Decode for body number: 035157

04A = Built the First week of April.
68-12437 = Coupe.
LOS = Built in Van Nuys California.
712 = Standard Black Bucket Seats.
A-A = Car Color is Tuxedo Black
F056 = internal plant scheduling code

 

thanks russ!

 

Scott, your tag is a reproduction. The A-A (Black) exterior was discontinued at the end of 1967, so any car that was painted black after that would have used a --- for the paint code since it would now be a special order. You can read more HERE.

Ed

 

Scott, your tag is a reproduction. The A-A (Black) exterior was discontinued at the end of 1967, so any car that was painted black after that would have used a --- for the paint code since it would now be a special order. You can read more HERE.

Ed

so assuming this is accurate, there were no plain old black camaros built after january? wierd

 

not my car-at the moment-car is for sale, I am researching, thanks for your help thus far, good to hear whatever i can gather

 

any way to determine if a car is a real SS or big block, without paperwork?

 

so assuming this is accurate, there were no plain old black camaros built after january?

No, black was still available, but only as a "special order". And like I said above, the Trim Tag code would have been marked --- instead of A-A.

At the begining of January, 1968 they dropped the black exterior (along with a few other colors) and added a few different colors, but you couild still get the colors that were discontinued by doing a "special order". It cost a bit more than before, but Chevrolet would paint your car just about any color you wanted if you were willing to pay for it. There are several "non-standard" color cars in the database.

any way to determine if a car is a real SS or big block, without paperwork?

You can do some detective work (there are several indications), but without documentation, there's really no way to verify an SS in 1968 unless you have someone like Jerry MacNeish come out and inspect it. He can go over the car and tell you if it left the factory as an SS.

Ed

 

Thanks Ed, I appreciate it.

 

Scott, HERE'S a good place to start your research. It doesn't go over everything, but it does go over the basics.

And to add one other point, even documentation is suspect nowadays since a lot of it is being reproduced. And a few people can even "age" the fake paperwork to make it appear genuine! Luckily, even the fake "genuine" paperwork has flaws and can be exposed by experts like Jerry and Kurt, etc... We have a TON of REAL paperwork examples in the database and can tell fairly quickly when the documentation if fake.

Ed

 

Scott, HERE'S a good place to start your research. It doesn't go over everything, but it does go over the basics.

And to add one other point, even documentation is suspect nowadays since a lot of it is being reproduced. And a few people can even "age" the fake paperwork to make it appear genuine! Luckily, even the fake "genuine" paperwork has flaws and can be exposed by experts like Jerry and Kurt, etc... We have a TON of REAL paperwork examples in the database and can tell fairly quickly when the documentation if fake.

Ed

well considering its track use and nothing original in the drivetrain, there are few things to go on. Ed, what would you say about the red line on this tach?

 

Scott, tachometers are difficult to tell because the reproductions are dead on. The only way to verify it's original is to look at the date code and/or the two letter gauge code on the tag (if it's still attached).

Most tachs will have faded by now, but this isn't always the case. Especially with coupes. Here's a picture of my convertible tach. Notice how much it's faded.

Ed

 

I have been staring at this trim tag for quite a while now and comparing it to photos of other 1968 Los Angeles tags from the same month and the same week.

I understand that the "A-A" color code is a big red flag for that tag, but everything else about it looks totally legitimate to my eyes. Is it possible that the "A" color code was stamped on a few trim tags around this date instead of the typical "---" code?
-Jeff

 

I have been staring at this trim tag for quite a while now and comparing it to photos of other 1968 Los Angeles tags from the same month and the same week.

I understand that the "A-A" color code is a big red flag for that tag, but everything else about it looks totally legitimate to my eyes. Is it possible that the "A" color code was stamped on a few trim tags around this date instead of the typical "---" code?
-Jeff

Hard to make a definitive call on this one, but I think it's real.

hmmm-well, I have been getting some help on the cars history from some long time NHRA racers who were around it nearly from the beginning, we will see where that leads as well. posted a couple mor epics over ont he other thread in whats it worth as well. Thank you for your help, I hope we turn up more.

 

Hard to make a definitive call on this one, but I think it's real.