Finally was able to read my cowl tag (a little sandpaper does wonders to highlight the numbers and letters.

some of the numbers make sense but some don't.

The cowl tag reads

12a 1094
ST 68 13837 KAN 4995 body
TR 766-B R-2 Paint

what does the 12a and 1094 mean?

the 13837 is body style etc (first part of vin) , Kan is manufacturing plant but 4995 Body is unknown

I know 766 refers to the interior but does the B have any significance (buckets?)

I know R stands for Matidor red but the -2 is unknown.

It was originally supposed to be a 396 4sp, black vinyl over red with black buckets.

Any help would be appreciated.

what does the 12a and 1094 mean?
12A is the month and week built, December, 1st weeks production
1094 is an internal plant processing number, a way to keep track of the body etc.

the 13837 is body style etc (first part of vin) , Kan is manufacturing plant but 4995 Body is unknown
4995 is the body sequence number, it is not intended to match the VIN.

I know 766 refers to the interior but does the B have any significance (buckets?)
B denotes the style of the seat, B = Bucket

I know R stands for Matidor red but the -2 is unknown.
2 if the color of the top, in this case a vinyl top was installed on the car, 2 is for Black

Thanks for the info,

Is there anyway to tell that the car was originally a 4 speed (other than the build sheet)

it should have a bracket bolted to the frame for the clutch z bar. Also, check for a trans tunnel in the floor. Is the clutch pedal gone?