Items with a * have been recently added
| .030 Over | A term used when an engines cylinders have been enlarged or bored out .30 thousands of an inch over stock; can also be .010, .020, etc |
| 1 bbl | One barrel carburetor |
| 2 bbl | Two barrel carburetor |
| 2WD | 2 Wheel drive |
| 2 SPD | 2 speed transmission |
| 3 SPD | 3 speed transmission |
| 4 SPD | 4 speed transmission |
| 4 bbl | Four barrel carburetor |
| 2X4 | Two-four barrel carburetors or 2 wheel drive |
| 3X2 | Three two barrel carburetors |
| 3 duece's | Three two barrel carburetors |
| 4X4 | Four wheel drive |
| 4WD | 4 Wheel drive |
| 1st generation Camaro | A term used to identify 1967-1969 Camaro's |
| 2nd generation Camaro | A term used to identify 1970-1981 Camaro's |
| 3rd generation Camaro | A term used to identify 1982-1992 Camaro's |
| 4th generation Camaro | A term used to identify 1993-present Camaro's |
| #1 condition | A car in show condition or perfect |
| #2 condition | A car in excellent original condition showing minor wear/use or one with a quality restoration |
| #3 condition | A car that is a typical driver in good condition |
| #4 condition | A car that runs well and is all there but considered a "beater" |
| #5 condition | A basket case or a car that is good for parts |
| "A" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the Chevelle/El Camino line |
| ABS | Anti lock brake system |
| AC, A.C. | Air conditioning |
| AFB, Carter AFB | "Aluminum four barrel" A 4 barrel carburetor made by Carter |
| Air/fuel ratio | The ratio of air to gasoline by weight in the fuel mixture drawn into the engine. |
| Air Injection | One method of reducing harmful exhaust emissions by injecting air into each of the exhaust ports of an engine. The fresh air entering the hot exhaust manifold causes any remaining fuel to be burned before it can exit the tailpipe. |
| AIR, A.I.R. | Air injection reactor |
| alt, Alt, Alternator | A device used for converting mechanical energy into electical energy. |
| Ammeter | An instrument calibrated in amperes. It is used to measure the flow of an electrical current in a circuit. |
| Ampere | The rate of flow of electrical current present when one volt of electrical pressure is applied against one ohm of electrical resistance. |
| A.P.I. | Amercian Petroleum Institute |
| A/R | As required |
| armature | A laminated soft iron core wrapped by a wire that converts electrical energy to mechanical energy as in a motor or relay. |
| ARS | Air restraint system. (air bags) |
| ASSY, assy | Assembly |
| ASE | Automotive service excellence |
| ASME | American society of mechanical engineers |
| AT, auto, Auto | Automatic transmission |
| atomization | The breaking down of a liquid into a fine mist that can be suspended in air. |
| AWD | All Wheel drive |
| axial play | Movement parallel to a shaft of bearing bore. |
| "B" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the full size cars including, Impala, Impala SS, Caprice, Belair, Biscayne, etc. |
| BA | Belair |
| backfire | The sudden combustion of gases in the intake or exhaust system that results in a loud explosion. |
| backlash | The clearance of play between two parts such as meshed gears. |
| back pressure | Restrictions in the exhaust system that slow the exit of exhaust gases from the combustion chamber. |
| Backspace (wheel offset) | This is the distance from the rear mounting surface of the wheel to the rear edge of the rim. Example |
| Balanced | An engine that has had the weights of it's internal moving parts (such as pistons) matched. |
| BAT, BATT | Battery |
| BBC, bbc | Big block Chevy engine |
| bbl, BBL | barrel (carburetor) |
| BCCC, BC/CC, B.C.C.C. | Base Coat, Clear Coat. A Urethane paint with a clear coat over it |
| BMC * | Brake master cylinder |
| BOP, B.O.P. | Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac. |
| Bored, Bored out | An engines cylinders have been enlarged or bored out. Also see; .030 over, punched |
| Bowtie | A Chevrolet car |
| BRG * | Bearing |
| BRKT, brkt * | Bracket |
| BTM | Bottom |
| Build Sheet | A sheet that was used by assembly line workers to build the car. This sheet listed options and also the original dealer that sold the car.
