hi guys, my car came with the matching #s engine but how do you tell if its from that car? i know about all the casting #s ,you can tell when,where,and all that.wheres the connection for the two, in the vin#.
set me straight guys. thanks jeoff.

"Matching Numbers" is a term so mis-applied it has become nearly meaningless.

Sometime in the '60s many states mandated car manufacturers' identify drivetrain components
to aid in stolen vehicle investigations. For 1st gen Camaros and most other Chevrolets a partial VIN was stamped on the engine and transmission. This means that a 1969 Camaro with VIN of 124379N579434 would have 19N579434 stamped somewhere on the cylinder block and transmission. This positively identifies the engine and transmission as being original to that car, what "matching numbers" should mean.

Since there have been many lawsuits in recent years filed by people who thought they were buying vintage muscle cars with OE drivetrains and later learned they were not the courts have become involved. I'm told that they have ruled "matching numbers" can be stamped by anyone, perhaps because dealers were technically supposed to re-stamp replacement components. However if a car is advertised as "original engine" there is no room for additional interpretation - original means original.

Some 69s have the VIN stamp on the the block near the oil filter. The one I saw last week on an engine stand was impossible to read. Most '67-'69 Camaros also have the partial VIN stamp on the firewall under the heater box and on top of the cowl.