VALIDATION

DOCUMENTATION

FOR

1968 Camaro RS/SS

2

Table of Contents

Description: Page Validation Documentation Summary 2 Validation Documentation 3 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) 124378N401563 3 Fisher Body Cowl Tag 3 Protect-O-Plate 6 Engine Block Casting Number – 3935440 12 Engine Block Casting Date - C 28 13 Engine Identification Code - T 0312 MQ 13 Cylinder Heads Casting Numbers and Date Codes 13 Intake Manifold – 3933163 14 Carburetor 14 Smog System 15 Exhaust Manifolds Casting Numbers 15 Distributor 16 Transmission 16 Rear Axle 18 Window Glass 19 Vehicle Identification Build Dates 22 Vehicle Identification Build Dates 22 Build Date Documentation E-mails 23 Appendix A 25

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VALIDATION DOCUMENTATION SUMMARY

For

1968 Camaro RS/SS

Vehicle Identification Number 124378N401563 Distributor Date Code January 23, 1968 Window Glass Date Codes Windshield April 1968 Left Front February 1968 Right Rear February 1968 Right Front January 1968 Left Rear January 1968 Rear N/A Carburetor Date Code Second Week of February 1968 Cylinder Head Casting Date February 29, 1968 Engine Block Casting Date March 02, 1968 Transmission Production Date March 06, 1968 Rear Axle Production Date March 11, 1968 Engine Assembly Date March 12, 1968 Body Assembly Date March 22, 1968

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VALIDATION DOCUMENTATION Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) 124378N401563 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is stamped on a plate that is located on the upper dash panel of the forward portion of the driver’s side, and is viewable through the windshield glass when standing at the front edge of the driver's door. The thirteen-digit GM Chevrolet VIN used during the first-generation Camaro period has the following format:

1968 Camaro VIN Interpretation 124378N401563 1 = Chevrolet 2 = Camaro 4 = 8-cylinder engine 37 = coupe body 8 = 1968 model N = Norwood, OH assembly 401563 = vehicle serial number sequence

Fisher Body Cowl Tag The cowl tag is a small metal tag riveted to the driver's side of the firewall in the engine compartment. The tag was stamped at the Fisher Body assembly plant with characters describing basic characteristics of the body build. The summary beginning on the following page outlines the major cowl tag fields referred to as fields a thru e.

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1968 Camaro Fisher Body Cowl Tag Fields

GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION a 03 C b ST 68-12437 NOR 100968 c BODY d TR 714 02 e PAINT

Body By Fisher

Field a - body build date code – 03 C This code is composed of two digits (01 thru 12 corresponding to each month of the model year) and a letter (A thru E corresponding to the week of the month). For example 03 C means the body was assembled during the 3rd week of March of the model year (not the calendar year). After much research it was determined that this car was built on March 22, 1968. (See appendix A) Field b - body style code – ST 68-12437 The two-digit year ("68") was followed by a five-digit "ST" body style code. The first two digits of the style code are the model code ("12" for Camaro) and the last two digits are body code ("37" for coupe). In 1968-69 the third digit was fixed at "4" for all models and had no meaning. While the Fisher style code is often confused with the first five digits of the VIN, the two sets of codes are different because of the different meaning of the third digit. Field c - assembly plant code – NOR 100968 The next three letters represent the Norwood, Ohio (NOR) assembly plant. The digits that follow, up to six, represent the Fisher body number sequence. The body number sequence is not the same as the VIN sequence.

