Pacer Sticker Stats

There are all sorts of statistics one can glean from a Pacer's stickers and other markings, but the cryptic acronyms and numbers are sometimes difficult to decipher. This guide exists to help you figure all of that out!

You can find these two stickers on the inside of the driver's door of your Pacer:

Door Tag: This alumninum "builder's plate" has raised characters, much like embossed numbers on a credit card. ("Builder's plates" were originally found in the railroading industry, made from cast brass.)
Safety Certfication Label: This plastic-coated, tamperproof label certifies that the vehicle follows all safety requirements in the country in which it was first sold, as of the date it was manufactured.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

One place the 13-digit Pacer VIN appears is on the driver's side of the dash. The easiest way to view it is through the windshield. The VIN also appears on the safety certification label, and in hidden places in the chassis for vehicle identifcation in instances of theft. You can use the 1968-1980 AMC VIN Decoder to verify your Pacer's year, transmission, body style, and engine.

Weight and Loads

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR), front and rear, numbers can be found on the safety certification label. Numbers given are in pounds.

Build Sequence Number

A letter and number combination appears after the marking "Veh Class Passenger Car" on the metal door tag. An "E" stands for the east assembly line at the AMC plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Don't be confused if this number seems high compared to Pacer sales statistics. Other model cars also came off this line.

Body Number

The body number is listed on the metal door tag. The first character indicates the body plant; the numbers indicate the build sequence of the body in the body plant. Completed bodies were sent to the Kenosha main plant for final assembly. An "L" indicates the (now demolished) Kenosha Lakefront body plant.

Model Number

The model number is found on the door tag, and is decoded like this:

YYSB-T

YY = The last two years of the model year.
S = Car series. Pacer is series 60, so this digit is always a 6.
B = Body style. 6 = two door sedan (coupe). 8 = station wagon.
T = This was originally used to indicate the car's trim level, and dates back to the Nash days. By the '70s, AMC just lumped everything into different groups. All Pacers have a 7 here.

Example: a 1975 Pacer would be 7566-7. (No wagons until '77.)

Note: All these numbers match the corresponding digits in the VIN, so the '75 Pacer would have a VIN of A5x667xnnnnnn. Only the last digit of the year is used in the VIN. The "x" locations are alphabetic and represent the transmission and engine codes. The "n"s are numeric and indicate the order sequence.

Trim Code

The trim code identifies the year, model, interior color, fabric and type of seats. Details can be found in the parts catalog.

Build Date

The day, month and year the Pacer was assembled is stamped in black ink on the silver safety sticker adhered to the inside of the driver's side door. At 20+ years old, many of these stamps are difficult or impossible to read.

Thanks to Glen Hoag and Charles Patterson for providing this information.
14 April 2000