Chevy & GMC Truck VIN Decoder
Type in the serial number or VIN from your truck’s plate or title. The decoder reads every Chevrolet and GMC truck serial from 1947 to 1998, including the pre-1981 layouts that standard VIN decoders can’t read, and tells you the year, series, body, engine and the plant that built it. Then it takes you straight to the parts that fit.
Decoded in your browser. The number is never sent to us or stored.
Where to find the VIN on a Chevy or GMC truck
The quickest place is the title or registration. On the truck itself:
- 1947-59: a small plate on the driver’s side door hinge pillar or door frame.
- 1960-66: a plate inside the cab. Check the driver’s door pillar and the glove box door.
- 1967-80: the VIN plate on the driver’s door pillar.
- 1981-98: on the dash at the base of the windshield, driver’s side, where you can read it from outside. It is also on the label on the driver’s door.
Square body trucks also carry a shorter stamp on the frame: the make, year, plant and sequence number. The decoder reads that too.
How Chevy truck VIN codes changed, 1947-98
GM only moved to the 17-character VIN in 1981. Before that each generation had its own serial layout, which is why most online decoders give up on an older truck. This is what each era looks like, and where the model year sits in it:
| Years | Example | Characters | Where the year is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-52 | 8JPE10001 | 8 to 11 | The letter after the plant number: E = 1947 through K = 1952 |
| 1953-55 first series | H54J100001 | 10 | The two digits after the series letter: 54 = 1954 |
| 1955 second series-59 | 3A57F100001 | 11 | The two digits after the series code: 57 = 1957. A 1955 second series reads H255… |
| 1960-64 | 2C154L100001 | 12 | The first digit: 2 = 1962 |
| 1965-66 | C1545Z100001 | 12 | The fifth character: 5 = 1965 |
| 1967-71 | CE148S100001 | 12 | The fifth character: 8 = 1968 |
| 1972-80 | CCE142S100001 | 13 | The sixth character: 2 = 1972 through A = 1980 |
| 1981-98 | 1GCEK14K7SZ100001 | 17 | The tenth character: B = 1981 through W = 1998 |
GMC used its own layouts until 1972, when the two brands moved to one format with a C for Chevrolet or a T for GMC in front. The decoder reads the GMC serials as well.
What the serial can and can’t tell you
Every serial gives the model year and the assembly plant, and most give the series: ½-ton, ¾-ton or 1-ton. From 1960 you also get 2WD or 4WD, and from 1967 the body style. The engine is coded as V8 or six from 1955 to 1959 and from 1967, and by exact engine from 1973. Before that the engine carries its own number on the block.
No serial can tell you what has been changed since the truck left the plant. Engine swaps, bed swaps and mixed-year cabs are common on these trucks, so for body and interior parts check what is on the truck as well as what the VIN says. The Chevy 3100 guide and the square body guide show the year-to-year differences to look for.
Common questions
Why won’t other VIN decoders read my truck?
Most free decoders, including the NHTSA’s, are built for the 17-character VIN that became standard in 1981. A 1972 C10 serial has 13 characters and a 1951 3100 serial can have as few as eight, so those decoders reject them.
Can the VIN tell me whether my 1955 is a first or second series?
Yes. A second series (Task Force) serial has a 2 straight after the series letter, like H255…. A first series serial reads H55…. Our 1955 first vs second series guide covers what fits each.
Is my 1988-91 Suburban or Blazer an OBS?
No. GM kept building the square body Suburban, Blazer, crew cab and chassis cab until 1991, after the new pickups arrived. Those carryover trucks have an R or V in the fifth position of the VIN, and they take square body parts. What is an OBS truck? explains the split.
What does the 9th digit of the VIN mean?
On a 1981 or later VIN the ninth character is a check digit, worked out from the other sixteen. If it does not add up, one character has almost always been misread. The decoder checks it for you.