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what year is this beetle with vin

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rob53 Officially Full-On Dubber

385 posts · joined Jan 2007 ·

#773146
Hi all,
I am trying to find out what year a particular beetle is.
It's vin is 196030111. (Matches both compliance plate and chassis)

Previous owner not sure but thinks it may be a 62.

Couldn't read anything off the back of the speedo.

Any other info from this vin would be great if anyone knows.

Thanks
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...

Sides Veteran Volks Folk

2,220 posts · joined May 2007 ·

#773154
You sure you typed that number in right ???

9 digits normally means 1965 - 1970, but they all start with 11.

Starting with 19 is way back in the late 50's when they were still 7 digit numbers....could it possibly be that you've missed a one off the front, and it actually starts with 119 ???

❓
VWDCQ vice pres & web dude - vwdcqinc.org.au
Join a car club - get car peeps

My toys
'70 Hillclimb Bug 'Jezebel' w/- Haltech EFI - http://bit.ly/VwTNtQ
'60 KG Coupe - resto kinda started
01 New Beetle - gf's car, but I turn the spanners

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#773155
aussie built 66 👍
2nd digit being 9 means made in aus

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#773227
rob53 wrote:Hi all,
I am trying to find out what year a particular beetle is.
It's vin is 196030111. (Matches both compliance plate and chassis)

Previous owner not sure but thinks it may be a 62.

Couldn't read anything off the back of the speedo.

Any other info from this vin would be great if anyone knows.

Thanks
Yes Made in Australia by Volkswagen Australasia

the year will also be stamped in the wheels around the centre part.. [this is when the wheels were made]

Year should also be on the back of the speedo...

LEE



-
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

rob53 Officially Full-On Dubber

385 posts · joined Jan 2007 ·

#773271
I'll check the vin again today, I did look at the wheels, but 4 of them are wider 5 stud wheels with 65 stamped on them, however the spare is a narrow 5 stud wheel with 63 stamped on it.
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...

DylanTheDubber Custom Title Time!

1,252 posts · joined Jun 2009 ·

#773273
Wheels and speedos can be changed easy but i have a good vin decoder program and it says it's built August 1965 It being a 66 model built in August 1965. Hope this helps ,

From Dylan

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#773291
There's no way it would have been built in August 1965 - sorry Dylan.

Australia's factory was not as big and efficient as Wolfsburg, and it took months for changes to filter through the system. Australian model year changes generally came in at the start of the new year - February or March - after the Xmas break. German changes were the previous August.

A 196 nnn nnn is an Australian 1966 model chassis - German chassis began 116 but Australian-manufactured cars had a '9' for the second digit. Overseas websites - and even VW Germany today - miss that point.

That number was the 30,111th stamping for 1966 so I am guessing it was made very late in 1966, or even in early 1967. VW sold only 20,000 or so Beetles in 1966.

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#773304
Phil74Camper wrote:A 196 nnn nnn is an Australian 1966 model chassis - German chassis began 116 but Australian-manufactured cars had a '9' for the second digit. Overseas websites - and even VW Germany today - miss that point.
that happens alot, a guy on ebay was selling a bug ute with 197# and all the typical signs of being an aus 67 like basket weave seats, side mounted visors etc but he was trying to sell it as a 56 oval cos thats what thesamba tells him the vin meant 🙄

rob53 Officially Full-On Dubber

385 posts · joined Jan 2007 ·

#773316
ok I double checked the vin, definitely starts with 19. On the back of the speedo I read 65 12, so is it a december 65?
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...

Sides Veteran Volks Folk

2,220 posts · joined May 2007 ·

#773317
Phil74Camper wrote:A 196 nnn nnn is an Australian 1966 model chassis - German chassis began 116 but Australian-manufactured cars had a '9' for the second digit. Overseas websites - and even VW Germany today - miss that point.
Right, Ok - that makes sense... guess I've learnt something new !!!

