Anyone else out there have an (October '68 - December '68) built Los Angeles camaro? My car is VIN L502985, but some time in the past, the trim tag was swapped. I am trying to find other cars to see what the cowl tags show for internal plant codes and body numbers. Thanks for any help...

Steve

[This message has been edited by mccorry (edited 11-10-99).]

I have an early 69 Los Angeles car built the 2nd week of September 1968. It has the early style trim tag. The tag reads:

ST 69 12437 LOS124900
TR 712 69 B
9B X290

(712) Custom Deluxe Black interior, (69 B)Cortez Silver with black vinyl roof, (9B) Sept.-2nd week

The VIN sequence # is under the 2,000th built.

It is an RS/SS, 396/325 hp car. The X290 code can not be definitively determined due to the LA plant doing its own thing with regard to the X codes. Believe me, I've tried to find out what LA's X290 meant.


[This message has been edited by Silver69 (edited 11-10-99).]

Thanks, Silver69. Your car is first Los Angeles car I have heard of before mine....

The reason I asked is that I am thinking of getting a replacement trim tag and am just looking for what the "correct" values should be (ballpark).

X290 - I have heard that it means the 290th car built during the "X" period...but who knows?

I believe I've posted LA w/o info here before, but here it is again.

The letters increment thru the alphabet and have to do with scheduling. I think it may have had to do with building multiple models at LA. The numbers increment thru the day.

Silver69, there is really no risk in posting your VIN #. Anyone can walk up in a parking lot and write it down. But what could you do with it then?
I have a good question for you: Since it sounds like your engine is original, what's the engine code on the engine pad and is the VIN also stamped there?

Re: X290, a car 450 units before your car was a U and 50 units after your car was an A.

McCorry, I don't have data that close to your car. Probably U or V. But that's a guess on my part.

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Kurt S.
www.camaros.org (http://www.camaros.org)




[This message has been edited by Kurt S (edited 11-11-99).]

Guys,
My 396 block was a "3935440" casting from the 1968 produciton year. It was cast July 15, 1968. There were to many made for the 1968 production year and they put them in early 1969 cars. The code on the head deck is T0904JB. The Tonawanda, NY plant built it on Sept 4, 1968. JB = 396/325 hp with manual trans.

That block sat for a little bit before it was assembled. But the date is close to your car.
Is the VIN on the engine pad?

Do you have either the trans code or the rearend code? I ask cause you have the earliest 69 BB car that we have documented.

Thanks!

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Kurt S.
www.camaros.org (http://www.camaros.org)

Regretfully, the partial VIN is not stamped on the engine pad. I have used The Definitive 1969 Camaro Z28-SS 396 Fact Book for some of my research. Other stuff:
Distributor Build Date Code - 8H8=Aug 8, 1968
Intake manifold cast date = Aug 27, 1968
Rear end code - BS = 3.31, Built Aug. 22

Trans has VIN stamped in it, so I know it's mine. The trans is a Munice 4 speed, but the stamping is B9P05. I read in Chevrolet By The Numbers that Munice had some "oddball" stampings. This may be one of them. The castings for the side cover and extension are dated for the 3rd week in August. The main case is 4th week August. This makes sense with the engine assembly of Sept. 4th and the Trim Tag showing 2nd week in Sept. for assembly.

This is probably much more than you wanted. The VIN is L501947

Too much data? Nah..... I still have questions! http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif

The trans code looks OK except for a B instead of P for the first digit. How clear is the B? There is no suffix at the end of the code (A,B, or C)?

Is the alternator original?

Also, I had seen your car at the Joliet SC show, (nice car!), but the LOS # was noted as LOS124905. Was that a mistake in my notes?

Could you drop me a line at ksonen@visteon.com or post your email so CRG can contact you if we have any questions in the future?
Thanks again for the info!

Back to the w/o #'s, you can see that they went the whole way thru the alphabet by the time they made McCorry's car, a thousand units later.

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Kurt S.
www.camaros.org (http://www.camaros.org)

Wow...they really spun through the letters on the plant code. I had no idea....thought it was more like every 250 cars or so...

Kurt...as you know, I am trying to find other cars around my VIN. Currently here are the closest I have....

VIN Trim Body No. Date Plant Code
L501947 LOS 124900 9B X290
L502985 My car
L503102 LOS 123116 10A C500
L503xxx LOS 118739 10A C588

Do you have any others that I am missing?

Steve


[This message has been edited by mccorry (edited 11-12-99).]

Sorry Guys,

I had a typo error on the trim tag LOS#. It is 905. Please update your info.

Kurt, The rear end code is:
BS 0822G1
E
This should be a 12 bolt with 3.31 gears, made Aug 22nd from (G) Detroit Gear & Axle, 1st shift. E is for Eaton positraction unit.

The trans code: The B is stamped very deep and away from the 9P05. I think the B separated from the 9P05 is for an M-21. Again, my VIN is stamped on the trans case, so the 9PO5 leaves me stumped. This is why I thought it was one of the Muncie "oddball" trans stamping written about in Chevrolet By The Numbers.

