difference between 67 and 68

whats the difference between 67 and 68 its a cross over yr i hae a 67 it has 4 stud dis brake front etd and is ball joint i think

however i am trying to work out what door seals etc i need to get so am trying to work out the differences

bikecrazy wrote:whats the difference between 67 and 68 its a cross over yr i have a 67 it has 4 stud dis brake front etc and is ball joint i think

however i am trying to work out what door seals etc i need to get so am trying to work out the differences

HI,
Now 1967 Beetles were made from 1st August 1966 until 31st July 1967...

so, My 68 Beetle... 12 volt.. front disc brakes, 4 stud wheels,
round black knobs on the vent windows,
larger glass than the 1967 vw model beetles... SOLD in Australia

Now this was easy when EVERY one used the VW model Year..
but Now books and shops are using ACTUAL dates which makes life VERY confusing.... for most people...

If You are ordering from the USA... the door seals would be from 1966> [from memory] or 1967> [VW Year models]

but in Australia You would order late model door rubbers which fit 1968 to 1976 beetles inclusive..
all beetles in those years..

The cheaper South American made door rubbers are OK as its not difficult to change them... [Mexico - Brasil]
its a bit different with a windscreen rubber... lol

Good rubbers are sold by Wolfsburg Automotive in Victoria , they sell just about every rubber...

but You can buy from any VW parts shop as advertised in VWA magazine...

I hope this helps

LEE

People make the mistake of using overseas info when ordering parts for aussie bugs which are very different to overseas models especially in that mid to late 60s period.

If yours has 4stud disc brake balljoint front end and its original (not a pan swap) then its classed as 68.

After many owners over 40+ the years mix up the year abit, my bug has been called a 74 model by the last few even though according to VW its a 75 model and was sold new as a 75 in 75 🤪.

The actual door rubbers them selves are one of the only parts that never changed through out beetle production but the window rubbers of the doors from 68 are different.

Bikecrazy,

Below is a picture of an Australian 1967 Beetle, and a 1968 Beetle.

What picture does your car look like?

First picture - 1968
Second picture - 1967

Guys, if if the images used in this explanation, are of your car, thank you.

Dr. Zayus

bikecrazy wrote:whats the difference between 67 and 68 its a cross over yr i hae a 67 it has 4 stud dis brake front etd and is ball joint i think

however i am trying to work out what door seals etc i need to get so am trying to work out the differences

it was the BIG crossover year in Australia...

Bigger glass - 12 volts - front disc brakes - slotted wheels -
vertical headlamps.. proper 2 speed ]wipers -

but all these additions were added slowly in the German factories from the 1965 model to the 1968 model...

but in Australia - Our Australian made beetles were virtually the same from 1962 till 1967 VW year models..

then in 1968... All these modifications came with one model...
so, the diffeence is Large... not so in Europe..

cheers

LEE

I think the biggest selling year for beetles in the USA was 1967 VW year model [1st Aug 1966 - 31st july 1967 ..]

Large Glass - 12 Volts - slotted wheels - flat hubcaps - round button outside door handles.. vertical headlamps
early deluxe over rider bumpers - [towel rail]

No Beetle sold in the USA ever had disc brakes only the Karmann Ghias had them...

cheers again

LEE

Lee,


Your car is a '68 isn't it?
The over-riders on the bumpers, USA only?

Zayus

Yes,

its a 1968 model made in early 1968..

I have seen about 4 or 5 different types of over riders..

there were shorter ones too...

lots of after Market ones too... ???

although they were on later model Beetles in the USA...

but the USA ones had a large cut out where the black strip is, as in the USA the black strip was replaced by a thick rubber strip..

I have seen new over riders for sale but at high prices... lol

cheers

LEE

Mine was manufactured 1/68 it's Australian made and it's a '67' model. Weren't 67's made in oz until march 68. I'm usually wrong so could someone confirm this I could have a bogus compliance plate fitted.
Thanks Ian

The two beige comparison dubs above are awesome. Hope mine comes up like them.

Imac wrote:Mine was manufactured 1/68 it's Australian made and it's a '67' model. Weren't 67's made in oz until march 68. I'm usually wrong so could someone confirm this I could have a bogus compliance plate fitted.
Thanks Ian

Hi Ian

Any photos of Your car?
and chassis number?

LEE

Hello Lee,
Mine is almost identical to the 67 above less the white walls and a couple of grades of shine.
Chassis #1977595516
Chassis # equates to 67 model, but I don't know how they determined it was 1/68 I may have been misinformed.
Thanks Ian

Who told you it was a 1/68?

