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Tue Sep 09, 2008 7:54 pm

EverettB wrote: Did he post the VIN # that indicates it's from April? I didn't see that.

Yes, August is the model year change.

It does look like an early '59 since it has a ribbed front bumper in Silver White.

That's got to be an August 58 bus
Maybe there is some confusion between the body number and the VIN?

Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:24 am

its a bus built in august of 1958,ive said it before and i'll say it again.......the "model year" dating only makes unnecessary confusion,thats why service mechanics look at month/yr of production when servicing a car,if they went with model yr its highly likely that there would be wrong parts ordered in some cases.

i know that some of y'all like to use the model yrs as a refernce to dating the cars,i like all service mechanics use the actual yr and month the car was built its pretty clean cut.

Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:50 am

hugheseum wrote: its a bus built in august of 1958,ive said it before and i'll say it again.......the "model year" dating only makes unnecessary confusion,thats why service mechanics look at month/yr of production when servicing a car,if they went with model yr its highly likely that there would be wrong parts ordered in some cases.

i know that some of y'all like to use the model yrs as a refernce to dating the cars,i like all service mechanics use the actual yr and month the car was built its pretty clean cut.

i just thought people did that so they could pretend their car was older than it really is?

Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:58 am

doveblue3 wrote: hugheseum wrote: its a bus built in august of 1958,ive said it before and i'll say it again.......the "model year" dating only makes unnecessary confusion,thats why service mechanics look at month/yr of production when servicing a car,if they went with model yr its highly likely that there would be wrong parts ordered in some cases.

i know that some of y'all like to use the model yrs as a refernce to dating the cars,i like all service mechanics use the actual yr and month the car was built its pretty clean cut.

i just thought people did that so they could pretend their car was older than it really is?

yep, especially when they're selling it.

Wed Sep 10, 2008 2:19 pm

mightymouse wrote: October would have been the model year change.
This rings true for nearly every manufacturer all the way into the 70s.
Coinciding with the release date of the next years model.

the model year thing is every confusing as everyone has a different opinion. My Sept 6 1959 is a 59 to some (me) an a 60 to others (Lind, but WTF does he know? :wink: )...although according to the "old" data on the Samba and the Dropgates site it is a 59. I ordered a birth cert from VW just to see what they say...I'm with Mightymouse...it suits my goals!

Wed Sep 10, 2008 5:08 pm

Riff Raff wrote: EverettB wrote: Did he post the VIN # that indicates it's from April? I didn't see that.

Yes, August is the model year change.

It does look like an early '59 since it has a ribbed front bumper in Silver White.

That's got to be an August 58 bus
Maybe there is some confusion between the body number and the VIN?

According to the pics on my cell,

vin is 374955
body is 346582

so definitely august 58

Was planning on extracting that one myself, but it was not very high on my priority list and thus I was beat to it.

Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:30 pm

its funny but i used to just call my bus's a "56 this or that" but these days i say "its a (whatever month its built) 56" oh the silliness that is our lives!

Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:33 pm

Years are played out, I just say "The 15 Window" or "The Green Bus". Just don't buy more than one Bus of the same type or the same color and you are ok.

Thu Sep 11, 2008 5:57 am

word..................but i just got a lead on a bunch of split era buses (i have alot of inventory right now and ive already got doubles of some models/yrs)...........no joke,and im pretty busy these days so i wont get to them for a few weeks......supposedly some of them have those "flimsy early style bumpers".
in other news i had to go back to the powdercoaters yesterday and stopped to see how i can extract the 56? (jeez i need to write down the vin so i can be all proper) wolfsburg kombi i bought a couple weeks back. the old timer is going to move a few cars so that i can move the 6+ cars in its way,he said to come back in a couple weeks,and sorry folks i forgot my camera again

Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:28 am

I have pulled this ´58 Kombi out of a garage here in Austria today.
It was parked there for 21 years and a friend told me about it.

It was ordered as a driving school bus and that´s why it has pedals on both sides!!

Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:31 am

Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:56 am

WOB1 wrote: I have pulled this ´58 Kombi out of a garage here in Austria today.
It was parked there for 21 years and a friend told me about it.

It was ordered as a driving school bus and that´s why it has pedals on both sides!!

