Decoding a C3 Corvette VIN

What a C3 VIN tells you

Every 1968 to 1982 Corvette left the factory with a Vehicle Identification Number, the one code that ties a specific car to its build records. On a C3 you will find it on a small stainless plate fixed to the top of the dash on the driver side, positioned so it reads through the windshield from outside. Federal rules put it there from 1968 on, which is why every third generation car carries it in the same spot. A shortened version of the same number was also stamped into the engine block and onto the chassis, so an original car can be checked to see that its engine and body still belong together. That is what people mean by a "matching numbers" Corvette.

The number was never random. Each character stands for something: who built the car, that it is a Corvette, the body style, the model year, the plant it came from and the order it rolled down the line. Decoding it turns a string of letters and digits back into a description of the actual car, which helps when you are checking an advert, confirming a project car is what the seller claims, or simply learning more about your own Corvette. The decoder above does this in one click; the year by year sections below list the exact VIN ranges Chevrolet used.

Reading one by hand. On a 1968 to 1980 car the VIN is 13 characters. From left to right it gives the maker (1 for Chevrolet), the Corvette series, the body style (37 for the coupe, 67 for the convertible), the model year, the assembly plant (S for St. Louis) and a sequential build number at the end. From 1972 on, one character also carries an engine code letter. In 1981 the plant code changes as production moved to Bowling Green, and the 1981 and 1982 cars use the longer 17-character VIN that is still standard today.