LUVTruck.com

well, guys, i am beginning to think my LUV isn't an '80. for one it has a '79 emissions sticker on the hood and the guy i bought it from was doofus enough to mess something like that up. so, my question is, is there anyway to tell, through the VIN what year my Luv is? i know the '79 and '80 are basically identical and it really doesn't matter, but im just curious. just like a parent not knowing what year their child was born, it just feels wierd !!!

Josh

Yes. The V.I.N. will tell you what series truck you have. I copied the info form a previous post
C is the division- Chevrolet
L is Chassis Type- Light Utility
N is Engine Type
1 is the Gvw Range- Half ton
4 is the Body Type- 4 is Pickup and 3 is Chassis Cab
9 is the Vehicle Series- 9 is a 79, 8 is a 78 and so on
8 is the assembly plant- in this case and on my truck
(Which has a 8 here) it was assembled at the Fujisawa plant in Japan
200001 is a sequential number (production run)

On the sticker on my truck door states that it was built in Dec ,1974, which makes it a 75 model year(my California title stated 75). When i re-registered the truck from California to Texas, The state issued me a new title showing it as a 1974 model truck. I never bothered to correct it because it just makes it 1 year closer to avoiding emissions all together. The taillights are from 75 and on. The wiring diagram matches a 75. So if you find that it's a year off, it seems to be the norm.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

The correct year should be on the title and registration, if you should happen to have that around. That comes from the DMV, not the person selling the truck somewhere down the line. Also keep in mind that much of the 80 model year truck or parts of it where created in late 1979. Date stamps don't always jive to the model year.

Hey Blue Meanie, what year does it need to be in Texas that you dont need to pass an emissions test?I know in Montgomery county Texas you dont have to pass the emissions test.What about the rest of the state? I thought that everybody still looked at the tail light for the dot..number to determine what year it is.. I guess thats the old fashion way..Proubly still come close if the tail lights havent been changed. Good info you gave though , thanks

In Texas, the only places that require an actual emissions test are the large cities(D,FW,Houston El Paso). I think its 30 years to be exempt, but dont hold me to that. I'll have to look it up. When i was in Calif, i dumped the catylytic converter from the stock motor but the county i lived in didn't require sniff test unless you were selling. When i got to Texas with the Buick motor under the hood, i thought i would have to install a converter and a bunch of other stuff. It turned out that 75 model vehicles didn't require a converter. And as for any other stuff, you need to find a local state inspection shop that cool with street rods, they're more forgiving on meeting the requirements. They go by the insurance card for the year model. They can verify the V.I.N. from there and if you have a multi colored inspection sticker, That means the vehicle is registered in a smog check county. They wont inspect because that. I had a hell of a time convicing a local shop that i just bought my C-1500 from a local dealer and that it was registered in this county. It's best to find an independent shop because Major chains like Kwik lube and Walmart would rather fail a vehicle than run the risk of getting fined. I also noticed that women inspectors are quicker to reject a vehicle. There's a new law that says "Pass or fail" you still pay the fee. But most shops arent to quick to exercise that. This just protects them from somebody wasting their time by repeatedly trying to get their sub-standard brakes and bald tires to pass inpection. When i got my Luv inspected, the horn didn't want to work. It's the first thing he checked. I fumbled with it and he said "I just need to hear it work once by pushing the horn button". I got it to go "BLEEP" and he said "Good enough". He took it for the brake check and it sure felt odd to see somebody else driving my my little hot rod. When he rolled it into the inspection bay, a crowd of mechanics formed around my truck. All had looks of approval. My oil sending unit dripped oil on their nice, clean floor. The inspector asked if i was going to tighten that up when i got back to the house. I said "Yes i will". The truck felt different because i was more at ease having it fully legal and i had to go to somebody else and seek a seal of approval.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

well guys, im very confused. my door says my truck was manufactured in April, 1980 which would definetely make it an '80, but my VIN is CRN14A8261355. can someone help me decode this?


thanks
Josh

Are you sure thats an "A" between the 4 and the 8? Whats the number on the title or registration?

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

this is why im confused, that IS off the registration!! where is it on the truck. i dont recall seeing it on the base of the windshield but i didn't look that hard. if its there i could easily have overlooked it due to years of dust i need to clean out...

Josh

There should be a plate on the drivers side door pillar somewhere around where the latch bolt is. I had to think really hard for a min to remember where i seen it. It's something you dont think about every day. The sticker on the door and the I.D. plate face each other when the door is closed.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

gimme a sec, im curious so im gonna go look at it...be right back!!

yep, thats the number alright! ain't this wierd. its clear as a bell on the silver vin plate. hope i can figure this one out!

Josh

i got a little curious too...damn i hate being a insommiac
anyway mine has a A there also...its a 80

CLN14A8213862

_________________
I like my steak like I like my women, young, tender and bloody.

All I need is my weed, women, and wine. -Edge City Outlaws

Thats beyond me. Maybe they used a leter designation because the 79 and 80 model year trucks share the same series info. Maybe you have to distinguish the actual year thru the production run number. You'll have to find out if they carried over the series for 1 more year as to advance the newer body style trucks. That way they would have had a year to tool up. It's just an idea of what they could have done. It makes sense though, why focus on the last of a series when you need to get ready for the new model.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

i think i may have figured it out, and it kinda goes along the lines of what Blue is saying. ok, ya'll say they usually used a number in tha position that the "A" is in for the year, right? well, how about this, maybe Isuzu/GM didn't want to confuse people into thinkin the truck was a 1970 (hence the "0" that WOULD have been there!) so they changed to letters instead of numbers (e.g.-A=1980, B=1981, etc...). someone on here with an '81 help us clear this mess up, do you guys have a "B" in the year slot or a number? if ya'll have a number then im goin with what Blue said about the carryover, if not, im goin with what i said until i find a better answer!


Josh