06D- June, 4th Week (Build Date)
65- 1965
13837- Malibu SS Sport Coupe
ATL- Atlanta, Georgia (Assembly Plant)
10698- Fisher Body Unit Number
714- Black Pattern Imitation Leather (Bucket Seats)
J-J- Cypress Green (Lower/Upper Body Color)
W- Tinted Windshield (Only)
2- Group 2
L- 4-Speed Manual Transmission
P- Comfort & Convenience group - Type A
3- Group 3
C- Instrument Panel Pad
5- Group 5
W- Custom Deluxe Seat Belts w/ Retractors
L- Unknown to what it means, but is usually found on Framingham cars. Does your car have bumper guards? DaleM might be interested in the photo as well.:thumbsup:

 

Here is an excerpt from the original invoice and bill of sale for my car. Maybe this will help figure out what the "L" is for?

Base Price of Car $2661.75
Options on Car Invoice and Bill of Sale

Pad. Inst. Panel 17.90
C & C Grp. 29.50
Tinted W/S 19.50
Belts-Ret. 7.35
735-14 WSW 31.30
250 HP Eng. 92.65
4 spd. Trans. 184.30
P. B. Radio 57.40

Total 439.90

Total Cash Price $3460.50

 

Thanks a lot! I feel better. I got the same things when I decoded them! The "L" has me stumped also though. Help DaleM!

 

:thumbsup:

 

Here's a picture of my VIN tag also

 

Sorry that was my engine stamping. HERES my vin tag! (Sorry I keep messing up. I'm new to this forum

 

Looks good. Sounds like a nice car bud!:thumbsup:

 

Thanks man. it's my papaws old car. He bought it new in 1965. He's still alive and well he just gave it to me so it would be taken care of. I'm trying my best! I'm also trying to keep it as original as I can. All I need is the correct hubcaps for it. He tossed them in the trash a long time ago and he doesn't remember which ones they were. Would that be in the codes?

Also he told me he swapped the carb and intake manifold with a buddy who had a 300 horse impala. But it's a carter AFB and it runs so well with it I'm gonna leave that alone

 

Oops! I just saw where you asked about bumper guards. No it doesnt have them nor has it ever.

 

Someone not long ago with a 65 Framingham car asked about the letter "L" in group 5 and also thought it might be bumper guards but I can't see it - at least not for Framingham since every 65 Framingham tag I have has this "L" in group 5 and I can't imagine 300 2-door sedans being equipped with them as well as Malibu and Malibu SS models.

It's on every 65 Atlanta tag I have after 9C as well. Whether it's actually in group 5 or not is confusing.

On Framingham tags it's always preceded by the number 5 and but I have a Framingham trim sheet showing "L" in group 5. On Atlanta 65s it's on all tags I have after 9C but sometimes it's on a line by itself without the leading 5. Could mean two completely different things to the two different plants.

I don't see anything in the options list that's not already accounted for in the group options that would particularly call out something to modify for the 5th group. Group 5 typically is seat belt and/or shoulder harness codes from 64-67.

Got me...

 

I believe it's a code they used for the standard front seat belts. It was used in 66 at Atlanta. It appears on pretty much every 65 from the plants that used the code, even if the car had seat belt delete. So you may see 5OL or 5WL.

 

Since they don't mention P02 would that mean it would've had standard SS hubcaps? Does anyone have a picture of what they would look like? I'm missing them cause papaw threw them away in the late 60s and he doesn't remember what kind they were. All he remembers is they had a red "SS" in the center spinner. It's running some American Racing mags right now but I still have the original steel wheels and I would like to get a good set of original style hubcaps

 

Have to disagree here with Warren. The "L" on 1966 Atlanta tags is only found until late March of 1966 then it disappears. Prior to that it does appear but, just as often than not, it appears by itself without a group 5 designation and when it does appear with a group 5 designation it follows 5Y which is deluxe belts.

In 64 the letter V was used through early January to denote RPO A37, Seat belt equipment, and W was used thereafter to denote RPO A39 deluxe seat belts. The letter V was not used after early January as seat belts became standard equipment.

Revised January docs show seat belts as standard equipment in all 1964 Chevelles. I can only conclude that since seat belts became standard equipment the option (RPO A37) and its need to put on trim tags.

Production numbers from Tailfins and bowties show RPO A37 discontinued in February and it sold 55,710 units out of a possible 149,046 Chevelles - presumably the number of Chevelles sold up to the point they became standard. I assume 149,016 is the number of Chevelles to that point since 353,234 Chevelles were sold in 1964.

