General Motors passenger-car VIN, 1965–1971

Character by character

Where to find it: Chevrolet 1965–1967 (and 1968 Chevelle): plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar (Chevrolet vehicle information kits, General p. 3). 1968 Nova and 1969–1971 Chevrolet: plate attached to the top left of the instrument panel, visible through the windshield. Pontiac 1968–1969: plate on the upper left instrument panel, visible through the windshield (1968 and 1969 Pontiac Service Manuals p. 0-1). Buick 1965: plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar (1965 Buick Chassis Service Manual p. 0-2). Buick 1966–1968: plate on the left front body hinge pillar; 1969–1971: top of the instrument panel on the driver's side, visible through the windshield (Buick Chassis Service Manuals, Group 00). Oldsmobile 1965–1966: plate on the left front door pillar; 1968–1971: left upper instrument panel, visible from outside (Oldsmobile Chassis Service Manuals, Section 0/1). Pontiac 1966: left front hinge pillar post, visible with the door open (1966 Tempest Chassis Shop Manual p. 0-1). Cadillac 1971: steel plate on the cowl bar at the lower left corner of the windshield (Cadillac parts catalog thru 1975, p. 10).

Division codes

Model year codes

Series codes

Body style codes

Assembly plant codes

Where the sources disagree

• {"code":"54","field":"series","modelYears":{"from":1965,"to":1965},"claims":[{"claim":"Series 454xx is LeSabre Custom","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1965-buick-chassis","locator":"p. 0-2, 1965 Buick Models"}]},{"claim":"Vehicle Series Code 54 is LeSabre Deluxe","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1965-buick-chassis","locator":"p. 0-3, Vehicle Series Code chart"}]}],"resolution":"Same manual; the model table and the series chart name series 54 differently. Published as LeSabre Custom (the model table ties the name to the style numbers)."}
• {"code":"B","field":"plant","modelYears":{"from":1971,"to":1971},"claims":[{"claim":"Example table: Assembly Plant (Baltimore) B, VIN 133691B100001","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-vik-1971-chevelle","locator":"PDF p. 6"}]},{"claim":"Example text: the 1st model built at Lakewood would be 133691B100001","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-vik-1971-chevelle","locator":"PDF p. 6"}]}],"resolution":"Internal typo in the example text; the plant list gives B - Baltimore-GMAD. Published as Baltimore-GMAD."}
• {"code":"37, 39","field":"body","modelYears":{"from":1968,"to":1968},"claims":[{"claim":"LeMans rows print 23527 Sports Coupe, 23537 Hardtop Coupe and 23739 4-Door Sedan","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1968-pontiac","locator":"p. 0-2, Fig. 0-4"}]},{"claim":"39 is a 4-Door Hardtop in the Catalina, Executive, Bonneville and Tempest Custom rows; 1969 prints Le Mans 23727/23737/23739 4-Door Hardtop","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1969-pontiac","locator":"p. 0-2, Fig. 0-4"}]}],"resolution":"Treated as 1968 misprints in the LeMans rows; 39 published as 4-door hardtop."}
• {"code":"17, 18","field":"series","modelYears":{"from":1966,"to":1966},"claims":[{"claim":"Nova SS heading printed 115-11600 SERIES","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-vik-1966-chevy-ii","locator":"PDF p. 2"}]},{"claim":"Nova SS model printed 117-11837","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-vik-1966-chevy-ii","locator":"PDF p. 2"}]}],"resolution":"Published 17/18 as Nova Super Sport from the model number; the heading repeats the Nova series."}
• {"code":"39","field":"body","modelYears":{"from":1966,"to":1966},"claims":[{"claim":"39 = 4-Door Hardtop (Tempest Custom 23539)","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1966-pontiac-tempest","locator":"p. 0-2, Fig. 0-3"}]},{"claim":"39 = 4-Door Sedan (Tempest LeMans 23739)","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1966-pontiac-tempest","locator":"p. 0-2, Fig. 0-3"}]},{"claim":"39 = 4-Door Hardtop (25239, 25639, 26239)","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-ama-1966-pontiac","locator":"PDF p. 1"}]}],"resolution":"Record 39 as 4-door hardtop. The same figure already has 69 as the 4-door sedan code, and the AMA sheet uses 39 only for 4-door hardtops; the LeMans \u00274-Door Sedan\u0027 label on 23739 is a misprint."}
• {"code":"37","field":"body","modelYears":{"from":1966,"to":1966},"claims":[{"claim":"Worked example plate 2 35 37 6 P 100001 uses body 37 with series 35 (Tempest Custom)","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1966-pontiac-tempest","locator":"p. 0-1, Fig. 0-1"}]},{"claim":"The model table lists no 37 body for any Tempest series (Tempest Custom hardtop coupe is 23517)","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1966-pontiac-tempest","locator":"p. 0-2, Fig. 0-3"}]}],"resolution":"Keep the example exactly as printed (it is the document\u0027s own illustration) and decode 37 as hardtop coupe from the 1966 AMA full-size table. Flag the example as illustrative: style 23537 is not in the Tempest model table, so do not use it to assert that a Tempest Custom 37 body existed."}
