After nearly 50 years of being driven, being sold multiple times, and worked on by who knows whom, any average 1968 Camaro is bound to have seen some changes. It’s possible that the original engine was replaced, the exterior color changed, and options added as new drivers molded the car to fit their needs. Now that the car has settled into your hands and you see that it is in need of some attention and restoration, how can you find out what is original and what needs to be changed? The answer is simple, and it doesn’t involve chasing down previous owners. Just decode the VIN and cowl tags.

The VIN Number

To start with, the VIN tag on a 1968 Camaro is located on the top of the dash frame. The VIN number will tell you the Camaro’s sub-model, the year of manufacture, the plant at which it was assembled, and the production number. An example of a VIN on a 1968 Camaro would be 124678N501019. Let’s break that down: 12467 – 8 – N – 501019. The 12467 model number tells us what the car is: 12 means Camaro, 4 denotes 8 cylinder engine, and 67 means two-door convertible. The 8 indicates that it is a 1968 model year car, and the N indicates it was manufactured at the Norwood, California. plant. Finally, 501019 indicates the car’s unique assembly number, these numbers always start at 500001.

By The Numbers

The following is a breakdown of possible numbers and letters you will find on a 1968 Camaro VIN tag, and what they designate.

• 12337 – Six cylinder, two-door coupe
• 12437 – V8, two-door coupe
• 12367 – Six cylinder, two-door convertible
• 12467 – V8, two-door convertible

Plant:

• N – Norwood, California
• L – Las Angeles, California

The Cowl Tag

The cowl tag is considerably more complicated than the VIN number, but also reveals a lot more information about the car. Let’s start with an example of a complete cowl number. Although it looks daunting, as soon as we break it down, it will be a lot less intimidating.

The first row reads 03C, and tells us the build date of the car. The two digit number that runs from 01-12 indicates the month, while the letter, A-D, indicates the week. This car was built during the third week of March.

The next line is ST 68-12467 NOR 99549, and tells us a few things we already know from reading the VIN number. The ST 68-12467 denotes the year and body style: ST is short hand for “style,” 68 is 1968, 12 is Camaro, 4 is a constant on all ’68 cowl tags, and does not differentiate between 8 or 6 cylinder engines, and the 67 means two-door convertible. The NOR simply indicates the Norwood, Ohio, plant, and 99549 is the Fisher body number that is not the same as the VIN assembly number.

The final line on the cowl tag tells us the trim code and color of the car. The TR 730 translates to “Trim option 730,” which tells us this car has parchment bucket seats, and J1 actually tells us two things: the body color is Rallye Green, and the convertible top color is white.

The cowl tag offers a near infinite number of combinations, so here is a guide that will help you determine what the more complicated sections on your car’s cowl tag are saying:

Interior Trim Code:

• 711 – Ivory and black custom buckets
• 712 – Black standard buckets
• 713 – Black standard bench
• 714 – Black custom buckets
• 715 – Black custom bench
• 716 – Ivory Houndstooth buckets
• 717 – Blue standard buckets
• 718 – Blue standard bench
• 719 – Blue custom buckets
• 720 – Blue custom bench
• 721 – Gold custom buckets
• 722 – Gold standard buckets
• 723 – Gold standard bench
• 724 – Red standard bench
• 725 – Red custom buckets
• 726 – Turquoise custom buckets
• 727 – Parchment custom buckets
• 749 – Black Houndstooth buckets

Body Paint Code:

• A – Tuxedo Black
• C – Ermine White
• D – Grotto Blue
• E – Fathom Blue
• F – Island Teal
• G – Ash Gold
• H – Grecian Green
• J – Rallye Green
• K – Tripoli Turquoise
• L – Teal Blue
• N – Cordovan Maroon
• O – Corvette Bronze
• P – Seafrost Green
• R – Matador Red
• T – Palamino Ivory
• U – LeMans Blue
• V – Sequoia Green
• Y – Butternut Yellow
• Z – British Green

Top Code:

• 1 – White convertible top
• 2 – Black Vinyl or convertible top
• 4 – Blue convertible top
• 6 – White vinyl top

If a code simply has two letters for the color code, such as UU, that means that the top and bottom of the car are the same color.

Using this as your guide, you should now be able to completely decode both the VIN and cowl tag on your 1968 Camaro. Tell us about the cowl information on your car and let us know if you found this helpful.