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Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:48 pm

I was attempting to authenticate our '64 bug's originality and discovered that the tag on the pan behind the spare tire is missing. The chassis number under the rear seat and engine serial numbers match up. Is there any other way to find out what year the pan is from other than using this placard?

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:36 pm

You're a bit confused on the terms. The pan is what you are referring to when you say under the back seat. The body tag is what you're missing.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 8:47 pm

My bad...the body tag is indeed missing. The VIN on the pan is intact.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:14 pm

camperman wrote: The chassis number under the rear seat and engine serial numbers match up.
Not possible! Engine numbers follow a different sequence than chassis numbers.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/bugchassisdating.php

Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:45 pm

Correct! Apparently I wasn't clear in my original post. The engine serial number IS different from the pan number, however according to the samba's bug chassis ID site, the engine production date falls within the production year for the car.

Tue Aug 26, 2008 1:38 am

Are they within about a month of one another? Which one is earlier? That they are the same year, or even same month is not a guarantee they are a match. There is no way to tell with certainty from the numbers alone that an engine is original.

As to your original quandary about the missing body tag, don't mention it to the DMV and you should be fine. Titles and registrations (almost) always go by the number stamped on the pan. If you have a car you're trying to retitle (due to loss of old one) and the state requires a police inspection as part of the process, you might be screwed.

Tue Aug 26, 2008 9:19 am

I can't tell with certainty that the engine is original based on the serial numbers, however it does fall within the manufacture year for the car, which is close enough for me.
Regarding the missing body tag, I have a clean title, but I'm curious if the missing tag effects the car's value.

Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:25 pm

Value is in the buyer's eye, so it's hard to speculate. Of course, it will generally affect the value to some extent.... but if I liked the car otherwise and the paperwork was clean, I would still be interested.

I sold a car I was in the middle of restoring without the tag and the buyer never noticed/questioned/cared. So in that case, it didn't affect the value at all. I found the tag in a desk drawer a few weeks later and sent it along to the buyer along with a note apologizing. Never heard a word back, so I can only assume he didn't give two shits. :?

Tue Aug 26, 2008 12:42 pm

Thanks for the info, Evan. I Wasn't sure if a missing tag would be a deal-breaker or not.

Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:55 pm

This was on another thread today. If the missing plate really bugs you, get a new one....

http://landproducts.ca/shop/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=65

Tue Aug 26, 2008 5:25 pm

Not sure where you are located but in Indiana they only look at the number on the tunnel.