I have been wondering how the sequence #'s in the vin code are given to our cars. I know that the first # tells you what car it is. 1 for camaro and 2 for firebird. What about the remaining 5 digits. Would it be the lower the # the earlier the car was built in that year and did they start at 1, being for the first one. Ex. 100001 or 200001.

 

Jermdm you have the general idea on how the sequential part of the VIN works. But here's the first part for '89
1st Digit ID for Country of build - 1 for the USA
2nd Digit ID for the Manufacture - 1 for General Motors
3rd digit ID for the Auto Division - 1 for Chevrolet ("2" for Pontiac)
4th Digit ID for Car Line - F for Camaro/Firebird
5th Digit Id for Series - P = Sport Coupe (RS and IROC)
6th Digit ID for Body Type - "2" = Hatchback Coupe , 3 = Convertible (Factory)
7th Digit ID for Restraint System - "1" for Manual belts
8th Digit ID for Engine - "8" for you if your IROC is an original 350 car
9th Digit is a check Digit to verify VIN is correct for car
10th Digit ID for Year - K = '89 for your car
11th Digit ID for Build Plant - "L" = Van Nuys,CA (all F-Bodies '88 up built there)

Hope this helps

 

Coolram, he has that part. He's asking about the VIN sequentials at the back end. In answer to his question, yes, they started at the low end and counted up. The 1st car, in theory, should be 100001 or 200001. The second car would be 1000002, etc. Now if they actually followed that exact process for the ntire 3rd gen build, I don't know. I also don't know what they did when they reached the car after 199999. I haven't paid that much attention to VIN sequencing.

 

Thanks guys. Yeah, I know all the front parts of the vin. Well, you see, my car is an 89 iroc, 10th digit is K, and my build date on my door sticker is 09/88, which would mean that it was one of the first camaro's for 89 to come out. My vin sequence # is 107902. With my build date of 09/88, is that possible that they already built 7900 camaro's in that time period? When do the factorys start building the new model year cars? I know new model year cars are available to buy around september, so if they built 7900 camaros by 09/88, they would have to start building new models a few months earlier. It just doesnt seem like 1 plant(van nuys) could build that many cars in one month. Did they build camaros at other plants for the 89 model year?

 

My Dad's 89 RS has a sequence # of 120090. It was dealer ordered at the end of September '88 and was delivered the second week of November. The door tag says 10/88. Did they already build 20,000 that early in the model year?

 

I think that there is some weird "number skipping" in the sequencing. They don't use every number, so 120090 does not mean that they built 20K cars already. Someone does have the exact reason here, I think I have heard it before just can't remember.

 

That would be some fast car building. 7900th car in 09/88 and the 20,000th car in 10/88. I think RPM WOT L 98 is right, they might do some jumping around. If it is true with that many cars being built in that time frame, do they build new cars for only like 7 or 8 months before they retool for the next model year. They did build over 110,000 camaro's in 89. But it's like what scottmoyer said, what did they do when they reached 99,999 at the end of the vin code. Maybe something to do with the 9th digit check digit.

 

In my case the check digit is 6. I don't know if it has anything to do with the sequence #.

 

My check digit is 3. I read somewhere that the check digit(digit #9) is for vin verification. Wonder what its verifying.

 

To the best of my knowledge, the check digit is the result of: giving all the letters in the VIN a set numerical value, then adding all the numbers and numerical values for the letters and through some equation of division, arriving at a number. That number becomes the check digit. So if someone wanted to verify that the VIN is authentic and they knew that formula for it, they could add and divide and the result better be the check digit otherwise something is fishy.
Don't know for what purpose they used this, but am pretty sure I heard that this was the purpose of the check digit.

 

I want to apologise Jermd and Scott as I didn't read your first post close enough. But on the second question if production reached 199999 then the first digit becomes a 2 if I remember correctly. The VIN sequential part is assigned as cars are ordered for production and not model line specific - again if I remember correctly. And as RPM stated there is also the VIN sequence skipping. The next year model production would begin mid-summer for fall intro back then generally. My '83 Z28 was built 3rd week of June '83 so she was probably close to the end of the '83 production run.

 

September doesn't neccissarily mean that it was one of the first one's built for that year. My car is a '91 but was built on the 2nd of March 1990. Oh, and my VIN sequence # is 201230. There's no way my car was the 1,230th one built that year already.

 

It was already correctly stated that 6 digit sequental numbers starting with 2 are Firebirds, so Camaros couldn't contimue directly to sequential # 200000.

