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  View original topic: Split or split body on oval chassis
fusca-nl Mon Dec 20, 2010 8:48 am

Hi guys,

I have found another split for sale, but it has a registration from june 11 1954. Chassisnumber is 1-0657877 which would make it Januari 1956.

Story goes this was a dealer car which sat in the showroom and was sold in 54 after the introduction of the oval window.

How do I know for sure this really is a split?
Are there differences in the chassis?
From what year do you think the body and engine are?
I know it has the wrong taillights but what else is incorrect?

Thanks











Shadd Mon Dec 20, 2010 9:13 am


The engine is 36 horse (I don't know what year though) and the rear apron is wrong.
Am I seeing things or are the seats some sort of basket weave?
There is trim on the hood but no trim on the sides?

bwaz Mon Dec 20, 2010 9:38 am

wrong zwitter or oval tail lights, earlier correct popes nose license light, looks like a correct dimple for the antenna up front, correct hood handle, floor heater and choke look older than zwitter and more correct for earlier split. No crotch coolers or horn grilles... is the steering wheel correct, or is it more the 54 standard variety?

eurodub Mon Dec 20, 2010 10:05 am

is the front bumper a later bumper with pressed area like the split bumper?
also the pressing does not look right at all.. :shock:

usariemen Mon Dec 20, 2010 10:11 am

The chassis looks correct as far as visible. It seems just to be a standard split with some later details. Engine, rear apron etc.
Steering wheel is post 1955. The front hood is from an deluxe model.
The front bumper looks like a post 1952 one that got huge grooves by someone. Doesn´t it?

EverettB Mon Dec 20, 2010 11:15 am

fusca-nl wrote: Hi guys,

I have found another split for sale, but it has a registration from june 11 1954. Chassisnumber is 1-0657877 which would make it Januari 1956.

1-0657877 is October, 1953.

fusca-nl Mon Dec 20, 2010 11:58 am

EverettB wrote:

1-0657877 is October, 1953.
But stil that would make it an oval chassis, right?

bwaz Mon Dec 20, 2010 12:09 pm

Only by serial number, but if the pan looks to have the heater and choke, maybe the numbers were changed to make it a "newer" car when trying to sell it as new?

kdf38 Mon Dec 20, 2010 3:36 pm

1 - 0657877 should be a May 1954 chassis nr.
You were reading the engine number column to get Oct 1953.



fusca-nl wrote: EverettB wrote:

1-0657877 is October, 1953.
But stil that would make it an oval chassis, right?

EverettB Mon Dec 20, 2010 9:42 pm

Ooops, sorry about that.

Blue Baron Wed Dec 22, 2010 11:02 am

eurodub wrote: is the front bumper a later bumper with pressed area like the split bumper?
also the pressing does not look right at all.. :shock: What's especially odd is how the flanged overriders fit the wider bumper blade like they were made for it.


usariemen Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:12 pm

Blue Baron wrote: eurodub wrote: is the front bumper a later bumper with pressed area like the split bumper?
also the pressing does not look right at all.. :shock: What's especially odd is how the flanged overriders fit the wider bumper blade like they were made for it.



Well, maybe they where made for it. If someone goes through the trouble of adding the grooves
to the late blade, he maybe made fitting old style overriders also.
At least it would had been easier to get a split bumper I guess.

drscope Wed Dec 22, 2010 1:58 pm

When did the front shocks get longer? That might help determine the year of the chassis.

volksfahrer Wed Dec 22, 2010 2:18 pm

drscope wrote: When did the front shocks get longer? That might help determine the year of the chassis.

0ct.52- new front beam/longer shocks

ZENVWDRIVER Wed Dec 22, 2010 6:24 pm

Bought this 1950 bug in 1976 in New Jersey...the title read 1954 and our theory was that was the year the car was brought into the USA. i wrote Wolfsburg a letter and supplied the VIN. They varified it was, in fact, a 1950...i brought that letter to the NJ motor vehicle agency and they put 1950 on the title...Could be the reason your car title is dated incorrectly...i sold the car to a guy in Mass, 1985.


drscope Wed Dec 22, 2010 6:33 pm

ZENVWDRIVER wrote: Bought this 1950 bug in 1976 in New Jersey...the title read 1954 and our theory was that was the year the car was brought into the USA. i wrote Wolfsburg a letter and supplied the VIN. They varified it was, in fact, a 1950...i brought that letter to the NJ motor vehicle agency and they put 1950 on the title...Could be the reason your car title is dated incorrectly...i sold the car to a guy in Mass, 1985.



No wonder you sold it - the tail lights look a little high! :wink:



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