ---   ---  ------
Black body sill              no    yes    yes     yes   yes   yes
Rear quarter moldings        no    yes    yes     yes   yes   yes
Driprail molding             no    yes    yes     yes   yes   no
Wheel opening moldings       no    yes    yes     yes   yes   no
Wheel opening pinstripes     no    yes    yes     no    no    no
Bright taillamp trim         no    yes    no      yes   no    yes
Bright headlamp bezel trim   no    yes    no      yes   no    yes

Z21 = Style Trim     
Z22 = Rally Sport

As can be seen from the table above, the X11 code always includes the first four features: the use of black body sill paint and the use of the trim moldings (rear quarter louver, driprail, and wheel opening). The difference between X11 and X55 is that X55 does not apply the driprail and wheel opening moldings.

From this table, we can deduce that the wheel opening stripes, headlamp bezels, and taillamp lenses were not a factor in the X-codes. The table also show that the addition of Z22 (which eliminates the bright taillamp and headlamp trim, since the Rally Sport lamps are different) has the same effect on the X-codes as Z21.

Going back to the X22, X33, X66, and X77 codes, their meanings are now clear. X22 and X33 codes have the same meaning as the related X11 code, but with an added blacked-out tailpan for X22, and with an added Z28 stripe for X33. The X66 code has the same meaning as X55, but with a blacked-out tailpan. The X77 code has the same meaning as X44, but with a Z28 stripe. Including these meanings in a table covering most of the major trim features for all of the X-codes, and adding in the related Z10 & Z11 codes, we get the following result:

                              with Z21 or Z22              without Z21 or Z22
                       -----------------------------    ------------------------   
                    non-SS396/Z  SS396 Z28              non-SS/Z SS350 SS396 Z28
Features                  X11     X22  X33  Z10  Z11      X44     X55   X66  X77
-------------------    --------- ----- ---  ---  ---    -------  ----- ----- ---
black body sill           yes     yes  yes  no   no        no     yes   yes  no
rear qtr moldings         yes     yes  yes  yes  yes       no     yes   yes  no
driprail molding          yes     yes  yes  yes  no        no     no    no   no
wheel open moldings       yes     yes  yes  yes  yes       no     no    no   no
blacked-out tailpan       no      yes  no   no   no        no     no    yes  no
Z28 rally stripe          no      no   yes  yes  yes       no     no    no   yes

So, how many cars were coded X11?
Some quick math yields that 77% of 1969 Camaros were non-SS and non-Z28. After Dec 68, these cars would be coded X11 and X44. Multiplying the that percentage with the percentage of cars that had style trim or RS yields a little more than 44% of X-coded 69's were non-SS X11's. A similar calculation on the SS350 (9% of 69's) production quantity yield that less than half would be X55, the balance would be X11, about 5%. Adding these totals together shows the total of X11 coded cars to be approximately 50% of all 1969 X-codes. The corollary is that only about one in ten of X11 coded cars are actually SS350's.

Protect-o-Plate Decode

The POP contains basic ID data about the powertrain components (engine and carburetor, transmission, and rear axle) as well as selected factory installed options, and the month of manufacture. 1967-68 POPs also showed the exterior colors from the cowl tag as well as the interior paint color (the interior paint color is also shown on the 1967 Norwood cowl tag, but not on the Van Nuys LOS cowl tag).

POP data were stamped on a 8 row by 30 column grid at predefined coordinates. Instructions for stamping the POP data were contained in the assembly manual for each year, and decoding instructions were included in parts manuals and service manuals and bulletins. There are nine basic fields - illustrated in the POP transcription below and summarized field by field in the following list. For each data item, the row/column positions of the starting and ending cells on the plate are noted, with rows being labeled A thru H, and columns as 1 thru 30.

In the simulated POP below each of the bold-faced monospace characters in the field of the plate is selectable and leads to a more detailed description of that field, which, in turn, often has a link to even more detail. The example describes a 1968 Camaro with a gold interior and British Green body with a white vinyl top. After the VIN is the code for a Carter carburetor. The engine is a L30 327ci/275HP for a manual transmission, the axle a 3.07:1 ratio 12-bolt, the vehicle was assembled in January, and the transmission is a Saginaw 4-speed. The details of the specific component decodes can be found in the links to the Drivetrain Decoding page in the descriptions that follow, and in Colvin's Chevrolet By The Numbers. The Option field in the example is decoded as follows. The first option position at C-15, the "3", indicates power steering and brakes. The second option position at C-16 was unused in 1968. The third position at C-17 indicates AM radio with rear speaker. The fourth position at C-18 indicates F41 suspension with disc brakes. The fifth position at C-19 indicates factory air conditioning. And the option code in the sixth position at C-20 shows electric windows.