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Field d - trim type/color code - 714 The first three digits of the trim ("TR") code is a unique interior color/type code that indicates standard or custom interior and color. 714 represents Custom Black Buckets. Field e - exterior paint code - 02 The "PAINT" fields show the body paint color and the top color, including vinyl or convertible top, if so equipped. Paint codes were alphabetic in 1968. Vinyl and convertible top codes were numeric in 1968. Two-tone paint was offered only with the 1969 models. Special paint cars were marked with special codes, as noted in the special paint. O represents Corvette Bronze and the 2 is for the black vinyl top. In addition to the official VIN plate, a partial VIN (18N401562) was stamped on the cowl in front of the passenger side (underneath the cowl vent piece) and on the firewall underneath the fan motor. The format of the partial VIN is: 18N401562 1968 Camaro Partial VIN Interpretation

1 = Chevrolet 8 = 1968 model N = Norwood assembly 401562 = serial number sequence

Partial VINs were also stamped on most engines and transmissions from 1967 on, though engines and transmissions with missing partial VINs are not unusual, especially in 1967.1

1 Camaro Research Group (http://www.camaros.org/numbers.shtml#VIN)

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Protect-O-Plate The Protect-O-Plate was furnished with all Camaros and was a metal plate imprinted at the assembly plant. The plate contained information on various standard or optional equipment. You may determine from the imprinted information on the plate the type of engine, transmission, rear axle, exterior color, and the month the vehicle was produced, and other basic vehicle information. This plate was included with the warranty book and was not attached to the car.2

1968 Camaro Protect-O-Plate 3

E (A) O2 (B) 124378N401562 (C) H (D) T0312MQ (E) BW0311G (F) 3 (G) P8C06 (H) 2 (I) (J) 5 (K) (L) (M) (N) (O) (P) NELSON DAVILA 280 RIVER RD. PISCATAWZY, N.J. 4-17-68 USA

ROYAL CHEVROLET 476 WEST UNION AVE. BOUND BROOK, N.J.

Location A - 1968 Interior Color - E

B - Blue (cloth and vinyl) D - Red (cloth and vinyl) E - Black (cloth and vinyl) G - Gold (cloth and vinyl) K - Parchment/Black

P - Gold vinyl (optional) Q - Black and White vinyl (optional) T - Turquoise (cloth and vinyl) U - Blue vinyl (optional)

2 http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/parts/protect.htm 3 http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/parts/68protec.htm

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Location B - 1968 Exterior Color – O2

AA - Tuxedo Black CC - Ermine White DD - Grotto Blue EE - Fathom Blue FF - Island Teal GG -Ash Gold HH - Grecian Green JJ - Rally Green KK - Tripoli Turquoise LL - Teal Blue

NN - Cordovan Maroon OO - Corvette Bronze PP - Sea frost Green RR - Matador Red TT - Palomino Ivory UU - LeMans Blue VV - Sequoia Green YY - Butternut Yellow ZZ - British Green -- - Special Paint

Cowl tags and Protect-o-Plate (POP) tags in 1967 and 1968 used a letter code for body paint and a numeric code for the vinyl/convertible top. Cowl tags changed in 1969 to use of a numeric code for the body paint (with two-tone paint now a Camaro option) and a letter code for the vinyl/convertible top color. The first character describes the lower body color and the second character describes the upper body color. For 1967-68 the upper body color was always the same as the lower body unless a vinyl top was installed or the car was a convertible. Vinyl top color codes or convertible top color codes for 1968 were as follows: 1 = White Convertible, 2 = Black Convertible or Vinyl, 4 = Blue Convertible and 6 = White Vinyl (see charts below).4 The code 02 on this car indicates that the bottom color is Corvette Bronze and the top is a black vinyl top.

1967-1969 Camaro Convertible Top Colors 67-68 1969 Code 1967 Color 1968 Color Code 1969 Color ----- ---------- ---------- ---- ---------- 1 White White AA White 2 Black Black BB Black 4 Med. Blue Blue

Table Footnotes: The default convertible top was white. Black or blue (67-68) had to be specially designated.

