Hi there
so I need some help from some experts please ! I have stumbled on a very handsome z28 for sale here in Australia - it’s advertised as a 88 however we have been trying to decode the VIN and it appears to be an 86
could I please get some assistance on this ?
cheers rach

VIN :1G1FP87FOGL165966
engine number : 1G5966VO288DDH1GL

 

Sure looks like an 86
the first (G) in engine # is the year. that is 1986
go to the GM history center and download the vehicle Information Kit for free will help you a lot.
Also get pic of rpo sheet

 

10th digit of the VIN is G = 1986 Model Year
8th digit of VIN is F = 305/5.0L TPI
11th digit of VIN is L = built at Van Nuys, CA

Not much more can be told of the car as built, based on VIN, without ordering a copy of the invoice to get the further listings of options the car was built with. The car must not have been originally intended to be exported as the VIN doesn't appear in Compnine's database - which generally has (originally) exported ThirdGens.

 

Wow! This is great info ! Thank you
the car however has a 350 chev in it which from our understanding was an option on these cars not the standard . Or maybe that was 88’s?
interesting note about the car perhaps not intended for export - however would the vin come up on compnines database only if the car was exported in large quantities ? Camaros aren’t mainstream cars here in Australia they were bought in for those seeking a performance car .

 

No 350 until the 1987 model.

Open the center console lid and on the inside wall should be a white sticker with several 3 character codes. That is the SPID and will contain the codes for the equipment of the car. If it's there, post a picture of it. If the car was an export, it will have an export code. I'm guessing it does not. If the sticker is not there, there is no other option but to order a copy of the invoice if you want more information as to how the car came equipped from the factor versus how it appears today. Unfortunately, the invoice won't contain every single code for the equipment of the car - just some of the major options.

 

Does it still have the Emissions sticker on under side of hood. if so shoot a pic of it and the belt routing decal. That will also help narrow down.

 

sorry my mistake on this - the car does have a 305 I double checked !
so this all adds up with the numbers

 

sorry that was my mistake I rechecked the details and it is infact a 305
not sure about the centre console sticker however

 

Unless the hood or sticker was changed, that sticker would not tell more than the VIN itself does as far as the engine from the factory. In this case, the 305TPI since the 8th digit of the VIN is F.

I don't know that anyone actually changes the sticker under the hood when they swap engines. I'd suspect it's not common.

 

well funny you mention the hood because it has a cowl hood on it which we know was not a standard item

my next question is how do we tell if the engine and the VIN are matching ? I can see in the engine number and vin number there is the same sequence - is that what to look for ?

 

The last few digits of the body vin are stamped on the engine block. I don't know for certain on a 1986 but on the 1988 I do know it's on the passenger side front pad of the block.