What does a 138 VIN mean on a Chevelle?

The 138 prefix is the quickest authenticity check on a first-generation SS 396 and on the 1968 car. It is also widely misread, so it helps to know what each part of the number says.

How the VIN reads

A 1967 Chevelle VIN has 13 characters:

• Position 1: division. 1 is Chevrolet.
• Positions 2 and 3: series. 38 is the SS 396 (and the V8 Concours wagon).
• Positions 4 and 5: body style. 17 is the 1966 and 1967 sport coupe, 67 the convertible.
• Position 6: model year. 7 is 1967.
• Position 7: assembly plant, for example B for Baltimore or K for Kansas City.
• Positions 8 to 13: the production sequence, which started at 100001.

So 138177B is a 1967 SS 396 sport coupe built at Baltimore. On a 1967 the VIN plate is riveted to the driver-side front door pillar with rosette-head rivets. Plain pop rivets there are a reason to ask questions.

Which years 138 covers

• 1965: 138 is the Malibu SS with a V8 (137 with a six). It does not mean a 396.
• 1966 and 1967: 13817 and 13867 are the SS 396 sport coupe and convertible, the only Chevelles that came with the 396 as standard.
• 1968: 13837 (sport coupe), 13867 (convertible) and 13880, the only year an SS 396 El Camino can be read from the VIN.

The year pages for 1966 and 1967 list the cars currently offered, and the SS 396 cars among them should all show this prefix.

Where it stops working

A 138 wagon is a Concours, not an SS: 13835 was the V8 Concours wagon in 1967. From 1969 the SS 396 was option Z25 on a Malibu (136) or 300 Deluxe (134), so a real 1969 to 1971 SS has no 138 in its VIN at all. Those cars are covered in how to tell a real SS from a clone, and the history is in how the SS became an option for 1969.

A correct 138 VIN proves the series. It does not prove the engine in the car today is the one it was built with, so check the block stamping as well.