Throwing this one out for opinions as I haven't been able to come up with a definitive answer. I bought the car a few weeks ago. The car has a 04C build code on the cowl tag. The transmission partial VIN last three numbers is 9 digits off from the car VIN. My first assumption was that the tranny has been replaced with a date correct Turbo 350 that was also a Camaro tranny based on the VIN but what are the chances of that happening? The car partial VIN is 19NXXX334, tranny partial VIN is 19NXXX325, stamped on the top flange of the tranny on the driver's side. Transmission pan stamp is Y9D11D. Kurt S proposed it may be a factory error, but as he said, we'll never really know if that's the case. Opinions? Thanks!
On another note, I can't make out the partial VIN stamped on the block behind the oil filter. I can make out 19N but that's all. I've tried paint remover, Goof Off paint remover, chalk, etc with no luck seeing the rest of the numbers. Any other suggestions that may help make the numbers legible? It is supposed to be the original engine but I can't be 100% sure unless I can verify the partial VIN on the block. The engine code on the block pad is correct but I still want to know what's on the block if possible.