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Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front?
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57 Zwitter?
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 4:10 pm    Post subject: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

I just was looking at a gas tank I bought at a VW swap meet years ago for my 58 and noticed it has indentations along the front bottom edge. Looking at other 56-60 Bugs I see somehave this and some don't? Were these added at some point of production? Thanks!
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RareAir
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 6:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

There seems to be 3 different pressings for 1956-60 beetle fuel tanks.

There’s a smooth front version.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.



A double horizontal ribbed version (top)

A 4 indented version which is the most common (bottom)

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.



The smooth and the horizontal ribbed versions seemed to be used on the earliest of cars produced between 8/55 through 6/56
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67 Florida Deluxe
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 6:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

My '56 had the smooth front like the first pic shown above. My '60 had the vertical indentations like the bottom tank in the second pic. I've seen '58s with the same vertical indentations. Odd the things that get changed over the years.
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jason
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 7:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

They probably had different manufacturers supplying the tanks.
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Bruce
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 10:05 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

The manufacturer is VW.
The different pressings is two ways to try and control the warping that the smooth front one has. The warping is caused by how deep the sheet metal is drawn.
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:47 am    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

Weren’t they mixed up, some years had different ones? Why would VW have an outdated press still working if they were making them? Not saying I’m right just wondering. Any pics of the process.
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janerick3
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

My June and Sep '56-built Ovals both had the tanks with the four vertical impressions.
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Bruce
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 3:32 am    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

jason wrote:
Weren’t they mixed up, some years had different ones? Why would VW have an outdated press still working if they were making them?

What do you mean, "outdated"?

I think the tank with the 4 vertical pressings is later than the one with the two horizontal ones.
To press the horizontal ones, the top half first has to be drawn using the original dies for the smooth front tank. Then it goes for a second pressing operation to do the side pressings.
In an effort to speed things up, if you can reduce these two steps into one, you've made an improvement.
The dies to press the top half of the tank could be modified to include the 4 vertical pressings. Notice how they are tapered at the top? That gives the part the necessary draft to be able to remove it from the die.
If they had tried to incorporate the two horizontal pressings into the top half dies, it wouldn't be possible to remove the finished part from the die.
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Second Air Force
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 5:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

Our October 14, 1955 Standard has the plain tank with no pressings.
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 1:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

There is 4 models of this Oval tank.

Model 1
1955-08-04 ch,nr 1-0929513 until 1956-02-xx
This model have the smooth front.

Model 2
From 1956-02-xx until ?????
Have 2 horizontal ribbed.

Model 3
The 4 indented version.

Model 4 56-04-17 until 1960
Same as model 3 but 1956-04-17 Ch-No. 1165108 the filling pipe was moved sideways 30mm
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nic_
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 4:41 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

sweden wrote:

Model 1
1955-08-04 ch,nr 1-0929513 until 1956-02-xx
This model have the smooth front.


I'm May 1956 and have the smooth tank. Although it's an Australian CKD so perhaps they didn't ship CKD's with the tank and either stockpiled or manufactured them locally?
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56Cabrio
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 4:45 pm    Post subject: Re: Why do some 56,57,58,59 gas tanks have indentations in front? Reply with quote

The smooth tank in rare air's pic is my 1956 vert tank,it was built on August 9,1955.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Here is my 1960 only tank with notches,so i guess there are 5 models of the humpback tank.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

My oval ragtop tank
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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