Vin Tag Decoding

The VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number is stamped into a stainless-steel tag. If you don’t know where to find your VIN tag, click HERE. From the VIN tag you can identify the year, model number, assembly plant and sequence number (the n-th vehicle to come from this assembly plant this model year). Unlike the cowl tag, the VIN tag is a reliable means to identify if a car was equipped with a V8 or a L6 engine since it was applied to the body after a chassis was configured and scheduled to be mated to the body. This VIN tag information applies for all passenger car models from 1960 to 1964.

The first digit represents the year. 0=1960, 1=1961, etc.
The second and third digits represent the series.
11 Biscayne 6 cylinder
12 Biscayne 8 cylinder
13 Biscayne Fleetmaster L6 (1960-1961) or Impala SS L6 (1964)
14 Biscayne Fleetmaster V8 (1960-1961) or Impala SS V8 (1964)
15 Bel Air L6
16 Bel Air V8
17 Impala L6
18 Impala V8
The fourth and fifth digits represent the body style.
11 2 door sedan
15 2 door station wagon, 2 seats
19 4 door sedan
21 2 door utility sedan
35 4 door station wagon, 2 seats – 6 passenger
37 2 door sport coupe (bubble top)
39 4 door sport sedan
45 4 door station wagon, 3 seats
47 2 door sport coupe
67 2 door convertible
69 4 door sedan
80 2 door sedan pickup (El Camino)
The sixth letter represents the manufacturing plant. See a detailed explanation.
The last six digits represent the production sequence number, starting at 100001.