GM Cowl Tag Decoder
The small plate Fisher Body riveted to the firewall says how your car’s body was built: its color, its interior, which plant built it and the week it started. Pick your car and type the tag in line by line. Free, and nothing is saved.
1967–1969 Camaro
Paint, top, interior, plant, build week, 1967 option codes and 1969 X-codes.
1968–1972 Chevelle, Malibu and El Camino
Body style, plant, build week, paint, top and interior, including the wagons.
What a cowl tag can and can’t tell you
Fisher Body built GM bodies and stamped the tag as each one started down the line. So the tag is good on anything to do with the body: style, paint, top, interior and build week. It’s usually silent about the engine, the transmission and most performance options, which Chevrolet added afterward. For those, the VIN, a build sheet or a Protect-O-Plate is the better record.
Codes changed from year to year and sometimes from plant to plant, which is why each model has its own decoder. More GM models are on the way. Have a different car? Start with the VIN decoder.
Garage Chronicle isn’t affiliated with General Motors. Model names are GM trademarks, used only to describe which cars these tools read.