While I have my windshield out I thought I would redo the dash vinyl and install some tweeters in that space forward of the dash. The old vinyl ripped right off but left the pad under it adhered to the metal. I used a wire wheel on a cordless drill to rip the pad off and leave me with a surface I could glue the new pad to.

When I did, I found this... Looks like it says Powieug elle? The blue around the surface is masking tape so I can glue without worrying about getting contact cement on the body surfaces.

I have found Japanese Kanji symbols under the dashboards of Datsun Z cars I have had but this is the first I have heard of this.

tough to read from the pic, still haven't figured out the first part but you sure it doesn't end with "elbe"?

Crap, the end seems to be gelbe, "Yellow". That might make sense given the color of the dash Still trying to figure out the first word.

Sonnengelb !!! Sun Yellow ...


...

Sommergelbe in really crappy hand writing? It was an available paint color in '75

Sonnengelb ... not sommergelbe ...
L13K from 1973 to 1976 ...


...

Sonnengelb is summer yellow

http://www.roadglue.com/wiki/index.php?title=Exterior_color

Click to view attachment

hmmm....

My car:

The car is a '75 but it isn't yellow. It is Diamond Silver Metallic. Thanks for your effort so far. The sub structure of the dash was yellow and black.

I've got a '75 and the windshield's out waithing for me to recover the same area. Strangely, that's the only spot I hadn't pulled the foam off. Just ran out to the garage and removed it (rubbed it with my thumb to be carefull unless something was written there). Nothin. Plain white paint. The car is an L31M (Scarlet Red).

Bizarre.

Hanz screwin with ya?

I don't think you have to be careful. I used a wire wheel on a cordless drill to rip out the foam and prep the surface. The writing survived that! I am sure it has been there since the car was new. The windshield was original with the California emission sticker still in place. The dash vinyl cannot be replaced correctly without removing the windshield.

It reads "Sonnengelb" ...

L13K - Sunflower Yellow or Summer Yellow, depending on the year.

The dash color is almost never the same as the car color.

For some reason, someone decided to write down the color of the dash on it.
Andy

Cool! I have an autographed dash color!!!

Nice... I am going to have some work done on mine by North Hollywood. Maybe I will write Yopu on them before I install...

Hey ConeDodger,

I sent your photo to my brother who had 4 years of German in school and here is what he thinks it says:

My German is old & unpracticed. It does look like “Sonnengelb” which would be “Sun Yellow”. I don’t know how the writer is getting “ Summer Yellow” from that because “summer” is “Sommer”

Given the color of the panel, this seems to fit.

BTW: I also had a german car with a hidden note: it was a Audi Coupe and when I pulled the door panel, the window lift motor had a masking tape tag that read: "Very Noisy." Ah, you gotta' love that Audi quality control!

Best,
Terry

Sure it is "Sonnengelb" ... but I made an error by translating to english ... Of course it is "sun yellow" and not "summer yellow" (my bad)
here http://www.roadglue.com/wiki/index.php?title=Exterior_color ...

Andy is german, and I was born in Germany and speak german too...

...

Because "Sonnengelb" has the paint code of L13K, which was called "Summer Yellow" for the american market by Porsche (or VW?) ...

I never said the literal translation of Sonnengelb was Summer Yellow. However, Summer Yellow is the official english name of L13K.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?act=colors

L13K has two english different names, depending on the year:

Code - Year - German - English

L13K - 73/74 - Sonnengelb - Sunflower Yellow
L13K - 75/76 - Sonnengelb - Summer Yellow


Andy

Yup, seen the writing on the dash before.

This thread.

It even looks like the same handwriting!

Not really ... The 'n' is completely different. Plus, in McMarks link, each letter is written independently with no connection between letters. In the image in this thread, the whole word is written as one with many letters connected.

The overall style is the same.
It's called "Schönschrift" which is what was taught in school in those days ...

Andy

Yep ! ... Saturngelb ... Saturn Yellow ...

Click to view attachment

Mine says "Uringelb"

I checked my gauge and it says "Aufhören Hier" and "zurück zu Dummkopf Arbeit"

Totally confused...

It's important to have an accurate self-image Eric...

My 914-6 is autographed too. But I can't even try to figure out what is says

My dash is Signal Orange just like the car

Click to view attachment