Question about Cutlass Cowl Tag

[Gunmetal_Cutlass]

Hello everyone,

I was recently decoding my VIN and cowl tag, mostly for fun and to learn a little more about my car. However, this is a number on the cowl tag that does not show up on any diagram or decoding chart that I can find. It is the number "42", stamped at a 90 degree angle to the rest of the codes. The car is a 1986 Cutlass, built in the Pontiac, MI plant.

Does anyone know what the "42" means? I am assuming a build or inspection number, but that is just a guess.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[pagrunt]

Odds are it's just a random stamping for something at that plant.

 

[69hurstolds]

Many Pontiac plant 86 and 87 Cutlasses I’ve seen has rando numbered stamps in them like that. Why has never been discovered. My 87 has similar haphazard number stamp on it.

 

[Gunmetal_Cutlass]

Many Pontiac plant 86 and 87 Cutlasses I’ve seen has rando numbered stamps in them like that. Why has never been discovered. My 87 has similar haphazard number stamp on it.

Weird, but thanks for the reply. Maybe I will just tell people that the car is one '4' away from being a 442 🙂

 

[69hurstolds]

Actually the 442 would be stamped at the bottom of the tag in the normal way if it was.

Here's a tag from an 87 442. Note this was stamped randomly with "44". Also one number off from 442. Oh wait, it's stamped that as well. The random stampings may be one of those plant "mysteries" that nobody probably had any real reason to ask the reason why.

Here's an 86 non-442 stamped with a "33".

 

[Gunmetal_Cutlass]

Actually the 442 would be stamped at the bottom of the tag in the normal way if it was.

Here's a tag from an 87 442. Note this was stamped randomly with "44". Also one number off from 442. Oh wait, it's stamped that as well. The random stampings may be one of those plant "mysteries" that nobody probably had any real reason to ask the reason why.

View attachment 232673


Here's an 86 non-442 stamped with a "33".

View attachment 232674

Guess I never paid enough attention to the cowl tags to notice that the 442s were actually stamped there, good to know. Thanks for the info, I always enjoy learning more about these cars.