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Cowl Tag Decoding

56K views 67 replies 27 participants last post by  87next2last1 
#1 ·
Tag is as follows:
Body By Fisher
ST 77 1AD80 R 241317 BDY

TR 19N AN7 19L 19T PNT

05A 06430

VIN # ia 1d80l7r461141

Any Help is appriciated.
 
#2 ·
ok'here it is;
ST 77 =style "77"
1AD80 = 2-door El Camino custom pick-up delivery
R= Arlington,Texas {plant where built}
241317= factory tracking number
bdy= the letter "BDY". this refers to the assembly plant and sequential number
TR= trim
19n=interior trim code{knit cloth ,black} AN7=swivel bucket seats
19L= paint color,{black}
19t=...?..{ I'm not shure about this one,it might be the vinyl top,black}
PNT=paint code
05A=built date,may,first week
06430= accessory option code

1d80l7r461141
1=division{chevy}
D=series {El Camino classic/Chevelle Malibu classic}
80=body style {2-door pick-up delivery/El Camino}
L=engine code{LM1 350 V-8 4BBL 155H.P.}
7=year{1977}
R=plant{Arlington,Texas}
461141=build sequence numbers
I hope this will help you out.
this almost sound like a SS or a Classic..
:cali:
 
#3 ·
hey Gilby

can you help with this?
78 1AW80 D024982

24V A51 29L 29U
10A 0875 D91 29L
22U

this car has me baffled, it's a 78 for sure but it has the newer type dash with the round gauges. nothing seems to be right for this 78 :dontknow: thanks
 
#4 ·
Cowl tag #

Can anyone please decode my new project I'm not having much luck on the body tag #'s
I know its a 1970 built late May in L.A. calif but every thing else is ?

They are

st 70- 13680 dl 05544 bdy
tr 770 50 h pnt
05d 791779 220311

I'm trying to figure out the engine & trans combo

Thanks for the help
 
#5 · (Edited)
st70 =style 1970
13680 =model,2-door sedan pickup deluxe{el camino}
"DL"{this is not right,either its a "D" or "L"}
D=assembly plant,{Doraville.Georgia} L=assembly plant{Van Nuys,California}
05544=this number was a factory tracking code,with no correlation to the VIN sequence number.
BDY=this refers to the assembly plant and sequential numbers.
TR= trim
770=vinyl,saddle {bench seat}
50 H pnt=exterior paint code{gobi beige W/ vinyl top dark gold}
05D=build date{may,4th week}
791779=accessory codes
220311=?
on all 1969-1971.. trim tags,the engine identification portion of the model identification number always indicates a V-8 engine No 6-cylinder engine identification numbers are stamped on any trim tag .Engine verification must be made by checking the VIN engine.:cali:
 
#11 ·
Realize this is a very old thread but it's also very wrong.
* The DL is probably BL for Los Angeles (Van Nuys); 1970 Chevelles were not built in Doraville, GA.
* 791779 is not an accessory code but rather a data processing number used for internal tracking - of no real significance today unless you find a build sheet and this number corresponds to the first 6 numbers in block 24.
* 220311 is a concatenation of two different numbers from the build sheet; 03 is the SCHED NO. found in block 10 and on Van Nuys sheets this indicates the work day of the month - the 3rd day in this case; 0311 is, again, a data processing number found in block 24.
* The explanation about even/odd trim tag style numbers comes from Alan Colvan's book and it is wrong. Depending on the year and the assembly plant, some plants DID code a 6-cyl engine on the trim tag. I have a matrix of 1964-1972 Chevelles and all the production plants showing one of 4 things; (1) whether a plant in that year is known to have coded odd digit style numbers (such as 13380), (2) whether a plant in that year is not to have NOT coded odd digit style number (but the VIN may still show an L6 car), (3) plants and years where no even third digit style numbers have been found yet (all examples so far are even 3rd digits and all happen to be V8s as well), and (4) plants that did not produce Chevelles for a given year.

The sequence number starts with 1000000?..28,822 Chevelle car built?...first week of January?...Man they built a lot of cars...although the sequence number probably started in 1973? Interesting.
No. First the number(s) on the trim tag is NOT a GM VIN sequence number. Second you have too many digits, sequence numbers are 6 digits long and for 1974 Chevelles/El Caminos/Monte Carlos in the U.S. begin with 400,001. You'd have to check your VIN tag (not the Fisher Body number plate) for the buid sequence number. If the last 6 digits of your VIN are, say, 410,125 then your El Camino is the 10,125th 1974 Chevelle (all models) built at Fremont that year.
 
#6 ·
for "welder 5",
24V=trim combo,vinyl,dark blue
A51=buket seats
29L=ext.pant,black sapphire met.{sec.color}
29U=primary color,ext.dark blue
10A=stripe color,accent,two tone,lt.grey/red
0875= ???
D91=paint,two tone
29L=sec.ext paint,dark blue
22U=primary color,ext.bahama blue met.
 