The coordinates and details of each of the nine fields follow:

1. A-1
   Interior Paint (1967-68 only)
   One-character code that is also used on the 1967 Norwood Cowl Tag, and is described in detail in the Interior Colors section.

2. A-5 to A-6
   Exterior Paint (1967-68 only)
   Two-character code that is also used on the Cowl Tag, and is described in detail in the Exterior Colors section. The first character describes the lower body color and the second character describes the upper body color. For 1967-68 the upper body color was always the same as the lower body unless a vinyl top was installed or the car was a convertible.

3. A-15 to A-27
   Vehicle ID Number
   The 13-character code that is the same as is used on the vehicle VIN plate.

4. A-29
   Carburetor Code
   One-character code that describes the source for the carburetor.

        B = Bay City (1 bbl/2 bbl)
        C = Carter (2nd source for Rochester)
        R = Rochester (2bbl/4bbl Quadra-Jet)
        H = Holley (4bbl)
        

5. B-1 to B-7
   Engine Assembly/Application Code
   Seven-character code that begins with the engine factory code letter and is followed by the assembly date as a 2-digit month and a 2-digit day of month, then ends in a 2-letter application code. This entire code is the same code stamped on the front of the engine block.

6. B-15 to B-21
   Rear Axle Assembly Code
   Seven-character code that begins with the 2-letter axle factory application code, is followed by the assembly date as a 2-digit month and a 2-digit day of month, and ends in a 1-letter factory code. This entire code is the same code stamped on the axle, except for the absence on the POP of any shift suffix or positraction code. Note that when faced with an axle of uncertain vintage, the year of manufacture must be derived from the axle center section calendar year casting date.

7. B-29
   Vehicle Build Month
   One-character code from the following table.

              Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
         1967  V   L   R   K   Z   S   P   W   N   Y   T   X
         1968  8   9   O   N   D   1   2   3   4   5   6   7
         1969  8   9   O   N   D   1   2   3   4   5   6   7
    late 1969  8   9   O   N
        

8. C-1 to C-5
   Transmission Assembly Code
   This five-character (typically) code begins with the engine factory/transmission code letter and is followed by the model year last digit (not the calendar year) and the assembly date as a 1-character month and a 2-digit day of month. This entire code is the same code stamped on the transmission pad, flange, pan, and/or tag. The TH400 code format differs - see the tranmission decode page.

9. C-15 to C-21
   POP Option Codes
   The first digit of this 0 to 7 digit code starts immediately under the first digit of the axle code. The digits are order significant and interpretation also changes as a function of model year. Some model year codes for the next year have been seen applied to vehicles built late in the previous model year. While the service news bulletins for the year documented most of the codes, the prime source for all the codes was located in the "Data Systems Standards Manual No. 5" with other details located in DSSM No. 6.

   In the table below, the locations are noted as positions a through g. Also, see the further explanatory notes below the table.

                   POP Position and Meaning                  
POP   POP             
Year Value   a        b        c       d       e     f      g
---- ----- ------  -------  -------  ------   ---  ------  ---
1967   1   N40     U35/U63* U80       ---     C60  A31     --- 
       2   J50     ---      ---       F41     ---  ---     A67
       3   N40/J50 ---      U63       J52     ---  ---     ---
       4   ---     ---      U63/U80   ---     C48  B93     ---
       5   ---     ---      U69       J52/F41 ---  A31/B93 ---
       6   ---     ---      U69/U80   ---     ---  ---     ---
       7   ---     ---      ---       ---     ---  ---     ---
       8   ---     ---      ---       ---     ---  ---     ---
       9   ---     ---      ---       J52/J56 ---  ---     ---
________________________________________________________________

1968   1   N40     ***      U80       F40     C60  A31     ---
       2   J50     ---      U79       F41     ---  ---     A67
       3   N40/J50 ***      U63       J52     ---  ---     ---
       4   ---     ---      U63/U80   J52/F40 C48  N65     ---
       5   ---     ---      U69       J52/F41 ---  A31/N65 ---
       6   ---     ---      U69/U80   **      ---  ---     ---
       7   ---     ---      U69/U79   **      ---  ---     ---
       8   ---     ---      ---       **      ---  ---     ---
       9   ---     ---      ---       ---     ---  ---     ---
________________________________________________________________
 
