1959-1963 cowl tags

[Carl 1962]

I've been guilty of hijacking other threads when the opportunity to discuss cowl tags has come up so I thought it was time to start a thread dedicated to decoding them for those that want to know. It's a touchy subject with some people because of the propensity of some owners/builders to create cars to their own specifications, including engine changes, or turning an original Impala into an SS Impala. This often involves sourcing a reproduction cowl tag with the trim code changed to bucket seats, but no change, or incorrect changes, to the ACC codes. There were 13 Fisher plants making full-size Chevy's in 1962 (more or less in other years) and they all used their own accessory (ACC) coding systems. Some plants used codes that were for one option, only for another Fisher plant to use the same code for a different option, or a different code for the same option. Codes for 1964 onwards were standardized and there are websites that decode those.

Reproduction tags are easy to spot because people commonly use the wrong code for the particular plant for a particular option, but if a comprehensive and correct list of codes was published somewhere (book or internet), the fake tags would be harder to spot because all the codes would be correct even if the car wasn't built that way originally. I therefore will not be posting the complete list of codes for all the different options at all the different Fisher plants.

However, for those that just want to know what their cowl tag means, I've been building a database of 1962 cowl tags for 13 years because I own a 62 anniversary gold SS Impala, which is what got me interested in cowl tags in the first place. Here's my cowl tag. It's an anniversary gold SS Impala built 2nd week May 62 at St Louis with gold bucket seat interior, tinted glass and air cond. When I was looking at buying this car I asked on Chevytalk (I didn't know about 348-409.com at the time) if it was an original SS, but CT members could only confirm that the trim code was for bucket seats, so it has to be an SS, the EZI code was unanimously agreed to be tinted glass, but nobody could or would confirm what the other ACC codes meant so I decided to figure them out for myself.

I now have over 1500 cowl tag photos for 1962 and another 1000 or so for the years 1959/60/61 and 63. I can decode 61-63 cowl tags with high confidence and I've started collecting and researching 1959 and 60 tags now too, but I don't have nearly as many 59/60 tags to compare with yet so I need more. So if you would like your cowl tag decoded, post a photo and I'll decode it for you. You might be wondering why this is necessary when 348-409 has lists of ACC codes and what they mean, but please don't take offence Bob, but these ACC code lists are incomplete and don't break down the codes by Fisher plant, which is the only way to know for sure what a code means. The 348-409 paint and trim code lists are great, although you are missing the trim code 865 for fawn interior on 1962 Biscaynes.

 

[63 dream'n]

I've been guilty of hijacking other threads when the opportunity to discuss cowl tags has come up so I thought it was time to start a thread dedicated to decoding them for those that want to know. It's a touchy subject with some people because of the propensity of some owners/builders to create cars to their own specifications, including engine changes, or turning an original Impala into an SS Impala. This often involves sourcing a reproduction cowl tag with the trim code changed to bucket seats, but no change, or incorrect changes, to the ACC codes. There were 13 Fisher plants making full-size Chevy's in 1962 (more or less in other years) and they all used their own accessory (ACC) coding systems. Some plants used codes that were for one option, only for another Fisher plant to use the same code for a different option, or a different code for the same option. Codes for 1964 onwards were standardized and there are websites that decode those.

Reproduction tags are easy to spot because people commonly use the wrong code for the particular plant for a particular option, but if a comprehensive and correct list of codes was published somewhere (book or internet), the fake tags would be harder to spot because all the codes would be correct even if the car wasn't built that way originally. I therefore will not be posting the complete list of codes for all the different options at all the different Fisher plants.

However, for those that just want to know what their cowl tag means, I've been building a database of 1962 cowl tags for 13 years because I own a 62 anniversary gold SS Impala, which is what got me interested in cowl tags in the first place. Here's my cowl tag. It's an anniversary gold SS Impala built 2nd week May 62 at St Louis with gold bucket seat interior, tinted glass and air cond. When I was looking at buying this car I asked on Chevytalk (I didn't know about 348-409.com at the time) if it was an original SS, but CT members could only confirm that the trim code was for bucket seats, so it has to be an SS, the EZI code was unanimously agreed to be tinted glass, but nobody could or would confirm what the other ACC codes meant so I decided to figure them out for myself.

