1966 Chevelle Fisher Body Number Plate General Information

[ 1964 ] | [ 1965 ] | [ 1966 ] | [ 1967 ] | [ 1968 ] | [ 1969 ] | [ 1970 ] | [ 1971 ] | [ 1972 ]

  • In-depth analysis of 1966 Fisher Body Number Plates

  • Decode your 1966 Chevelle Fisher Body Number Plate

  • Generally, in 1966 the series/model designation on the trim tag is a trim level and not an indication of the engine type installed in the vehicle as Fisher Body didn't care what engine type was to be installed. Fremont and Oshawa are the only two known plants to match the Fisher Body style number with the series/model of the VIN. Atlanta, Baltimore, Framingham, and Kansas City are known to use a style number with an even 3rd digit regardless; Flint is not certain and only the Vehicle Identification Number plate can determine whether the model was delivered with a V8 or L6 engine.

  • 1966 was the first of three years the Chevelle SS396 was a separate series (13817/67) and not an option on the Malibu. The 1965 model year did have a 137xx & 138xx Malibu SS series but they were an appearance series and not a performance option.

  • The Sport Coupe model designation was changed from "37" to "17" for 1966 and 1967 only to denote the new 'Strut Back' or 'Flying Buttress' hardtop styling.

  • Indications are the body numbers are sequential for the particular series/model per plant even though some body styles numbers have been noticed 'out-of-sequence'.

  • A popular publication states, "On all 1965 through 1971 trim tags, the engine identification portion of the model identification number always indicates a V-8 engine. No 6-cylinder engine identification numbers are stamped on any trim tag." This is an incorrect statement for not only 1965 through 1971 but includes 1972 as well. There are numerous examples of trim tags with an odd 3rd-digit style on this website.

  •  Group option Trim Codes

  • Links to Fisher Body Number Plates (a.k.a., trim tag, cowl tag, firewall tag, etc.)

  • When GM began production of the shoulder harness option, RPO A85, plants were directed that as of January 31, 1966 the trim tag should have a hole drilled/punched in the lower left corner to indicate the mounting provisions were being built into the bodies. See more here.

