Going through all the posts I seem to have a funny cowl tag. Shouldnt there be a 1 after the BAL?

O1A 682 BODY

ST 66 13667 BAL 2785 PAINT

TR 761 Y2
2

Why do you think there should be a 1? Maybe I don't get the drift of your question?

You have the 2785 convertible body manf. at Baltimore Fisher Body plant for 1966. The first one would be have 1 and adding 10,000 to your number which you would be doing by adding a 1 in front it would probably exceed the number rag-tops they made in Baltimore during 1966.

This is where I found that information.

web page (http://www.chevelles.com/years/66/66facts.htm#decode)


The last series of numbers is the sequential production number (or unit number if you will), these all start with the number 1. The remaining numbers indicate the unit number for your particular car. The only thing interesting about these numbers is a low number like 100020 means your car was one of the first off the line, this example being the 20th one built at that particular factory.

Originally posted by ricks66rag:
This is where I found that information.
web page (http://www.chevelles.com/years/66/66facts.htm#decode)
The last series of numbers is the sequential production number (or unit number if you will), these all start with the number 1. The remaining numbers indicate the unit number for your particular car. The only thing interesting about these numbers is a low number like 100020 means your car was one of the first off the line, this example being the 20th one built at that particular factory. The numbers on the body plate are not the sequential production number of the vehicle and have nothing to do with the assembly sequence, that's the VIN you're referring to. The numbers on the body plate are from Fisher Body and are a unit number for the body itself. It'd be a fluke if the body number and VIN matched. VINs for Chevelles started with #100001 except 1969 (#300001) and 72 (#500001) for most plants that assembled Chevelles.

I have three Baltimore tags with the latest one being 12B (December, 2nd week) with body number of 1464 and a 11C (November 3rd week) with body number 1871.

Generally, and I emphasize generally, the body numbers would follow in production number order but that wasn't always the case. A body may get pulled for something special or even a parts shortage that car needed. Example, I have two 66 Atlanta tags that are over 14,000 unit numbers apart and the later assembled car has the lower unit number: June, 1st week #26377 and June, 3rd week #16222. I have other examples of other years/plants that have the occasional 'hiccup' in Fisher Body unit numbers. See my ChevelleStuff (http://www.chevellestuff.com) site for examples and tons of 64-72 decoding info.

Nothing strange about your tag Rick... graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Ok just so I got this right.. the link shows the cowl body number as part of the vin, but that is not the case in real life? The fisher body number is not part of the vin?

and could anyone decode that cowl tag.. Lemonwood yellow with black top?

1 after the BAL?

O1A 682 BODY

ST 66 13667 BAL 2785 PAINT

TR 761 Y2
2


01 = January A = 1st Week

66 = 1966 13667 = Malibu

761 = Black Bench Seat Interior

BAL = Baltimore Assembly Plant

Y = Lemomwood Yellow 2 = Black Top

Anything else is merely internal plant tracking numbers and are not Factory Options nor will they tell you anything specific about your car.

and No, the Body Tag number is not connected to the VIN. Carefull what ya read out there ;)

Thanks Mystery.. My confusion came from reading the Cowl tag decode off this site. They used the vin number in the cowl tag in the example.

Also on the subject of body numbers.

Each year it seems they changed how this did this. For the most part the body number was assigned by Chevrolet when the order arrived at the final assembly plant and Fisher has nothing to do with that. But I have been told that in some years the body numbers were assigned by the Central office and follow no pattern whatsoever. Now it varies between models etc.

The late 60's was as transition period in assembly plant operations. Around 1967 (+-) GM acquired 100% owner-ship of Fisher Body and undertook a plan to consolidate all assembly operations under in Division and they called it the General Motors Assembly Division (GMAD), As newer plant came on line this were operated under GMAD while some plant continues to be operated by GM car and truck divisions till around 1968-69.

Baltimore was one of the first Fisher plants to be consolidated under GMAD management in 1967-68.

Note-The dates are not precise but the general time frame.