Chevrolet VIN decoder, 1946-1980

1946-1952

Looks like 1FKC14341 (9 characters)

Layout: plant (1 or 2 digits), year letter, series letter, month letter, sequence number. The sequence number is not padded and starts at 1001 at each plant (OCMP_SERIAL, GW_4650).

Where the plate is: under the floor mat on the passenger side 1942-48 and on the driver's side front door pillar 1949-52 per OCMP_SERIAL. A VCCA forum poster cites a January 1946 Service News moving it to the right front door pillar from 1946; the posts conflict (VCCA_48).

Example 1FKC14341 is the 1948 Fleetline plate quoted in VCCA_48: Flint, 1948, series K, March, number 14341. A St. Louis 1948 Fleetmaster cabriolet in the same thread begins 3FKD.

The 1946 year letter D and its J/K series come from GW_4650 (46-DJ, 46-DK) and OCMP_SERIAL; no real 1946 plate was seen.

Light trucks of 1947-52 use the same layout with other series letters and have their own format.

Sources: [OCMP_SERIAL] [GW_4650] [GW_MODELS] [CTO_ADVDEC] [VCCA_48]

1947-1952

Looks like 5GRB292 (7 characters)

Layout: plant (1 or 2 digits), year letter, series letter, month letter, production number. Light-duty trucks only. Heavy-duty trucks use year letters Q-V (1947-52) with series J, K, L, P, R, S, V, W, X and are not encoded here (GW_SERIAL, CTO_ADVDEC).

Example 5GRB292 is the printed example on the LMC Truck chart (LMC_CA): Kansas City, 1949, 3600, February. Its 3-digit number is as printed; other sources say numbering starts at 1001, so the pattern allows 3 to 6 digits.

Plate is on the left (driver's side) front body hinge pillar (GW_SERIAL).

The 1947 entries are the second-series 1947 trucks (CTO_ADVDEC). Earlier 1946-early 1947 trucks are not encoded.

1947-48 trucks may be marked Thriftmaster or Loadmaster instead of series numbers (GW_SERIAL).

Sources: [GW_SERIAL] [GW_COMM] [CTO_ADVDEC] [LMC_CA]

1953-1954

Looks like C53L066805 (10 characters)

Layout: series letter, two-digit model year, plant letter, six-digit sequence number. Series E (Corvette) is excluded.

Example C53L066805 is a 1953 Bel Air VIN shown in an auction listing (AUCTION_53, seen in a search result only); a second listing showed C53N085402 (Norwood).

Plate is on the driver's side front door pillar 1953-57 (OCMP_SERIAL).

Sources: [OCMP_SERIAL] [CTO_ADVDEC] [GW_COMM] [AUCTION_53]

1953-1954

Looks like H53S1001 (8 characters)

Layout: series letter, decade and year digit written together as 53 or 54, plant letter, production number. GW_SERIAL describes the second and third characters as decade 5 plus year digit; LMC_CA prints two-digit years.

Example is built from the published layout (series H, 1953, St. Louis, first number 1001); it is not a real VIN.

Heavy-duty series (N, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z) are not encoded.

Chevrolet 1955 first-series trucks (55) are covered in chevrolet.json.

Sources: [GW_SERIAL] [GW_COMM] [CTO_ADVDEC] [LMC_CA]

1955

Looks like VH55A000001 (11 characters)

1955 first-series truck number, V8 layout (series letter, year, plant, six digits). ChevyTrucks.org says the number is on a stainless plate welded to the left front door hinge post.

Sources: [CHEVYTRUCKS_5559]

1955

Looks like H55A000001 (10 characters)

1955 truck number, six-cylinder layout (no V prefix).

Sources: [CHEVYTRUCKS_5559]

1955-1957

Looks like VC57T100001 (11 characters)

Passenger-car serial number (V8 layout, 11 characters). Classic Industries describes the order as engine prefix, series letter, two-digit year, plant letter, six-digit number; the exact positional order is inferred from the truck-side decoder which uses series, year, plant.

Sequence: Classic Industries says plants began at 001001 for 1955-56 and 100001 for 1957 (another source says 10001 for 1957). Oakland (O) can be confused with zero.

The serial number plate is on the left front door hinge pillar; the cowl (body) tag under the hood gives style, trim and paint codes.

