Corvette C3 Decoder for vin, trim tag & other codes

Corvette C3 Code locations and information

VIN

VIN (vehicle identification number) number is stamped on a plate riveted to the bottom front face of the driver's windshield pillar and it is visible only through the glass.

The VIN number consists of the Division code (Chevrolet), car series (Corvette), body style (coupe/convertible), engine, assembly plant (St. Louis/Bowling Green), and serial number (sequence). During the Chevrolet Corvette C3 generation, there were three different forms of VIN.

1. 1968, 1968, 1970, 1971: 194379S100001


2. 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980: IZ37K2S500001


3. 1981, 1982: 1G1AY8764BS400001

VIN info for 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982

The Corvette C3 Decoder solves these codes automatically.

Corvette 1968 VINCorvette 1969 VINCorvette 1970 VINCorvette 1971 VINCorvette 1972 VINCorvette 1973 VINCorvette 1974 VINCorvette 1975 VINCorvette 1976 VINCorvette 1977 VINCorvette 1978 VINCorvette 1979 VINCorvette 1980 VINCorvette 1981 VINCorvette 1982 VIN

1968

Corvette 1968 VIN: 194378S400001 – 194378S428566

Production:

28,566 cars built in 1968

coupe 9,936, covertible 18,630

1969

Corvette 1969 VIN: 194379S700001 – 194379S738762

Production:

38,762 cars built in 1969

coupe 22,129, covertible 16,633

1970

Corvette 1970 VIN: 194370S400001 – 194370S417316

Production:

17,316 cars built in 1970

coupe 10,668, covertible 6,648

1971

Corvette 1971 VIN: 194371S100001 – 194371S12180

Production:

21,801 cars built in 1971

coupe 14,680, covertible 7,121

1972

Corvette 1972 VIN: 1Z37K2S500001 – 1Z37K2S527004

Production:

27,004 cars built in 1972

coupe 20,496, covertible 6,508

1973

Corvette 1973 VIN: 1Z37J3S400001 – 1Z37J3S434464

Production:

30,464 cars built in 1973

coupe 25,521, covertible 4,943

1974

Corvette 1974 VIN: 1Z37J4S400001 – 1Z37J4S437502

Production:

37,502 cars built in 1974

coupe 32,028, covertible 5,474

1975

Corvette 1975 VIN: 1Z37J5S400001 – 1Z37J5S438465

Production:

38,465 cars built in 1975

coupe 32,028, covertible 5,474

1976

Corvette 1976 VIN: 1Z37L6S400001 – 1Z37L6S446558

Production:

46,558 cars built in 1976

coupe 46,558

1977

Corvette 1977 VIN: 1Z37L7S400001 – 1Z37L7S449213

Production:

49,213 cars built in 1977

coupe 49,213

1978

Corvette 1978 VIN: 1Z87L8S400001 – 1Z87L8S440274, 1Z87L8S900001 – 1Z87L8S906502 (Corvette Pace Car)

Production:

46,777 cars built in 1978

coupe 40,275, pace car 6,502

1979

Corvette 1979 VIN: 1Z8789S400001 – 1Z8789S453807

Production:

53,807 cars built in 1979

coupe 53,807

1980

Corvette 1980 VIN: 1Z878AS400001 – 1Z878AS440614

Production:

40,614 cars built in 1980

coupe 40,614

1981

Corvette 1981 VIN: 1G1AY8764BS400001 – 1G1AY8764BS431611 (St. Louis), 1G1AY8764B5100001 – 1G1AY8764B5108995 (Bowling Green)

Production:

40,606 cars built in 1981

coupe 40,606

1982

Corvette 1982 VIN: 1G1AY8786C5100001 – 1G1AY8786C5125408

Production:

25,407 cars built in 1982

coupe 25,407

Chevrolet made a total of 542,862 C3 Corvettes.

The model year was three to four months in advance of the calendar year, so the year of manufacture of the body may be earlier than the model year.

Corvette C3 VIN Decoder automatically detects the format of the VIN and calculates the body built date from the sequence number.

Trim tag

atrim tag or trim plate is a steel plate located directly above the driver's upper door hinge.

The trim tag consists of a body build date, trim code, and external color code. The body build date is the date when the partially assembled and painted body got the trim tag. The car's final assembly date is typically several days after the body build date.

The C3 Corvettes used two trim tags, the cars built at the St. Louis plant (1968-1981) there is written "Chevrolet" at the top, and card built at the Bowl Green plant (late 1981 - 1982) starts with the letter B or C, depending on the year of manufacture.

Because the 1968 - early 1981 trim tag does not have a year mark, it must be entered when decoding.

Engine code, partial VIN, block casting code

Engine code (assembly date and suffix code) and partial VIN code is stamped into a pad at the front passenger side of the engine near the water pump mount area.

The engine block casting number is located on the flange that mates to the transmission bell housing.

All Chevrolet C3 Corvettes engines were marked with an engine code at the engine assembly plant, which indicated location, date, and limited engine specifications (engine code suffix).

When the engine arrived at the body assembly plant, it was stamped with a partial VIN code consisting of divisonal code, assembly plant code, and the VIN sequential number.

Engine suffix codes may be reused over time, so you must also check the partial VIN code.

The block casting number identifies the years in which the block was in use and the cubic inches.

Corvette C3 Decoder also recognizes engine and block codes other than those used in the Corvettes.

Quadrajet part number

The Quadrajet is a four-barrel carburetor, made by the Rochester Division of General Motors. It was used in all C3 Corvettes except in 1981 when crossfire injection replaced carburetors. Alongside the Quadrajet, Holley carburetors were also in use from 1968 to 1972.

Quadrajet identification information is stamped into the main body on the driver's side.

The part number shows the year of manufacture, type of carb, division, and is it a manual/automatic transmission model.

Corvette C3 Decoder Quadrajet part number decoder recognizes carburetors used originally in the Chevrolet Corvettes.

Matching numbers

The matching numbers term can be defined in different ways. At the very least, it means that the partial VIN code of the engine corresponds to the VIN number on the pillar of the car’s windshield, but it can also mean that every component of the car is original and the stamps are correct.

RPO codes

RPO (Regular Production Option) is a General Motors standard for coding vehicle configuration options.

The options are divided into groups so that e.g. A means body options, L is for engine options and M is for transmission options. Almost all C3 Corvettes were built to customer order, and dealers bought only a few cars for stock at the turn of the model year, so it is rare to find two cars that are exactly alike.

Chevrolet Corvette also known as the Vette

The Corvette C3 (third-generation) is a two-seater sports car manufactured by Chevrolet, a division of General Motors Corporation, between the years 1967 (the model year 1968) and 1982. The Chevrolet 350 was the most common engine type, the big block was only available as an option from 1968 to 1974. A manual transmission was available from the factory in all years except 1982. Carburetors were in use until 1981, after which crossfire injection was introduced. The engine control module (ECM or ECU) was first used with the 1980 LG4 engine and since then in all 1981 and 1982 cars. All cars from 1968 to 1980 were manufactured at the St. Louis assembly plant and late 1981 and 1982 cars were manufactured at the Bowling Green assembly plant.

The idea behind the Chevrolet Corvette VIN decoder was that I needed a quick and easy way to check the information on cars for sale. When I got the first version ready, I decided to release it to the delight of others as well. There are no ads on this site (except the free web host's ad) and it is not intended to benefit in any way financially but merely for the pleasure of the hobby. If you find any errors on the page or come up with something useful to add here, please leave feedback:

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