4 http://www.camaros.org/numbers.shtml#POPCodes

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1967-1969 Camaro Vinyl Top Colors 67-68 1969 Code 1967 1968 Code 1969 Top 1969 Body Colors ----- ---- ---- ---- ----------- --------------- 1 White* -- - -- -- 2 Black Black B Black All colors - -- -- C Dark Blue 50, 69, 51, 53 6 Beige/Light Fawn White E Parchment All colors F Dark Brown 65, 40, 63, 61 S Midnight Green 10, 50, 57, 59, 79(Jan) *The "1" vinyl top code in 1967 has been rarely observed but is not normative.

Location C - Vehicle Identification Number - 124378N401562

12437 - Sport Coupe, V-8 engine 12467 - Convertible, V-8 engine 12337 - Sport Coupe, six-cylinder 12367- Convertible, six-cylinder

Year (1968) - 8

Plant - N

N - Norwood (Cincinnati) Ohio L – Los Angeles (Van Nuys) California

Sequential VIN – 401562

Sequential VIN began at 300,001 in 1968

Location D - Carburetor Source - H

B - Bay City C - Carter H - Holley R - Rochester

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Location E - Engine Production Code – T0312MQ

Source Code - T

F - Flint T - Tonawanda S - Saginaw R - Rochester K - McKinnon Industries

1-12 Month Production Code - 03

01 - January 02 - February 03 - March 04 - April 05 - May 06 - June

07 - July 08 - August 09 - September 10 - October 11 - November 12 - December

01 – 31 Day Production Code - 12

1968 Engine Codes - MQ

BA - 230/140 Manual Transmission with A.I.R. BD - 230/140 Manual Transmission with CAC and A.I.R. BF - 230/140 with Powerglide CM - 250/155 Manual Transmission with A.I.R. CN - 250/155 Manual Transmission with CAC and A.I.R. CQ - 250/155 with Powerglide CR - 250/155 with Powerglide and CAC MO - 302/270 with Manual Transmission MA - 327/210 Manual Transmission with A.I.R. ME - 327/210 with Powerglide MS - 350/295 Manual Transmission MU - 350/295 with Powerglide MQ - 396/375 L78 MR - 396/350 with Turbo Hydra-matic MT - 396/375 with Aluminum Heads MW - 396/325 Manual Transmission with A.I.R. MX - 396/350 Manual Transmission MY - 396/325 with Turbo Hydra-matic

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Location F - Rear Axle Code – BW0311G

BA - 2.56 BB - 2.56 posi BC - 3.36 BI - 2.73 BL - 3.07 BN - 3.55 BP - 3.73 BQ - 3.73 posi BR - 3.07 posi BS - 3.31 posi BT - 3.55 posi BU – 3.37 posi BV – 4.10 posi BW – 4.56 posi BX – 4.88 posi BY – 2.73 posi

BZ - 3.73 PB - 3.31 PE - 3.08 posi PG - 3.07 posi PH - 3.55 posi PK - 3.55 PN - 2.56 PO - 2.56 posi PP - 3.07 PR - 3.31 posi PX – 2.73 posi PY – 2.56 PZ – 2.56 posi Q2 – 3.55 Q3 – 3.55 posi

01-12 Production Month Code – 03

01 - January 02 - February 03 - March 04 - April 05 - May 06 - June

07- July 08 - August 09 - September 10 - October 11 - November 12 - December

01-31 Production Day Code - 11 Plant Code – G

W - Warren G - Chevrolet Gear and Axle B - Buffalo K - McKinnon

Location G - Month of Vehicle Build - 3

8 - August 1967 9 - September 1967 0 - October 1967 N - November 1967 D - December 1967 1 - January 1968

2 - February 1968 3 - March 1968 4 - April 1968 5 - May1968 6 - June 1968 7 - July 1968

Location H - Transmission Number – P8CO6

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D - Saginaw three-speed OD K - McKinnon Industries four-speed C - Cleveland Powerglide M - Muncie three-speed R - Saginaw four-speed T - Toledo Powerglide K - McKinnon Industries three-speed