It may have just been sold new in Jan 68.

Mine is like that, build date is 10/74 but it was sold new jan 17th 75 and is listed in the log book by VW as a 75 model.

Imac wrote:Hello Lee,
Mine is almost identical to the 67 above less the white walls and a couple of grades of shine.
Chassis #1977595516
Chassis # equates to 67 model, but I don't know how they determined it was 1/68 I may have been misinformed.
Thanks Ian

Yes its a 67 model beetle made in Australia .. Ian

I'm not sure how accurate Volkswagen Australasia were with their books etc ??

German 1967 model beetles were made in the VW model year
between 1st August 66 to 31st july 1967
after 1st August 1967 they are a 1968 model...

I always thought Volkswagen Australasia did the same.. ???

I have seen a German made 1967 "standard" 1200 Beetle that was sold in Sydney in 1968..
story is that it came in by ship and was destined for New Zealand originally , but was sold in Sydney to a lady who probably didn't know the difference...
It was restored , and had white painted 1/4 window frames, also front blinkers , a relative who then owned it didn't know it was special until a Policeman was writing down the details and said its NOT a 1968 model beetle.... its an early model...


cheers

LEE


Bumpers look like stainless steel not chrome.... Lee

Not trying to hijack this thread, but if anyone knows of any RHD 'European spec' 67 beetle's for sale or in existence here in Oz, I would be interested in knowing about it, or even swapping an oval for one.

Cheers, Dave

There is a small handful of those European 1200 68 onwards bugs like the one above floating around Oz.

There is 69 1200 rusting away here in a mates backyard.
I remember when I first saw it about 20 years ago when I was only young and pretty new to VWs I couldnt understand why a 69 bug had horn grilles in the front guards and early bumpers

I only found out years later it was a European 69 1200 bug like this.



I've always had a soft spot for the late 1200s, the mix of old and new is kinda cool.
I'd love that 1200 Jeans bug forsale at the moment but I already have too many cars now.

Joel, I think you hit the nail on the head. The build and the first rego dates are probably mixed up. Any idea how I can workout the actual build date? A friend of mine is still sure the Clayton factory continued to build the '67' well into 1968 to clear their remaining components. Please confirm one way or the other I think I'll put money on it if I can get the facts.
Thanks Ian

There really isn't much in the way of data and records from the Clayton factory, you can get a rough idea by piecing together all the dates from stuff on the car which was actually dated with the month but the factory would have just kept building them until they used the bodies up, I think I;ve read somewhere that small window bugs were rolling at the doors till march 68 even though fatchick production had started.

The Clayton plant shut down and retooled for the new models in 68. I'm pretty sure just about all 68's for our market are fully imported as completely assembled vehicles, not ckd. You would have your answer if you could just post a picture of it.

Here it is,

Ah yeah that's the one Westi sold, just your typical Aussie model garden variety 67 bug.

It must be an early to mid 67 though cos it still had the early decklid latch, the last 67s were exactly the same but had the push button decklid latch instead

Yep! you got it right again Joel.😵‍💫 Since I've had it I've replaced a tie-rod end a couple of tyres and tightened the steering box, apart from a slight leak from the front seal I can't fault it. Westi (from Westside mufflers at Padstow) sold me a great car!

This is a 1966 1300 beetle with wide-five wheels and a ball joint front end. It was 6 volt and had a swing-axle gearbox. Note the larger side and rear windows and slope headlight combo. This was German assembled and a local guy called it the "one-year" beetle. I would have liked to restore it but I already have three others on the go so I sold it last year.

Thats a Euro spec car, very different to what we got here.

One year only is very over used term thanks to the Americans with those bloody 67 beetles that have started that load of crap.

A few parts on a car that were only used for that year doesnt make the car a one year only item.

I can find atleast one "one year only" part on every year beetle between 67 and 76 that unique to that year only.

Ian yes you are right, the Clayton factory made Aussie '67s well into 1968. The Deluxe was phased out about March, and replaced by the fully-imported German '68 model (both manual and semi-auto). I believe the Custom (Standard) continued up until about September 1968 (plus the Country Buggy). It took a while to convert the factory from manufacture to assembly, it wasn't an overnight thing. The Clayton factory was also making the Type 3, and the Transporter, in 1968 so those lines also had to be converted to CKD. As well, the factory also began assembling Datsun 1200/1600s and Volvo sedans as work was contracted out.

