sxr6

OK so I just took the plunge & purchased a 69
Hope I'm not in over my head
I searched the forums to see what info I can gain from the vin#
apparently you can figure out what engine the car is supposed to have! but I can't.

Vin 194379S721996
19437 designates coupe
9 is model year 1969
Last 5 (21996) is car serial #
What does the S & the 7 mean?

Any help

1974slcvette

see if this helps:

VIN info from 1967 - 1971 were in the same format. The breakdown is as follows:
1st digit: GM Line number: Chevrolet = 1.
2nd digit: Series number: Camaro = 2
3rd digit: Model/Engine number:
3 = 6-cylinder (1967-69 with standard interior) , 4 = V8 (1967-69 with standard interior)
5 = 6 cylinder (1967 - 69 with custom interior) , 6 = V8 (1967 - 69 with custom interior)
4th & 5th digit: Body Type Number:
37 = Sport Coupe (1967-69) 67 = Convertible (1967-69) 87 = Sport Coupe (1970-71)
6th digit: Last digit of model year:
7 = 1967, 8 = 1968, 9 = 1969, 0 = 1970, 1 = 1971
7th digit: Letter indicating assembly plant
L = Van Nuys, California, N = Norwood, Ohio
8th through 12th digits: Sequential production number starting with 100001.

1974slcvette

See if this helps:

For CORVETTES 1965 - 1971

1st digit: GM Line number: Chevrolet = 1.
2nd digit:
Series number: Corvette = 9
3rd digit: Model/Engine number:
4 = 8-cyliner

4th & 5th digit: Body Type Number:
37 = Sport Coupe
67 = Convertible

6th digit: Last digit of model year:
5 - 1965
6 - 1966
7 - 1967
8 - 1968
9 - 1969
0 - 1970
1 - 1971

7th digit: Letter indicating assembly plant
L = Van Nuys, California,
N = Norwood, Ohio (All Camaros 72 - 76 Built here)

8th through 12th digits:
Sequential production number starting with 100001.

luerja

Chevrolet Corvette 1965 to 1971

1st digit - GM Division. (1) Chevrolet
2nd digit - Model. (9) Corvette
3rd digit - Engine. (2, 4, 6 or 8) V8
4th and 5th digits - Body Style. (37) Coupe, (67) Roadster.
6th digit - Year. (5) 1965, (6) 1966, (7) 1967, (8) 1968, (9) 1969, (0) 1970, (1) 1971.
7th digit - Assembly Plant. (S) St. Louis, MO
8th to 13th digits - Sequential production number

halfmoontrail

The "7" isn't meaningful, just precedes the five digit sequential serial. Your car is near mine (~22700). For 1969, you cannot learn the original engine or options from the VIN.

Hopefully your trim plate is original, and has a date produced on it - mine is K23 which means June 23, 1969.

Yours is just after or before the strike, I'm not sure which. If you're lucky, you have a tank sticker on or off the car...this will tell you original engine and options, and should be consistent with your trim tag for interior/exterior color and vinyl or leather.

Also, the pencil-written 3-digit number on your tank sticker should match the last 3-digits of your VIN.

Lindsay Porter Corvette Restoration book is entirely a 1969, and Riock Bizzoco's 1969 Source Book is amazing.

sxr6

Thanks guys

Is there any way to find out what the original motor was?
I don't have the tank sticker.

CruisinCO

If you open the drivers side door, look to see if there if the trim plate is still there. There will be a 2 letter code which will tell you the original engine.
Mine is HY so it is a 350, 300 with a manual transmission. I think there were like 25 or so suffix code possibilites.
If you can see the trim plate codes inside the door opening you'll get a lot of good info..

sxr6

The only plate I have is on the front inside under the birdcage.
It states there C-31
Trim 411
076 Paint

No help there I guess

It does have a M-21 4sp (pretty sure)
And a stiff axle ratio! (2500rpm @ 52mph) 373-410?s
I'll find out for sure next week when she goes up on the hoist for closer inspection.

I guess that means there is no way of knowing what motor came in it?
I know the BBs had heavier duty rear drive, is there any measurement I can take to at least determine for sure it was SB original?

Thanks

Easy Mike

The S stands for the St. Louis assembly facility. The "7" is a place holder.
1 = General Motors
9 = Corvette
4 = V8 engine
37 = Body style code (37 for coupes; 67 for convertibles)

sb69coupe

You're not going to find out anything from the VIN number other than whether it's a coupe or convertible, and what the sequential build number is.

The trim tag in the drivers door jamb says that your body was built on October 31st 1968. Unfortunately, this does not agree with the build sequence number in the VIN. Your car was the 21966'th Corvette built in the 1969 model year, which puts it somewhere after the strike, around early June 1969. The car should have a K-something body tag. Originally it had blue vinyl interior(411), and LeMans Blue paint (976).

There are some clues that will tell you what engine was in the car originally. What is the redline on the tach? Does the car have a fuel vapor return line, or just a single metal fuel line from the tank to the engine compartment? Does it have a rear sway bar? How are the u-joints attached to the side yokes on the differential, with u-bolts or machined caps? How wide is the radiator? Does it have a cap on it, or is there an external supply tank with a cap?

Post the answers to these questions and that will give some clues as to what engine was in there originally.

sxr6

There are some clues that will tell you what engine was in the car originally. What is the redline on the tach? Does the car have a fuel vapor return line, or just a single metal fuel line from the tank to the engine compartment? Does it have a rear sway bar? How are the u-joints attached to the side yokes on the differential, with u-bolts or machined caps? How wide is the radiator? Does it have a cap on it, or is there an external supply tank with a cap?

Post the answers to these questions and that will give some clues as to what engine was in there originally.[/QUOTE]

The tach redline is 5300yelloe & 5600red however this car had some dash fire damage, so may not have original tach.
It also doesn't have original motor, so fuel line may also have been changed.
It does not have a swaybar but does have U-joints attached with bolts & a cap.
It has an exturnal supply tank for the rad with a filler cap on it.
Thanks

sb69coupe

5600 rpm redline was the 390hp and 400hp 427 motors.

For the fuel line, open the hood and stand on the passenger side, look down into the engine compartment, on top of the frame rail just beside the motor mount, you will either one or two metal fuel lines. If there is only one line, then the car was likely a 400hp car, if there are two lines, a 380hp car.

If the radiator core is 27" wide then it was likely a big block car.

sxr6

The rad measures 27" on the rad core from side to side?
Is that the correct method of measuring it?

It has a single fuel line on the frame.

The exhaust manifolds do however match #s for a SB car (3932461&81)

This thing is startin to drive me crazy

"It does not have a swaybar but does have U-joints attached with bolts & a cap.
It has an exturnal supply tank for the rad with a filler cap on it."

What did that tell you???

Thanks

Just as an afterthought!!
A BB car should have heavier front springs!
Could I ID it that way?

sb69coupe

27" core radiator with external tank
+ single fuel line on frame rail
+ caps on side yokes
+ 5600 rpm redline
-----------------------

probably a 400hp 427 big block car originally.

Sounds like there is a smallblock motor in the car as it is now, since you said there are smallblock exhaust manifolds in there. Personally, if I were in your shoes, I'd me more worried about the trim tag not being consistent with the VIN sequence, rather than worrying about what motor was there originally (but is long since gone).