👍

The date stamp on the speedo I'm pretty sure is just when the speedo was made, not necessarily the car...
VWDCQ vice pres & web dude - vwdcqinc.org.au
Join a car club - get car peeps

My toys
'70 Hillclimb Bug 'Jezebel' w/- Haltech EFI - http://bit.ly/VwTNtQ
'60 KG Coupe - resto kinda started
01 New Beetle - gf's car, but I turn the spanners

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#773318
Yes

the date on the rear of the speedo is when the speedo was made....

same as the wheels...

these are also two of the easiest things to change....

so many cars have wrong date wheels and speedo...

LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#773320
You can also check underneath the front blinkers. Unscrew the chrome screw, lift off the chrome covers and look underneath. There's usually a date stamp there.

Not a guarantee of course, as mudguards/blinkers could have been swapped even more often than wheels/speedos.

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#773323
Phil74Camper wrote:You can also check underneath the front blinkers. Unscrew the chrome screw, lift off the chrome covers and look underneath. There's usually a date stamp there.

Not a guarantee of course, as mudguards/blinkers could have been swapped even more often than wheels/speedos.
Yes...
All of those things are Not My original parts... lol

and mudguards and blinkers would be accident prone....

LEE
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

rob53 Officially Full-On Dubber

385 posts · joined Jan 2007 ·

#773324
front indicators are off a later style beetle
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...

rob53 Officially Full-On Dubber

385 posts · joined Jan 2007 ·

#773347
thanks everyone for help
Thats not rust, it's ah ... orange primer ... yep that's what it is ...

DylanTheDubber Custom Title Time!

1,252 posts · joined Jun 2009 ·

#773368
Phil74Camper wrote:There's no way it would have been built in August 1965 - sorry Dylan.

Australia's factory was not as big and efficient as Wolfsburg, and it took months for changes to filter through the system. Australian model year changes generally came in at the start of the new year - February or March - after the Xmas break. German changes were the previous August.

A 196 nnn nnn is an Australian 1966 model chassis - German chassis began 116 but Australian-manufactured cars had a '9' for the second digit. Overseas websites - and even VW Germany today - miss that point.

That number was the 30,111th stamping for 1966 so I am guessing it was made very late in 1966, or even in early 1967. VW sold only 20,000 or so Beetles in 1966.

Yeah well my decoder is not an Aus one so theres the problem. thanks for the info phill.

Phil74Camper Head in the Clouds

2,703 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#773493
Right.

But is that the VIN (chassis number) for the car in your avatar, which looks like a 6V Beetle? Is 1964 your year model? If so, then the floorpan must have been been swapped !

68AutoBug Beetle Restorer - Experience over 138\% - YIKES --

11,654 posts · joined Aug 2002 ·

#773507
Paulc1964au wrote:so based on whats been said here my vin number 119052264 would make it a 1969 model built in Germany?

Hi
The 1969 model beetle [Volkswagen 69 year model]
had two levers to turn the heaters on at the floor...
the levers were under the dash either side...
ONLY 1969 models had these...

LEE

1969 VW year model goes from 1st August 1968 to 31st July
1969....
not january to december...
which many books now quote.. and makes things more complicated.. Lee

The VW year changed in 1955 [from memory]
the changes were made so the factory could change things while the workers were on Summer Holidays.. JULY-AUG...


All the identification lists I have seen are for the German made beetle... which had large glass etc in 1966..

and the ONE YEAR ONLY BEETLE the German 1967....
which had round push button outside door handles.. amongst other things.. which didn't continue in 1968..
- Helping keep Air Cooled VWs on the road - location: SCONE in the Upper Hunter Valley - Northern NSW 320 kms NNW of SYDNEY---

DylanTheDubber Custom Title Time!

1,252 posts · joined Jun 2009 ·

#773510
I can tell by my decoder. ill check now.

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 ·

#773519
that will give you a very rough approximation, but what u need to bear in mind it was assembled from a CKD kit and australia sold them at much slower rates than say germany or US so whilst it may have left germany in april 69 it might not have been assembled and complianced here till say novemeber where as one bound for europe or US would have been put together months earlier but have a later chassis number

ive found on all the 70s bugs Ive owned theres usually a 4-5 month gap between part manufacture dates (engine, wheels, speedo, interior panels etc) and the aus compliance date