Topic: VIN

[torrac]

Hello everyone. I just purchased a 79 Silver Anniversary which I believe to be numbers matching but I have a couple of questions. VIN reads( 2) Pontiac,(X) 10th Aniv,( 87) 2 dr hardtop,( K) 403 Olds,( 9), 1979(, L) Van Nuys Build. Here is where I get confused. Cowl Tag is  79   0 D     2FS87L   152   15L   16U    W    A-51   CC1 X34214478.   According to what i have been able to find the 2FS87L is base model firebird but the paint codes and everything else seem to be correct. Is this something that was possible? No Y89 or WS6?  I'm thinking it may have a different front clip but hoping to be wrong .
Also, this car has been sitting in storage for 8 yrs and according to seller was running before stored. I have not pulled it out yet but the brakes appear to be froze up, and I was wondering what you fellas would suggest as far as what to do before starting. Any ideas on any of this would be terrific. THX in advance.

[NWW-79 T/A]

Ok here's the deal with the cowl tag, mine is like this too. Around the late years of production these cars were being made pretty quickly due to high production numbers. The Fisher plant where the bodies were made weren't always stamped as Trans Am when they left, and were converted at the GM plant. So if your VIN says Trans Am, it's a Trans Am. But cowl tags don't always show it.

[torrac]

Has anyone else ever heard of this happening with the cowl tag not getting stamped right? I don't mean to pry or not believe what I read, but there are certain things as I work on this car that don't make sense and therefore make me wonder if I really have a true TATA. For exmple, the steering wheel is black, not silver, the drivers door has no holes for power lock actuator, and I'm sure there are more that I would not recognize. What else can I look at to verify that this is a true TATA? If some metal had been replaced I don't think that is the worst thing, not ideal, but not terrible. If I could verify one way or another it may change what I do with the car. How can i confirm the engine and tranny match the car? Lots of things appear to be correct but I just want to know for sure. I did send for the build sheet as well, will that help with my quest? Thanks again

[NWW-79 T/A]

Well one sure fire way to know if its a TATA is if it has an X in the VIN

[torrac]

It does have the X on the VIN but not Y89 on cowl tag, that is why I'm wondering along with the othr things I mentioned

[GPlover74]

They weren't consistent with stamping the cowl on a lot of the later special editions.  They were even sometimes treated differently between production plants.  I wouldn't be too concerned if the cowl tag doesn't show it is a Y89. The VIN is probably a better reference point anyway, cowl tags can be swapped. I don't know that cowl tags were stamped with WS6, the build sheet shows the options and that is where it would be.  If you can trace the VIN from the dash to the motor, firewall and tranny then I wouldn't have much doubt on a "numbers matching" car that is a 10th anniversary.

Did you find a build sheet?

[torrac]

Unfortunately no build sheet. I did faind the serial number on block matches the VIN Where do you find it on the firewall?

[Grand73Am]

You'd have to remove the a/c case from the firewall to see it.

You could get the build sheet info for your car from Pontiac Historical Services here. I think it's about $70: http://www.phs-online.com/services.html