Buick VIN decoder, 1946-1980

1946-1953

Looks like 11234567 (8 characters)

TB-APP2: 1937-1953 serials are eight digits, the first the assembly plant and the last seven a sequential number unique to the car. The year is not encoded, so identify the year from the number range (not provided by the page).

Example is a placeholder.

Pre-1954 Buick engine serials differ from the car serial (TB-APP2).

Sources: [TB-APP2]

1954-1963

Looks like 4D1001555 (9 characters)

TB-APP2: nine characters; production numbers start at 001001 per plant for full-size cars 1954-63, and at 501001 for 1961-63 Special/Skylark.

Engine serial equals car serial from 1957 (TB-APP2); different before.

Example is a placeholder sequence.

Sources: [TB-APP2]

1964

Looks like 4K1001555 (9 characters)

TB-64: plate on left front door hinge pillar and stamped on the top of the engine block forward of the left valve cover; production numbers start at 001001.

TB-64 prints its sample as 4K100155 / 4 K 1 0 0 1 5 5 5; the 9-character form 4K1001555 is used here.

Sources: [TB-64] [TB-APP2]

1965-1971

Looks like 444275H101555 (13 characters)

TB-65, TB-68: plate on left front door hinge pillar and stamped on the engine block; production numbers start at 100001. 1965-66 engine serial = last eight digits of the VIN (TB-APP2).

Engine is not encoded in the 1965-71 VIN.

Examples on the Team Buick pages reuse a template (444x7xH101555); 444275H101555 is the TB-65 example.

Sources: [TB-65] [TB-66] [TB-67] [TB-68] [TB-69] [TB-70] [TB-71] [RTRW-BUICK]

1972

Looks like 4L39H2H000001 (13 characters)

TB-72: VIN is on top of the dash, driver side, visible through the windshield.

Sources: [TB-72] [RTRW-BUICK]

1973-1974

Looks like 4V57J3H446727 (13 characters)

TB-74: VIN on top of dash, driver side, visible through the windshield.

Engine letters differ slightly by year (1973 has no D/G/P/R in TB-73). The pattern is the union.

Sources: [TB-73] [TB-74]

1976

Looks like 4N37H6H100001 (13 characters)

Example is built from the published code tables, not a real VIN.

Thirteen characters: division 4 (Buick), series, two-digit body style, engine, year, plant, six-digit production number. The source numbers the positions oddly (it skips position 8) but the lengths add up to 13.

Sources: [BG76]

1977

Looks like 4J47C7H100001 (13 characters)

Example is built from the published code tables, not a real VIN.

Thirteen characters: division 4 (Buick), series, two-digit body style, engine, year, plant, six-digit production number. The source numbers the positions oddly (it skips position 8) but the lengths add up to 13.

Sources: [BG77]

1978

Looks like 4J47A8H100001 (13 characters)

Example is built from the published code tables, not a real VIN.

The 1978 engine list (196/231 V6, 301 and 305 V8) is the first year code C means 196 rather than 231 in this source; in 1976-77 BG76 and BG77 list C as 231.

Thirteen characters: division 4 (Buick), series, two-digit body style, engine, year, plant, six-digit production number. The source numbers the positions oddly (it skips position 8) but the lengths add up to 13.

Sources: [BG78]

1979

Looks like 4J47A9H100001 (13 characters)

Example is built from the published code tables, not a real VIN.

Thirteen characters: division 4 (Buick), series, two-digit body style, engine, year, plant, six-digit production number. The source numbers the positions oddly (it skips position 8) but the lengths add up to 13.

Sources: [BG79]

1980

Looks like 4J47AAH129365 (13 characters)

Example 4J47AAH129365 is a real 1980 Regal VIN decoded on a TurboBuick forum thread (TBF80; seen only in a search summary) as Regal 2-door, 231 V6 2-barrel, 1980, Flint; BG80 gives the same code meanings.

Thirteen characters: division 4 (Buick), series, two-digit body style, engine, year, plant, six-digit production number. The source numbers the positions oddly (it skips position 8) but the lengths add up to 13.

Sources: [BG80] [TBF80]