I now have over 1500 cowl tag photos for 1962 and another 1000 or so for the years 1959/60/61 and 63. I can decode 61-63 cowl tags with high confidence and I've started collecting and researching 1959 and 60 tags now too, but I don't have nearly as many 59/60 tags to compare with yet so I need more. So if you would like your cowl tag decoded, post a photo and I'll decode it for you. You might be wondering why this is necessary when 348-409 has lists of ACC codes and what they mean, but please don't take offence Bob, but these ACC code lists are incomplete and don't break down the codes by Fisher plant, which is the only way to know for sure what a code means. The 348-409 paint and trim code lists are great, although you are missing the trim code 865 for fawn interior on 1962 Biscaynes.

View attachment 102416

Wasn’t Verne on Chevytalk…….did you get a chance to compare notes with him……??????.

 

[Carl 1962]

Wasn’t Verne on Chevytalk…….did you get a chance to compare notes with him……??????.

Verne and I didn't get on when I started asking questions about ACC codes and he refused to tell me anything, which spurred me on to research tags for myself. But over the years we became friends when I started to teach him stuff about aspects of some tags and help him with the research into anniversary gold Impalas (he wrote an article in the March 2017 VCCA magazine). I also helped with some of the research for his book and we were still discussing information about tags and emailing each other up until 10 days before he passed. I'm not sure if the book will ever be published, which is a shame, but apparently others have his information so it might still happen.

 

[63 dream'n]

Verne and I didn't get on when I started asking questions about ACC codes and he refused to tell me anything, which spurred me on to research tags for myself. But over the years we became friends when I started to teach him stuff about aspects of some tags and help him with the research into anniversary gold Impalas (he wrote an article in the March 2017 VCCA magazine). I also helped with some of the research for his book and we were still discussing information about tags and emailing each other up until 10 days before he passed. I'm not sure if the book will ever be published, which is a shame, but apparently others have his information so it might still happen.

Did Verne just need to be assured that you were going to use the information for ” good “….. it seems there’s good people out there who want to protect the hobby Alan Colvin mentions the same thing in his book…. It’s a shame he didn’t get a chance to publish his own book

 

[Carl 1962]

Did Verne just need to be assured that you were going to use the information for ” good “….. it seems there’s good people out there who want to protect the hobby Alan Colvin mentions the same thing in his book…. It’s a shame he didn’t get a chance to publish his own book

That's exactly what Verne was thinking because at first I wanted to publish all the cowl tag ACC codes that I had decoded and Verne had a foaming nervy about it. I was smart enough to realize that he had a point about crooks making better fakes so I decided to not publish my info.

 

[63 dream'n]

That's exactly what Verne was thinking because at first I wanted to publish all the cowl tag ACC codes that I had decoded and Verne had a foaming nervy about it. I was smart enough to realize that he had a point about crooks making better fakes so I decided to not publish my info.

In the back of Alan’s book…… he gives you a form to fill out that you can mail in, and he would also try to verify your tag……..I would imagine he too would be a good source to exchange info with……. Sorry if I’m stating the obvious……. Alan is also a member here……

 

[NCPOP]

Carl, this is what I know PS, PB,Radio, tinted glass, automatic, electric tailgate window. Htr, 2 speed wipers, washer bottle, cig lighter, dual mirrors, grill guard, Nomad. No A/C parts at all when I acquired it.

 

[Carl 1962]

Carl, this is what I know PS, PB,Radio, tinted glass, automatic, electric tailgate window. Htr, 2 speed wipers, washer bottle, cig lighter, dual mirrors, grill guard, Nomad. No A/C parts at all when I acquired it.

