73 MY 914S Build Date Question, ...is it August or Sept 1972?? Options

[Tom_T]

TOM,.....I have the BLUE PLATE california tag, (when it was there ) dated sept 1983 the number is ...Yello914....I will probably mount it on the front., with the georgia tag on the rear.....Murray

Wow Murray - I'd forgotten that they started the personalized plates in the Blue/Yellow era! You're lucky that GA doesn't require a front plate, so you can do that! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Do you know your Chassis Number on the Karmann plate per chance??? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Also, do you know your first sold date out there (will show on the last Calif DMV reg card) &/or the dealership at which it was sold?? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

Who knows - maybe I saw it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) or (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving-girl.gif) around here back in the day! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[davep]

The original chassis numbers, from start to mid-1974 were stamped into the rear trunk floor after welding up, but before painting. So the chassis number is a record of bodyshop production. The Karmann badge was applied after painting, and errors are known of mismatched chassis number and paint code. The VIN was not added until later as can be seen by the unpainted rectangle on the inner fender where it is stamped; left unpainted so the stamping would not crack the paint. The VIN's and chassis numbers are only synchronous on a large scale, but within a few hundred VIN's they are scattered for the most part. So it seems logical to me that the bodies were painted in batches and probably in chassis # order or close to it. Then the painted bodies were warehoused until required on the final assembly line. To have a body welded, painted and completed on the same day would be incredible. After entering the assembly line I think the chassis number is nearly meaningless. It could have been used for inventory control while waiting in the warehouse. While these numbers are kept in the records for the 911 I have no knowledge of them being kept for the 914. So while the chassis number is a clear production record, I don't think the compliance decal is as good at dating anything. Certainly, the COA will often give the first day of the month as the date of completion, and I believe this to be as suspect as a $7 dollar bill. I tend to take the compliance decal as a guide, not as an absolute. Mind you, all of this is just speculative, and I only have my own observations guiding me on this.

[SirAndy]

I thought that VW Werk was in someplace like Osnabruck (sp??) where they installed the suspension, engine, transaxle, interior, etc.??? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
Did I misunderstand, was misinformed or something??

More like confused ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)


Karmann is in Osnabrück!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmann

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif) Andy

[Tom_T]

I thought that VW Werk was in someplace like Osnabruck (sp??) where they installed the suspension, engine, transaxle, interior, etc.??? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)
Did I misunderstand, was misinformed or something??

More like confused ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)


Karmann is in Osnabrück!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmann

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif) Andy

Thanx for clarifying! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

... now I could tell you where Tahlequah, Sallisaw, Cullowhee, Qualla, Wahya Gap, & few other off the main drag places here are - but admit I'm not familiar with Germany! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[Tom_T]

The original chassis numbers, from start to mid-1974 were stamped into the rear trunk floor after welding up, but before painting. So the chassis number is a record of bodyshop production. The Karmann badge was applied after painting, and errors are known of mismatched chassis number and paint code. The VIN was not added until later as can be seen by the unpainted rectangle on the inner fender where it is stamped; left unpainted so the stamping would not crack the paint. The VIN's and chassis numbers are only synchronous on a large scale, but within a few hundred VIN's they are scattered for the most part. So it seems logical to me that the bodies were painted in batches and probably in chassis # order or close to it. Then the painted bodies were warehoused until required on the final assembly line. To have a body welded, painted and completed on the same day would be incredible. After entering the assembly line I think the chassis number is nearly meaningless. It could have been used for inventory control while waiting in the warehouse. While these numbers are kept in the records for the 911 I have no knowledge of them being kept for the 914. So while the chassis number is a clear production record, I don't think the compliance decal is as good at dating anything. Certainly, the COA will often give the first day of the month as the date of completion, and I believe this to be as suspect as a $7 dollar bill. I tend to take the compliance decal as a guide, not as an absolute. Mind you, all of this is just speculative, and I only have my own observations guiding me on this.

Dang it!! ... well I guess I'd better take that $7 bill in my pocket - along with the $3 one - & see if they'll gimme a ten!? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

I wonder (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) if they could've been stamping up a batch of US-DOT VIN Label stickers for a particular month based upon anticipated production levels, then just used them all up until gone - even if the cars were actually completed in the following month ?? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

That could partially explain the anomolies which you've uncovered Dave. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Tom_T]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) Another rust preventative measure that I'm going to take, is to epoxy seal the garage floor when the weather gets better & can clear out the garage completely! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)