[T3] Engine production numbers was Weird Idle Dips

[Jim Adney]

On 5 Mar 2012 at 22:58, Bobsnotch at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 3/5/2012 8:07:08 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
> dave at hallvw.clara.co.uk writes:
> 
> Wasn't  the Type 34 built on a Type 3 chassis?  I've assumed they are  
> within
> the sequence, but someone will put me right if not.
> 
> I'm  pretty sure the chassis numbers weren't stamped on until final assembly
> as  that's the only explanation for one of my 3 consecutive Squarebacks  
> dated
> and painted body plate being out of sequence with chassis  numbers.

> Yes, they were. I'm thinking that batches of pans went to Karmann though,  
> rather than VW sending them 1 at a time. The reason I say that, is batches  
> would make sense, in that the steering box has to be reset, the KG seat 
> tracks  welded to the floor, and the KG rear kick plate (yes it's different from 
>  standard) welded in, and all of that welding repainted (or just painted). 
> These  items would take time, and I'd think they would be done at Karmann 
> rather than  at Wolfsburg. Plus, the standard pieces would be left off at VW, 
> making it a  little easier for the Karmann workers. I don't know IF that's 
> how it worked  though.  

I agree that it would make the most sense for whoever made the pans 
to set up to make an occasional batch of slightly different pans for 
a day or a week. That would allow them to weld in the different parts 
required and paint the finished pans just once. Yes, the VINs were 
stamped in later, as we can see by the fact that they are stamped 
thru the paint, not painted over. I suspect this was done very early 
on the assembly line and that a packet containing the alum VIN plate 
for the trunk, the decal for the doorframe, and for later years, the 
dashpad ID plate, was dropped onto the pan at the same time, thus 
assuring VIN consistency.

Locks and keys would have been done the same way: It's likely that 
steering column came with locks installed and with a packet 
containing matching door handles and keys. Once the column was 
installed in the car, the packet contents would be mounted as the 
doors were assembled and mounted, further down the line.

Note that the front axle beams were probably assembled, including the 
steering gearbox, somewhere else and mated to the pans during final 
assembly. Those beams would have been built up specifically for 
particular needs, like LHD vs RHD and T3 vs T34.

I had always noticed that each front beam had an extra hole, a mirror 
image of the hole for mounting the stationary end of the steering 
damper. That hole always has a little plastic plug in it. Last summer 
I parted out a '72 beam and discovered to my surprise that there was 
no threaded bushing under that "spare" hole. In other words, it was 
not a universal LHD/RHD beam, as I had always assumed. It was made up 
of the standard stampings, but they had left out that one little 
welded insert before welding the front and rear beam halves together.

My guess is that VW had 3 different versions of the front beams made: 
LHD & RHD for assembly line installation, and universal LHD/RHD beams 
as replacement parts. It's possible that RHD cars were a small enough 
part of their production that they used RHD/LHD beams on the assembly 
line. Maybe Dave can tell us whether there are threads under his 
little plastic plug.

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