P - Muncie four-speed E - McKinnon Industries Powerglide H - Muncie Heavy-Duty A - Cleveland Torque Drive X - Cleveland THM 350 B - Cleveland THM 350

Model Year (1968) - 8

A-T Calendar Month – C

A-January B-February C-March D-April E-May H-June

K-July M-August P-September R-October S-November T-December

01-31Day of Month Code – 06 Location I - Power Brakes/Power Steering - 2

1 - N40 Power Steering only 2 - J50 Power Brakes only 3 - N40 and J50 Power Steering and Power Brakes

Location J This location was not used on 1968 Camaros - Blank Location K - 1968 Radio Option – 5

1 - U80 rear speaker 2 - U79 AM/FM stereo radio 3 - U63 AM Radio 4 - U63/U80 AM Radio with rear speaker 5 - U69 AM/FM Radio 6 - U69/U80 AM/FM Radio with rear speaker 7 - U69/U79 AM/FM Radio with stereo

This car is equipped with a dealer installed rear speaker. Location L - 1968 Disc Brake Option - Blank

3 - 552 Disc Brakes 5 - F41/J52 Special Suspension with Disc Brakes

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6 - J56 Heavy-Duty Disc Brakes 8 - F41/J56 Special Suspension with Heavy-Duty Brakes 9 - 552/556 Disc brake fronts with metallic rear brakes

Location M - Air Conditioning - Blank

1 - C60 Air Conditioning 4 - C48 Heater Delete

Location N - 1968 Power Window Equipment Option – Blank

1 - A31 Power Windows 5 - A31/N65 Power Windows and Space Saver Spare Tire

Location O - Power Seat Equipment – N/A Power seat equipment was not available on a Camaro Location P - Chevrolet Bow Tie Emblem Engine Block Casting Number - 3935440 This number is located on the bellhousing/transmission-mounting flange at the rear of the block on the driver’s side.5 The #3916323 block began to be replaced by the #3935440 around January 1968. There was definitely an overlap of production of the #3916323 and #3935440 blocks. Early research on this block was based on original #3916323 blocks found. At that time, there seem to be a break in production of the #3916323 block but now further research has shown that the #3935440 block production began as early as A218 or January 21, 1968. This finding proves there was an overlap of production of both blocks. This was verified by a 1968 #3935440 block cast on A218 (January 21, 1968) with an assembly code of T0131 MT. T0131 MT translates to: (T= Tonawanda, New York; 01= January; 31= 31st day of January; MT=L89 396ci 375hp) Engine Block Casting Date - C 28 This code is translated as C=March; 2=2nd day of March; and 8=1968. The location of this casting date is the passenger’s side of the block below the freeze plug.

5 YearOne (http://www.yearone.com/updatedsinglepages/Id_info/gm_engine_id/engineinfo2.html)

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Big Block V8 date codes are usually found on the bellhousing/transmission mounting flange at the rear of the block, but may also be located on the passenger’s side of the block near the freeze plug.6 Engine Identification Code - T 0312 MQ This code is translated as T=Tonawanda, New York (source code); 03=March; 12=12th day of March; and MQ = 396cu 8cyl, 375hp - Manual Transmission. On both small-and big-block V8’s the engine ID codes are found on a machined pad on the front passenger side of the block just below the head. This pad is actually an extension of the block deck surface.7 On this pad, following the engine identification code is also the Partial Vehicle Identification Number (18N401562).

Cylinder Heads Casting Numbers and Date Codes A good way to describe big-block heads is to categorize them as open or closed chamber. Closed-chamber cylinder heads have small combustion chamber volumes for high compression ratios, with even mildly domed pistons. Open-chamber designs are larger and provide lower compression ratios, so require a much larger piston dome to achieve the same compression as a closed-chamber head. The heads on this Camaro are described as follows:8

Chevrolet Big-block head casting numbers are found underneath the rocker cover, between rocker arm pedestals. The casting numbers on the heads of this car were recorded as 3919840. Date codes for big-block V8 cylinder heads are found next to the casting number underneath the valve cover. The dates are, in most cases, alphanumeric. The date codes on the heads for this car were recorded as B29 8, decoded as February 29, 1968.

