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Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:43 am

I have a 1962 pan that i will be using for a project, but i'm not sure what year the body actually is. The vin number on the body is 5596830...i have already looked up the pan, and looked up the body using the vin...i just want to make sure i have the right year for buying parts for the car...what i got for the body was a 1963, but told it was a 61'...any help is greatly appreciated...thanks

Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:11 am

I get late '63. Post pics to be sure. The one indicator I can think of, off the top of my head, the hood shouldn't have a crest.

A word of advice, everyone thinks they are a vw guru. I've had a guy tell me that I wrong front fenders on my '67, he thought they should have had the pre '66 fenders, and another guy tell me that he drove beetle 20 years ago, and I should put a bugspray on my car.

Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:40 am

Howdy, vert-

look around the site, especially the 'Technical' tab, it contains a TON of great info.. which I used to look up your body VIN. If your #'s are correct, the body VIN you listed was built between May and June 1963. That body will have some pretty obvious differences from a '61. If you can post pictures, that will pretty well clinch it. A '61 will have a 6-wire turn signal switch with push-on connectors. Your's probably has 3 wires. 63 tail lights are larger, and the reflectors are plastic, where the 61 would have small tailights and the reflectors are glass. 61 probably won't have a gas gauge, 63 will.

Good luck on a fun project.

Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:52 am

Thays where the problem is for me, i dont believe that the hood is original, or the fenders....there are no taillights or turn signal swich...any body parts that are not removeable that i can look for that might tell me?...i can try to post pics if i remember how...lol...front and rear aprons were also removed as it was a baja

Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:11 am

Hmmm.. the 63 will have the spring-loaded hood hinges, and the 61 would still be a foldng prop, with a brace mounted between the trunk lip and the driver side fender. Try to post pics, otherwise we may need a '61 guy and a '63 guy in here to duke it out.

Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:15 am

Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:27 am

Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:34 am

Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:38 am

It does have the piece for the brace to hold up hood

Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:46 am

How many door hinge body bolt holes per hinge?

Fri Apr 06, 2012 10:02 am

There are two bolts per hinge

Fri Apr 06, 2012 10:07 am

vertinprogress wrote: There are two bolts per hinge

2 bolt holes in the body per hinge?
4 bolts hold each hinge?

Is that right?

Fri Apr 06, 2012 10:24 am

That is correct..i tried to pist a pic but it kept saying too big, but yes i see 4 bolts per hinge

Fri Apr 06, 2012 10:39 am

vertinprogress wrote: That is correct..i tried to pist a pic but it kept saying too big, but yes i see 4 bolts per hinge

Does it have rear floor heater outlets?.
Heater tubes under the rear seat that extend to have ROUND outlets through the outbaord of the kick panels pointing toward the rear floor.

Fri Apr 06, 2012 10:43 am

It just has a tube the goes straight to the heater channels

Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:59 am

4 boly door hinges, and 2 bolt holes for each hinge = 62 and prior.
No rear heat ROUND tubes = 62 and prior. (and early 63)

Ok now...

On the right heater tube that goes into the heater channel, does it have a "fitting" splitter flange with 2 screws in it, like this.

Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:59 am

Easiest way to tell if it is a 61 vs 63 is to see if it still has the hole in the firewall for the reserve tap.

Hole=61
No hole=62 up

Door hinge should be 3 hole if 63

Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:08 pm

derluftwagen wrote: Easiest way to tell if it is a 61 vs 63 is to see if it still has the hole in the firewall for the reserve tap.

Hole=61
No hole=62 up

Yes true
Unless it is a Standard... which this doesn't appear to be.

derluftwagen wrote: Door hinge should be 3 hole if 63

You mean 1 hole... 3 hinge bolts right.
3 hinge bolts 1 body hole (per hinge) started at VIN 4671926 Apr 1962.
That means late 1962 bodies also had 3 bolt 1 body hole per hinge.

Im leaning toward it being a 61-62.

Let me just lay it all out.

VIN 4010995 July 1961, Front floor vents with sliders, and small oval inboard rear kickboard warm air vents, Front hood supported with 2 spring loaded supports. Fuel gauge on Deluxe models (no reserve tap hole).

VIN 4671926 April 1962 1 body bolt hole per hinge, 3 bolts per hinge.

VIN 5199980 November 1962 (for Sedans), large round outboard rear foot well heating outlets with regulating control on vent.

The body in question VIN 5596830 should be May 1963 (for the body).... We know now that doesnt seem right.

Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:09 pm

There is no splitter in heater pipe....here is inside firewall

Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:11 pm

Thats 3 that identify it as a 61....
Hood prop
Fuel reserve tap hole.
No provisions for rear heat.

PROVIDED nothing has been altered or clipped.

I see lots of weld. Only you can determine if big body mods have taken place.