As for 1965 since seat belts were now standard, only the deluxe belts needed to be coded on the trim tag when ordered with the letter W in group 5 like it would remain until group option coding was eliminated from tags in 1968. As in 1966 the letter L may appear on the last line of the tag by itself (no group letter) or it could follow 5W.

I do tend to go with the theory that 5OL coding could very well be "less seat belt" (or seat belt delete if you like) since that option (RPO A62) was available in 1965 and 29,864 people went for it and got an $11 credit.

1965 Framingham may be another story. This L appears on all 10 tags I have examples of from Framingham. And it appears not by itself but always after group option number 5, sometimes 5L and sometimes 5WL but never by itself as it often did with other plants. I also have an interior trim sheet for Framingham showing the L in group 5. Framingham appears to have other codes on their tags that other plants did not always use so I'd take them more as a non-conformist and not use them as true examples for other plants.

 

The invoice doesn't mention optional hubcaps so they would have been the SS caps most likely.

Those look like this:

On the car:

 

I looked at my ATL and FRA tags for 65/66. All the ATL 65's and 66's except maybe 2 really early ones have the L, either by itself or as 5WL or 5OL. Same for Framingham 65's except that the L if not with 5W or 5O has the 5 in front of it. Since the L appears on every tag, it would appear to be something that is standard since every car has it. The only thing that seems to make sense for this would be the standard front seat belts. By putting the code on every tag, the assembly line workers would know to make the holes, unless it had 5O or 5W in front of it, meaning that there would be something different. ok, we don't need to make the holes or the holes are needed but it will be getting the deluxe seat belts instead of the standard ones.

Fullsize production ended at Atlanta in Feb of 66 so maybe that's a reason why stopped using the code.

If my theory is correct, why did they code something that was standard? Maybe as a reminder to make the holes since it was a modification to the body. No other fullsize plants used the code.

Any other ideas on what it may mean?

 

I don't know Warren. Just seems silly to have a group option code for something that's standard equipment plus having a duplicate code for standard belts and deluxe belts on the same car; 5WL. Gotta be something else...we'll just keep digging and someone will turn up with something some day.

 

I agree but what are the odds that all of the cars have the option, if it is one?
With this Chevelle, all the other codes match what is listed on the invoice and it can't be white walls or push button radio.

 

Thanks for the pictures Rich! I showed them to my papaw and both him and Mamaw said that's what they looked like. Is there a stamping or code or tag or something on those hubcaps that I could use to verify if they are '65 SS caps on any hubcaps I find at a swap meet or online or something like that? I don't wanna get fooled by someone trying to sell me his impala caps or something like that

 

Full size SS have a 3-bar spinner but the bars to not extend to the edge of the wheel cover. I think these are full size.

These are listed on eBay as 65/66 but I think they're 66/67 as 65 has a different part number.

 

Do u know the part number for the 65 caps? Thanks for the pics. I've saved them and I will use them as comparisons when I'm out shopping

 

The 65 SS caps are unique to the 1965 Malibu SS. The same basic cap was used on the 1966 Nova SS but the bars were painted black not red and the disc background was dark, dark grey not silver. You'll have a hard time finding a nice set at a swap meet but they do pop up occasionally. The centers are diecast metal so typically are pitted and almost impossible to restore. Mine were NOS when they were installed and aside from an occasional car wash haven't exactly seen much weather.

 

Group 5.858, #3867968 - http://chevellestuff.net/tech/wheel_covers.htm

 

Ryan, I have a set of 65 Malibu covers if you are interested in them. I'd like to get $100 shipped, can send a pic to your email. Let me know.

 

Does the L show up on non-SS tags in 65-67 ?

 

1965 - Framingham from 11B thru 06D all 300 Deluxe, Malibu, and Malibu SS that I have but not 66 or 67.
1965 - Atlanta from at least 11C - at least Malibu and Malibu SS
1966 - Atlanta thru 03B Malibu and SS396
1967 - None found on any I have

 

It was only used in 65 (Framingham and Atlanta) and some of 66 at Atlanta. For the plants that used L, it appears on everything, all body styles. Both plants did not produce wagons or convertibles in those years. I haven't seen a 65 Atlanta or Framingham tag without the L. Or a 66 fullsize tag from Atlanta without the L