help with year model

hi all ,i am selling my notch its in forsale section,not much luck with a sale,but have a guy real keen in the states,LA,
anyway i have the chassis number here
can someone date this for me,i think its a 67 late or early 68
318022567
dont really want to see it go off shore will see what happens..
cheers craig...

According to John Muir, that's a late 1967. The engine number should be U 0 0## ### to be original and it should be the first fuel injected model.

shaihulud wrote:According to John Muir, that's a late 1967. The engine number should be U 0 0## ### to be original and it should be the first fuel injected model.

The body correct at Aug/Sept 67 but nothing to say that it should be fuel injected. We saw very few fuel injected models here in OZ after their release for some time. The nearest we saw on Type 3s to fuel injection was the dual port head 1600 engines on all Type 3s in 1968. Phil Matthews indicates that the FI started on our production in 1970 although I seem to remember a couple of 69s around with it but can't be certain after all these years. Remember we were a long way behind Germany and USA with much of these improvements if we can call them that in some cases. The double joint rear suspension was great if the rear engine brackets didn't fatigue off the rear quarters!

DH

1500S wrote:

shaihulud wrote:According to John Muir, that's a late 1967. The engine number should be U 0 0## ### to be original and it should be the first fuel injected model.

The body correct at Aug/Sept 67 but nothing to say that it should be fuel injected. We saw very few fuel injected models here in OZ after their release for some time. The nearest we saw on Type 3s to fuel injection was the dual port head 1600 engines on all Type 3s in 1968. Phil Matthews indicates that the FI started on our production in 1970 although I seem to remember a couple of 69s around with it but can't be certain after all these years. Remember we were a long way behind Germany and USA with much of these improvements if we can call them that in some cases. The double joint rear suspension was great if the rear engine brackets didn't fatigue off the rear quarters!

DH

John Muir only helps if you live in USA, Australian cars were carbed in 67 and 68 atleast.

To answer your original question, this is a 1968 model year notchback, as 318 ****** ( but was probably assembled in 1967).

In 1964, VW changed the chassis numbering system for 1965 models starting with production from 1st August 1964:
First number = model ( 3= type 3), 2nd = body style ( 1= sedan/ fastback) and 3rd number = model year ( 8= 1968).
Talking about late 67 and early 68 cars etc with type 3's just confuses everyone, it's the model year which distinguishes between cars.

In the USA no notchback's were officially sold through dealers, so those imported from Germany or Canada are completely different to most of our 68 model's ( they have 4 stud, disc brakes, fuel injection, different interior etc etc)

Yes I have a press release at home somewhere that announces fuel injection for Australian 1970 models, which is why i wrote that in the Club Veedub history pages. There may have been a few examples made or imported earlier; nothing is set in concrete!

Australian Type 3s never had the same local content that Beetles had, so their details will more closely match what you read in US publications like Muir etc. But not completely! Yes, a 318 nnnnnnn chassis number indicates a 1968 model, NOT late 1967. The business about model years starting the previous August only applies to German-built cars; the Melbourne factory generally began a new model year after the Xmas-new year period. Remember that a 1968 floorpan would have been stamped in Germany, then shipped to Australia in CKD kits with the rest of the components, then sit around at Clayton for a month or two before being assembled, finished and sold. In early 1968 the Clayton plant was half idle through lack of sales, so stuff was lying around for ages. I would guess that car was built in the early months of 1968 and would certainly be carb.

What does it say on the manufacturer's plate? What is stamped on the spare wheel centre? Is there a date stamped on the back of the speedo?

With some of them they did actually arrive in August of the preceding year. The 1970 "new shape" Type 3 arrived in the showrooms somewhere between 16th Aug 1969 and 30th Aug 1969 that I know of. There weren't any on the floor when I started holidays on the 16th but was there sometime near 30th. That was at Lennox Motors, Blacktown. From memory, it was a honey brown Square and was proudly shown to me by old friend and manager of Blacktown branch Noel "Granny" Caterson. He was driving a 69 Square auto at the time. but not sure if that one was a "special" FI one for him.

DH

thanks guys thats a good read,,

According to the Production Line records I have the Type 3 Fuel Injected models first came off the Clayton production line as below;

316321 Sedan FI Manual 42 units in June 1969
316323 Sedan FI Auto 30 units in April 1969
312031 Fastback FI Manual 91 units in March 1970
312033 Fastback FI Auto 34 units in March 1970
362021 Wagon FI Manual 186 units in February 1969
362023 Wagon FI Auto 29 units in April 1969

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