[T3] just seeing if you were paying attention!

[Jim Adney]

On 11 Dec 2012 at 13:08, Gary Forsmo wrote:

> Since Jim referred to MICROFILM ... is that how y'all (Dave H.  That's
> Southern for all of you guys :-))  quote part numbers.
> Are there microfilm(s) which cover all Type 3's, all years, all models
> including Type 34's or do you have "hard copies" of part number books
> that only dealers had?

VW switched to microfilm in about 1974. Up to then it was all in 
looseleaf ring binders, one binder per model (Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, 
Type 4) plus some extras for Ghias and accessories. VW periodically 
issued update pages which had to be filed into each of those binders 
to keep them current.

I have one of these books, bought on ebay, that's moldy and badly 
eaten by silverfish, but it's older than the microfilm, so it 
sometimes has details that have gone obsolete in the microfilm.

Once they switched to microfilm, each binder became one microfilm 
sheet. The sheets are about 6" x 8" and look like they consist of 
photocopies of the paper pages. VW dealers got a complete set of new 
sheets every 6 months. The sheets I have came from a friendly dealer 
when they got new ones. Since this was years after Type 3 production 
stopped, those sheets didn't change.

Nowadays, it's all in a computer database, which would be great for 
us, except that VW doesn't share it and there's very little left 
there in the way of Type 3 parts.

> Is there any help for me?
> I'd like to have a book, microfilm or PDF(?) file.  Does any of that
> exist to help those of us uninitiated?

You're looking for a "copy" of the parts book, right? That's sort of 
the Holy Grail.

Russ may have been in the process of digitizing these. I think others 
have tried, but it's a huge process. And it's probably illegal due to 
copyright, so I don't think the commercial places which could do this 
easily would touch it.

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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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