Welcome to the Team Todd!

ST 66-16437 FL223931 Body
TR 853-A K-K Paint
W

S5Y233587

breaks down as:
STyle
1966 ===> year the car was built
16437 ==> 2 door sport copue (hard top)
F =====> Flint MI Assembly plant
1223931 > Sequence code at the Fisher Body plant that built the car
TRim
853 ==>Turquoise Bench seat a SS car had bucket seats so the trim tag if this was an SS would say 846.
K-K ==> Artesian Turquoise paint bottom and top
Paint (self explanitory)
W ==> Tinted windshield
S ===>Rear Antena
5Y ==> deluxe seat belts

233587 not a clue what this is.
Missing are a two number code for the date (01-12) and a single alpha letter for the week (A-E) found in the upper left corner of the trim tag that says when in 1966 your car was built.

A SS car was only a trim level (the seats and chrome badges), and didn't buy you anything special in terms of performance as you could order a 1966 six cylinder SS car. There was no high performance motor offered with a SS in 1966, nor any special suspension. If you wanted that you bought a cop car (9C1 RPO code).

Big Dave

 

Thanks for the help Dave I was sure this was a SS because it has all the Stainless trim on the car and the SS emblems inside and out. The interior even looks like SS interior i have seen on ebay. Looks like i have a really good clone on my hands that needs alot of TLC. Just went and looked at the cowl tag again and it has 06D upper left corner.

 

06D would have your car leaving Flint Michigan's back door during the fourth week of June back in 1966.

I can remember before demand drove the prices up; when you could buy all of the SS badges from your Chevy Service center for about $25 bucks. They often had all of the parts in a pile unboxed in the front display case by the cash register to tempt you when you walked in to buy a new exhaust donut to quiet an exhaust leak, or whatever other Chevy part that you needed that wasn't sitting on K-mart's shelf (pre Wal-Mart, and pre credit card days when people made and carried cash on them).

No big deal as I said it is only a trim package. If you have most of it look for a set of buckets and complete the transition. As to the performance aspect you can buy new springs, shocks brakes and of course upgrade the power train to make it into a killer muscle car.

Your car was made back in the days when Chevy offered only three hot rods; the 427 Impala SS (often it was installed in a stripped down Biscayne instead of the heavier Impala, and was a different RPO option with different badging and hood than the SS trim package), the Chevelle SS 396, and the Chevy II with an L-79 RPO code 350 horse 327 four speed.

Big Dave

 

66 ss

The 66 Full Size car had larger engines available but these engines could be ordered with any of the vehicles. Caprice, Belair, Bisayne, Impala, Impala SS, even the 4 door cars: Engines available were a 396/325, 427/390 and a solid lifter 427/425 HP engine. The hoods were the same for all of these, meaning there was not a special hood for the high performance engines.
There are plenty of clones out there along with non matching drive trains.

Paul

 

Well actually the 427 SS didn't come out until 1967 because that was the first year for the 427 bore block; but the point I was going for is if you want performance stick a big block in a big car to motivate it. I personally like a 4.500 inch bore block or bigger as everyone has a 500 cubic inch big block (or bigger) these days, and a 540 makes a good street motor.

The SS427 was different from all of the other SS Impalas and had a different hood and trim from all the other SS cars though (at least in '67-'68).

Big Dave

 

If you wanted that you bought a cop car (9C1 RPO code).

RPO 9C1 didn't start until the early 1970s, on Chevelles. Yes, police package cars existed in 1966, but they weren't 9C1.

Well actually the 427 SS didn't come out until 1967 because that was the first year for the 427 bore block

The 427 began in 1966. There were two different 427 engine options available in the B body 1966 (L36 and L72). The 427 was also available in the Corvette in 1966.

 

Jay can you post a picture of the tag? What is the vin#? The S in front of the 5Y is actually an unknown code and we have been trying to figure it out. Might be a broadcast card under the back seat.

Warren

 

Jay can you post a picture of the tag? What is the vin#? The S in front of the 5Y is actually an unknown code and we have been trying to figure it out. Might be a broadcast card under the back seat.

Warren

I found the S code in Group Two (another S appearing in Group Three lists interior chrome trim, but I figured there would be a three to signify a group number change).

These codes where found in a Pocket Book Chevy Cowl Tags by Mark S. Allen published in 1996. (no ISBN anywhere on the cover)

Big Dave

 

So Dave:

Is the only way to designate an SS is with the 846 code? I ask because I am interested in purchasing a 66 Impala, and its trim code is 842. Also, it has the bench seat, but I am sure this is a replacement seat...

Thanks-Sam

 

Sam,
The answer to your question is NO.

The best way to determine a true Impala SS from 1964 thru 1967 (inclusive) is to verify it via the VIN. Very simple for your car.

In 1966 if your second and third digits of the VIN are "67"or "68" then it is an Impala Super Sport.
If your Second and Third digits are "63" or "64" you have a standard (non SS) Impala.

No questions and no guessing required.

If your digits are none of these you do not have an Impala.

Remember that in 1964-1967 the Impala Super Sport was not just an option it was a separate Model and was given a different VIN sequence.
This makes it much harder to clone a '64-'67 Impala SS unless you want to commit fraud by messing wth the VIN.

 

kicking dirt.... Yeah, these guys have your answers. Smart, too...

 

Big Dave or anyone else. I see the reference to the book Pocket Book Chevy Cowl Tags . I am currently in the market for a '65 Impala SS. This book would be handy for my search.

My question is does anyone know who might sell this book in an electronic format (like an e-book) so I can have it on my iPhone book shelf? That way it would be with me all the time without having to carry around the actual paper book.