So i looked up my VIN today for insurance purposes and was suprised when I got the results
When I got the car it was cool to see it had the GM ground effects, which was nice, but it was missing the front lip. oh well. It was also BADGED as a Z24.
well, it's a salvage vehicle, and has had the front end totally rebuilt. So I was like "Well, I'll check the VIN to see if everything was replaced with original style parts.
...I was shocked.
I thought that the car WAS a Z24, and after the accident the insurance put in the less expensive 2200, but I was wrong. Oddly enough the VIN states the car IS and always has been a 2200 car, but that's not the wierd thing...the vin also states the car was originally a 5spd...which is also weird as the first owner was Female. I'm not saying women don't drive 5spds, but it seemed odd to me, as the car is now an automatic...
So I've got the car with a VIN saying....
It's not a Z24, and never came with that engine
It's a 5spd when my car is an auto
Now the CAR is Badged as a Z24
Has the Z24 Sport suspension
Has the Z24 Chrome exhaust tip
Has the GM Ground effects
...but not the z24 fog lamp bumper or lip
...wtf...
OH I forgot it's got the premium Alloy WHeels too!
well. it obviously had been rebuilt at one point.
or recieved a different vin tag..
no a really weird vin would be saying your car was a silverado.
Mike wrote:well. it obviously had been rebuilt at one point.
or recieved a different vin tag..
the history is, the first owner wrecked it. Told the insurance to total out the car. Insurance fixed it, sold it to who I bought it from.
Why go through the hassle of swapping a base model 5spd 2200 to a sportier looking z24 poser with an auto if they were just gonna sell it. Sounds like they'd be losing money to me.
And in 2002 you could get a car that was missing the fog lights but otherwise was equipped like a Z24/LSS, and had a 2200 in it. Research, it is your friend.
Yeah there is nothing weird about ur car. Its a 02 with the sports apperence package. Nothing more. Only thing they did change was the tranny. I bought a brand new 02 Cavalier in 02, and It was the base model with the 2200 in it, no power anything, and it had the LSS package on it, with the alloy wheels, exhaust tip, the suspension is the exact same on all the Cavaliers, and it didnt have the fog lights either, altho mine did have the front lip. So nothing un-usual they just changed the transmission. No surprise, they just made U think it was a Z24.
What's the interior look like? That alone should tell you everything.
Did you run your VIN on compnine? That will tell you for sure what the car was built with.
my Z24 didnt come with a chrome tip
2000's never did. You should have the split (twin) pipe tip instead.
In fact, I don't think the chrome tip on the Z24/LS Sport appeared until the 03 model year.
02 LSS/Z24 has the chrome tip.
Yeah they did come on the 02 LSS, that I know just bc my yellow one had it, and the base model with the LSS sport package came with it too.
Mike Z A.K.A SNEEZY wrote:Yeah they did come on the 02 LSS, that I know just bc my yellow one had it, and the base model with the LSS sport package came with it too.
Oh, of course they did.. my bad. 02 had those lips on the otherwise same bumpers as everything else... so the chrome tip was in the space at the back. Makes perfect sense.
I shouldn't have forgotten that... after all, I added those 02 lips to the back of my 00 Z24 waaay back in the day.
I think I'm tired
John Lenko wrote:Mike Z A.K.A SNEEZY wrote:Yeah they did come on the 02 LSS, that I know just bc my yellow one had it, and the base model with the LSS sport package came with it too.
Oh, of course they did.. my bad. 02 had those lips on the otherwise same bumpers as everything else... so the chrome tip was in the space at the back. Makes perfect sense.
I shouldn't have forgotten that... after all, I added those 02 lips to the back of my 00 Z24 waaay back in the day.
I think I'm tired
Lol, it is all good sir. With all the information you have in ur head about J's its ok to forget a thing or two! Lol.