6 MorTec, Inc. (http://www.mortec.com/location.htm) 7 YearOne (http://www.yearone.com/updatedsinglepages/Id_info/gm_engine_id/engineinfo2.html) 8 http://www.nastyz28.com/bbcmenu.html

Casting Years CID Chamber CC HP/RPO/Comments 3919840 1967-69 396 375 L-78, 1.72.ex

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Intake Manifold - 3933163

Intake casting numbers on most all Chevrolet V8s are found on the topside close to the carburetor-mounting pad. This Number on this car was found to be 3933163. Chevrolet used both cast-iron and aluminum intake manifolds throughout the muscle car era, and the date codes are located in different places on each. The code on cast-iron intakes is normally found on top of the intake near the casting number. Aluminum intakes most always have the date code on the underside of the manifold. On some aluminum intake manifolds cast by Winters Industries (those with the famous Winters snowflake logo), these may appear as more complete dates, such as 3.13.67 (for March 13, 1967). Still other Winters-cast aluminum intakes will have the more standard alphanumeric code. Carburetor Holley carburetors have been used on high performance engines since the early '60's. Their modular design, incorporating a metering block for the jets and power valves, made it easy for anyone to rebuild their carburetor. The air horn of the carburetor will be stamped with several numbers, including the Holley list number, the Chevrolet part number, and usually a letter indicating the application. There is also a date code. The “date code” breaks down as “Year, Month, and Week of the month”. Month codes: 1=January, 2= February, 3= March, 4= April, 5= May, 6= June, 7= July, 8= August, 9= September, 0= October, A= November, B= December. Year codes: The decade of the year is assumed. Note: If the date code is four digits long, it's a service carburetor.9 The codes on the carburetor of this car were recorded as follows:10 Carburetor Model 4150 Holley List Number 4053 9http://216.239.37.100/search?q=cache:qrMYInDZmRwC:bonforums.com/books/updates/carbs_holley_105.2.1.pdf+Holley+Date+Code&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 10 http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/parts/carb.htm

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Chevrolet Part Number 3923289-DZ Date Code 822 (1968, February, Second Week) Air Injection Reactor (AIR) - Smog System In terms of emissions equipment, this stands for Air Injection Reactor. Air is pumped by the "smog pumps" through air injection manifolds into the exhaust manifolds to complete the oxidization process of the unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust stream. Pump Date Code 01581Y = January 15, 1968; Hose Clamps- Fourth Quarter of 1967; Diverter Valve# 7036448, stamped 24764, Broadcast Code DG; Check Valves #5361992; Pulley #392552211 Exhaust Manifolds Casting Numbers - Left = 3909879 Right = 3916178 All Chevrolet exhaust manifolds are made of cast iron, and they all have a raised casting number somewhere on the part.12 The casting numbers for this car were recorded as follows: Left = 3909879 Right = 3916178.

Part Number Outlet side

Year Engine HP Notes

3909879 L 1967 396 325, 375 1968 396 325, 350, 375

325, 350, 375 1969 396

427 425 COPO

430 ZL1

3916178 R 1968 396 325, 350, 375

1969 396

427 425 COPO

430 ZL1

Manifold #3916178 entered production in early June 1967. Applications included Camaro 396/325, 375 and Chevelle 396/325, 350, 375.13 Distributor – 8A23 11 Information furnished by Jerry MacNeish’s Camaro Hi-Performance 12 http://www.camaro1stgeneration.com/cam1stgen/codes/exhaustcodes.html 13 Alan Colvin, Chevrolet by the Numbers (http://www.alancolvin.com/updates.htm)

