1985 CHP Unit #8395 Found!
 

Quite a discovery, but etched into the outside glass of my driver's side back window near the top edge are the remnants of a number -

8395

I don't have a camera handy to take the pic, but the number is visible in certain light. I think I have finally ID'd my car's CHP Unit Number!

Alright!! You are getting somewhere.

Cool deal....haven't heard of this before, so post up some pics when you can.

I'll try. The etching is so subtle that my cruddy digital camera may not pick up the numbers. If that's the case, then I'll have one of the parents from Scouts take the picture for me (he's a professional photographer).

To clarify, the numbers are not engraved into the glass. Rather, it appears as though they applied it with a paint pen. Over the years the paint has worn off to the point where the surrounding glass surface is weathered but the area under the numbers is smoother, giving it a ghost image.

To my surprise, my cruddy digital camera was able to pick up the characters written at the top of the driver's side rear window -

http://www.erols.com/hopup/chp8395.jpg


The numbers 8395 are fairly clear. Notice how the characters with loops caused a pooling effect, like the letters were raised and water collected in those cupped areas.

I am 99.9% certain that my car is CHP #8395, and that would be consistant with CHP #8397 which has a similar build date and data tag info. So my question is, at what point was the CHP unit number written above the data tag on driver's door? Was this done when the cars were delivered, prior to the cars being painted and marked? Just curious why the CHP would write the numbers on the car like that. I'm thinking since there is no CHP number written on my door, that they wrote it on the window instead.

Looks like an old crayon marking. If it was put on there by CHP Motor Transport, I'm shocked it's still visible. Temporary crayon markings like this have also been spotted written on the front plate bracket. It identified the car's assigned CHP ID# as the unit was taken from new car inventory and sent to the upfit assembly line where that number was painted on the door (always) and the corresponding license plates were attached. It might have also been applied during strip out and sale after the unit was run out.

Hey, I just remembered that the ID# is written on the back of both my rear seat cushions in black felt marking pen. Pull your rear seat and check yours.

My rear seat may not be original anymore :-( but I'll check. THX!

It is only 93 units away from my '85. I would say you are safe that is your unit number.

Not only that, but I spoke with Andy who owns CHP #8397, and his VIN is only 49 numbers away from mine!

So I took a hair drier and Gorilla tape to the area above my door's data tag, and was able to lift enough of the gray paint to reveal NOTHING written on the white paint. Still has a little shine left in it too. No CHP number though.

Say, what's the trick to removing the bottom rear seat cushion?