Chassis No on tag is 3050538
Chassis No on floor pan is 5104301
Engine number is H 1028248
The story is i was told its a 1961 with a 1500 engine.
When i collected it, looked like a 1200 engine and a 1960. all the guards have been changed, dash has been played with but all the panels and shell
are rust free. with a little work this girl will shine.
What i would like to fine out is if it’s a 1960 should it have semaphores?
don’t like its ever had them but the slots could have been covered up.
1 hole each side has been drilled for seat belts. don’t think this is standard. did 1960 have seatbelts fitted?
also, based on what year it is with the fuel tank and front end like an oval do you think this would have the snow flake tail lights?
your input would be appreciated (my new toy)
Any idea what your this engine lid is, not like an oval but not the same as my 61,64 and 67 shells i have???
Late 59 or early 60 is the newest it can be going by that front panel and humped fuel tank.
59 would have had semaphores and snow flakes.
60 would have had 50/50 tail lights.
H engine number is 1500, but could've been rebuilt as most anything.
Drilled through seat belt mounts like that are pre 62 from memory (not near my VW Australia book to dbl check, likewise the chassis number list).
So...I'm gonna say early 60 with later guards, lights and donk.
Thanks Dave, I agree. I was a little thrown when i collected yesterday. I brought the beetle on eBay as a 1961. The ad never displayed photos of the
front end around where the fuel tank sits. To be honest i only requested extra photos for rust spots. Its 100% rust free.
It makes it very hard when you have had years of events were people try to do the right thing at that time and update guards, lights etc..
For the price i paid i am more than happy.
2 more questions i have are:
If it is a 1960 should the pan number match the tag number?
The engine lid i have, this must be limited to only a very few years, i have never seen one like this before.
Off the top of my head, possibly the fuel tank and definately the decklid go through to mid 62
Bit of a bitsa bug you got there.
Mid 60 body (just after semaphores stopped) on a 63 floor pan and a 70 engine.
Nothing to worry about, these are lego cars rebuilt with lots of different parts over 50+ years
Just interested here cos Oz numbering system confuses me after coming from Europe and USA numbering.
I have looked for Oz chassis/body numbering database but not had much luck.
I wouldn't mind if I could be pointed in the right direction for my body n chassis numbers 
There would be no chassis no. on tag In 1960. that must have been added later.
Itsa Bitsa but a factoy one, to start with.
It's early 1960, hump tank is leftover bits from pre '59. You can't fit a later 60/61 tank without changing the front cut from tank to spare wheel
well. As was so common over all the models, they carried over bits to use up stock.
Semaphores stopped in late 59. Front end, probably 59 (haven't had mine apart) It should have narrow clear lense indicators and 50/50 rear lights.
Decklid is consistent with 1960. Another giveway would be choke cable knob ( or hole for one ) in the dash to the right of the ignition switch.
Definately no towell rails on bumpers.
It would have originally had a 36 HP engine, unless veeery late 1960, Then 40 hp. change to 1500? may explain re- tagging?
Sealtbelt anchor drilled through B pillar is very common on pre 64, as VW had provided no built in ones. They had the holes but not the nuts from 61
ish to 64 when they had both (but with plastic plugs in the nuts). Although B pilar drill throughs were so common as retrofits when seat belts became
compulsory that even cars that had factory provision for belts ended up with drill throughs, there was such a mad rush, all makes and models copped
uneccessary butchering.
You probably just have a 1960 body on a later pan.
Remember, sales and rego figures go from January to January but VW production figures went from August to August at that time.
Regards,
Matt.
Thanks very much for your reply matt. explained it well.
have a look at the date stamped on the back of the speedo as a quick reference, they rarely bugger up n it still could be from factory 
^^ as per h, also the galass is date stamped, the dot over a letter of Armourplate, count 0 1 2 3...etc
Matt, semaphores stopped in mid '60
| Quote: |
| Originally
posted by psimitar Just interested here cos Oz numbering system confuses me after coming from Europe and USA numbering. I have looked for Oz chassis/body numbering database but not had much luck. I wouldn't mind if I could be pointed in the right direction for my body n chassis numbers |
| Quote: |
So is an original 1960 floor pan the same as a 1963? I will use this floor pan (1963) for my other beetle I am restoring its a 1963 shell, I was going to put it on a 1967 pan.
A couple of differences, your 60 pan would have been 36hp so would have the old split case crash box and different front mount.
Think that was around the time the front sway bar was fitted
Front sway bar appeared late '59....around the same time as push-button door handles, dished steering wheel, softer rear torsion bars, etc. Semaphores were replaced by blinkers mid 1960, when the lacquer paint was dropped for baked enamel, with a new colour range.
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Originally
posted by Joel
Aussie chassis numbering is tricky because our production was slower than the motherland and we used our own number system for a bit but Phil has done a pretty good job writing it up on the clubvw website http://www.clubvw.org.au/vwchassis As you can see from that the chassis number on the body is mid 60 which ties in with it still having the early tank and spare wheel well but no semaphores and the chassis number is mid 63. Looking at the towel rail bumpers, and birch green guards (with towel rail stabilisor holes and 62+ lights) and decklid with birch green wheels I would hazard a guess someone had a birch green 63 Beetle and just plonked that 60 shell on it. Probably fixing rust or a good old fashioned swing axle roll over.
Yes they should match, thats how you can tell its a body swap and that decklid is just a standard bigwindow late 57 to early 64 decklid. 64 on have no curls on the center ribbing because of the wider number plate light housing. |
That was the case overseas but not here.
6volt bugs never got the balljoint front end, stayed link pin, it was only when fatchicks started in 68 that balljoint appeared.
um.....I have a 63 shell and it had the newer deck lid - same one as the 67. did have the pope nose on it and all the holes were original, i sand
blasted it. no welding to hide. could they have.
Whats the go with the LP Beam and the BJ beams....can you guys fill me in....i still have a lot to learn.
never mind, ball joint - link pin...few too many VB's i think...
'63 was when the wide # plate light started
link pin beam up to and including '67, '68 on was ball joint, except super bugs which were '71 to '75, '76, the last beetle in Oz went back to
ball joint. During the super years, the poverty pack standard had b/j beam but only drum brakes, 1300 engine and lower ratio transmission.
Cool. Cheers Joel n Matt
The differences here do throw me out a bit but now things make sense again 
Oh, and anyone know where you can get a blank VIN plate for the wheel well? Mine is no longer there 