1969   1   N40     J50      ---       ---     C60  ---     ---
       2   ---     ---      ---       ---     ---  ---     ---
       3   ---     ---    (any radio) J52     C75  A31     ---
       4-9 not used
________________________________________________________________

* aka Radio/Clock Group
** Documented as J56 Camaro codes Camaro in CDSIB 68-1-1, 
   but n/a to Camaro. See comments below.
*** Limited LOS use involving B93 and perhaps B37; under research.

Options were tracked more fully in 1967 and 1968 than in 1969. In 1967-68, codes were generally selected such that option combinations, in keeping with efficient computer coding practices of the day, could be obtained by adding together the codes of each single option. Several options and their permutations could be recorded with a single digit. For example, in position d for 1968, J52=3 and F41=2, so the combination of J52/F41 was assigned the value of 2+3=5. From this practice we can infer the existence of codes that do not actually appear in the Chevrolet Service News Bulletins. For example, in earlier CRG research, the 1967 code for B93 Door Edge Guards was inferred to be 4 in position f, since A31 was known to be 1 and the A31/B93 combination was known to be 5. The inferred value for B93 without A31 was later confirmed by other GM records, which also confirmed the previously inferred A67 code in field "g" for 1967.

  There are a few items of note about position d in the option field:

• While the F40 heavy-duty suspension is not listed as a 1968 Camaro RPO in the US, it was supposedly available to Canadians. While CRG has not yet seen a 68 Camaro with this RPO (F40 was an available RPO in 1969), it is included in the POP option codes for completeness.

• With regard to RPO J56, the "Heavy Duty Brake" option, GM has noted this as a 1968 POP code, despite J56 being a 1967-only option. We list it in the above table as a 1967 code, since it is not applicable to 68 models.

• A value of "9" in 68 for field d is shown in GM documentation as meaning J52/J56. This actually refers to the 1967 version of Camaro J56 (metallic brakes) as applied to the 1967 J52 disc/drum brakes. We have seen this code used on 1967 Z28s with the J52/J56 combination.

• For position d in 1968, CRG believes that values 6, 7, and 8 refer to the Corvette J56 four-wheel disc (4WD) brake setup that was available to Camaro in modified form as an over-the-counter Service Package. The 4WD setup is referred to in the 68 Camaro Assembly Manual initially as J56 but is changed to JL8 circa Feb/Mar 68. Note that the four-wheel disc brake system was never installed in a 68 Camaro by the factory, and we have never seen the 6, 7, and 8 codes used on a POP. These codes appear to have been included here for 1968 either in preparation for a proposed option release that never occurred, or as part of a subterfuge for convincing racing authorities that the 4WD brakes were a factory option and thus should be homologated for SCCA racing use. The 68 4WD Service Package was modified and finally made available in 1969 as a true factory option, RPO JL8.

GM Date Code Formats

For cast-in date codes on GM-produced iron and aluminum castings (engine blocks, heads, intakes, water pumps, etc.), the letter "I" was used for September, and the last month of the calendar year (December) was the letter "L". For stamped-in date codes on GM-produced components (alternators, distributors, starters, etc.), the letter "I" was not used - "I" was skipped, and "J" became September, with December being "M".

To summarize: For GM-produced parts, the month code for calendar year dates that are cast into parts runs from "A" through "L" (including the letter "I"), while the month code for calendar year dates that are stamped onto parts runs from "A" through "M" (skipping the letter "I").

              Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 
              --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
 Cast Date     A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L
 Stamped Date  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   J   K   L   M

"M"-Coded Blocks
There is one exception to this convention that has been observed: some blocks have been seen with "M" cast codes. Research by the Saginaw Metal Casting Operations of GM Powertrain Division has found that these "M" codes are not date codes, but actually a foundry code used to indentify parts that were made to evaluate a casting process change. After evaluating the parts, the blocks would either be destroyed or released into production. There is no way to determine the date an "M"-coded block was poured.

Julian Calendar Generator

Numbers Trivia

  3 or 4 for standard Camaro
  5 or 6 for deluxe Camaro

  3 = L6 standard
  4 = V8 standard
  5 = L6 deluxe
  6 = V8 deluxe

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