Click here to view a sample build sheet |
| Bumpstick | Camshaft |
| "C" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the 2 wheel drive truck line |
| CAT | Catalytic converter |
| carb | Carburetor |
| CC | Cruise control |
| CCA | Cold cranking amps |
| CCS, C.C.S. | Controlled combustion system |
| CEC, C.E.C. | Combined emission control |
| CFM | Cubic Feet per Minute |
| COMP | Compressor |
| copo, COPO, C.O.P.O | Central office production ordered |
| cu, cu.in, C.I. | Cubic inch |
| Curb weight | Weight of empty vehicle ready to drive. It is the shipping weight plus weight of gasoline and antifreeze. |
| C.I.D. | Cubic inch displacement |
| Conv, conv | Convertible |
| cp, cpe, Cpe | Coupe |
| crank | Crankshaft |
| CST | Custom Sport Truck |
| Cyl, cyl | Cylinder |
| DIFF | Differential |
| DIS, D.I.S. | Distributorless ignition system |
| DIST, dist | Distributot |
| DOHC, D.O.H.C. | Double overhead cam |
| dr | Door |
| D.O.T. | Department of transportation |
| ea | Each |
| ECM | Electronic control module |
| EDP | Electro Deposted Primer |
| EFE, E.F.E. | Early fuel evaporation |
| E.F.I. | Electronic Fuel Injection |
| Escutcheon, escutcheon plate | A trim plate or a shield surrounding a moving part like the windshield wiper shaft or the trim piece around a radio knob, etc. |
| "F" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the Camaro line |
| FI, F.I. | Fuel injected |
| ft, Ft | Front |
| FR, fr | Front |
| FWC | Front Wheel Cylinder |
| "G" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the Monte Carlo line |
| gen | Generator |
| Gold cadmium | A type of plating used on some automotive parts such as power brake boosters, fuel pumps, etc. Similar to silver cadmium only it has a gold color. Example |
| GVWR | Gross vehicle weight rating |
| "H" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the Vega/Monza line |
| HD, H.D. | Heavy duty |
| hdtp, HDTP | Hardtop |
| H.E.I. | High Energy Ignition |
| Hi Perf. | High Performance |
| hp, HP | Horsepower |
| Imp | Impala |
| int, Int | Interior |
| I.D. | Inside dimension |
| K | Thousand |
| "K" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the 4 wheel drive truck line |
| kit | Multiple pieces |
| km, Km | Kilometers |
| LB | Long bed |
| LD, L.D. | Left hand drive |
| Left, Left side | The driver side of vehicle |
| Lf, LF, L.F. | Left front |
| LH | Left hand |
| Limited Slip Posi | A rear that allows the opposite wheel to engage if the other begins to spin |
| L.O.F | Lube, oil & filter |
| Long block | An engine that has heads installed. (Also see Short block) |
| L.P.O. | Limited Production Order |
| Lr, LR, L.R. | Left rear |
| L/R | Left/Right |
| LWR | Lower |
| man, Man | Manual |
| mi, Mi | Miles |
| mldg | Molding |
| mouse, Mouse, Mouse motor | Small block Chevy engine |
| mpg, Mpg, MPG | Miles per gallon |
| mph, Mph, MPH | Miles per hour |
| MT, man | Manual transmission |
| NOM, N.O.M. | Not Original Motor |
| NORS, N.O.R.S. | New old reconditioned stock |
| NOS, N.O.S. | New old stock or Nitrous Oxide |
| O.D. | Outside dimension |
| OD, O.D. | Overdrive |
| OEM, O.E.M. | Original equipment manufacturer |
| OHC, O.H.C. | Over head cam |
| Open rear | Non posi rear |
| orig, Orig | Original |
| pb, PB | Power brakes |