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All distributors used on Chevrolet engines 1967 - 1969 were manufactured by the Delco-Remy Division of General Motors. The part number stamped on the ring at the top of the distributor was 1111170. These are date coded real simple. You will also find the date code numbers stamped on the ring at the top of the distributor. They decode like this: The first digit is the year, the second is the month A=January, B=February etc....note: there is no I in this list so September is a J. The third and fourth numbers indicate the day of the month. The date code on this distributor was 8A23, indicating 1968, January, 23rd day of the month. Transmission - P8C06N Muncie 4 speed transmissions were used in General Motors cars from 1963 to early 1975. These gearboxes were used when power levels exceeded the limits of the early Borg Warner T10 4 speed. It was actually based on the T10 design and uses the same basic gear layout. The T10 made its appearance in GM cars in 1957. From 1957 to 1963 many changes took place inside the gearbox to meet the increasing horsepower the new engines were putting out. It was replaced by the Muncie in late 1963. The Muncie 4 speed was used in production vehicles until power levels dropped in 1975 when catalytic converters, smog pumps, and low horsepower were introduced.14 Every transmission has a source designation code, a model year code and a month and date code. The manual transmissions are stamped in the passenger side transmission case vertically.

14 http://www.gearzone.net/index.html

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Source Designation - P This code is stamped in front of the date code on 3 speed, 4 speed, Powerglide, or Turbo Hydramatic 400, and Turbo Hydramatic 350. Code Explanation Application P Pass. Muncie 4-speed C Cleveland Powerglide 6cyl & 283 T Toledo Powerglide V-8 Engine S Siginaw 3 Speed H Muncie Heavy Duty 3 speed CC Ypsilanti Turbo 400 B Cleveland Turbo 350 Y Toledo Turbo 350 Year - 8 This number is the last digit of the model year. 8 = 1968. Month Code - C A= January E= May P= September B= February H= June R= October C= March K= July S= November D= April M= August T= December Day - 06 These day codes represent the day the transmission was stamped at its source designation assembly plant. 01–31. Shift - N For production accounting, Day Shift was stamped D=day and N=night shift.

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This is how you tell the transmission is original. For the transmission to be original the “numbers match” part is the date code. From the cowl tag you reference the assembly date. Then the transmission date should be before that date. The average amount of time should be no more than a month. The transmission for this car was recorded as P8C06N. Decoded as P=Pass. Muncie, 8= 1968, C= March, 06= the 6th day of March, and N= night shift. The assembly date from the Cowl Tag and the VIN Number has been determined to be March 20, 1968. Based on this information the transmission in this car is assumed to be the original “numbers matching” transmission. Rear Axle – BW0311G Rear Axle Code information is stamped on the axle housing for this year. This code consists of a 7 digit code that tells the stock ratio, month and day of build, production facility, W – Warren, G – Chevrolet Gear and Axle, B – Buffalo or K – McKinnon as well as the shift code. Format is: BW0311G for a 4.56 rear ratio built on March 11th at the Chevrolet Gear and Axle plant, which was recorded from this car.

REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY DATE

BW0311G2 Code15 Month Day Gear Plant16 Shift

BW – 4.56 Positraction 12 Bolt

01 - Jan thru

12 - Dec 1 thru 31

W - Warren G - Chevrolet Gear and Axle B - Buffalo K - McKinnon

1 - 1st 2 - 2nd

Camaro Differential Code # 196817 12-bolt Casting Number 3894860NF Bolt Diameter 3/8 Ring Gear Diameter 8.875

15 http://www.camaro1stgeneration.com/cam1stgen/codes/axlecodes.html 16 http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/parts/68protec.htm (Location F, subsection Plant Codes) 17 http://www.camaro1stgeneration.com/cam1stgen/codes/axlecodes.html

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Pinion Diameter 1.625 Axle Splines 30 Shaft Length 29 9/16 Window Glass First-generation Camaro window glass is known to have been supplied by two manufacturers: Libbey Owens Ford (LOF) and Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG), with LOF being the overwhelming supplier for '67-'68 models. Marking Method The LOF date code is a two-letter code, a one-letter month code followed by a one-letter year code, as shown below. For example, a code of NX is interpreted as January 1968.

