Color help

[John cilia]

Just got my birth certificate for my 49 Split bug.
It's a 11a Delux sedan.
Color is listed as L 78 medium brown, but I can't find it anywhere.
Anyone have any ideas ?

[wimkever]

This is the color you mentioned. What exactly do you want to know?
http://aircooledvw.skynetblogs.be/archive/2013/12/31/l78-vw-1949-a-1951-mittelbraun-8028804.html
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[Kjell Roar]

Original paint is Glasurit, think you find it in their Classic Series.
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My car, Aug. 4th, 1955 / an early 56: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=610438

[John cilia]

I just needed info on where too find it.
Thanks for the info.

[Martin Southwell]

You wont find Medium Brown (Mittelbraun) as L78 anywhere, because that is not the correct colour code. It should be L70. Luckily I have a genuine VW colour code book from 1959 which shows this, and doesn't list a L78.

At random I've looked on the net and found this web site http://www.thegoldenbug.com/en/vw_technical_articles/d106/beetle_paint_code_listing which show the colour being relevant from 07/48 to 03/51, and so your 49 fits in there OK.

On the site there is no PPG colour code given for L70, but that doesn't mean that the colour isn't covered by PPG. Last year I was looking for L37 Middle Blue (Mittelblau) which doesn't have a PPG reference given on the site, but I was able to get it in PPG, from my local paint supplier.

Disappointingly, the last three 'Birth Certificates' ordered from VW have all contained errors, and one of those was the wrong colour. To add insult to injury, the person sending the last certificate, to whom I wrote twice about the mistakes, refused to acknowledge his mistake, or to write back to me.

Having then written to people higher up the VW 'foodchain', I received the correct certificate about a week later, from the original person contacted! Evidently somebody had had a word with him. Unfortunately, there is no 100% reliability with these certificates, and this subject has been covered on Samba a number of times now.

Anyway, I hope this helps.

[John cilia]

That's great info.
I think my birth certificate is wrong as well. After removing the ID tag under front hood it clearly shows the original body color to be the Pearl gray.
I think Iam calling this guy in the fatherland.
thanks again.

[overrestored]

the first of these books… would be something that can help you… if you can find it. JT Garwood's "car of the century"

See: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=421015

Probably best to watch the classifieds here and on Amazon, eBay, etc.
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a yard full of fruit trees
26 chairs for some reason
a crapload of old shoes
a lot of books on history of the Mexican Ranchos
200+ kamax bolts... stacked in rows

[pastellgreen]

pearl grey is not a Deluxe colour!

[John cilia]

This November 1949 car is all standard on the inside with all black trim pieces and wing nut seats and half headliner. But has Delux chrome on the outside.
Factory paint is 100 % gray.
Is this common in 1949.
Car was first sold in Dortmund Germany.

[djfordmanjack]

Dlx trim could be ordered from factory with a std. Don't know if they called it a '11a' then.

I had a 51 Std ( dark blue) with all the correct std details ( black knobs and dashpods, no crotch coolers, halfway headliner) and it came with Dlx trim originally ( oe paint on beltline holes) and most probably og chromed door handles.
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52 Barndoor DLX Coachbuild project
55 Wolfsburg panel project, og paint Taubenblau L31
62 Dickholmer, custom color Seeblau L360
63 1500 Notch, og paint Rubin Rot L456
67 1500 Käfer, og paint Lotus weiß L282 w/red interior

[pastellgreen]

[nlorntson]

October 1949 middle brown deluxe

[John cilia]

Beautiful pic.
I have absolutely NONE of this color on my car.
Every nook and hidden spot shows gray but my Birth certificate states that it's that middle brown.
Currently I am dealing with that office in Germany and trying too get my B C corrected.
Thanks for your help.
John

[Martin Southwell]

It might interest you to know how we, pre Internet, used to receive information from VW regarding our elderly Beetle/Bugs, before the advent of the dubious Birth Certificate process.

There was no cost, it was friendly, fast (I even received a book and a set of photos on this particular occasion) and there was genuine enthusiasm on their part for the older vehicles, and provided you were sensible, would provide details, as here, on multiple vehicles. You’ll note that they received my letter on the 21st September, and replied on the 25th. A service measured in days, whereas in these Internet days, it’s measured in months!

In addition, original engine numbers were supplied, without the present day nonsense of information being withheld, unless you can provide them 1st with the original number. All said to be done for security reasons! Oddly, there is no mention of colour in the details, but I have no doubt these would have been supplied, had they been asked for.

Today I still have the two cars on the top row of details, with the one on the right having been supplied new to the British Army. Among the details it says: Mehrausstattung 3, which I believe translates as More Equipment 3. Does anybody know what that might mean? It has an unusual lock and switch on the steering column, and a front winding clock on the right hand panel, which on standards is normally blank.

Of the other two cars on the bottom row, the one on the left now belongs to a friend, and the one on the right, an oval, UK registered as 2953 VW, was sold on 25+ years ago, and I’ve never seen or heard of it, or its owner since. Shame, as I still have the original 25hp engine that he was due to come back and collect. If anybody knows …….

[John cilia]

So the latest respone from Germany too me is that my 49 Delux body apparently sat in factory for about 3 months. Then it was attached to a standard chassis.
I will try to go higher in the chain of command as this guy Iam dealing with won't have my B C changed from incorrect Brown to the Gray color it actually was painted.
The saga continues...

[John cilia]

FYI I am now waiting for my correct BC from Germany. Many thanks to Nico Kiefer at the Stiftung Auto Museum for helping me clear up any confusion with my chassis and body numbers as rust had greatly affected their legibility.