How to Read a Chevy 1500 VIN

A Chevy 1500 is also known as the Chevy Silverado 1500 and is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the American car company Chevrolet. The VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number, of the Chevy 1500 can tell you a lot about the car. The VIN can tell you where the car was made, a description of the vehicle and even the year that the car was manufactured. Reading the VIN of the Chevy 1500 is not difficult to do once you know the meaning of each number or letter in the VIN.

• 1

  Find the VIN. If the 1500 was made after 1981, the VIN will be located on the dash just underneath the driver's side windshield. If the 1500 was made before 1981, the VIN could be anywhere, but the doorjamb was a common location for VIN placement.

• 2

  Read the first three digits of your VIN, indicating the country that the 1500 was made in and whether it is a car, truck or van.

• 3

  Read the 4th, 5th and 6th digits of the VIN. The fourth is the gross vehicle weight ratio and the braking system. The fifth and sixth tell you the line and the chassis.

• 4

  Count to the 7th number, which tells you if the pickup is a four-door or two-door vehicle.

• 5

  Look at the 8th number to find out what size and type of motor that your Silverado has.

• 6

  Find the 9th digit or check digit. This number aligns with all the other numbers on the VIN to ensure that no one attempts to defraud or tamper with the VIN.

• 7

  Read the 10th digit to find out what year your Silverado is. If your car was manufactured in August, the 10th digit will indicate the following year.

• 8

  Look at the last six numbers, which indicates the assembly line number of the vehicle at the manufacturing plant.