So while the Euro '68 model appeared in Germany in August '67, it didn't go on sale in Australia until March 1968. Both '68s remained fully imported for a few months, then CKD assembly of the manual began about June '68. The semi-auto remained fully imported.

Lee your production dates for model years (1 August to 31 July) only apply to German cars. The Australian factory made each model year well after July - in fact into Xmas and the new year, as the compoments were used up. New 'model year' VWs appeared here in February or March; there's no specific date as there is for Wolfsburg. Even when CKD assembly began from '68 on, the parts may have been built according to those Wolfsburg dates but were have been assembled here months later - the CKD crates had to be shipped out here. In fact the gap got larger in the late '60s as VW's local sales dropped and a backlog of unsold cars built up. By the time the changeover on '68 happened, the factory was partly idle. It was built to produce 50,000 cars a year but never exceeded 34,000 (1964).

There's no way to determine the actual 'build date' of an Australian-made VW. The closest you'll get is to look for various 'date stamps' for some of the components. Look at the wheel centres (between the bolt holes) for date stamps. Look also at the back of the speedo and the fuel gauge. That will tell you when those parts were made, so the car's assembly date will be shortly after.

Thanks for the info and I'll classify that as gospel !!!
Ian

Have a read of the Australian VW history here:

http://www.clubvw.org.au/history/history.html

I will be updating and expanding the history over the next month or two, ready for the launch of the club's redesigned website.

The German factories close down for the summer holidays. This is when the retooling is done for the new models which appear after August. The same thing happened in Australia only our summer holidays are in January, hence the new models are first manufactured in February.

Compliance plates have nothing to do with build dates. It is common for them to be 2 years later than when the vehicle was built. As far as I know, there were no 1975 Passat sedans, but there are plenty of 1974s with 1975 compliance plates as with 1981 Golfs.

Anyone know what year this olive beetle is. http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automotive/Used-Cars/Small-Medium-Family-Prestige-Cars/Slideshow=TP005173197?ProductID=vlgKoQwl.YcAAAE2Zlkp_XW_&ItemDetailPageletCategoryName=AutoDetail&StartImage=vw%20car%20009.jpg&AutoPlay=true

That thing has been posted up a few times.

It;s a 69 semi auto but every time the owner tries to flog it off as a 56 oval 🙄

Joel wrote:Ah yeah that's the one Westi sold, just your typical Aussie model garden variety 67 bug.

It must be an early to mid 67 though cos it still had the early decklid latch, the last 67s were exactly the same but had the push button decklid latch instead

Hi Joel & others
I never realised that the push button early decklid existed until I saw some My son has..
I cannot ever remember seeing them in 1967-68..lol
but that was a long time ago..
I do remember seeing standard beetles with the red pin stripe instead of bright side strips.. and the terrible painted hubcaps and bumpers.... YIKES,,

Lee

the 67 only beetles with the one year only doors..[sorry Joel]
the first time I saw one was a vw sanctioned replica model years ago, and I thought they had got it all wrong [who ever made them] with the black & white slotted wheels , round headlamps with horn grills.. early bumpers.. etc..
I spoke to some one on the web, whose mate owned the white 67 beetle that they used for the model..
small world.. lol Lee

Joel wrote:That thing has been posted up a few times.

It;s a 69 semi auto but every time the owner tries to flog it off as a 56 oval 🙄

a bit of work has gone into that 56 look alike 69 semi auto beetle
but still a lot to do to make it look any good...
tail light lenses have seen better days.. lol
round bumper stay holes still in rear guards.. so they are original guards by the look of it... probably took the bonnet decklid and guards, front & rear valance off a 63 beetle...??

Lee

68AutoBug wrote:

Joel wrote:Ah yeah that's the one Westi sold, just your typical Aussie model garden variety 67 bug.

It must be an early to mid 67 though cos it still had the early decklid latch, the last 67s were exactly the same but had the push button decklid latch instead

Hi Joel & others
I never realised that the push button early decklid existed until I saw some My son has..
I cannot ever remember seeing them in 1967-68..lol
but that was a long time ago..
I do remember seeing standard beetles with the red pin stripe instead of bright side strips.. and the terrible painted hubcaps and bumpers.... YIKES,,

Lee

the 67 only beetles with the one year only doors..[sorry Joel]
the first time I saw one was a vw sanctioned replica model years ago, and I thought they had got it all wrong [who ever made them] with the black & white slotted wheels , round headlamps with horn grills.. early bumpers.. etc..
I spoke to some one on the web, whose mate owned the white 67 beetle that they used for the model..
small world.. lol Lee

I don't know what the go was with the push button 67 decklids, they were only on a handful of the last Aus 67 beetles which I find strange, I cant see the factory changing the moulds just for a few months of Beetle production before they stopped making them here.
My guess is they ran out of decklids made here with the T handle and imported a batch of German decklids which already had the push button latch to finish off the last of the aus made bugs.