Sources: [CI_TRIFIVE] [CHEVYTRUCKS_5559]

1955-1957

Looks like B56K001001 (10 characters)

Passenger-car serial number, six-cylinder layout (10 characters, no V prefix). Same codes as the V8 layout.

Sources: [CI_TRIFIVE] [CHEVYTRUCKS_5559]

1956-1959

Looks like V3A56A000001 (12 characters)

1956-59 truck number: two-character series (3A, 3B, 3E, 3G), two-digit year, plant letter, six digits, with a V prefix for V8 engines.

Sedan-delivery-type series letters that ChevyTrucks.org also lists (D, H, G) are covered by the passenger formats and are not repeated here.

Sources: [CHEVYTRUCKS_5559]

1956-1959

Looks like 3A56A000001 (11 characters)

1956-59 truck number: two-character series (3A, 3B, 3E, 3G), two-digit year, plant letter, six digits (six-cylinder layout, no V prefix).

Sedan-delivery-type series letters that ChevyTrucks.org also lists (D, H, G) are covered by the passenger formats and are not repeated here.

Sources: [CHEVYTRUCKS_5559]

1958

Looks like F58A100001 (10 characters)

10-character passenger serial number on the left door hinge pillar plate (series letter, two-digit year, plant letter, six digits). The same series letter means different things in 1958 and 1959.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [D348_5859]

1959

Looks like F59T100001 (10 characters)

10-character passenger serial number on the left door hinge pillar plate (series letter, two-digit year, plant letter, six digits). The same series letter means different things in 1958 and 1959.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [D348_5859]

1960-1961

Looks like 01847A100001 (12 characters)

12-character full-size Chevrolet number on the plate spot-welded to the left door hinge pillar (year digit, two-digit series, two-digit body, plant letter, six-digit sequence beginning at 100001).

This layout covers full-size Chevrolet only. Chevy II, Corvair and (1960) El Camino series codes were not confirmed by our sources and are not mapped; such a number may fail to match or show unmapped series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [XFRAME] [D348_6064]

1960-1964

Looks like 3C154K100001 (12 characters)

12-character 1960-64 Chevrolet light-truck number: year digit, C/K, two-digit series, one-digit body, plant letter, six digits (layout from Ground Up SS396; code meanings from Junkyard Mob). Only the series and body codes our sources list are shown; others display as unlisted.

GMC trucks for these years use different series codes and are not covered.

Sources: [SS396_TRUCK] [JUNKYARDMOB]

1962-1963

Looks like 21847S100001 (12 characters)

12-character full-size Chevrolet number on the plate spot-welded to the left door hinge pillar (year digit, two-digit series, two-digit body, plant letter, six-digit sequence beginning at 100001).

This layout covers full-size Chevrolet only. Chevy II, Corvair and (1960) El Camino series codes were not confirmed by our sources and are not mapped; such a number may fail to match or show unmapped series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [XFRAME] [D348_6064]

1964

Looks like 41847S100001 (12 characters)

12-character full-size Chevrolet number on the plate spot-welded to the left door hinge pillar (year digit, two-digit series, two-digit body, plant letter, six-digit sequence beginning at 100001).

This layout covers full-size Chevrolet only. Chevy II, Corvair and (1960) El Camino series codes were not confirmed by our sources and are not mapped; such a number may fail to match or show unmapped series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [XFRAME] [D348_6064]

1964

Looks like 45637L126123 (12 characters)

12-character 1964 Chevelle / El Camino number. Series and body codes come from ChevelleStuff; the layout was cross-checked against example numbers on DecodeThis.com. The plant table is copied from the full-size 1960-64 table and is not confirmed for Chevelle: DecodeThis example numbers show plant letters (including H) that no source explains.

Sources: [CS_LINEUP] [DECODETHIS64]

1965

Looks like 164675S100001 (13 characters)

13-character GM number: division 1 (Chevrolet), two-digit series, two-digit body, year digit, plant letter, six-digit sequence. VIN plate is on the left door hinge pillar (Classic Industries).

Engine is not encoded in the number for 1965-71; only the odd/even series digit shows 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder.

Corvette (series 94) is excluded by the pattern. Corvair and 1971 Vega numbers are not covered.

Body codes shift meaning by line and year (for example 17 is a Chevelle sport coupe in 1966-67, 27 a coupe in 1968-69); read the body code together with the series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [CS65] [D348_65]

1965-1966

Looks like C1445A100001 (12 characters)

12-character 1965-66 Chevrolet light-truck number (C/K, two-digit series, body, year digit, plant, six digits).

