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Sat Nov 03, 2012 5:51 pm

Is there a list of date coded parts somewhere?

Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:23 pm

Are you asking what parts on a VW have date codes on them?
If so, I don't know of a thread with a complete listing.

Off the top of my head:
Generator
Coil
Regulator
Gauges
Engine case
Transmission case
Headlight buckets
Bumpers (some)
Radio (sometimes, if equipped)
Distributor
Carburetor & fuel pump (sort of, they have a sequential serial #)

I am sure I missed a few, hopefully others can complete the listing.

Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:31 pm

I have seen them on oil baths and most all rims have them also

Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:33 pm

Yes thats what I was looking for, would make a much useful and needed thread.

Sat Nov 03, 2012 9:28 pm

50 Kafer wrote: Yes thats what I was looking for, would make a much useful and needed thread. What about the 4 bolt hood latch? Trying to find one for my 55.

Wed Jan 02, 2013 2:37 pm

Did anyone ever come up with a thread on these..

where to find the codes? and how to decipher them??

Wed Jan 02, 2013 4:39 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=279505

for a bunch of items

Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:17 am

Did VW date code the fan belts, mine has 8/1 and wasn't sure if this indicated Jan 58?

Fri Oct 18, 2019 1:09 pm

Were thermostats dated? I found the number 8/6 on my 1967 Beetle thermostat.

Fri Oct 18, 2019 5:14 pm

I'm not aware of the fan belt or thermostats being dated or at least not in the formats mentioned above but I could be wrong

Fri Oct 18, 2019 6:54 pm

Thanks for the response, Everett! Here is a picture of my thermostat that makes me think about the date (8/6, for August 1966, when my car was made in October 1966). I believe these thermostats were made by Whaler (which I don't believe has been discussed, previously, for potential date formats).

Does anyone have similar markings on theirs which may either help prove or disprove? Thanks!

Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:52 pm

Interesting topic/ chance to do some research.

Thermostats, I have seven good ones. I long ago tossed the bad ones. It's important to remember that these have been around for quite awhile. Probably three decades. The same design was used with changes in the temperature rating maybe two or three times. Most of mine have probably been gleaned from 36 hp engines. Of the seven only one has a date stamp, VW stamp and WAHLER stamped on it. The stamp in the same location as your pictured is 7/3. You could be on to something. Perhaps the early ones don't have date stamps.

In the classifieds Jorn in the Netherlands has 30 of them. I'm sure he could shed some light on the topic.

My box of generator belts must be in the loft or out in the shed and are not handy. I do have an Opti belt that is definitely date stamped 9/10/2017, so it's entirely likely that other belts have dates on them too.

Tue Oct 22, 2019 11:26 pm

I looked at NOS fan belts in the gallery and there are definitely a ton with similar date stamps to what was mentioned above.

Search results:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?search_keywords=nos+fan+belt

I just don't know if that is a date or how to decode it

Tue Nov 05, 2019 1:02 pm

tasb wrote:
Thermostats, I have seven good ones. I long ago tossed the bad ones....The stamp in the same location as your pictured is 7/3. You could be on to something. Perhaps the early ones don't have date stamps.

In the classifieds Jorn in the Netherlands has 30 of them. I'm sure he could shed some light on the topic.

I actually bought a NOS thermostat from Jorn. He told me:
"I have a lot of thermostats 65-70. They all have different code’s stamped in. Most of the code’s are 1/6 or 1/3. They almost all end on a 6 or a 3. I don’t think it’s a date stamp but don’t know fore sure. The company Wahler still exists today, so you could ask them."

I contacted BorgWarner (who bought Wahler in 2013, and advertise the association on their web pages) two weeks ago, and I don't have confidence they'll really look into it. The guy who received the e-mail I sent to to the address on their "Thermals" section told me he doesn't deal with thermostats, and doesn't know who does. After I pointed out he's the "thermals" guy, he moved on to "How did you get to the section that says we provide whaler thermostats?" and finally said he would talk to the guys in the shop. I don't think that's going anywhere...

I can tell you that the NOS thermostat (in box) I received from Jorn did not have any date-like stamp on it.

So, perhaps it was just an unknown stamp...

Mon Nov 25, 2019 1:43 pm

harrymarlin wrote: I contacted BorgWarner (who bought Wahler in 2013, and advertise the association on their web pages) two weeks ago, and I don't have confidence they'll really look into it. ...
I can tell you that the NOS thermostat (in box) I received from Jorn did not have any date-like stamp on it.

As a follow-up, from the Senior Product Engineer from Arlington Automotive, who bought Wahler from BorgWarner in 2019 (this year):
"Regarding your question; 8/6 stamped means manufacture date. In that case 8 is the month = August and 6 is the last digit of the year in certain decade. So, if the car is model 1967 as Adam told me, certainly this part was produced in August, 1966. Feel free to contact me in case any additional question. I love classics cars J"

So, a surprise response, given what I have seen, but I thought I would pass it on (as information not shared is not useful).

Mon Nov 25, 2019 4:33 pm

Cool to find that out but I guess we still wouldn't know the decade. Bummer