well just for fun, i copied down my spid from my trunk, and i was wondering if anyone could help me decode it.

well, here goes...

A01 B33 CD4 D1C E6E K19 LC3 NA5 QJW UP8 U81 YT9 42I 42U 7FN
A52 B84 C49 D33 E9Z K34 MX1 NB1 TT5 U58 VK3 1AY 42L 429 8WS
B3W B9K C60 E5Z GU2 K64 M31 OSH UN9 U76 V73 42E 42Q 6FR 9WS
B32

the year, if you didnt know, is 84
:)

GU2
Thats the same rear end I got... 7.5" 2.73 Gears with an open carrier.

try this link http://www.montecarloss.com/SSThunder/gmcodes.html

i think this will be better to decode your spid code or rpo http://www.nastyz28.com/gm-rpo-codes/

The VIN should be something like this: 2G1BL529?E1######

The VIN should be something like this: 2G1BL529?E1######

Only if it's made in Canada ...

:icon16:

mine is.

2G1AN6999E9******

what would be nice is a reverse lookup list.
so i can find an option and see if i have it by the spid codes

what would be nice is a reverse lookup list.
so i can find an option and see if i have it by the spid codes

I can tell you that you've owned the car since on or about May 5, 2005, and that you're the 3rd owner of the car, and got it with 49,235 miles on it. :)

BTW, they aren't "spid codes", they're "RPO/SEO codes" for Regular Production Option/Special Equipment Option.

You can google RPO/SEO codes and you can decode your SPID label using these.

carfax?
that is pretty cool
and yes, all that info is true.
i just hope that you cant find out anything else... scary.

carfax?
that is pretty cool
and yes, all that info is true.
i just hope that you cant find out anything else... scary.

Yes, Carfax - it's amazing what you can (and can't) find on it. That's why you NEVER see me post my VIN anywhere!

BTW, between 12/21/2002 and 05/05/2005, the car amassed a whopping 1,923 miles.

1984 CHEVROLET CAPRICE CLASSIC
2G1AN6999E9******
SEDAN 4 DR
3.8L V6 2BL OHV / REAR WHEEL DRIVE

You might want to edit out those last 6 digits like I did.

BTW, your car comes with a Carfax Buyback Guarantee. :)

BTW, your car comes with a Carfax Buyback Guarantee.
whats that mean?

Means if it's a lemon and there's something with it that Carfax doesn't catch, they'll buy it back from you at the price you paid for it.

but i didnt buy it from carfax...
and how do you define a lemon anyway
i have replaced a good number of parts on it
i think the engine is next

it has started doing this weird thing where, if i am in 2nd or 1st locked, and i let the engines torque slow the car naturally, it will be backfiring constantly.
not to mention that it has no power anyway, despite a thrice rebuilt carb, with adjusted float, and everything set to factory specs, the timing is spot on, ect.
oh well

maybe it is a lemon.

how much did I pay for it anyway?
can you tell?

No, it doesn't tell me that, or who any of the owners are/were.

FWIW, I've had 3 229 engines over my driving life, and every single one of them had bad cams in them. It's likely that's what's wrong with yours.

bad as in...
i was considering a new cam, but was thinking about a truck/towing cam
then i wised up and realized that i should just buy a new engine...

i was actually considering a diesel if you know any that would be a good match.
i know that there was an option for a 350 diesel. olds built i think.
but i have heard that it was a horrible engine.
i was thinking more along the lines of a 6.1 or something
any thoughts?

If you really want a diesel ...

I haven't worked with them, but if you do, get the 6.2 liter truck engine. It's a BIG swap, and you had better become familiar with the fundamentals of diesel engine operation, because it's mechanically different than gasoline when it comes to the fuel system.

However, with diesel containing much more energy per unit than gasoline, you can have the power you have now with much, much better economy. Heck, that 6.2 V8 will give you perhaps 25MPG in that car, and you can even make your own fuel for it (biodiesel).

The 5.7 liter diesel is in fact based on the Oldsmobile gasoline 350 - and that's what's wrong with it. Diesel engines require substantially more compression than a gasoline engine does - this is how the fuel is ignited in a diesel - on the order of 18:1 and all the way to 22:1 - the engine was not up for the task and it was common for one to grenade before it hit 50k miles.

well i would be happy with gas, but it would be cool to have a diesel.
would the engine even fit?
i kinda doubt it.

what kinds of things would i have to change.
my plan would be to strip it down and build it up with minimal electronics

Your best bet is to stick with gasoline.

You can go with a 350 setup, but please do keep the electronics on it working and fully functional. Your wallet will thank you, your lead foot will thank you, and those of us who have to breathe your car's air will thank you.

Go with a PCM/ECM setup out of a 1986 or newer car.

whats with those bio-deisel gases? i saw a thing on tv talking about it, though ive never seen them at any gas stations around my area

whats with those bio-deisel gases? i saw a thing on tv talking about it, though ive never seen them at any gas stations around my area

Before you try to do this, you need a diesel vehicle! This stuff won't work in a gasoline engine. Biodiesel can be made from used cooking oil. You need to separate the esters from the glycerin components of the oil - you can google for information and required equipment to do this - but in the end, you can make the fuel for less than a dollar a gallon if you can get the used oil for free.

The glycerin is pretty much disposed of, but the ester is saved and this is the biodiesel. It has most all of the properties of a low-sulfur petroleum diesel, including energy content, cetane numbers, etc. The only problem is for those who live in colder climates - the ester tends to gel at a somewhat higher temperature than petro diesel.