#7 ·
on all 1969-1971.. trim tags,the engine identification portion of the model identification number always indicates a V-8 engine No 6-cylinder engine identification numbers are stamped on any trim tag .Engine verification must be made by checking the VIN engine
Also, the VIN will only denote a 6 cyl or 8 cyl engine. If the 3rd digit of the VIN is an odd number (3,5,7) then is came with a 6 banger. If on the other hand its a even number [4,6,8] then it came with a V8 engine. Optional engines are not coded in the VIN until 1972 model year and beyond.
 
#9 ·
Help please!

st 74 1ad80 z 128822
tr 740 a65 1166
O1a 128822 860663

Thanks1
1974 El Camino Classic Pickup Delivery
Z - Fremont CA Assembly Plant Code
128822 - Serial Number of the Body and only the body, not meant to match the VIN.

740 - Medium Saddle Cloth Seat Trim
A65 - RPO code for Bench Seat with Arm Rest
11 - Lower color is Antique White
66 - Upper color is Bronze Metallic
2 different codes mean 2-tone paint

01A - Month and week produced, Jan, 1st week
128822 860663 - Data Processing Sequence Number. Just a computer generated number unique to this vehicle that was instrumental in the sequencing of the production process. Once the car left the assembly plant this number meant nothing.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Thank You.
Searching the net for all the paint and option codes is sometimes endless.:beer:
The sequence number starts with 1000000?..28,822 Chevelle car built?...first week of January?...Man they built a lot of cars...although the sequence number probably started in 1973?
Interesting.
 
#13 ·
Help
ST721338D FISHER 2
TR 701A52 B753931 BDY
2A 53 53 PNT
0654
===
st72 =style 1972
13380 =model,2-door sedan pickup base or standard{el camino} and appropriate for a 6 cyl
B=assembly plant of Baltimore
753931=this number was a factory tracking code, with no correlation to the VIN sequence number.
TR= trim
701= vinyl black
A52= bench seat
BDY=this refers to the body assembly plant and sequential numbers.
2A= ??
53= Placer Gold for upper and lower body color

0654=possibly build date, yet does not fit format

See if you agree http://chevellestuff.net/qd/tags/1972/bal/bal_decode.htm
 
#15 ·
81=model year (1981)- 12=DEC - C= 3rd week - 1= Chevrolet - AW= Malibu Classic - 30 (80?)=2 door pickup delivery ( El Camino)-R= Arlington plant - 105340= production sequence - 23V (26V?)= dark blue vinyl - 21L=light blue poly (paint) lower color - 21U=light blue poly (paint) upper color - L=lacquer- AM 5 (AM 6 ?) 55-45 seat.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Chris,

Thanks much! I looked for more than an hour on the Internet and didn't find the right info to decode my tag.

The AW30 is clear on the front of the tag but, when I pulled it off and checked the back side, the rest of the 8 is faintly visible.

The 23(?)V could be 26V. Looking at the back of the tag, that digit doesn't look like the 3 in another area. The seats are dark blue 60/40 seats with center arm rest.

Jim
 
#19 ·
Thanks Chris! :smile:

That's pretty much want I looked up about it a while back, but I just wanted to confirm I was looking it up correctly. Hopefully the build sheet will be above the fuel tank and readable so I can look up what all options it came with from GM :smile:
 
#20 ·
Friend found a 1972 that is 'supposed to be' a true 454 4spd SS car.
I'm trying to get a picture of the cowl tag but.. anything is the tag that will ID it as a true 72 545 SS car?

It has a SBC and 700r right now so no chance of finding the'original' but if it was a original big block SS 4Spd,, This guy wants it to take back to a BBC clutch car.

ANy help on what the cowl should read if it is a true SS /BBC in 1972?
 
#21 ·
#22 ·
Thanks JJ
This is why I come to the brain trust here.

Finally got a pic of the cowl tag,, so far the guy has been FULL OF IT.
First it's not a 72 but a 71,
Lousy cowl tag pic and can't really tell what any of it is except the 13680,
and down maybe in TR it may be 715 or Z15 (but it looks like 71 there was no way to tell from vin or cowl tag what original engine it 'was' )



Still investigating....
 
#25 ·
x2 the motor in the vin, was 72 and up..

from what little I know
there are 2 codes associated with the SS, depending on the year, cant remember which ones??
.
.
edit here it is,
z25=SS396,, the z15 started as the SS454
in 71 a SS does not have to be a BBC.. could be a L65 350-2brl..
http://elcaminostuff.macswebs.com/7072/71/71ss.html

makes my head hurt..
:texas:
 
#29 ·
Question regarding my VIN tag

Can anyone help me understand if the id tag on the body close to the hood hinge should include a string of number that should match the vin code numbers that are on my dash by the windshield on my 1970 el camino.

Reason for my question is that there are similar numbers on the tag on the body but they are different than the vin numbers on my dash???

Is this a problem?
 
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