  • ATL ~ Atlanta, Georgia
    Click for more examples... 
    Click either tag for more Atlanta examples...
    • Assembly month padded with leading zero where applicable.
    • May or may NOT have a dash character (-) after interior trim color. Bench seat trim codes include "-A" and bucket seat trim codes include "-B".
    • Does separate lower and upper body colors with a dash character (-).
    • Includes dash character (-) between lower and upper paint codes.
    • Includes group option codes.
    • Almost all have a hand-stamped number visible. Believed to be the body assembly platform number.
    • The letter "L" appears on the last line of body plates at least up through the 2nd week of March (03B). Sometimes on the last line by itself and sometimes following any group 5 options and its meaning is currently unknown.
  • BAL ~ Baltimore, Maryland ~ El Camino
    Click for more examples...  Click for more examples...
    Click either tag for more Baltimore examples...
    • Assembly month padded with leading zero where applicable.
    • No dash character (-) after interior trim code and no "-A" or "-B" to designate bench/bucket seats.
    • No dash character (-) between lower and upper paint codes.
    • All body plates from at least the 5th week of January (01E) have a small hole on the bottom of the plate just left of the 'BODY BY FISHER" stamping.
  • FL1 ~ Flint, Michigan
    Click for more examples...
    Click tag for more Flint examples...
    • Assembly month padded with leading zero where applicable.
    • Trim code: Through at least 11E does NOT use dash character between interior code and seat type; at least from 12D on there is a dash character between interior code and seat type.
    • lower and upper body paint code: Through at least 11E does NOT use dash character between lower and upper paint codes and paint codes are under the plant designation FL1; at least FROM 12D on there is a dash character between lower and upper paint codes and paint codes move right to under body number.
    • Group codes: Through at least 12A DOES occasionally use dash character between groups; at least FROM 12D on there is a NOT dash character between groups.
    • All body plates from at least the 4th week of February (02D) have a small hole on the bottom of the plate just left of the 'BODY BY FISHER" stamping.
  • FRA ~ Framingham, Massachusetts
    Click for more examples...
    Click tag for more Framingham examples...
    • Assembly month padded with leading zero where applicable.
    • Does separate lower and upper body colors with a dash character (-). Bench seat trim codes include "-A" and bucket seat trim codes include "-B".
    • Includes dash character (-) between lower and upper paint codes.
    • Includes group option codes.
    • All body plates from at least the 2nd week of February (02B) have a small hole on the bottom of the plate just left of the 'BODY BY FISHER" stamping.
    • Stamped letter in upper right corner the tag identifies the interior paint color and matches the interior paint color code found on the warranty card Protect-O-Plate; not to be confused with the seat type/material/color also identified on the trim tag.
  • BF ~ Fremont, California ~ El Camino
    Click for more examples...  Click for more examples...
    Click either tag for more Fremont examples...
    • Assembly month padded with leading zero where applicable after 1A.
    • No dash character (-) after interior trim code and no "-A" or "-B" to designate bench/bucket seats.
    • No dash character (-) between lower and upper paint codes.
    • Early 1966 body plates (pre January) retained 1965 style of presenting information. Beginning sometime between 12A and 01E, "BODY" and "PAINT" were moved to appearing after the body number and paint code, wording on the top of the plate simply said 'GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION", and the wording at the bottom of the plate "THIS CAR FINISHED WITH Magic Mirror ACRYLIC LACQUER" was deleted.
    • All body plates from at least the 5th week of January (01E) have a small hole on the bottom of the plate just left of the 'BODY BY FISHER" stamping.
    • Many early tags have a small hole drilled/punched in the upper right quadrant. Its meaning is unknown. When GM began production of the shoulder harness option, plants were directed that as of January 31, 1966 the trim tag should have a hole drilled/punched in the lower left corner to indicate the mounting provisions were being built into the bodies and the hole in the upper right quadrant disappeared.
  • KAN ~ Kansas City, Missouri ~ El Camino
    Click for more examples...  Click for more examples...
    Click either tag for more Kansas City examples...
    • Assembly month padded with leading zero where applicable.
    • Does separate lower and upper body colors with a dash character (-). Bench seat trim codes include "-A" and bucket seat trim codes include "-B".
    • Includes dash character (-) between lower and upper paint codes.
    • Includes group option codes.
    • All body plates from at least the 1st week of February (02A) have a small hole on the bottom of the plate just left of the 'BODY BY FISHER" stamping. Sometime between 03C and 04B this hole became smaller.
    • Special order paint color designated with O-O. See 02C for an example.
  • OS ~ Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
    Click for more examples...
    Click tag for more Oshawa examples...
    • Wording and data presentation is different than any U.S. assembly plant.
    • Body date is completely different from U.S. assembly plant counterparts. Instead of a month and week letter, a real date is shown such as 4-13 for April 13. There is also a number ("1" or "2") preceding the date. It's been reported this leading number is a shift number for the Oshawa plant.
    • RPO codes for options requiring some type of modification are listed on the tag such as A51, M20, L34, etc. much like U.S. plants (Atlanta, Flint, Framingham & Kansas City) that use group codes.
    • Paint code is single letter and although RPO D99 (Two-tone paint/vinyl top molding [optional with solid paint]).
    • Firewall was painted body color instead of being blacked out as its U.S. counterpart was. The trim tag was hastily masked to prevent paint overspray but neatly masking it was not a priority.

This is a typical example of a 1966 Chevelle trim/cowl tag for a Kansas City, MO. assembled Malibu convertible. Assembly plant body number plates varied from plant to plant in how the information was presented.


Just to tease a bit, here is an L6 Malibu Sport Coupe trim tag from General Motors Continental Antwerp.

Anyone having a clear picture of 1966 Chevelle Body Number Plates (trim tags) and/or Protect-O-Plates, please contact me here.

https://chevellecd.net
Want more in-depth information on 1966/1967 Chevelles? Try my 1966/1967 Chevelle Reference CD.