Lee, the 67 only doors didn't apply to Aus, only the Euro and US spec bugs had them, we never changed to big window bodys till the new models came.
But there would be the odd couple of Euro imports getting around.

I've probably already mentioned it in this thread but there is a 68 beetle sitting rotting away in a mates back yard, its a euro import 1200 so still has the old bumpers and horn grilles but with the late headlights and big window body.

Had me puzzled for years when I first saw it back in the early 90s till I worked out what it was.

My bug is a 68 model on VIN and paper work, but pre 67 shape.



Explain that!

And heres a pushbutton decklid too!

Hi all! I'm a newbie here and a first time VW builder too....with a basket case completely dismantled.

What I have learnt so far is that mine is a 1967 ( chassis # 197 418237 ) and it has no dash chrome, no door pillar or side material coverings, no internal rear pass grab handles, no rear ashtray and no rear seat heater outlets.. so is it a Standard / Custom??

It does have external SS trim and the bumpers that came with it are towel rail types so I am confused. Also I bought it as a '62 becasue it had an early decklid and bonnet and what did I know!!

Any thoughts??
Thanks, Dan

^^^ Its a 67 1300 Custom originally had chrome blade bumpers, 1300 Custom on the deck lid, chrome hub caps, running board trim and two tone rims.

Sort of in between a earlier Standard and a Deluxe.

The car above is one as well, they made them into the start of 68.

TKS for that Burrelli 🙂
Because it is such a basket case / frankenstein I am building it as such ( will post some photos soon )
Will be Ruby red / White sides, lowered 2.5" with Empi GT 5 spokes, 1500 single port and the early hood and deck it came with....... so being originall y a 'Custom' it all sorta fits!

esevwbits wrote:My bug is a 68 model on VIN and paper work, but pre 67 shape.

Explain that!

What is the VIN?

Burrelli wrote:^^^ Its a 67 1300 Custom originally had chrome blade bumpers, 1300 Custom on the deck lid, chrome hub caps, running board trim and two tone rims.

Sort of in between a earlier Standard and a Deluxe.

The car above is one as well, they made them into the start of 68.

Hi
the CUSTOM Beetle made in Australia had stainless steel bumpers with NO over riders..
chromed over riders would have been a different color.. plus chrome was more expensive..

other than that they were similar to the standard but with a 1300 engine...

LEE

AA003 wrote:

esevwbits wrote:My bug is a 68 model on VIN and paper work, but pre 67 shape.

Explain that!

What is the VIN?

Old cars didn't have VIN numbers they all had CHASSIS NUMBERS
which were designed to tell You when the vehicle was made..

LEE

Located under the rear seat in a beetle.. in the centre near the oval plate..

Danno66 wrote:Hi all! I'm a newbie here and a first time VW builder too....with a basket case completely dismantled.

What I have learnt so far is that mine is a 1967 ( chassis # 197 418237 ) and it has no dash chrome, no door pillar or side material coverings, no internal rear pass grab handles, no rear ashtray and no rear seat heater outlets.. so is it a Standard / Custom??

It does have external SS trim and the bumpers that came with it are towel rail types so I am confused. Also I bought it as a '62 becasue it had an early decklid and bonnet and what did I know!!

Any thoughts??
Thanks, Dan

Hi
Most bonnets and deckilds are not the originals now as they were commonly damaged in traffic accidents..
197 means it is an Australian made 1967 model beetle..

Does it have an interior light?
two interior light switches??
does it have stainless steel strips in the window rubbers????

does it have the round towel rail bumper support holes in all 4 guards????
most beetles DON'T have these supports or the holes unless they are original guards..
as new guards don't have them now...
and no one seems keen to drill the holes... lol

I have read where Aussie built 1967 beetles were still being sold in 1968...

New 1968 Beetles were never going to be built in Australia, apart from CKD kits from Germany..
[ Completely Knocked Down ] using some Australian parts like glass etc..

cheers

LEE

6 volts difference

68AutoBug wrote:

Joel wrote:Ah yeah that's the one Westi sold, just your typical Aussie model garden variety 67 bug.

