TheSamba.com :: View topic - Official "what year is my decklid" thread

Thu Dec 01, 2011 2:18 pm

Work in progress...adding pics as located

A general breakdown of the different years of decklids. If anyone has better images or more specific changes please let me know and I will change them to make this thread more correct. Images used are from the gallery, thanks.

Early Beetles used the "W" decklid through 1957 with small changes in nose cones, spring mounts and handles. (56-57 lid shown)

Kabriolets had vertical vents stamped into sedan lids at the Karmann factory with rain trays also added. (56-57 repro decklid shown)

early
Type 38 with square corners

KDF

1946

1947-1949
license plate pressing ends

1950-1952
End of popes nose and "L" handle

1953-1955
End of triangle mount and big spring, start of smaller nose cone.

1956-1957
New spring mount

some changes to light housing, longer threads due to use of housing seal.

Major change for decklids with the big back window. Same basic inner structure as the 56-57 lids with the skin now a "half W" where the body lines continue to flare but fade out just past the license plate light housing (which is also different for the new skin pressing). Early lid has crescent shape hole for license plate light (Closeup of pressing detail for 58-63 decklid shown)

Kabriolet lids now have horizontal pressings.

(deck lid for sept 58 -july 63 shown)

1958-1963

August 1958 ONLY convertible decklid welded on rain tray-painted body color carried over from oval 56-57 deck lid

one piece spring ends

Aug 63- Oct 63 (64 model year)

Skin pressing changes as the flared wings at license plate light housing discontinued and are now straight and end above the housing. Small round hole for light wiring BUT has 3 holes drilled for small license plate light housing.

Here is the bentley reference

1964

T handel ends at end of model year, large wide license plate light housing begins

1965

Press button lock begins

Kabriolet
Note , indented rain tray.

1966

same as 65 decklid but with 1300 badge

Kabriolet

1967

One year only lid with coorisponding apron

Kabriolet

removable rain tray-painted black with long oval indention to clear dual snout air cleaner

1968-1969

vert lid

1970-1971

Cooling vents added with release of 1600cc engine.

vert lid, 70 and 71 Cabriolets use their own unique decklid as mentioned below.

1972-1973

more vents added with release of Dog house oil cooler

1974-1979

even more vents added on front and for FI equipped vehicles more vents behind license plate

Joel wrote: And one more for the archives, the thermostatically operated flap on 74 and later engine lids.

Brazil/Aftermarket replacement

even more vents but no t stat vent

Standard Beetles
Same as above with the following differences
Smaller license plate houseing used until 66 model year.
(1965-1966 standards shown)

Mexican Beetles used a variety of panels and do not follow the Export/Standard year breakdown commonly known.

The following is a different stamping for a 1968 mexican beetle. Note different rib stamping that is squarish on top with flare at bottom and pushbutton lock.

Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:22 pm

derluftwagen wrote:
1970-1971
Cooling vents added with release of 1600cc engine. Same decklid now used on Kabriolet.

Good write up, the only part I spotted that is wrong:

70 and 71 Cabriolets use their own unique decklid
4 vent pattern same as 72 onwards sedan but with an even amount of slots.
sedans used 1 less slot on the center vents.

Edit: one other valid point is the rain drip tray in late bugs was only fitted in 1970 models when it comes to sedans, Cabs used them but from when to when I got NFI.

They were dropped in 71 as they blocked to much air flow for the bigger doghouse fan.
Any you see fitted to 71 and later bugs are PO additions.

Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:39 pm

Thanks, exactly what I asked for.

Ive only owned one late bug so I expect more correction on the later stuff.

KEEP IT COMING!!!

Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:49 pm

All good.

I guess another one if you really want to start confusing people is Brazilian Fuscas use their own decklid as well.

Thu Dec 01, 2011 3:52 pm

the more info the better!

Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:08 pm

And one more for the archives, the thermostatically operated flap on 74 and later engine lids.

Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:37 pm

heres more info specific on convertible decklids:
1956-1957 convertible welded on rain tray-painted body color

August 1958 ONLY convertible decklid welded on rain tray-painted body color carried over from oval 56-57 deck lid

September 58 to 1961 convertible decklid removable rain tray-painted body color

1963 to 1966 convertible deck lid removable rain tray- painted body color. Similiar rain tray as 58-63, is modified with indent for air cleaner, deck lid differs as well. 1966 also has 1300 script

1967 only convertible decklid removable rain tray-painted black with long oval indention to clear dual snout air cleaner

Thu Dec 01, 2011 6:46 pm

derluftwagen wrote: Major change for decklids with the big back window. Same basic inner structure as the 56-57 lids with the skin now a "half W" where the body lines continue to flare but fade out just past the license plate light housing (which is also different for the new skin pressing). Early lid has crescent shape hole for license plate light

This is the 58-? decklid... needs the years applicable added.

Thu Dec 01, 2011 7:05 pm

Here is my 1965 Convertible decklid, (guteandtite, added it above to fit in order)
Rain tray is body color. ( I also have a 63 and 61 that has a body color rain tray)

1965 Karmann Cabriolet Beetle

Note no lower support, push button latch, indented rain tray.

Note 1966 is exactly the same but has the "1300" angled mounting holes

Thu Dec 01, 2011 7:24 pm

Joel wrote: And one more for the archives, the thermostatically operated flap on 74 and later engine lids.

