I have an 80 SS El Camino with a steel cowl hood. The Vin on El Camino's generally do not tell you if it's an SS. Just the motor, where it was built ect.. On my 80, the tag (I forgot the actual name) is located just below the drivers side front windshield. You have to open the hood to see it. That tells you what color it came from the factor, what options, what type of interior and what color and whether or not it's an SS. There should be a "Z" in one of those numbers somewhere but I dont have my notes on me to tell you exactly where.