Here's the trim tag from dads 77 Z/28. I have most of it decoded.

ST77 1FQ87 L 236832BDY
TR19R A51W19LW19U PNT
03B B - - 062254.

Here's what I don't get. A51 is front buckets. What is the W after it? The 19L is black exterior lower, then another W (?) and the 19U is black upper.

The 03B is 2nd week of March build but what is the next B mean? How about the 2 dashes?

Thanks for any help, I appreciate it.
Lewis

The information is all here.
http://www.nastyz28.com/2gcog/stegmiller/cowl_tags.htm#la76
W is water based paint. LA built cars all have it because of smog restrictions that California imposed on factories in the later 70s.
B is black steering column and dash.
The dashes are spaces for options as indicated in the link.

Ok, I missed those, I apologize. Here's a question though. In spot 10 it gives the codes for the trim of car, ie: Z/28, LT or Sport Coupe. The spot on my car is a dash as shown above, indicating a Sport Coupe. The car is a Z/28. Shouldn't spot 10 have an 8 indicating the Z?

Yes, your car should have the 8 indicating that it is a Z28.......................but, and I'm going out on a limb here. Your car has a build date of 03B (mid-March). The 77 Z28 was a mid-year introduction. The closest I can find information on is that Chevy announced the return of the Z28 at the February Daytona in 1977. I don't know when actual production of the 77 Z28 cars started up, but it is safe to say that your car is an early production 77 Z28. This "8" code on the cowl tag was a new thing with the LA plant in mid-77 with the return of the Z28. It is highly likely that the really early cars do not have the code on the cowl tag. Sometimes when something new starts up in an assembly plant, things aren't quite up to full speed, and maybe the first cars were not coded like the later ones. Maybe someone can find old documentation somewhere to prove me right or wrong, but we probably aren't that lucky.

For now that makes enough sense for me unless someone knows otherwise. I have the order sheet and paperwork from when it was bought new by dad so I know it is legit. Thanks for the help.
Lewis

My 77 Z was one of the first ones to come off of the assembly line in 1977. It has a build date of 02C (3rd week of Feb). It does have the Z28 stamped into it, however it was a Norwood built car. So, there may be something to where they were built as far as when the Z28 was actually stamped into the cowl tag.

Here's the cowl tag for the 77 Z :

ST 77 1FQ87 N 131510 BDY
TR 19R A51 13L 13U PNT
02C Z28 BLK

Shane,
Norwood had been using the "Z28" designation on their cowl tag since at least the beginning of the Second Gen production in 1970. LA had no markings to indicate Z28 on their cowl tags until 1977. Beginning that year, they used a "8" coded into the tag for this purpose, and it is surely possible that some early cars did not have it. It would be interesting to compare other early LA Z28s and find out exactly when the "8" designation appeared.

Shane,
Norwood had been using the "Z28" designation on their cowl tag since at least the beginning of the Second Gen production in 1970. LA had no markings to indicate Z28 on their cowl tags until 1977. Beginning that year, they used a "8" coded into the tag for this purpose, and it is surely possible that some early cars did not have it. It would be interesting to compare other early LA Z28s and find out exactly when the "8" designation appeared.

You are right Gary - I wasn't paying attention:screwup: about the LA Z28 designation. They must have started using the "8" in the March/April timeframe of 1977. I'm going to check the 77 Z28 thread and see if there's any more info there.