• {"code":"356376M100006","field":"example","modelYears":{"from":1966,"to":1966},"claims":[{"claim":"Starting VIN table prints 356376M100006 for 35600 Dynamic 88 at Lansing, duplicating the 100006 unit number given to Jetstar 88; every other plant column prints 100008 for Dynamic 88","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1966-oldsmobile","locator":"PDF p. 3 (printed p. 0-3), Starting Vehicle Identification Numbers (Example Numbers)"}]}],"resolution":"Typographic slip in the unit number only; the series, body, year and plant characters decode normally. Keep the example as printed; do not rely on its unit number. (The Fig. 0-2 plate photograph is the same image as the 1965 manual\u0027s and is not usable as a 1966 example.)"}
• {"code":"65","field":"body","modelYears":{"from":1966,"to":1966},"claims":[{"claim":"1966 chart prints Cutlass 33865 as \u0027Custom Station Wagon - 2 Seat Ext.\u0027, the same wording as 33855","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1966-oldsmobile","locator":"PDF p. 2 (printed p. 0-2), 1966 Model Designation chart"}]},{"claim":"1965 chart prints Cutlass 33865 as \u0027Custom Station Wagon - 3 Seat Ext.\u0027","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1965-oldsmobile","locator":"PDF p. 4 (p. 1-2)"}]}],"resolution":"Likely a 1966 misprint for three-seat, but a 1965 document cannot fix 1966. The 1966 entry is recorded as \u0027custom station wagon, extended\u0027 without a seat count."}
• {"code":"33","field":"series","modelYears":{"from":1968,"to":1968},"claims":[{"claim":"Fig. 0-4 diagram prints 3 3 3 7 7 8 M 100001 and labels the second digit \u0027Series (Std. F-85)\u0027","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1968-oldsmobile","locator":"PDF p. 6 (p. 0-3), Fig. 0-4"}]},{"claim":"1968 Model Designation chart has F-85 as 33100 (L-6) and 33200 (V-8), i.e. VIN series 31/32; no 33xxx series exists","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1968-oldsmobile","locator":"PDF p. 5 (p. 0-2)"}]}],"resolution":"The diagram reuses the pre-1968 F-85 numbering; the chart governs. Do not add series 33 for 1968; keep 333778M100001 only as a flagged illustrative example."}
• {"code":"R/S","field":"engine","modelYears":{"from":1971,"to":1971},"claims":[{"claim":"Parts catalog text: the letter R indicates 472 cu. in. and S 500 cu. in. \u0027for 1971 thru 1974\u0027.","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-pc-1975-cadillac","locator":"p. 10 Vehicle Identification Number Information"}]},{"claim":"Every 1971 VIN printed in the same catalog and on the 1971 AMA sheet has no engine letter: 13 characters are 6 \u002B four-digit series/model \u002B year \u002B plant \u002B sequence (e.g. 681691Q100001, 693471Q400001); the same page says the four-number series/model is \u00271971 only\u0027.","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-pc-1975-cadillac","locator":"pp. 8 and 10"},{"id":"vin-gm-vik-1971-cadillac","locator":"AMA Form p. 1 (PDF image 167)"}]}],"resolution":"No engine character in 1971 VINs; the R/S engine letter applies from 1972 (confirmed by the 1972 and 1974 shop manuals). The \u00271971 thru 1974\u0027 wording is loose text."}
• {"code":"48469","field":"model","modelYears":{"from":1970,"to":1970},"claims":[{"claim":"Electra 225 4-Door Sedan Semi-Thin Pillar is designated 48469","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1970-buick","locator":"p. 00-3 (PDF p. 2), 00-1 1970 Model Chart (cont.), Electra 225 group"}]},{"claim":"Electra 225 Custom 4-Door Sedan Semi-Thin Pillar is designated 48469","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1970-buick","locator":"p. 00-3 (PDF p. 2), 00-1 1970 Model Chart (cont.), Electra 225 Custom group"}]}],"resolution":"Same chart prints 48469 twice. Series code 84 = Electra 225 Custom (Figure 00-2), so 48469 is published only as Electra 225 Custom; the Electra 225 (series 82) sedan number is left unpublished rather than guessed as 48269."}
• {"code":"H100001","field":"sequence","modelYears":{"from":1971,"to":1971},"claims":[{"claim":"Example plate 452691H100001: a Flint-built LeSabre (45269, plant H) with serial 100001","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1971-buick","locator":"p. 00-13 (PDF p. 8), Figure 00-11 plate"}]},{"claim":"Footnote: Flint-built LeSabres and Centurions will start with 4","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1971-buick","locator":"p. 00-13 (PDF p. 8), Figure 00-11 footnote"}]}],"resolution":"Internal inconsistency in the figure; the example is a carried-over drawing. Do not validate sequence first digits for 1971 LeSabre/Centurion; keep the example (it decodes correctly for series, body, year, plant) and do not treat the sequence start as authoritative."}
• {"code":"34","field":"series","modelYears":{"from":1966,"to":1966},"claims":[{"claim":"Series list prints 34 = SPECIAL V-8 followed by a stray \u00276\u0027","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1966-buick","locator":"p. 00-4 (ManualsLib p. 10), Figure 00-1"}]},{"claim":"Model chart designates Special V-8 bodies 434xx (43407, 43435, 43467, 43469)","sources":[{"id":"vin-gm-sm-1966-buick","locator":"p. 00-2 (ManualsLib p. 8), 00-1 1966 Model Chart V-8 column"}]}],"resolution":"Printing artifact, not a real disagreement; published as Special V-8."}

Decoded in full elsewhere

• CamaroFacts: Camaro VINs are decoded in full by CamaroFacts; this pack decodes only the shared GM layout.
• VetteFacts: Corvette VINs are decoded in full by VetteFacts; this pack decodes only the shared GM layout.