1966-1970 LOF Glass Dating System

LOF Month Code - First Character Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec N X L G J I U T A Y C V

LOF Year Code - Second Character

1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 A Z X V T

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Glass information was recorded for this vehicle as follows:

Windshield

Laminated AS-1 DOT 177

M52 A L O F

3 4 LNSG L G X

Left Door Window Right Door Window Safety Flo-Lite Safety Plate L L O O F F AS-2 XX AS2 NX SOLID TEMPERED SOLID TEMPERED M 71 M 51 Left Rear Window Right Rear Window Safety Plate Safety Plate L L O O F F AS2 NX AS2 XX SOLID TEMPERED SOLID TEMPERED M 52 M 52

Rear Glass PPG SOLEX

HERCULITE SOLID TEMPERED

SAFETY FLOAT AS2 M27.6 2672

DOT 18

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Glass Conclusion The windshield was apparently a replacement due to its date being April 1968 which was a month after the car was built. The left front and the right rear window glass had a date code of February 1968, the right front and the left rear window glass had a date code of January 1968. The authenticity of the rear glass was undetermined because it was a different manufacture and did not have a date code. Therefore, the side glasses appear to be the original window glass and support the validation of this vehicle. However, the windshield and rear glass appear to be replacements and do not lend themselves as assets to this validation effort.

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1968 Camaro Vehicle Identification Build Dates18

Norwood Los Angeles

Month Year Starting VIN

Ending VIN

Starting VIN

Ending VIN

August 1967 300001 301000

September 1967 301001 319989 300001 304745

October 1967 319990 337720 304746 309652

November 1967 337721 352898 309653 315860

December 1967 352899 368090 315861 321968

January 1968 368091 382800 321969 328091

February 1968 382801 392000 328092 331484

March 1968 392001 407303 331485 335251

April 1968 407304 426000 335252 338564

May 1968 426001 448000 338565 342086

June 1968 448001 462500 342087 345432

July 1968 462501 484735 345433 349164

Timeline

1967 1968 A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J This car was built in March (M) of 1968. It was considered as a “post” December car rather than a “pre” January car.

18 http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/goodies/vindate.htm

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CRG Research Report – Assembly Process For some time now I have been trying to figure out the day this car was built. After reading the CRG Research Report entitled “The First-Generation Camaro Assembly Process”, by John Hinckley19 I decided to try and contact him by the e-mail link CRG had provided (snake488@aol.com) and solicit his assistance. Within a short period of time, I received the following series of e-mails from both Mr. John Hinckley and Mr. Mark Canning. Based on their expertise it was estimated that this car was built on March 22, 1968. I read the above referenced article on the CRG Web site and enjoyed it very much. I have been extremely interested in the assembly process and timelines. For sometime now, I have been trying to calculate the day my 1968 Camaro was built. The information in this article indicates that Norwood ran two shifts and produced 57 car per hour, or 912 per day. I understand that this discussion focused on the 1969 model, however, from my research there were 15,303 Camaros built in March of 1968. So, 15303 divided by 912 would equal 15.78, or approximately 16 days that it would have taken to produce the 15,303 cars for March. From this information, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how 16 days could constitute the entire month. How many days per week was the plant running the two shifts per day? Also, in March, 1968 the 1st was on a Friday and there were 31 days. Since the Cal Tags would accommodate Five (5) weeks (A - E), it seems that days 1 - 7 would be the first week, 8 -14 would be the second week and so on. Any other combination would be greater than five weeks. Enough of that, as you can see I have thought too much about the timeline subject. My Camaro had a Norwood VIN sequence number of 401563 and a Cal Tag code of 03 C the third week in March, 1968. How can I calculate the day my car was built using Normative Practices? Thanks in advance for the favor of your reply. Hi, - Just got back from Florida last night - will get back to you in a day or two, or you'll get a response directly from Mark Canning, who is more familiar with 1968 production number issues than I am. Regards, John Hinckley CRG Mr. Hinckley, Thanks so much for the prompt reply. I really appreciate hearing back from you and for having an opportunity to receive a response back from Mr. Canning concerning this issue. Thanks again for everything,