Good Luck with your car Steve.

Here you go, I just went out to the garage and looked at all my numbers on my Van Nuys 69 RS/SS 350. It is on a rotisserie right now and in the middle of a total nut and bolt resto. I purchased the car in Oct 79 and believe it to be an original drivetrain car. It even had the original paint on it when I bought it with 77,000 orig miles. here's the numbers:

ST 69 12437 LOS 131674 BDY
TR 727 55 55 PNT
11B H744

124379L508474 - VIN
BM 1016 G2 - rearend - cast date J 8 8
J 18 8 - block casting date(could be J 10 8)
3932386 Block
19L508474 V1023HA on front pad
J 10 8 Intake casting 3927184
distributor 8H29
Carb - 7029203 - J8 DY
Muncie 4spd - P9R17A with no VIN on it



[This message has been edited by Jonesy (edited 11-12-99).]

Hey Jonesy...I've never seen an Azure turquoise car. You got any photos of what it looked like before you started? Just curious...

Steve

Steve

Yes I do have some pics. I will try to scan
them at work and post them for you.

I'm parting a 69 X11 that was originally azure turquoise and its a very nice color. Don't see too many that color. I like it and don't know why there isn't more of them

I've only seen that color a couple of times, though I've seen many cars that were supposed to be that color.
I've also see a car that was a 2-tone: Azure bottom and white top. Neat looking.

68SS396: I'd be interested in the #'s off of that car. ksonen@visteon.com or post them here. Thanks!

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Kurt S.
www.camaros.org (http://www.camaros.org)

Kurt....there is a similar 55 50 car for sale here in Columbus. It is at a dealer. Haven't seen it myself, but a friend was telling me about it.

here's my 12c ss 396:
vin = 124379L513726
la trim tag as follows:
69 12437 VN211259
711 72b
12c s199

> :sort of wondering why mine has VN211259 while many have LOS?
> :the 711 is black std. interior
> :the 72b is hugger orange with black vinyl top
> :s199 is a work order # at the ca plant and didn't mean much

1969 Camaro Build Dates by VIN
Norwood Los Angeles
Month Year StartVIN EndVIN StartVIN EndVIN
August 1968 50001 50200 50001 50999
Sept 1968 503000 512133 501000 502310
Oct 1968 512134 530337 502311 506631
Nov 1968 530338 551862 506632 510583
Dec 1968 561863 569987 510584 513816
Jan 1969 569988 589720 513817 520247
Feb 1969 589721 607164 520248 525388
March 1969 607165 623587 525389 528108
April 1969 623588 637106 528109 530155
May 1969 637107 650323 530156 531026
June 1969 650324 664008 531027 531163
July 1969 664009 669199
August 1969 669120 678253
Sept 1969 678254 692607
Oct 1969 692608 707932

Los Angeles Build Seq.:
Month Year Starting Ending
December 1968 510584 513816

Kurt, i'll try to send your other numbers later when i get under the car and sort everything out.


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To see a pic of my car, click here... pages.prodigy.net/mtbmtb/rf396ss.jpg (http://pages.prodigy.net/mtbmtb/rf396ss.jpg)

mccorry, according to the table i posted above, if your vin is L502985 then it was probably built sometimes in early/mid oct. (10b?)
1969 Camaro Build Dates by VIN
Los Angeles
Month Year Start End
Oct. 1968 502311 506631

Mike....from what I have been told...and seen, the early Van Nuys tags had the LOS...and the later ones had the VN. I think the switch was sometime in Dec. '68.

As far as my car...the POP shows O - October.
From the data I have gathered...it is most likely a 10A car. There are VIN #'s a little later then mine that are 10A (L503102).


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Steve McCorry
'69 Camaro RS/SS-350 - Daytona Yellow
'95 Camaro Z-28 - Sebring Silver

Mike Brown, Where did you get the build dates by vin? Don't use it as a reference as it is inaccurate. The 69 I am going to part is a 02D car with a vin of 608410. According to your list the last 02 car would be 607164. The information originally came from the USCC but has been seen other places. It was based on information gathered so whats there is correct but its not too. In my case the last car they have on file in Feb is 607164 and its because thats all they know of. If I gave them my car it would now be the last Feb car. See what I mean. It may be right but misleading.

Concur: those VIN tables are off by a fair amount. The last 02D car in the CRG database is 9N613496. The first March car we have is 9N614804.

McCorry's VIN is either an 09D or a 10A car, but it is hard to tell. We have a car right before it that is 09D. The next entry is a 10A car. They are all within 85 VIN's of each other.

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Kurt S.
www.camaros.org (http://www.camaros.org)

Kurt....could you provide me with some info on those two cars, the 9D and 10A? I will send you an e-mail....

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Steve McCorry
'69 Camaro RS/SS-350 - Daytona Yellow
'95 Camaro Z-28 - Sebring Silver

i got the # from this website http://holisticpage.com/camaro/index_fs.htm

I have a 68 VIN 124378L339489
LOS38189 D239 D6
TR712