If you have a car like a 1966 Chevelle, odds are good that you want a way to confirm its history for your own records, or to provide documentation of its authenticity. Even if the previous owner told you the V8 under the hood is original, in actuality, the original engine might have been a six-cylinder. During your car’s 50 year lifespan, the trim package may have been changed, and now you want to prove what model you really have, or maybe you just want to know which manufacturing plant your car came from for research purposes. The one surefire way to answer any one of these questions is by decoding the VIN already present on your car.

The VIN

As with any unfamiliar string of numbers, the VIN looks daunting at first. However, with a little clarification it turns into a useful tool for better understanding your car. The VIN on a ’66 Chevelle is located near the hinges of the driver’s side front door. There will be a total of 13 digits: 12 numbers and one letter. It might read like this: 134176Z105612. The VIN then breaks down into 1-34-17-6-Z-105612.

The first digit is a “1” and simply designates Chevrolet as the manufacturer. The second two digits are the series numbers, in this case, “34” means that this VIN belongs to a Chevelle 300 Deluxe, El Camino, or a station wagon with an eight-cylinder engine. The fourth and fifth digits further clarify the previous two digits further, and in this case, “17″ translates to a two-door sports coupe. The sixth digit “6,” confirms the model year of the car as 1966, and the letter tells us the manufacturing plant. This example has a “Z,” which stands for Fremont, California. The final four digits are simply the sequence number of the car and these started at “100000.” This car was number 5612 in a line of 100000.

By The Numbers

Here is a bullet-point breakdown for the 1966 Chevelle VIN system

Digit One:

• Chevrolet

Digits Two and Three:

• 31 – Chevelle 300 series or El Camino, six-cylinder
• 32 – Chevelle 300 series or El Camino, eight-cylinder
• 33 – Chevelle 300 Deluxe, El Camino or Wagon, six-cylinder
• 34 – Chevelle 300 Deluxe, El Camino or Wagon, eight-cylinder
• 35 – Malibu, Custom El Camino or Wagon, six-cylinder
• 36 – Malibu, Custom El Camino or Wagon, eight-cylinder
• 38 – SS 396, eight-cylinder

Digits Four and Five:

• 11 – two-door sedan
• 17 – two-door sport coupe
• 35 – four-door wagon
• 37 – two-door sport coupe
• 39 – four-door sport sedan
• 67 – two-door convertible
• 69 – four-door sedan
• 80 – El Camino

Digit six is the model year

• 6- 1966

Digit Seven:

• A – Atlanta/Lakewood, Georgia
• B – Baltimore, Maryland
• F – Flint, Michigan
• G – Framingham, Massachusetts
• K – Kansas City, Missouri
• L – Los Angeles, California
• R – Arlington, Texas
• Z – Fremont, California

*Note* If you have a number instead of a letter in the seventh position, your car was made in Canada.

• 1 – Oshawa, Ontario
• 2 – St. Therese, Quebec