 

Actually Production started in Feb of 1990 for the 1991's there was 0 made of either the Camaro or the Firebird in Jan.

Feb
Firebird - 995
Camaro - 2865

March
Firebird - 5241
Camaro - 7712

Technically your Sequence number is perfect for the information that I have...

John
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As for the Sequence numbering, the numbers do start at 100001 for Camaro and 200001 for Firebird, except for a few years the Camaro does roll over into 200000 once they pass 199999. BUT some years for reasons unknown they roll to 500000... Not really sure why...

The problem also effects the Firebird for the same year (1985) they went from 199999 to 600000... I have no explanation

 

I stand corrected. Where did you get your information from? I suppose that you wouldn't have any information regarding a ballpark figure about how many GTA's were built during the Feb-Mar '90 timeframe.
I read somewhere that because of the early start on the '91 production run that some of the '91's were counted in the '90 production numbers. Do you know if there any truth to that?

 

My 91 GTA was built on March 13 1990, VIN 202727. But 90-91 was a messed up year. IIRC there was a strike at some point, then new regulations were imposed and something else that effectively shortened the 1990 model year and GM just started pumping out the 91s with the facelift.

But usually September is about normal for new cars, depending on the manufacturer some do start a month or so prior to that. I know for a fact that in 92 right before the Van Nuys plant was about to shut down and the switchover to the 4th Gens about to take place, they were still building 3rd Gens up until Aug 27 1992.

 

Some sources used the normal September 1989-1990 for the 1990 models. Other sources go from Sept 1989 - Dec 31 1989 for 1990's and Jan 1 1990 - Sept 1991 for the 1991's... Both technically would be correct, and actually Chevrolet has in some of their dealer literature the number through September 1990, which really makes everything confusing...

The information is from Automotive News...

John

 

Just as a point of interest, I sent away to GM for an info package a few years ago.. They indicate that my 1990 GTA was built on September 18th 1989

 

All 1990's were made in 1989...

John

 

Is it possible that the sequence numbers are separate between VanNuys and Norwood. For example: was there a 100001 for VanNuys and a 100001 for Norwood?

 

YES, Both Plants, all models (Firebird & Camaro) started at 00001... There is a Norwood N100001, N200001 and a Van Nuys L100001 & L200001

John

 

Well that is why they only needed 5 digits. They could make 199,998 cars with that method. 99,999 cars at each plant.

 

I am not entierly sure, but they never made exactly the same number of cars in both plants in a given year... Usually it was skewed one way or the other... The last Two years (1986 & 1987) IIRC Norwood outperformed Van Nuys AND they had better paint... But they closed the plant and sent everything over to Van Nuys... The only thing I could think of is Norwood was too close to Flint, MI where the UAW was started... I know they probably had a better reason... its a local joke..

John

 

I know this is an old thread I started but I been thinking about these #'s since I seen another cars door sticker. As stated before, my car has a sequence # of 107902 and a door sticker date of 9/88. i seen another iroc with a door sticker date of 11/88 and the sequence # for like 116000 and some change. Would it be possible to build almost 10,000 thirdgens in 2 months. I know in a perfect world they would start at 100001 or 200001 and go up from there. Another thing to consider is that both firebirds and camaros went down the same line so the first 1989 thirdgen could of been a firebird or camaro. Lets say the first was a camaro and started at 100001 and 4 more camaros were right behind it, so the # would be up to 100005, then after # 5, it was a firebird, so that cars # was 200006 and 2 firebirds was behind it (up to 200008) and then back to a camaro at 100009. Does any of this make since or am I crazy. I wouldnt think that there would be 2 of the same sequence #'s. 1 for camaro and 1 for firebird.

 

Does anybody know why the Vin. sequence # starts at 400001 for all 1985 Camaros. Are Firebirds numbered the same for the 1985 model year? Those with an '85 3rd gen, check it out.

 

85 Van Nuys cars don't all start at 400001, I've seen ones that started at 500001 late in the model year, and ones, I think very early that started at 100001. One of those mysteries I wish I knew the answer to. My 85 is
419109, built 3rd week of Dec 84.

 

Mine is 476355, built the 3rd week of April in 1985.

Just curious as to whether anyone else here owns a '85 Camaro or Firebird that doesn't start with a 4 in the vin sequence numbers? If you do what does it start with?

 

I have a 86 TA with the sequence 225813 and my manufacture date on the door is 2/86
so that would mean my car was the 25,813th. one produced that year at Norwood.