| pdl, PDL, P.D.L. | Power door locks |
| Pegleg | A rear without posi-traction. Only one wheel operates. |
| pg, PG | Powerglide transmission |
| PNL | Panel |
| P.O.P., Protect-O-Plate | A metal tag glued onto the warrantly pamphlet that contained car and owner information. Used by the dealer when warranty work was performed. |
| Posi, Posi rear, Posi-traction | A rear that allows the opposite wheel to turn if the other becomes stuck (limited slip posi) or both to turn all the time (full time posi) |
| pr, PR | Pair |
| ps, PS | Power steering |
| Punched, Punched Out | An engines cylinders have been enlarged or bored out. Also see; .030 over, Bored |
| pw, PW | Power windows |
| pwr, PWR | Power |
| rat, Rat, Rat motor | Big block Chevy engine |
| REMAN | Remanufactured |
| repro, Repro | Reproduction |
| REQ, REQD | Required |
| rest, resto, Resto | Restoration |
| Rf, RF, R.F. | Right front |
| RD, R.D. | Right hand drive |
| RH | Right hand |
| Right, Right side | The passenger side of vehicle |
| R.P.O. | Regular Production Order |
| rr, RR | Rear |
| r.r, R.R. | Right rear |
| R&R | Remove and replace or remove and reinstall |
| RS | Rally sport |
| RWC | Rear wheel cylinder |
| R.W.D. | Rear wheel drive |
| R.W.L. | Raised white letters |
| SB | Small block or short bed |
| SBC, sbc | Small block Chevy engine |
| sdn, sed, Sdn, Sed | Sedan |
| SET | A complete set |
| Shipping weight | The weight of the vehicle with regular equipment and with grease and oil where required. This does not include the weight of gasoline and antifreeze. |
| Short block | An engine that does not have heads installed. (Also see Long block) |
| Silver cadmium | A type of plating used on some automotive parts such as brake master cylinder lids, electrical relays, etc. Similar to gold cadmium only it has a silver color. |
| Six pack | No, not that! Three two barrel carburetors |
| Sleeper | A high performance car that has the appearance of being average. (Ex. A 4 door wagon with a 409 engine) |
| spt cpe, Spt Cpe | Sport coupe |
| spt sed, Spt Sed | Sport sedan |
| SS | Supersport |
| std, Std, S.A.E. | Standard |
| Stroked | An engine that's had the length of it's piston stroke increased |
| TAC, T.A.C. | Thermostatic air cleaner |
| TBI | Throttle body injection |
| TCS | Transmission controlled spark |
| TI, T.I. | Transistor Ignition |
| TRC, T.R.C. | Throttle return control |
| Tri-five | A 1955-56-57 Chevy |
| Tri-Power | Three two barrel carburetors |
| T.P.I. | Tuned Port Injection |
| tg, TG, | Turbo glide |
| th, TH, | Turbo hydamatic |
| tk, Tk, TK | Truck |
| TVS, T.V.S. | Thermal vacuum switch |
| UPR | Upper |
| VAC * | Vaccum |
| W/ | With |
| W/O | Without |
| WB | wheel base |
| WCFB | "Will Carter four barrel" A 4 barrel carburetor made by Carter |
| Wheel offset (backspace) | This is the distance from the rear mounting surface of the wheel to the rear edge of the rim. Example |
| WHL | wheel |
| w-motor, W-motor | 348 or 409 Chevy engine |
| WOT, W.O.T. | Wide Open Throttle |
| W.W.W. | Wide white walls |
| "X" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the Chevy II/Nova line |
| "Y" Body | The letter Chevrolet used for the Corvette |
| Z-11 | The R.P.O. number for the aluminum nosed 427 Impala |
