TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:49 pm

I've been doing alot of research over the last month or so before I start the restoration on my 56. In the last hour or so, I've been trying to verify that the body, chassis, and engine are all of the same vintage as best I can before I send off for a birth certificate. I've looked at the VIN number page here at The Samba and I believe that my car is a February of 56 car. But, it looks like my engine is an August of 1960. Do I have this right?

Numbers of interest:
VIN 1132333 both on ID plate behind spare tire, and on chassis under back seat
Body# 177 546
Engine# 3941062

Sun Jun 15, 2008 7:14 pm

You got the body and engine right, but chassis number 1132 333 is a March 1956 chassis.

Just double check your numbers. I sent off for a registration history with what I though were the correct numbers, only to find that I had mis-read an 8 for a 3. I don't know how often they changed the stamps, but it really did look like an 8.

Sun Jun 15, 2008 7:37 pm

Duh..... I had the right idea when I was looking, but I just screwed up.

Would VW have put a February body on a March chassis? The ID plate behind the spare tire appears to have never been tampered with and the VIN does match the chassis.

Where did you send off for a registration history? Does it only cover one state, or the whole USA?

Sun Jun 15, 2008 8:21 pm

HI,

There is great discussion about what the body number really indicates and when it is stamped into the tool shelf. The numbers most often indicate a body that was built a month or two or three earlier than the chassis number that is affixed above it on the plate. Was the body number stamped when the tool shelf was stamped? was it stamped at some point in assembly of the the body unit and it sat for a month or two? There seems to be no real rhyme or reason to chassis numbers and build dates. This discussion centered on the 58 model year and was fairly interesting.
So easy answer is that yes, the body number stamped below the ID plate is almost always a month or two older than the chassis.

The registration history comment came from Australia, I've never heard of such a service in the states but then again my personal state DMV experience is quite limited to only 5 states. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences.

Dave

Mon Jun 16, 2008 5:08 am

djkeev wrote: The registration history comment came from Australia, I've never heard of such a service in the states but then again my personal state DMV experience is quite limited to only 5 states. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences. It was for Victoria, Australia. The association of motoring clubs somehow managed to buy/borrow/?? all the records from the Department of Transport up to 1983. I was lucky that my 2 ovals were both registered in Victoria from new.

Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:28 am

I didn't notice that Volumex was from Australia. I thought that a registration history seemed to good to be true here in the states. It would be neat information to have though.

One of the really cool things about playing with old airplanes (my other air cooled hobby) is that since they are registered on a federal level, it isn't hard at all to get a complete owner history.