Hi
Can anyone tell me the year model of my Beetle stamped n the chassis under the back seat is # 197688412. Under the bonnet where the spare sit there is a plate the with Volkswagen Australasia & type19 chassisno19 on it. Rego papers are saying 67 but Im not sure as it has the heater knob on the tunnel not 2 levers & I need to order some parts but dont want to get the wrong year model
Cheers

for a quick reference there will be a date on the back of the speedo stamped on it
thats usually a good indicator until someone gives you the year from the chassis no
cheers pauly

Thanks Heaps, I read some previous posts from yourself & Joel & worked it out, now to find L/H heater channel parts & L/H floor. Recommend anywhere?

so what year is it more importantly

It is a 1967 verified but chassis# & date on speedo, now to buy some parts

ring Vintage Vee Dub in Sydney
ph 9789 1777

Quote:

Originally posted by The_Bug67 Hi Can anyone tell me the year model of my Beetle stamped n the chassis under the back seat is # 197688412. Under the bonnet where the spare sit there is a plate the with Volkswagen Australasia & type19 chassisno19 on it. Rego papers are saying 67 but Im not sure as it has the heater knob on the tunnel not 2 levers & I need to order some parts but dont want to get the wrong year model Cheers

I wouldn't recommend using the Speedo to tell you the age of your vehicle. Many VW's have speedo's from other years installed for one reason or another.

Use your body numbers, good information on the samba.com

As for parts we get most of ours from George at Classic Vee Dub Supplies there in Sydney. If you email or ring him, tell him Bob n Ash Morrow sent you

Thanks for the info guys

Lee - Australia DID NOT USE the Wolfsburg August-July production dates. Stop looking at US websites for Australian info. The Samba's body number details also will not apply to Australia, as every single one of the 1,007 body components were stamped in Melbourne, not Wolfsburg.

From around February 1965, the Clayton factory converted to the German 11y nnnnnn chassis number convention, which Wolfsburg started using the previous August. This came in with the slightly updated Australian 1965 model - roll-top seats and redesigned flat-folding rear seat. While Wolfsburg cars used the '115' prefix, Australia's cars were 75% local content so we used a '195' prefix instead. This continued on into 1966 ('196' prefix) and 1967 ('197'). In each case, the 'new year' model came in in February or March, after the factory came back from the Xmas holidays, NOT the previous August.

Therefore an Australian car with a chassis of '197' is indeed a 1967 model car - the third digit indicates the year. These were built from arounf February 1967 until February 1968 (Deluxe) - and until September 1968 for the Custom (Standard). Yes, the Australian factory was still making 1967 cars well into 1968, during the phaseout of local production and the reintroduction of CKD assembly.

Yes Aussie 1967s still used the old floorpan, with the knob heater. The Aussie '67 was basically a 1961-62 VW and nothing at all like the Euro-German VW.

Exact production records from Clayton have been lost (since the Australian VW franchise has had several owners since those days), so there is no way to determine exactly when your car was built. Looking at the speedo is a good starting point, but only if it's original. Look also at the back of the fuel gauge. Look also for date stamps on the wheel centres, under the hubcaps between the wheel bolts. Check all five wheels - the road wheels may not be original but the spare might be. Also there are sometimes date stamps under the chrome front blinker covers.