Sources: [SS396_TRUCK] [JUNKYARDMOB]

1966

Looks like 164676S100001 (13 characters)

13-character GM number: division 1 (Chevrolet), two-digit series, two-digit body, year digit, plant letter, six-digit sequence. VIN plate is on the left door hinge pillar (Classic Industries).

Engine is not encoded in the number for 1965-71; only the odd/even series digit shows 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder.

Corvette (series 94) is excluded by the pattern. Corvair and 1971 Vega numbers are not covered.

Body codes shift meaning by line and year (for example 17 is a Chevelle sport coupe in 1966-67, 27 a coupe in 1968-69); read the body code together with the series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [CS_LINEUP]

1967

Looks like 164677S100001 (13 characters)

13-character GM number: division 1 (Chevrolet), two-digit series, two-digit body, year digit, plant letter, six-digit sequence. VIN plate is on the left door hinge pillar (Classic Industries).

Engine is not encoded in the number for 1965-71; only the odd/even series digit shows 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder.

Corvette (series 94) is excluded by the pattern. Corvair and 1971 Vega numbers are not covered.

Body codes shift meaning by line and year (for example 17 is a Chevelle sport coupe in 1966-67, 27 a coupe in 1968-69); read the body code together with the series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [CS67]

1967-1972

Looks like CE141S100001 (12 characters)

12-character 1967-72 Chevrolet light-truck number (C/K, engine letter, weight class, body, year digit, plant, six digits). JEGS-style summaries also describe the 1967-72 number as 12 characters.

Sources: [JUNKYARDMOB] [OUTINTHESHOP] [SS396_TRUCK]

1968

Looks like 164678S100001 (13 characters)

13-character GM number: division 1 (Chevrolet), two-digit series, two-digit body, year digit, plant letter, six-digit sequence. From 1968 the plate is on the top of the dash, visible through the windshield (Classic Industries).

Engine is not encoded in the number for 1965-71; only the odd/even series digit shows 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder.

Corvette (series 94) is excluded by the pattern. Corvair and 1971 Vega numbers are not covered.

Body codes shift meaning by line and year (for example 17 is a Chevelle sport coupe in 1966-67, 27 a coupe in 1968-69); read the body code together with the series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [CS_LINEUP]

1969

Looks like 164679S100001 (13 characters)

13-character GM number: division 1 (Chevrolet), two-digit series, two-digit body, year digit, plant letter, six-digit sequence. From 1968 the plate is on the top of the dash, visible through the windshield (Classic Industries).

Engine is not encoded in the number for 1965-71; only the odd/even series digit shows 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder.

Corvette (series 94) is excluded by the pattern. Corvair and 1971 Vega numbers are not covered.

Body codes shift meaning by line and year (for example 17 is a Chevelle sport coupe in 1966-67, 27 a coupe in 1968-69); read the body code together with the series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [CS_LINEUP]

1970

Looks like 164670S100001 (13 characters)

13-character GM number: division 1 (Chevrolet), two-digit series, two-digit body, year digit, plant letter, six-digit sequence. From 1968 the plate is on the top of the dash, visible through the windshield (Classic Industries).

Engine is not encoded in the number for 1965-71; only the odd/even series digit shows 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder.

Corvette (series 94) is excluded by the pattern. Corvair and 1971 Vega numbers are not covered.

Body codes shift meaning by line and year (for example 17 is a Chevelle sport coupe in 1966-67, 27 a coupe in 1968-69); read the body code together with the series.

Sources: [CI_IMPALA] [CS_LINEUP]

1971

Looks like 164671S100001 (13 characters)

13-character GM number: division 1 (Chevrolet), two-digit series, two-digit body, year digit, plant letter, six-digit sequence. From 1968 the plate is on the top of the dash, visible through the windshield (Classic Industries).

Engine is not encoded in the number for 1965-71; only the odd/even series digit shows 6-cylinder or 8-cylinder.

Corvette (series 94) is excluded by the pattern. Corvair and 1971 Vega numbers are not covered.

Body codes shift meaning by line and year (for example 17 is a Chevelle sport coupe in 1966-67, 27 a coupe in 1968-69); read the body code together with the series.