About

About Factory Decode

Factory Decode is an independent website about identifying classic American muscle cars — roughly 1964 to 1974 — from the numbers the factory actually stamped and tagged. It covers GM, Ford, and Mopar evenly: VIN location and format, cowl and door tags, Mopar fender tags, engine and transmission stamps, date codes, and a practical numbers-matching checklist.

The site is published by Gerald House in Billings, Montana. It is not affiliated with General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Stellantis, or any predecessor manufacturer, and it is operated separately from his other websites.

Identification pages are limited to facts that can be cited to published references such as the Camaro Research Group, ChevelleStuff, Marti Auto Works, Hemmings, Max Wedge, and similar sources. Where sources disagree or year-specific practice varies, the pages say so instead of guessing.

Factory Decode is not an appraisal service, a registry, or a substitute for an in-person inspection by someone who knows that make, year, and plant. A clean decode is one piece of evidence, not a declaration that a car is genuine or correctly priced.

A newsletter and clearly disclosed parts links are planned. Neither is live on this starter site.