It must be an early to mid 67 though cos it still had the early decklid latch, the last 67s were exactly the same but had the push button decklid latch instead

Hi Joel & others
I never realised that the push button early decklid existed until I saw some My son has..
I cannot ever remember seeing them in 1967-68..lol
but that was a long time ago..
I do remember seeing standard beetles with the red pin stripe instead of bright side strips.. and the terrible painted hubcaps and bumpers.... YIKES,,

Lee

the 67 only beetles with the one year only doors..[sorry Joel]
the first time I saw one was a vw sanctioned replica model years ago, and I thought they had got it all wrong [who ever made them] with the black & white slotted wheels , round headlamps with horn grills.. early bumpers.. etc..
I spoke to some one on the web, whose mate owned the white 67 beetle that they used for the model..
small world.. lol Lee

You mean like this. beautiful painted caps and bars 👍

68AutoBug wrote:I have seen a German made 1967 "standard" 1200 Beetle that was sold in Sydney in 1968..
story is that it came in by ship and was destined for New Zealand originally , but was sold in Sydney to a lady who probably didn't know the difference...
It was restored , and had white painted 1/4 window frames, also front blinkers , a relative who then owned it didn't know it was special until a Policeman was writing down the details and said its NOT a 1968 model beetle.... its an early model...

I've got one of those 68 European 1200's too. Sold in Sydney originally too but made its way to Qld while it was still having the services checked off in the booklet.

Joel wrote:Thats a Euro spec car, very different to what we got here.

One year only is very over used term thanks to the Americans with those bloody 67 beetles that have started that load of crap.

A few parts on a car that were only used for that year doesnt make the car a one year only item.

I can find atleast one "one year only" part on every year beetle between 67 and 76 that unique to that year only.

The US & Euro 67 were truly a 'one year only' Beetle Joel. Just about every part is different from every other year model Beetle and only found on the 67, with a handful of parts being on the 66 as well. The US model has the most 'one year only' parts and the list is huge. Unless you've owned and restored one, you would have no idea just how many parts are different. Here is most off the top of my head but its not a comprehensive list. I think you could concede it is more than "just a few parts"

US & EURO 67 BEETLE 'ONE YEAR ONLY' PARTS (& TWO YEAR ONLY)
*67 only decklid and rear valance, also decklid latches to a 67 only rear valance catch with a one year only rubber diaphragm in the valance
*67 only doors, door locks, door latches, door striker plates, door handles, window
winders
*67 only bonnet, early shape with small holes for late thin moulding in Aluminium
*67 only front guards upright headlight, one year only horn grille spacing, one year only overrider holes (US spec only)
*67 only bonnet moulding
*67 only rear bumper overiders (US spec only)
*67 only reverse lights and brackets
*67 only black rubber dash knobs
*67 only black metal rear vision mirror stalk uniquely different shape & colour
*67 only sun visors & sun visor clips
*67 only plastic rear vision mirror
*67 only black gear knob in early shape
*67 only front seats with one year only reclining mechanisms
*67 only double ended symmetrical air cleaner with 67 only corresponding tinware
*67 only quarter window latches
*67 only side view mirrors which mount to top of hinge pin
*67 only 5 lug front drums to fit balljoint front end (US spec only)
*66-67 only 5 lug wheels & special flat hubcaps for Beetles & KG, thinner profile than
5 lug type 3 hubcaps (US spec only)
*66-67 only red heater knob
*66-67 only coloured seatbelts & special seatbelt latches & catches
*66-67 only coloured running board rubbers
*66-67 only front bonnet pull in stamped stainless steel

Of the thousands of parts that make up a bug it's still not much in the scale of things.
There is still a large percentage of the bug that is same as other years.

And again its not relevant to Aussie models.

Well before I order parts from ISP WEST I think I best upload pic's here to confirm as mine's a 67' It has 5 stud and two wiper blades so its %100 a 67' ?

vdubin wrote:Well before I order parts from ISP WEST I think I best upload pic's here to confirm as mine's a 67' It has 5 stud and two wiper blades so its %100 a 67' ?

That's an Aussie 67. If you're ordering parts overseas, its the same as a US or Euro 64 model.

From 65 to 67, US and Euro Beetles continued to change, (most immediately apparent change being the window size increased) whereas Australian Beetles got stuck in a time warp for three years until the fully imported 68's came out.

If you look at overseas parts catalogues, especially for window rubbers and trims, most will show -64 as the cutoff. Any of those parts will fit yours, and there's nothing yours has which isn't covered up to 64.