Fisher Body Number Plate Decoding

The U.S.-built 1966 SS396 Chevelle was only available with the 396 engine and only came in a 2-door sport coupe (138176xxxxxxx) or 2-door convertible (138676xxxxxxx) body style.

The 396 engine could be ordered in the 1966 El Camino but the El Camino did not have the SS option package; SS El Caminos did not appear until 1968. In 1966 and 1967 only, the Malibu and SS396 also had its own body style designation for the 2-door sport coupe (hardtop), "17" as opposed previous and later model years that used style "37" to denote the 2-door sport coupe.

Typical 1966 Fisher Body Number Plate Breakdown - U.S. production

Line 1: Body production date of vehicle. A typical production date would be: 06C
This production date tells us the Chevelle in question was produced in June (06) in the third week (C).
(Caveat: Unfortunately, plants were open to deciding what a 'week' is in relation to specific dates. Therefore, the date ranges shown on the pages where they appear may or may not be correct. To conform to some standard for the data presented, letter "A" represents dates 1-7, letter "B" represents dates 8-14, letter "C" represents dates 15-21, letter "D" represents dates 22-28, and letter "E" represents dates 29-31 as applicable.)

A - First Week
B - Second Week
C - Third Week
D - Fourth Week
E - Fifth Week

Line 2: Model Year, Fisher Body Style Designation, Assembly Plant, Fisher Body unit number. The first number (66) on line 2 is the year of production, the 5 numbers that follow is the Fisher Body Style designation, then assembly plant designation, and finally the Fisher Body unit number used for production purposes. The even/odd third digit does not indicate a V8 or L6 engine on the body plate, only the VIN plate will distinguish between the two. See the Introduction page for more information.

MODEL IDENTIFICATION

CHEVELLE 300 131-13200 SERIES
MODEL 131-13211 ~ 2-DOOR SEDAN, 6-PASSENGER
MODEL 131-13269 ~ 4-DOOR SEDAN, 6-PASSENGER

CHEVELLE 300 DELUXE 133-13400 SERIES
MODEL 133-13411 ~ 2-DOOR SEDAN, 6-PASSENGER
MODEL 133-13435 ~ 4-DOOR STATION WAGON, 2-SEAT
MODEL 133-13469 ~ 4-DOOR SEDAN, 6-PASSENGER
MODEL 133-13480 ~ 2-DOOR SEDAN PICKUP, 3-PASSENGER

MALIBU 135-13600 SERIES
MODEL 135-13617 ~ 2-DOOR SPORT COUPE, 5-PASSENGER
MODEL 135-13635 ~ 4-DOOR STATION WAGON, 2-SEAT
MODEL 135-13639 ~ 4-DOOR SPORT SEDAN, 6-PASSENGER
MODEL 135-13667 ~ 2-DOOR CONVERTIBLE, 5-PASSENGER
MODEL 135-13669 ~ 4-DOOR SEDAN, 6-PASSENGER
MODEL 135-13680 ~ 2-DOOR SEDAN PICKUP, 3-PASSENGER

SUPER SPORT 396 13800 SERIES
MODEL 13817 ~ 2-DOOR SPORT COUPE, 5-PASSENGER
MODEL 13867 ~ 2-DOOR CONVERTIBLE, 5-PASSENGER

Line 3: Interior trim and lower/upper paint/vinyl/convertible top color codes.

Lines 4/5/6: Of the 5 U.S. assembly plants Atlanta, Framingham and Kansas City also included up to five Body Option Groups; Baltimore and Fremont did not use these codes. Baltimore and Fremont were GMAD, or General Motors Assembly Division, plants and other GM vehicles were assembled there along with the Chevelle. These groups may be listed on 1 line or 2, depending on the number of options to be installed on the Chevelle.

• Atlanta lists body option groups on lines 4 and/or 5. Additionally, a hand stamped number of unknown meaning is often found at various locations on the plate. See Atlanta Body Plates. 

• Baltimore lists the Job Number of the Trim Broadcast Sheet on line 1. See Baltimore Body Plates / El Camino

• Flint lists body option groups on lines 4 and/or 5. See Flint Body Plates.

• Fremont lists tracking codes on line 5. See Fremont Body Plates / El Camino

• Framingham lists body option groups on lines 4 and/or 5.  A single letter is also found in the top right of the plate and its meaning is unknown at this time. See Framingham Body Plates.

• Kansas City lists body option groups on lines 4 and/or 5. See Kansas City Body Plates / El Camino

• Oshawa layout of the body plate is a little different from the U.S.-built counterparts. Style (series/model) and assembly date are listed on line 1, line 2 is body number, line 3 is paint color, line 4 is interior trim, and line 5 will list some options by their Regular Production Option code. No indication of the Oshawa plant itself.

Options that may be listed in groups for Atlanta, Framingham, and Kansas City. 
{Note: There may be additional option codes as GM tended to change options availability throughout the model year. Only those listed by various documentation and those verified (when not listed) are shown.}