Pop, do you have a photo of the firewall from inside the engine bay? A factory AC car has a different firewall to non-AC car. From your list of options, the tinted glass should have had an ACC code and so should the power tailgate, but the other options were not coded by Fisher. The I code cannot be for the power tailgate window because I've got cowl tags for multiple convertibles with an I code and they don't have tail gates. Cleveland codes are hard... Is the car a 6-cylinder car with a VIN that starts with 11735B...... ?

 

[NCPOP]

Pop, do you have a photo of the firewall from inside the engine bay? A factory AC car has a different firewall to non-AC car. From your list of options, the tinted glass should have had an ACC code and so should the power tailgate, but the other options were not coded by Fisher. The I code cannot be for the power tailgate window because I've got cowl tags for multiple convertibles with an I code and they don't have tail gates. Cleveland codes are hard... Is the car a 6-cylinder car with a VIN that starts with 11735B...... ?

No 11835B
I will get you a pic of the firewall

 

[NCPOP]

No 11835B
I will get you a pic of the firewall

 

[NCPOP]

Forgot that it also has a padded dash.

 

[Carl 1962]

From the photo of the firewall, the car was not a factory AC car. This means that neither the I or Q codes are for AC on this car. Other cars I've recorded had the Q code and had AC, but I obviously need to research more on these 61 Cleveland codes because the options are not aligning with what I thought the codes mean. The reason I asked if your car was a 6 cylinder was because Cleveland cars usually have a V ACC code if they were a V8 because Fisher had to fit V8 badges to the body.

 

[oldskydog]

Here's a good 58 tag on FB marketplace.

https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t45.5328-4/p720x720/271717201_4810992685614963_2050068256770061692_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=c48759&_nc_ohc=wHvKtrthaXwAX-TAfHE&_nc_ht=scontent.fphx1-1.fna&oh=00_AT9QGIOmAT9cYm0RLQrxKVAxizeTB7XJ88QaSWopnM6mNA&oe=61E80C2B

 

[Phil Reed]

There is not a date code?

 

[Carl 1962]

Here's a good 58 tag on FB marketplace.

https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t45.5328-4/p720x720/271717201_4810992685614963_2050068256770061692_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=c48759&_nc_ohc=wHvKtrthaXwAX-TAfHE&_nc_ht=scontent.fphx1-1.fna&oh=00_AT9QGIOmAT9cYm0RLQrxKVAxizeTB7XJ88QaSWopnM6mNA&oe=61E80C2B

Thanks Cecil, I only have 52 cowl tags for 58 and I've never researched any of them, but I've seen this car and it's a nice original silver blue convertible built at St Louis with gray and blue interior, black top and a padded dash (PAD), but I don't know what the OA and LA codes mean yet.

 

[oldskydog]

There is not a date code?

Not in 58

 

[Carl 1962]

There is not a date code?

Date codes were introduced in the 1960 model year and the earliest date stamp I've recorded was from 2nd week March 60, some plants started stamping the date code from the front before switching to using the cowl tag stamping machine to do the date code. All Fisher plants started using date codes from about March/April 60.

 

[oldskydog]

Thanks Cecil, I only have 52 cowl tags for 58 and I've never researched any of them, but I've seen this car and it's a nice original silver blue convertible built at St Louis with gray and blue interior, black top and a padded dash (PAD), but I don't know what the OA and LA codes mean yet.

Odd that the body was built in St. Louis but the final assembly according to the VIN tag was Los Angeles. It doesn't look like it was tampered with unless it was early on in its life. There is no description of the car but I'm guessing the LA code would be Level Air. Haven't given much thought to the OA code yet.

 

[Carl 1962]

Here's the other photos of the car when I recorded them. I don't think it was a level air car, but it does have positraction, and maybe the LA code means that the body was to be shipped to LA for final assembly? Can you see any obvious options that OA might stand for?

 

[oldskydog]

No but I believe it would have a "Level Air" emblem on the trunk lid. Another possibility is for regular lacquer "LA" as opposed to Acrylic Lacquer since convertibles were to continue to be painted with regular lacquer while the rest of the lineup went to Acrylic in late 58.