 

In a perfect world, you would think thats how it would be, but seems that no one has the correct answer. Its hard to say how gm gave us our sequence #'s. If you read leonards story on the last thirdgen ever built, he's has a sequence # one # higher than what gm says that was built for the 92 model year. Only if we could talk to a head honcho from gm who was there at that time. Maybe he could shed some light on this. I've been thinking about what happened when they hit 199999 for camaro and 299999 for firebird. Does anyone think that they went a number higher. Say 200001 for camaro and 300001 for firebird when they hit the 100,000 mark for each car. Just a thought.

 

It's stated the production year starts in Sept.of the previous yr. so I figure that if my no.is 25,800 and the manufacture date is Feb.86 and they produced 48,800 TAs that would put me in about the halfway mark.So someone could assume that their could be some truth to the sequence nos.They may also start with the no.1 on the six figure count on each model,this way it would assure that the nos. do not exceed the six figure mark.I don't think they ever produced more than 100.000 cars of the same model at that time in the auto industry.Just a thought!!!
I stand corrected,in 1984 the camaro Z28s 100,899 and the sport coupe was 127,292.That was the only year a third gen exceeded the six figure mark on two different models.

 

They built over a 100,000 camaros in the 89 model year. Look in the tech data on the tgo homepage. It gives total production #'s.

 

Yea,I'm talking about the different models,Iroc 20,067,RS,83,487,ILE,111 Etc,Etc.

 

Mine starts with 1. Built May 1985 at Norwood.

 

So, in the last six numbers of your Vin.# the first number there is a 1 and not a 4?

I don't mean at the beginning of your Vin.# which should be 1G1 for all Camaros.

 

hi i have found out that my car was built on the first week in august 1984 and my last six are 266863

 

I'm only referring to the 1985 model year of Camaros and Firebirds with the last six numbers starting with a number other than a 4.

 

Here is an 1985 IROC vin # L104682 notice it has G92 on his spid. My 85 was built in the third week of march with vin# 450058. Same options without the G92 on the spid. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...-1-fabled.html

 

1985 Norwood camaro's built in may have a 1 and march built Van nuys 1985 Camaro's start with 4. does anybody have a norwood built 1985 Camaro have anything other then 1.

 

In the last 6 digits of the VIN, the first number is indeed a 1.

Hope this helps.

 

What is the production date on your car?

 

May 1985, as its stated in post #33.

 

I think your on to something about the Vin sequences for Van Nuys and Norwood 1985 Camaros.

 

When I had the opportunity to speak to the employees of Norwood, they told me that if not all of the items were available for a car... IE there was a shortage of some sort, they would put the car aside until the parts came in and then finish the car... not entirely sure how they worked it. Since the VIN was assigned early in production it would be possible to have a lower VIN and a later Date on the door... Of course I am not sure when they affixed the decal on the door either... I would think it would be when the car was completed.

 

I was looking on ebay and found this 89 iroc. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/IROC-...item2ebc3ce310 ,If you look at the sequential # in the vin, it starts with a 2 instead of a 1. In my previous post, I throw out that when they hit 199999, maybe they switched to 2 instead of staying with 1, so the 100,000th camaro would be 200001. Could this iroc be confirmation thats what gm did. Be nice to see the door sticker to see the date on it.

 

In '89 Chevrolet made 110739 Camaros in Van Nuys, when vin 199999 was used 200000 was next until KL210739, Production on the '89 Camaro started on 8-15-88 and ran through 6-26-89 Here is the VIN breaks by month ( not official totals but very close estimates) 8/88-KL 100001-KL103686, 9/88 KL103687-KL114200, 10-88 KL114201-KL125738, 11-88,KL 125739-KL136606, 12-88, KL136607-KL145043. 1/89, KL145044-KL155462, 2/89, KL155463-KL165248, 3/89, KL165249-KL176232, 4/89 KL176233-KL186867. 5/89 KL186868-KL198992, 6/89 KL198993-KL210739.. Chris

 

Thats some cool info. My iroc would be in the 9/88 catagory. Always wondered when they started production and ended it for the 89 model year.

 

ooooo

 

Question if the 8th digit in the vin is a E what does that mean. Every other # adds up to my vert being an 89 convertible.

 

The 8th digit is what engine is installed from the factory. Being an E means thats its a 305 TBI.

 

My 85 Iroc is 114346. Door sticker is 11/84 built in norwood.