Very cool. I looked hard but couldn't see that the pedals on the passenger side were hooked up to anything? And if its a Euro delivery how come it doesn't have semiphores on such an early bus? Very nice and dry bus. Nice find.
--Dan

Sat Sep 13, 2008 7:06 am

looks like there is a crossbar that the pedals are connected to

Sat Sep 13, 2008 7:34 am

nice find,very interesting bus,so its a driving instruction bus? it looks like its swr on the bulkhead/floor,whats up with that? then the forward cargo dr has the recess on the handle like a 59 or later,then there is a semiphore turn switch,but cant see the segapones on the body,more info please!

Sat Sep 13, 2008 8:43 am

Yes, it is a driving instruction bus.
It was complete dove blue. The red colour is a antirust protection.

It came with semaphores from factory, but the holes where closed when they converted it to a camper 30 years ago.

I will post detail pics of the pedals later.

Sat Sep 13, 2008 10:10 am

Very cool, I look forward to seeing the pedal set up.

Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:19 am

buddyparks wrote: mightymouse wrote: October would have been the model year change.
This rings true for nearly every manufacturer all the way into the 70s.
Coinciding with the release date of the next years model.

the model year thing is every confusing as everyone has a different opinion. My Sept 6 1959 is a 59 to some (me) an a 60 to others (Lind, but WTF does he know? :wink: )...although according to the "old" data on the Samba and the Dropgates site it is a 59. I ordered a birth cert from VW just to see what they say...I'm with Mightymouse...it suits my goals!

LOL. 8)

My views are as follows.
For one, I agree with everett, the model year arguement is played out and old.
But what i do know is,,,,

Think about these things. Back in the 50s, 60s, people were for the most part conservative, and germans especially so. Life was lived in a totally different way. Its a known FACT, vw didnt change model years until january of the next year, all the way up till 1955.
When they moved the transporter plant from wolfsburg to hannover, they decided to begin releasing the next model year in november of the previous year.
In those days, 2 months early, that was a HUGE deal. It was the beginning of capitalistic ideals, driven by the fact that excitement for the next years model, would drive profits up.
It happened acrossed the globe, starting you know where, and changing auto sales as we know it.
Fast forward to today.
VW JUST, started delivering, to dealers, next years model, in late july, to first week of august.
So from 1956, till now, its taken them all these years, to creep backward, till they are almost releasing next years model, in the middle of the previous year. stupid if you ask me.
So what makes anyone think, that they would have next years model out, in august of the previous year, WAY back in the 50s? youd have to be an idiot to think that.
From what ive seen, and read, in 58, they switched it to october.
There it stayed for a LONG time.
mid to late 70s, we saw early october, through the 80s, and early 90s, we saw september, then from 96 or so, they were poppin up in august, and then i was AT vw, working for them, when i saw a passat come, a 2007 model, in the last week of july 2006.
EVERYONE, at the dealer was astonished.
SHIT! we all said, how stupid, they may as well release the 2008s now. LOL. and it was july 06. :)
SO. thats the way i look at it. Dont get model changes, confused with model year releases either please. they are totally seperate arguements.

Im open to any other peoples views, or ideas. :wink:

Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:08 pm

Here is another pic of the pedal setup:

Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:29 pm

mightymouse wrote: Its a known FACT, vw didnt change model years until january of the next year, all the way up till 1955.
When they moved the transporter plant from wolfsburg to hannover, they decided to begin releasing the next model year in november of the previous year.
In those days, 2 months early, that was a HUGE deal. It was the beginning of capitalistic ideals, driven by the fact that excitement for the next years model, would drive profits up.
It happened acrossed the globe, starting you know where, and changing auto sales as we know it.
Fast forward to today.
VW JUST, started delivering, to dealers, next years model, in late july, to first week of august.
So from 1956, till now, its taken them all these years, to creep backward, till they are almost releasing next years model, in the middle of the previous year. stupid if you ask me.
So what makes anyone think, that they would have next years model out, in august of the previous year, WAY back in the 50s? youd have to be an idiot to think that.
From what ive seen, and read, in 58, they switched it to october.
There it stayed for a LONG time.
mid to late 70s, we saw early october, through the 80s, and early 90s, we saw september, then from 96 or so, they were poppin up in august, and then i was AT vw, working for them, when i saw a passat come, a 2007 model, in the last week of july 2006.
EVERYONE, at the dealer was astonished.

Discuss:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=478074

Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:59 pm

WOB1 wrote: Here is another pic of the pedal setup:

that's badass........grease that thing up and drive the hell out of it