1981 was the first year that the Camaro received a computer controlled carburetor. On Rochester Quadrajet four-barrel carburetors, the identification number is stamped vertically on the carburetor body on the throttle lever side of the body.  The 1981 Camaro Rochester Quadrajet carburetor had an identification number of 17081218.  The "81" reflects the year it was made. The "2" is the emissions code. 2 is for 49-state emissions, a "5" is for California & high altitude and may be found on a car destined for this area. The "1" that appears after the "2" is a Division code. 0, 1 and 2 are Chevy, 3 is Cadillac, 4 is Buick, 5 is Oldsmobile, 6 and 7 are Pontiac. 
The very last digit, in this case an "8" can vary depending on whether the car is an automatic or a standard. An even number means the car came with an automatic transmission, an odd number means it came with a standard transmission.

Early Chevrolet Quadrajets used a seven-digit (Not four digit) identification number beginning with "70," but in 1976 a "1" was inserted in front of Chevrolet Quadrajet carburetor identification numbers, making the first three numbers "170" and making the total them eight digits long.  Thus you can quickly determine whether a Quadrajet was built in the first 10 years of production (1965 to 1975), or later.

A second four digit number will also be stamped on the carburetor body in close proximity to the identification number. This number is the date code. This four digit code identifies the day and the year the carburetor was assembled.  The first three numbers are the day of the year (ex. 043 = 43rd day, 251 = 251st day).  The fourth number is the last digit of the assembly year (ex. 8 = 1968 or 1978).  The year code does not specify what decade the carburetor was assembled in.  The identification number and features of the carburetor must be used to identify the decade. 

The two photos below show the top view of two original carburetors. The left photo is an NOS carburetor with all of the correct numbering and coding. It also still has the cover plate for the air adjustment screw intact. This is very rare because any adjusting of the carburetor would require that the plate be removed, and it was often dicarded. The photo on the right shows an original carburetor, but the air adjustment screw cover plate is missing and you can see the adjustement screw underneath. The existance of this cover plate is one of many key elements in a concourse-level judging of the Camaro carburetor. The comprehensive identification and date coding of the carburetor also makes it very easy to determine if a carburetor is not original to the car. The correct (original) carburetor is limited to a single year of production, includes the correct transmission digit, and must be correctly date coded to pre-ate the assembly of the car within that specific year. This makes a correctly matched carburetor a key element in orignality.

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Old_Carburetor.jpg

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