i have a 66 chevelle ss.my dad bought back in 1973.i got car out of storge.i have the 4-speed but dont know what motor it had in it.here i know it was a 396.here are the cowl numbers and vin. could some one tell me what these codes de-code at.thanks Dan. VIN-138176F132741 COWL-04E ST66-13817fl1 7563body tr761-a w-wpaint e20r might be e2Qr

Originally posted by texas'69:
i have a 66 chevelle ss.my dad bought back in 1973.i got car out of storge.i have the 4-speed but dont know what motor it had in it.here i know it was a 396.here are the cowl numbers and vin. could some one tell me what these codes de-code at.thanks Dan. VIN-138176F132741 COWL-04E ST66-13817fl1 7563body tr761-a w-wpaint e20r might be e2Qr VIN:
1 ~ Chevrolet
38 ~ SS 396, Concours, 8-cylinder
17 ~ 2-dr sport coupe (hardtop)
6 ~ 1966 model year
F ~ Flint, Michigan final assembly
132741 ~ vehicle sequence number starting at 100001 (yours is the 32,741st Chevelle off the Fremont line)

Body Number plate:
04E ~ April, 5th week assembly started
ST66 ~ 1966
13817 ~ same info as VIN
FL1 ~ Flint, Michigan final assembly
7563 ~ Fisher Body unit number assigned by GM when car was ordered to be built.
TR 761A ~ interior trim type/color - Black Imitation Leather bench seat.
W W ~ lower-upper body colors - Chateau Slate

e20r and e2Qr don't make sense. I'm suspecting you're putting in some symbols that get translated to 'e' and 'r' when displayed here. There are five possible option groups. The first group has no group number, only a letter or two. Normally this is either 'W'for tinted windshield or 'E' for all tinted glass...sometimes it's shown, sometimes not. The number '2' is for the second group and '0' I have as a 3-spd w/overdrive and 'Q' I have for a 4-speed.

Some question the 'Q' for a 4-speed but I've seen it quite often, especially when a console is not ordered.

Thanks for the info. My buddy's (Dan who posted from work earier) father got this car from the origional owner. At that time the motor was blown and it had the 450hp 454 crate motor in it. It had metalic brake shoes (which he still has) from the factory a 4.56 posi and the M21 trans. We are trying to figure out if there is any way from any number on the car to tell which 396 it origionally had in it and where might the build sheet be.
tHANKS