19 http://www.camaros.org/assemblyprocess.shtml

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Hi, - Just got Mark Canning's analysis (he has all the gory detail on production numbers from each plant) - his response is below. Regards, John Hinckley CRG John - He's mixing Norwood and LA production rates together. Norwood made 14,876 Camaros during March of 68, while LOS made 8458 vehicles, of which 3767 were Camaros. This is per GM published data based on the last VIN number shipped from the plants as of the last day of each month. For March of 68 the VIN data CRG has is very close to these numbers. Average production at Norwood was around 18,000 cars a month during the 68 model year. Assuming that the 57 cars per hour is the normal capacity at Norwood, and you had two shifts working 8 hours for 20 working days you come out with a monthly rate of just about 18,000 cars, which is just about the average rate for September, thru December of 67. January, February, and March, are Norwood’s lowest production months running between 11,000 and 14,000 cars, followed by a ramp up to 18,000 units in April and a huge 39,000 cars in May, then back to 17,000 cars in June of 68. I would suspect the plant was running a single shift from January, to at least part way thru March of 68 and then running 2 shifts until the middle of June. March was a 4 week build month 03A began on Monday March 4th, 03D ended on Saturday March 30th. If we assume the plant was working a single shift for 2 weeks and on two shifts for two weeks we get 4560 cars built before March 15th, and another 9120 cars from March 15th to Friday the 29th. This total (13, 680) comes up pretty close to the published production numbers. If you throw a Friday March 15th night shift and a Saturday March 16th day shift in there it comes out just about on the money. You can't figure production date on an LA car by the VIN because the mix of Camaros and others could be changed day to day based on demand of the various models built there. According to the data we have there were 3767 Camaros built during March. By looking at the VIN numbers it looks like almost half of them (about 1800) were built during the 03D week, with the rest distributed amongst the previous 3 weeks which comes out roughly 650 Camaros being made each week. This further strengthens the theory that the plants shifted from single shift operations back to two shift production in mid March. Without knowing the VIN numbers associated with the transitions from one week to another it's tough to figure out when the car was built. But since I do know them I can guess. A Norwood built Camaro with a VIN of 401563 started down the Fisher Body line somewhere around March 22nd as the transition to 03D build week occurred in the low 402xxx VIN range. So this car is roughly 2 shifts (900 cars) prior to the change over from 03C to 03D. This would indicate it probably came over to the Chevy side of the plant late Monday 3/25/68 (assuming no Saturday work), and was probably shipped from the plant early on Wednesday 3/27/68. If you work the VIN's backwards from the last VIN shipped in March (407303) at 912 cars per day to get to yours you come up with 5740 cars divided by 912 you get 6.3 days of production which means your car should have hit the Chevy side of the plant and had it's VIN assigned on March 22nd. There’s a day or two discrepancy in these numbers and I suspect the truth is the car was started by Fisher around the 21st of the month, it took till late in the second shift on the 22nd to get to Chevy, was finished by Chevy on the 26th and shipped that evening and the actual production at the plant was slightly less than 912 cars per day at the

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time. Mark Thanks very much to both of you for your time and expertise. I am trying to document my 68 Camaro and this process has become a labor of love. Thanks again for everything; I really appreciate it very much!

27

Appendix A Calendar for year 1968 (USA) 20 January 1968 February 1968 March 1968

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

April 1968 May 1968 June 1968 Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

July 1968 August 1968 September 1968 Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

October 1968 November 1968 December 1968 Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

20 http://timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=1968&country=1