My Mystery '67 Camaro

[Z71]

Don't have one.  I sold off all my old cars back in 2002 when I retired.  I am just worn out with old cars, let that to others to enjoy.  My last 5 yrs of work for the M-DOT(GPS Surveyor) had me travelling so much I had no time to play with cars and lost interest in owning them.

The last camaro I had was never even on the road in 5 yrs I had it.  I was made an offer I could not refuse so I sold it to a local body man.  The car has been sold 2x more times since and still not on the road.

Last cars I had were a 1970 El Camino SS396 (NOM), 1964 Impala 2 dr Sport Coupe and a 2002 Trans Am WS6 which I sold last year.

[McKenzieDave]

Did I read correctly?  Cowl tag says 12637??  Dave

[67ss350camaro]

Did I read correctly? Cowl tag says 12637?? Dave

Yes, 12637 = Custom Interior Coupe.
You might want to read: http://www.camaros.org/numbers.shtml#VINvsStyle

[Wazoo151]

Today I got the RH fender off - I had to cut off one very stubborn body bolt, but it's done.  After removing the heater motor, I did indeed find two numbers underneath.  The first one matches the partial VIN on the cowl - 7L160971.  There is another stamp underneath the hole, and this reads K22 R.  What, if anything, does this second number mean?

I am becoming more convinced that the cowl tag is not original to the car.  It's held in place by hexagonal flathead screws, not rivets, and once I got the fender off, there's even more gold paint where a repaint just wouldn't touch.

Am I correct in that a vertically-oriented rectangular cutout in the firewall means an AC car?  One of the local Camaro Club guys (great bunch) mentioned this - and the cowl tag is non-AC.  Furthermore, there's an AC dash in the car.

Well, the bright side is that this'll be a good story to tell once she's all done!

Robert

[Wazoo151]

This is now a little more bizarre.  After pulling the fenders today, I went back to work on wire-wheeling all of the fiberglass between the windshield bottom and the cowl (bad rust in here, someone glassed it in over a bad weld repair job).  I have the windshield out of the car, and the glass runs up onto the upper dash piece.  So I'm grinding away, when I hit bondo, but bondo in a perfect rectangle. 

Underneath is a 1968 VIN.  # 124378N430775.

Since the car has so many 67-speific pieces, the dash has to be out of another car.  But now I have three conflicting numbers on the car.  Partial 67 VIN, full 68 VIN, and the cowl tag.  I'm thinking of naming her Frankenstein.

Thoughts?

Robert

[JohnZ]

The K22R is a Fisher Body "run number" for that panel - says it was stamped at Kalamazoo during the 22nd week of production. A vertical rectangular opening in the firewall says it's an A/C panel. You can be pretty sure that the VIN derivative stamped adjacent to the heater opening is the original, as that panel is seldom replaced.

[Wazoo151]

So I take it there's no kind of Marti report you can run on the VIN of a Camaro to generate the options, engine type, etc. that came with the car in the rist place?

Of course, this puts me in the unenviable position of doing one of two things with regard to the VIN.  One, get a state-issued VIN.  Two, find some manner of reproduction plate.  With the trim tag, I either have to take it as listed, or do the same as the VIN - either buy one that suits what I want the car to be, or find a reproduction.  I have read a lot on these boards to beware of trim tags because they can be faked - has anyone run into a faked trim tag?

Robert

[JohnZ]

Nope, no "Marti report" info is available for GM cars, other than the numbers on those we have in the CRG database. Yes, there are fake cowl tags out there by the hundreds - we see them every day on eBay and other on-line-advertised cars.

Let's boil this down - the car has no VIN plate on the door jamb at all (just rivet holes?). The 7L160971 is stamped adjacent to the heater opening. Where exactly is the 124378N430775 VIN located? Is there a VIN "window" in the upper instrument panel just behind the windshield opening? Is there anything in it?

[Wazoo151]

The facts as I know them:

The car has no VIN on the driver's door jamb.  There is a "clean" spot where the tag was, as well as two holes where the rivets were.  There are two 1967 partial VINs on the car - one on the inner cowl and the other behind the heater motor.  Both of them read 7L160971.  Apparently the upper dash panel in the car is from a 1968, because the 124378N430775 VIN is in the "traditional" place in a VIN "window" on the dashboard.  This is the only 68 piece on the car.  Everything else is 67 vintage.   

I have run publicdata.com queries on the following VINs:

124378N430775
124377L160971
126377L160971
123377L160971
125477L160971

None of them return any records within the area that publicdata.com covers.  At this point, the easiest way for me to get the car registered again (as a 67, natch) is to have a VIN tag made, although I am not sure where to start looking for someone that can stamp one.

R

[Z71]

Its illegal to possess or sell VIN tags and rivets so it would appear your only course of action is thru your state DMV.  And the police will have to get invloved in this for sure.

I had just a simple typo on a title and it was a PITA.  Since I could not drive the vehicle to the cops (no plates because of title error), I had to get them to come to me and that took 2 days.   Then the cops ran wants and warrants on me and checked the car over for evidence of tampering.  Eevrything was as it should be so the officer filled out a form that I had to take to the DMV that certified they made a typo in issuing the title to the previouos owner.  Took several days to get this done.  I cannot imagine the problems you are going to face.

[Tinkerr]

Have you contacted MVA or a friendly police officer and ask about a VIN/title search.It can be done, thats how the police determine if a car is stolen during a traffic stop and driver has no documentation. There are only two possibilities the first five digits are 12337/12437 .This may bring you bad news if it turns up stolen.What parts of the original car are still intact,from these you might be able to discern 6 cylinder or v8.That all the first 5 digits denote. 

[Wazoo151]

I have contacted the DMV, but not about the VIN - it was about the title.  They said that with two independent appraisals, I could get a bonded registration document, and after 8 weeks, I would get the title.  I am going to call the DMV and inquire as to the two potential VINS to see if it comes back stolen.  As far as original pieces - there's a 10-bolt posi rear in the car with 4.11 gears - the housing may be original.

Robert

[ChevyThunder]

Boy.. I would think at this point a call to the person you bought the car form would be in order to see what he  or she knows about all of this....and maybe some presure to buy the car back! There are a lot of cars out there and i am sure you can find one that you will like that does not have these problems...sometimes a can of worms only gets worse not better. Just my .02