Just to clear up the suspension thing, the J-body offers more than one suspension package. One is a "sport handling package". I also know there is a "touring package". The RPO decal, which should be somewhere in the trunk, will tell you if you know what the codes mean. I'm pretty sure the sport package is designated with "FE2", but don't quote me on that. I'm not sure about the others. But if you want to know what that specific vehicle came out of the factory with or without, copy down all the information on that decal. code for code, letter for letter, and in the order it is printed, and take it to any GM dealership parts counter and ask the parts man what all the codes mean. You could probably take a photo of the decal and print it out in a 4X6 print and take that in. They can look all that up for you in a relatively short period of time. That decal would also be a good place to check the VIN number as the one in the windshield and the one on the decal should match. Now, even with all this being said, that doesn't necessarily mean that the decal hasn't been replaced, or whatever it is stuck to hasn't been replaced from another vehicle. You can also check the driver's door for the tire inflation decal. It too has a VIN number on it. If the car was put back together properly after the crash, then all these VIN numbers should match. If not, then do some homework and see what every VIN belongs to and the specific packages for each VIN. To me though, it sounds like your car may just be a mutt.
Some people have brain storms, others light drizzles. And then there are those that have droughts.
Rich Grayo Jr. wrote:Quote:
Has the Z24 Sport suspension
so your j-body has the same suspension as every other j-body? sweet deal.
huh?
different years came with a bigger front sway bar and a rear twist beam bar welded on the inside of the axle.
Underdog Racing
JCZ Z24 wrote:Just to clear up the suspension thing, the J-body offers more than one suspension package. One is a "sport handling package". I also know there is a "touring package". The RPO decal, which should be somewhere in the trunk, will tell you if you know what the codes mean. I'm pretty sure the sport package is designated with "FE2", but don't quote me on that. I'm not sure about the others.
There were three RPO codes for the different suspension packages on the third gen J's:
FE0 - Active
FE1 - Soft Ride
FE2 - Ride & Handling
Sadly, we never got the FE3 "Sport" option...
JCZ Z24 wrote:But if you want to know what that specific vehicle came out of the factory with or without, copy down all the information on that decal. code for code, letter for letter, and in the order it is printed, and take it to any GM dealership parts counter and ask the parts man what all the codes mean. You could probably take a photo of the decal and print it out in a 4X6 print and take that in.
Even faster.. do it yourself. Go to the
Compnine site and enter your VIN. It will tell you everything your car came from the factory with, list out all your RPO codes (which should match your spare tire cover sticker), and tell you what they mean too. Neat @!#$!
John.
GM vins (at least since they changed in 81) don't include a digit position for a transmission identification, the only way to tell is off of the RPO code list as stated on the SPO decal or off of the build sheet or invoice. A lot of times when you put in VINs in decoders (especially for businesses like insurance companies) they show just the base option transmission which is a 5 speed manual for all models. The RPO code for the automatic is MN4, that is most likely on your SPO decal since there is an automatic already in the car, M86 or M94 are the RPO codes for the 5 speed. I doubt the insurance would change to an auto, it's not like manuals are rare. You can download a restoration kit for your year Cavalier (or any cavalier for that matter) thru GM heritage center. It includes an RPO list and Vin decoder along with a lot of other useful info. The link is here just scroll down to Cavalier:
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/vehicle-information-kits.html
wow 99 cavaliers were onstar capable.
Damn! Thanks 80sunbirdcoupe, that's an awesome resource! I'm going to be downloading a few of those .pdf's!!
But the 2000 Cavalier one is wrong in a few places... I know there is no oil cooler on any J-body I've ever owned (and that's up to.. oh..7 now!)
ok wtf... z24 models got a better steering ratio?! (15.7:1 vs 14.7:1)
you gotta be @!#$tin me...
Underdog Racing
I do love how on my 00 Z Vert its suppose to have soft suspension or the FE1, yet the thing rides like a tank lol
Not to thread jack but what is " PACKAGE-OPTION 03 (1SC) " ??
Dan
Option Package.. varies depending on the year and model it's been applied to. There's SA, SB, SC, SV, and a variety of numbers... Usually the C is the best package... A is the base with a few options... and V is the Value package, so some hubcaps and door moldings.
To see exactly what's in a specific package, you'd need the order book or other sales material for that year.. your window sticker (if you have it) would list it out as well.