My canadian 75 fuel injected beetle do not have that flap under the licence. Only the fuel injection script.
Claude

Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:32 am

guteandtite wrote: heres more info specific on convertible decklids:
1956-1957 convertible welded on rain tray-painted body color

August 1958 ONLY convertible decklid welded on rain tray-painted body color carried over from oval 56-57 deck lid

September 58 to 1963 convertible decklid removable rain tray-painted body color

1965 to 1966 convertible deck lid removable rain tray- painted body color. Similiar rain tray as 58-63, is modified with indent for air cleaner, deck lid differs as well. 1966 also has 1300 script

1967 only convertible decklid removable rain tray-painted black with long oval indention to clear dual snout air cleaner

Corrected and updated - still need Pics of inside of following convertible decklids: 50-55, 64, 68-70, 71,72-74,75-79

Fri Dec 02, 2011 5:19 am

Partial inside view of 1979 convertible engine lid.

No rain catcher on the 75-79 fuel injected cars.

Fri Dec 02, 2011 5:22 am

Rear view showing outside of 1979 convertible engine lid.

Fri Dec 02, 2011 11:13 am

Thanks for all the added info, TS nerds make the minutia available to all!!

Fri Dec 02, 2011 11:25 am

guteandtite wrote: still need Pics of inside of following convertible decklids: 50-55, 64, 68-70, 71,72-74,75-79

Post em if you got em

Fri Dec 02, 2011 1:25 pm

I thougth I'd throw this in, the note about when the decklid spring changed to the two-piece style and the factory recommendation of how to install that spring:

You didn't ask for this specifically, but since I have it in the Gallery already I'll put it up. At some point a few years ago, someone wanted to see the mounting holes for the rain tray on a convertible decklid, and I took these of the lid that I was about to put on my 62. This is a repainted lid but before it was repainted it was originally a pearl white lid and I believe it was also from a 62. And since I put a large photo of it in the Gallery... I still have the large version of this photo before I cropped it down if anyone wants I can put that up too. And how it looks like now after a few years of use.

1962 Convertible Decklid Rain Tray Mounting:

A detail on the rain trays that is sometimes missing are the sort of triangular shaped rubber buffers. They are not shown in the above picture but you can see them on the red lid earlier in this thread. I'm not sure where they are supposed to sit, I've seen them closer to the middle, like seen above, and off to the sides, like mine are. Maybe my tray is bent... but on it that's the only place the are close enough to the lid to do anything. And I think the photos I of the lid before I bought it and before it was restored showed them there as well.

There are also some small rubber bump stops on the ends, similar to the ones that the glovebox closes against.

Again, a few years ago someone wanted a close up photo of that triangular shaped piece of rubber and I took this:

-Andy

Fri Dec 02, 2011 6:00 pm

Good info. I've just noticed something which has slipped past for the 3 decades in which I've been active with ACVWs and Beetles.

On the convertible vented decklids thru '66, the pair of vents are aligned nearly exactly horizontally. From '67 on, the pair of vents are angled very slightly upwards in the center, nearly following the top contour of the decklid.

Over 15 years ago I cut the vent pairs from a mangled '71 parts car decklid, transferred the measurements to a cheap "W" decklid, and had a friend MIG weld them in. Of course, there was never a W decklid with the horizontal vents, but I had them and it worked to give a more vintage appearance. The car (a Zwitter on a '73 pan) of course had a dual-port engine with doghouse fan shroud so I added the vent pairs for additional air volume. There's a distant rear shot of the car in my gallery-

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/189717.jpg

I also studied the '71 parts car's air intake slots under the rear window, and realized I could've carefully cut out a section of them from near the centerline of the vehicle and grafted those into that W decklid. The shape and size would've been quite close to a genuine W cabrio decklid.

Don't worry; that W decklid was a $25 beat-up and dented swapmeet find at the Orangeburg NY VVWCA spring meet in '95. I also installed an early '60's cabrio water tray (maybe $10?? swapmeet part) which fit the W decklid perfectly. They even cleared my Kadron air cleaners.

Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:58 pm

Hey Guys,

This is a very good site with lots of really good info. I'm a newbie bug owner, I was wondering what type of decklid I have - It's currently installed on my 67 bug (June 1967), I'm not sure if I got the correct lid for a 67 since my decklid has some sort of "hole" / "air vent" just below the license plate and above the button / handle for opening it:

Hope you can help me figure it out, I'm hoping to have the bug restored. Thanks.

Fri Apr 27, 2012 5:25 am

excessivedemon wrote: Hey Guys,

This is a very good site with lots of really good info. I'm a newbie bug owner, I was wondering what type of decklid I have - It's currently installed on my 67 bug (June 1967), I'm not sure if I got the correct lid for a 67 since my decklid has some sort of "hole" / "air vent" just below the license plate and above the button / handle for opening it:
Hope you can help me figure it out, I'm hoping to have the bug restored. Thanks.

Thats simply a modified original 1967 Sedan decklid...with one BIG eyebrow louver. Nicely done too!
Is your 1967 an AUTOMATIC?
If so and it has been converted to an "Automatic" transaxle (judging by the emblem).... someone was trying to induce more cooling with a 67 Sedan decklid.

I have one version of a 1967 modified decklid. It has multiple small press punched louvers. I use it for extra cooling in the warmer seasons.

Mon May 28, 2012 12:01 pm

What years locking deck lid latch will fit a 66 lid?