I wanted to decode the vin of my 65 cutlass post, it has 13 number/letters. the vin I have right now is 338275Z116825. any help appreciated. and thanks.

 

VIN's of that era didn't tell you much more than you could learn by just looking at the car.

338275Z116825

3 = Oldsmobile
38 = F-85 Cutlass with V-8 engine
27 = post coupe
5 = 1965 model year
Z = Fremont, California assembly plant
116825 = sequential number at Fremont plant


For possibly more interesting information, post a clear photo of the cowl tag mounted on the driver's side under the hood on the firewall.

This one is from a Chevy, but it looks like this:

 

thanks for the information, Jaunty75. I appreciate the reply, I know a little more about my car now. will get the full vin today off the plate and see where that leads. thanks


ted

 

Just to be technically correct, what's on the plate on the cowl is NOT the VIN, and the VIN does not appear there.

People usually call it the cowl tag or body cowl tag. Oldsmobile itself called it the "Body and Style Number Plate." It has all sorts of letters and numbers on it, but none of them are the VIN.


Second, and I can't emphasize this enough, it is MUCH better if you take a clear photo of the cowl tag and post it here instead of trying to copy down and post what it says. It's very easy to misread a letter or number (it happens all the time because the stamping isn't always clear, and what looks like an "8" could be a "B" and that sort of thing), and where the characters appear on the plate can mean as much as what the characters are. So get out your cell phone or pocket camera, get a nice clear shot, and post it.