Canadian Pontiac Serial Number Decoding

At this time, the only information I can assist with decoding for Canadian 1949–1954 Pontiacs is the vehicle’s serial/vin number. This gives the essential details about your car: year, series, and basic model type.

Keep in mind the model number on your serial tag may have a suffix indicating a sub-model (Business, Deluxe, seating for wagons, etc). This extra info is not contained in the serial number decoded by this tool.

The data in this database is organized and described just as it appears in the Canadian Pontiac Master Parts Catalog.

Canadian Pontiac Shop Manuals:

The Canadian Pontiac Series 2000-2200 and 2500-2700 Shop Manuals are now available on the Manuals page.
The Canadian Pontiac Master Parts Catalogue is available at the Canadian MPC page. This is a great resource for part number

To clarify the difference between these two series sets:

• 1949–1954 Pontiac Series 2000–2200: These Canadian Pontiacs (Fleetleader, Pathfinder, Lauretain) were built on the Chevrolet platform and used a Pontiac L-head (flathead) six-cylinder engine. A 3-speed synchromesh (Chevrolet) transmission was standard, with an optional 2-speed PowerGlide transmission offered from 1951–1954.


• 1949–1954 Pontiac Series 2500–2700: These Canadian Pontiacs are Chieftains and Streamliners. These cars are NOT built on the Chevrolet platform. These cars do have a "Made in Canada" body tag affixed to the firewall (similar to the 2000-2200 series). They were available with either Pontiacs flathead 6 cylinder OR flathead 8 cylinder engine. A hydra-matic was also available on these cars. These vehicles are mechanically and structurally comparable to U.S. models. The U.S. Shop Manual and the Canadian 2500–2700 Series Maintenance Manual are largely identical in content and specifications.

It is IMPORTANT when sourcing parts for a Canadian car to make sure you know which series your car is.

More Canadian Model Resources to be added in the future