Looking at the 914 Info data, I happened to notice some strange irregularities.
The VIN and build date information do not corrolate in all cases. Is this an owner mis-reading the build date, or a factory anomaly? If the later, why?

Examples:

4702901002 12/69
4702901050 01/70
4702901066 12/69
4702901121 12/69
4702901140 01/70
4702901162 12/69
4702901654 12/69
4702901815 12/69
4702901984 03/70
4702902094 01/70
4702902365 01/70
4702902543 01/70
4702902612 01/70
4702902844 11/69
4702903114 01/70

As I understand it, the VINs were assigned after the car was complete, while the sticker dates indicated a different date. Chassis numbers do not track VINs exactly for that reason, and it stands to reason that the dates would not track the VIN either.

--DD

The build date sticker was for the US import only.

The VIN was added to the chassis at Karman at build time while the US date sticker was most likely added before the car was actually shipped to the US.

Andy

This would make the most sense. If a customer ordered a specific color or options group it could be pulled out of line and shipped with an earlier build date. Whereas if a car was damaged during assembly or required additional work it would have a later build date.

4702901140 01/70 correct (delayed for some reason?)
4702901162 12/69 correct
4702901654 12/69
4702901815 12/69
4702901984 03/70 I'd guess this is incorrect
4702902094 01/70
4702902365 01/70
4702902543 01/70
4702902612 01/70
4702902844 11/69 obviously either VIN or date is incorrect
4702903114 01/70

Paul -

I think this is the same oddity which we were discussing over at O&H about the 73 MY etc., since they were out of date also.

IIRC - Sir Andy had a pretty good explanation of how it happened at one/both of these topics' threads over there:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;#entry1264353

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=103136

I'm sure it ran throughout the 69-76 914 run!

Cheers!
Tom
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I can vouch for all the date codes on 1970 #1140.

I cannot make heads or tails of the build date to VIN to chassis # connection.

Let us assume that the Karmann factory manufactured, assembled, and installed, engraved or otherwise affixed the VIN information on the 914 as they we being built.

Regardless of chassis #, at the appropriate assembly point, Hans made certain that the VIN plates were on the car in the correct places and pretty much in sequence. After the car was finished on the line, Werner verified the VIN, and printed out a vinyl build sticker to be permanently fastened to the door jamb.

Now pretend that VIN 4702901984 doesn't pass quality control for some reason. It is put aside because of bad paint, interior mis-match, crappy shift linkage, etc. When the paint shop or upholstery men or the mechanics finally straighten things out, the car goes through quality control once more, then to Werner who then checks and verifies the VIN, looks at his Heuer for the date, and prints out the VIN and build date sticker and puts it on the car. Now we have a 914 with an out-of-sequence VIN and a build date that very well might be into next month.

In the case where a VIN and build date preceed others (#1140 for instance), all the 1969 build dates had some QC issues that needed fixing after all the VIN numbers and build date sticker had been applied.

Paul

Geez Paul, then I must've had one of the fasted through the line 73 2.0s, cuz it has a chassis no. date on 8/31/72 - Thursday, & an 8/72 build date on Herr Werner's sticker!

Nice analogy/story to explain it though!

For what it is worth my LE Creamsicle 15585 shows a build date of Feb 27 1974 but the door jamb sticker shows 3/74. So, the car set around a couple of days before it got stickered.

.............asside from all this knowledgable, probably true stuff.....what I think is the car gods wanted ME to eventually wind up with a really, really nice 1973-s 914, and therefore arranged for MY car to have loving, and special care in paint, detailing and assembly...and then have the previous two owners be anial retentave in keeping it in a warm garage out of the rain. Thats why my chassis numbers and vin are resonabably close.or not....MM.

Murry, the "Gods" personally told me so back in Aug 72, that your 914S was actually being built for you - even though you wouldn't get to drive it personally for a couple of decades! .... it had something to do with a bonus for your good Armed Service record if I recall !!?? ... or maybe because they wanted more of us Cherokees in 914s !!??

Tom
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.... or - it could've sat for up to 32 days!

Apparently Hans or Werner or whomever did the VIN door jamb stickers, only had a calendar watch which showed the month, or if it showed days - he never fixed the broken day-date wheel!

.................well tom, whatever the hell I did right (or not) I am damn grateful.Could of been my former obsession with 356s...which thank heven is behind me.....forever.

Must've been that they knew how tickled pink you'd be to finally have your own "914S" !!!!

When I get a chance, I'll try to print out that big dealer brochure for the 914-1.7 & 914S for you & mail it off buddy! Just too busy now for another "project"!

.. & re: 356's - everybody should have "a little behind"!

For those who don't know - ME733 Murray jumped on here last year just absolutely giddy when he finally got his 914S & found 914world, & hasn't lost ANY of his enthusiasm yet!!!!