It is highly solvent in nature and will clean out a diesel system, meaning you will experience plugged filters if you have a dirty fuel system. You will also need to replace any rubber fuel system hoses with Viton hoses - for the same reason just mentioned.

Also, remember that biodiesel made from used cooking oil, and when burned in the engine, will produce exhaust that smells like whatever was fried in the oil. In other words, if you get your used oil from Dunkin' Donuts, you will be smelling french crullers wherever you drive. Probably not what one might otherwise expect when they see that diesel Silverado barreling from a dead stop.

yeah i remember hearing that it will smell like whatever was cooked in, too bad there arent any alternatives for regular gasoline engines yet, not that i know of anyway, unless there is.

also, since we were on the topic of vehicle numbers and such, i did one of those history reports from carfax last night on my caprice, it diddnt show any problems except that it failed one emmissions test back in 1991, but that was the oldest date noted about the car, it diddnt show any info that dated back to the 80s. how come?

also, since we were on the topic of vehicle numbers and such, i did one of those history reports from carfax last night on my caprice, it diddnt show any problems except that it failed one emmissions test back in 1991, but that was the oldest date noted about the car, it diddnt show any info that dated back to the 80s. how come?

Don't worry, mine doesn't show anything before 1994. As to why, I do not know.

hmm strange

what was on mine, if i may ask

Yours actually has the original title issue date on it, August 16th, 1984.

A CARFAX Vehicle History Report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX. CARFAX checked over 4 billion vehicle history events and found 10 record(s) for this 1984 CHEVROLET CAPRICE CLASSIC (2G1AN6999E9******).


08/16/1984 14 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Charlottesville, VA Title issued or updated
Title or registration issued
First owner reported
Exempt from odometer reporting

10/17/2000 46,298 Service Facility Vehicle serviced
Lubed oil and filter changed
State inspection completed

05/31/2001 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Charlottesville, VA Title or registration issued
Exempt from odometer reporting

09/25/2001 46,768 Service Facility Vehicle serviced
State inspection completed

07/11/2002 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Charlottesville, VA Title or registration issued
Exempt from odometer reporting

12/21/2002 47,312 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Charlottesville, VA Title or registration issued
New owner reported

12/18/2003 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Charlottesville, VA Title or registration issued

11/04/2004 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Charlottesville, VA Title or registration issued

05/05/2005 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Charlottesville, VA Vehicle purchase reported

05/06/2005 49,235 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Charlottesville, VA Title or registration issued
New owner reported

here is what mine showed: A CARFAX Vehicle History Report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX. CARFAX checked over 4 billion vehicle history events and found 11 record(s) for this 1983 CHEVROLET CAPRICE CLASSIC (2G1AN69H0D*******).

11/09/1991 Florida
Inspection Station
Fort Lauderdale, FL Failed emissions inspection

11/13/1991 Florida
Inspection Station
Miami, FL Passed emissions inspection

11/06/1992 Florida
Inspection Station
Miami, FL Passed emissions inspection

10/14/1993 Florida
Inspection Station
Miami, FL Passed emissions inspection

10/25/1994 Florida
Inspection Station
Fort Lauderdale, FL Passed emissions inspection

12/01/1995 Florida
Inspection Station
Fort Lauderdale, FL Passed emissions inspection

10/15/1996 Florida
Inspection Station
Fort Lauderdale, FL Passed emissions inspection

11/04/1998 Florida
Inspection Station
Fort Lauderdale, FL Passed emissions inspection

11/06/2000 Florida
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Title #002******* Title issued or updated

11/10/2005 Florida
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Fort Lauderdale, FL Registration updated when owner moved
the vehicle to a new location

04/27/2007 Florida
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Boca Raton, FL
Title #002******* Title issued or updated
New owner reported (me)
Exempt from odometer reporting

thts kinda boring stuff.
i was expecting more interesting info
oh well.

so by my spid, i have 2.73 gears then?
i calculated it to be a 3.08, but its possible it was due to transmission slippage. i wasnt locked in gear, so if the tcc wasnt locked, then that would be why.

Man, ar those 1984 codes hard to read or what? You wrote them down the same way that GM wrote them on the label.

Beginning in 1985, they went side-by-side instead of up-and-down.

Anyways, yes, the RPO GU2 is 2.73 gear. I wouldn't expect much different in that car with a V6. GU4 would be 3.08.

See, i would think that with a less powerful engine, you would get lower gears (numerically higher) so that the car would feel faster...
at least until 45 mph or so

See, i would think that with a less powerful engine, you would get lower gears (numerically higher) so that the car would feel faster...
at least until 45 mph or so

You would think ... so would I. However, the crux of it is that the car would 'run out of gas' so to speak, at highway speeds, so the numerically higher gears were chosen to extend the car's speed under power, as it were.

true... it tops out gearwise at around 95 or so.
the engine just wont spin any faster.
not sure if its not got enough power to do it or its at redline, but 95 is the uppper limit.

back to the engine thing, if i were to put another engine in, i'm thinking that the way i want to do it is put fuel injection in.
instead of using the factory computer, i would use a piggyback computer for the EFI.
is this a reasonable idea?
i am still on the fence as to weather i want to keep this car or not.

if i keep it, its getting a new engine and fuel injection
if i dont, i'm getting a fox body mustang.
either way, i would be happy.
i just hate to see the caprice go.