I found quite a few Chassis Numbers lately that don't go with the factory CN decoding ...

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For example:

4140050
This one has a 0 instead of the 9

0759607
This one is wrong for an early CN, as it has a 6 instead of a 5 and would also be wrong for a late CN unless they made 607 cars that day

4459616
Late Car, Build Date 10/75, wrong for a late CN unless they made 616 cars that day


All these examples are from pictures of the Karmann plates ...
Andy

4140050 is a factory typo
0759607, 4459616 happens when they make more than 100 a day, this was quite common some times.

I found some examples of xxy92zz in the data. I'm not sure what to make of that as yet. I need the people to submit photos, and check the body stamping vs the Karmann badge.

The factory was not perfect, and many errors are known.

Huh?

You're saying that they made 616 cars in one single day?
The total production number for '75 is 7924 cars, so 616 is roughly 8% ...

8% of the years production in one single day? if so, what were they doing for the other 350 days that year?
Andy

let us see that Karmann plate and give me the VIN also
I'd bet that 6 is really a 0.

Maybe they made 616 plates that day and installed them as needed.

I have a chassis # like that. Mine is a '73 and has a 96 in the number: 0159601, so I suppose this means that mine was # 101 for the day?
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Yes indeed. A Friday build in the first week of January 1973. The body shop was pumping them out at that time.

I must be a real oddball then, I have a 5 in mine on a 74 1.8L. (0619534, sorry the four is hard to see.)

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The 5 in the 3rd position means it was made on Friday.
After lunch on Friday all bets are off.
The 6 look like a 1 to Heinze

Jim

No oddball, that is most common. Monday of the 6th week of 1974, 34th body that day. So mid February production, just prior to the beginning of LE production.

I must have missed something in the previous replies then, what is the 5 for? Or is it just a typo like the 6 in previous replies?

The 95 is supposed to be in the middle of the chassis number, except when there are more than 100 tubs made that day (like mine) when they used a 96 to eliminate duplicates. The 96 is not a typo, for example on early cars XXX9501 is the 1st car of the day while XXX9601 is the 101st car of the day.

Ah, I got it now. Thanks for clearing that up.

Maybe a hungover German put the 5 die in upside-down.

Ok i have a 74 1.8 and the chassis number is 0549548.
So if i get this right it is:
built the 5th week of 74 on a thursday at Karman and was the 48th body biult.

It has a 2/74 date on the vin, which vives with the chassis number. The vin is 4742914258. if i decode it the way people on the site say: 74=914-4, 4= 1974, 29= karman, 14258 is the build number? how can that be in February of 74? They on;y built 11,415 914's in 74? Or am i decoding it wrong? My Dad was the orig. owner so i know the VIN is correct. What am i missing?
Mike

Did you take this number from the production numbers listed on this site? I believe those numbers refer to calendar year production, not model year. You would also need to add in the 2.0 production for the total number built.

I've been meaning to ask about that chart to confirm that it represents calendar year production.

AH yes i just used the 1.8 numbers. The total is 17012 which makes more sense. Kind of. Would a February car be number 14258? Seems like thats a high number for only 17012 cars built and about 7 more months left in the "car year" (dont they stop in September?)

seems to be pretty clear to me:

0549548 => Tuesday Jan 31, 1974 - the 48th body
02/72 => car was completed in February 1974 - that's o.k. when the body was built on Jan 31

14258 - the VIN always relates to the MODEL YEAR, not calendar year
and the model year '74 started in August 1973 (!!!)

Gustl

Thanks Gustl. I guess i wasn't starting in August... Now it makes much more sense. Thanks!!!!

Some of the '74 MY production is reflected in the '73 column. Note that there were 3903 1.8s produced in '73 yet no '73 914s had 1.8s.

Hey Jim. On the 1970 with the missing Karmann tag, look in the rear trunk floor for the body number; should be in front of the lock.

Dave

The 1.8 engine was delayed in production, so almost 3500 2.0 cars (in 1974 MY) were built before the 1.8 became available.

Is there a chart anywhere that lists engine production by model year?

using this chart you should be able to figure it out:
http://www.914world.com/specs/productionnumbers.php

I've studied that chart and haven't figured out any way to separate out the numbers for given model years. For example, it shows production of 4817 2.0s in 1972. I have to assume that these were for 1973 MY; but for 1973 the chart shows production of 16639 2.0s. I'm assuming some of those reflect 1974 MY production. There is also no listing for 1976 production. Is that because they were all built in calendar 1975?

Sorry I don't know what magazine this came from, but maybe it is helpful, maybe not. I see these are estimated numbers.

Correct ...

Andy

Thanks for that. The numbers don't quite agree (guess that's what's meant by 'estimated') but it does help understand the relative spread year to year. I was a little surprised that the /6 numbers didn't agree. Are there questions regarding /6 production?

Hope this isn't too much a hijack.

Yes. For example, we know that the VIN range for '72 was (at least) from 9142430001 – 9142430260. That would indicate 260 /6 cars build in '72. However, my sources list that only 237 /6 cars were actually build that year.

So the known VIN range does not match what the factory claims has been build. That's where most of the discrepancies come from ...
Andy

And some say that the 914/6 VIN's started at 0011 not 0001; not confirmed. Jeff Bowlsby's recall notices do seem to indicate 0001, but who knows.

I just took a peek at the Karmann plate on my '70 /6. The number section was blank. The color code has "84". What's with the blank build info? Does that mean my plate was replaced?

Thx,

Skip

that's correct as it is

84 = blue metallic

914-6 didn't have the Karmann body number at the Karmann badge
you could find it in the rear trunk, just in front of the passenger side rear light housing - or in some cases in front of the hood lock

Gustl

Thanks. Alas, only the last four digits (1802) are visible in the trunk. The other two or three appear to be covered with seam sealer.

That is enough, and a good match to the VIN; the full body # is 131802.

> ... the full body # is 131802.

Thanks. I updated my VIN info.

S

Don't know why that never crossed my mind, but i replaced the rear clip on my car a few years back. The donor clip came from another red car (original paint) ...

If i can find the chassis number on my donor clip, could that be used to get an idea of what VIN range the donor clip might have come from ???
Andy

That would be tough Andy. From 70 through most of 74 you would have duplicates from each year. There is no year identifier.