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Engine De-Coding

Old Jun 30, 2025 | 11:24 AM
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Default Engine De-Coding

I'm just wondering what the knowledgeable folks here use as a source for de-coding the partial VIN's and assembly stamps on Chevy engines to determine the origin and specification of the engine. My searches on the internet have turned up a lot of fragmented and inconsistent information.
Thanks
Ted
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 11:33 AM
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Lime Book is one. NCRS Judging Manual(s) is another. Noland's Book on C2 Restoration is a third.

Larry
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 11:38 AM
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I do use the Lime Book frequently, but it's use is limited. I have one of the NCRS judging manuals too, but again it only deals with Corvettes. I'm looking for a source that will de-code all Chevy engines (mostly interested in 1960's through 1980's).
Thank you for the suggestions.

Ted
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 11:53 AM
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What year engine?
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by ChrisBlair
What year engine?
I'm looking for a resource that I can use for all Chevy engines from 1960's through 1980's.

Ted
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 11:57 AM
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I literally just did this for my mystery 350. Give me a sec to look at my search history.
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 12:02 PM
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Have you tried NastyZ28.com?
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 12:04 PM
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Originally Posted by TAlvarez
I'm looking for a resource that I can use for all Chevy engines from 1960's through 1980's.

Ted
the lime book is good for all V8 from 1955-1991.
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 12:12 PM
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Then use that LOL
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Procrastinateur
Have you tried NastyZ28.com?
one of the sites I referenced . Weird navigation though.

I also used this https://www.73-87.com/chevy_ids/scmenu2.htm

but the Lime book is a bible, so...
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 01:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Nowhere Man
the lime book is good for all V8 from 1955-1991.
I use the Lime Book frequently, but it doesn't help when trying to assess the engine origin via the partial VIN stamp. The partial VIN can provide information about what assembly plant the car came from as well as the year of manufacture and of course sequence number.
Ted
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Procrastinateur
Have you tried NastyZ28.com?
I have used the Nasty Z28 site, but maybe I need to re-visit it.

Thanks

Ted
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 01:06 PM
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Originally Posted by ChrisBlair
I will check it out.

Thanks

Ted
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by TAlvarez
I use the Lime Book frequently, but it doesn't help when trying to assess the engine origin via the partial VIN stamp. The partial VIN can provide information about what assembly plant the car came from as well as the year of manufacture and of course sequence number.
Ted
Ted,
It's obvious you're looking for assembly plant origin for "other than" Corvette. Have you tried Wikipedia...veritable plethora of information.
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 01:51 PM
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I mostly use the Chevy parts books, I have several of them for cars and trucks that cover a few decades. But there isn't one list of all engine codes (the nastyz28 site is the closest to it on the internet, but it's incomplete).

The subset of suffix codes that applies to C1 and C2 corvettes is pretty small...especially when you get into trucks, etc.

Partial VINs are generally pretty easy, once you figure out what the first three digits (for later cars/trucks) mean. The 60s codes generally have only one or two of the three characters that were used in later years, they leave off the leading 1 (or 2 or C or T) that identify the carline.

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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 02:26 PM
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Originally Posted by TAlvarez
I use the Lime Book frequently, but it doesn't help when trying to assess the engine origin via the partial VIN stamp. The partial VIN can provide information about what assembly plant the car came from as well as the year of manufacture and of course sequence number.
Ted
The first 20-30 pages of the old Chevrolet parts catalogs have tons and tons of reference information. You can find the different catalogs on http://www.gmpartswiki.com/ Here's one page as an example:


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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 02:38 PM
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Originally Posted by TAlvarez
I use the Lime Book frequently, but it doesn't help when trying to assess the engine origin via the partial VIN stamp. The partial VIN can provide information about what assembly plant the car came from as well as the year of manufacture and of course sequence number.
Ted
if you google GM assembly plants you will get a list off all current and closed plants.
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 02:46 PM
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I think this is a pretty complete list of codes for Chevrolet (and other GM) assembly plants used in VIN numbers through 1980. The Bowling Green Corvette plant is included but it didn't open until June 1981. Keep in mind that a plant didn't always assemble Chevrolet's, GM often moved production in and out of plants. Also, many of them also assembled other GM cars at the same time they were building Chevy's, such as Norwood OH which built Camaro's and Pontiac Firebirds. Flint MI and Pontiac MI each had two separate plants. In Flint one was dedicated to Chevrolet's and the other to Pontiac's, and in Pontiac one was a Pontiac plant and the other built GMC heavy trucks.

A - Atlanta, GA (technically Lakewood, GA)
B - Baltimore, MD
C - South Gate, CA
D - Doraville, GA
E - Linden, NJ
F - Flint MI (Chevrolet plant)
G - Framingham, MA
H - Flint, M - MI (Pontiac plant)
J - Janesville, WI
K - Kansas City, MO (Leeds, MO)
L - Los Angeles, CA (Van Nuys, CA)
M - Lansing, MI
N - Norwood, OH
O - Oakland, CA
P - Pontiac, MI (Pontiac plant)
Q - Detroit, MI (Cadillac only plant)
R - Arlington, TX
S - St Louis, MO
T - Tarrytown, NY
U - Lordstown, OH
V - Pontiac, MI (GMC truck)
W - Yipsilanti, MI (Willow Run, MI)
X - Fairfax, KS
Y - Wilmington, DE
Z - Fremont, CA
1 - Oshawa, Ontario
2 - Oshawa, Ontario (GM trucks)
3 - St Therese, Quebec
4 - Scarborough, Ontario
5 - Bowling Green, KY
6 - Oklahoma City, OK


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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 03:02 PM
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now, if you'd include the carlines that were built at those plants (preferably what years, also)? please?
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Old Jun 30, 2025 | 04:57 PM
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A - Atlanta, GA (technically Lakewood, GA) A body
B - Baltimore, MD A body
C - South Gate, CA not sure but most likely full size
D - Doraville, GA see above
E - Linden, NJ see above
F - Flint MI (Chevrolet plant) Chevelle
G - Framingham, MA A body
H - Flint, M - MI (Pontiac plant)
J - Janesville, WI full size
K - Kansas City, MO (Leeds, MO) a body
L - Los Angeles, CA (Van Nuys, CA) F, X body
M - Lansing, MI
N - Norwood, OH F, X body
O - Oakland, CA
P - Pontiac, MI (Pontiac plant)
Q - Detroit, MI (Cadillac only plant)
R - Arlington, TX a body
S - St Louis, MO full size, truck and corvette
T - Tarrytown, NY full size
U - Lordstown, OH Nova?
V - Pontiac, MI (GMC truck)
W - Yipsilanti, MI (Willow Run, MI)
X - Fairfax, KS
Y - Wilmington, DE
Z - Fremont, CA
1 - Oshawa, Ontario a body
2 - Oshawa, Ontario (GM trucks)
3 - St Therese, Quebec
4 - Scarborough, Ontario
5 - Bowling Green, KY corvette
6 - Oklahoma City, OK

the answers in bold is going from memory
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