ID plate in spare-tyre well,what does it all mean?

[JBug]

Hi guys,
On an Oval, there are 3 metal tags in the well area.
Ones quite a solid plate with "Volkswagenwerk GmbH" on the top and a host of other numbers. The tag is in german so I do not know what the number mean/represent.
The second plate is a "South African Motor Assemblers and Dist. Uitenhage" plate and has the Model, Serial no.and paint code. The 3rd tage is a very small tag above the solid plate and is covered in gunk, didnt have a chance to clean it off.
There is NO number on the tunnel, how to I find the VIN to find out the year model and more so, to licence the car? I`ve searched on The Samba and couldnt make sense of anything
Where are the numbers usually stamped, on an Oval? I got a pic of the tag, some of the numbers can be seen and some are too light to have been captured by my low spec`d camera....can I mail it to someone who can help me identify this car?

[fig]

AFAIK all ovals should have the VIN stamped on the tunnel just in front of the inspection plate at the rear, under the back seat. Have you cleaned the area really well? Sometimes rust, filth and repaint makes them hard to see. Has your pan maybe been swapped for a 70s pan?

The Made in W Germany plate gives the model number and axle weights. The SAMAD plate gives the VIN, colour code, weights, and other codes that no one can decode.

[JBug]

Hi fig, I have`nt personally looked for the number...I saw that the PO scraped off some gunk in that tunnel area in search for the number and its blank. He only cleaned off a small area tho but im guessing that it was supposed to have been in that spot only.
I`ve read on the samba that the 70`s pan dont have the number on the tunnel so it could be....are there any visible differences in the pans that I could look for?
Its going to be fun and games at the authorities
The SAMAD plate only has the 3 things: the model, serial no, paint code.
Is the serial number the same as the VIN?

[fig]

The SAMAD plate only has the 3 things: the model, serial no, paint code.
Is the serial number the same as the VIN?

Yes.

I doubt you read about 70s bugs with no VIN stamp on thesamba.com, that's a SA-only issue. It has been discussed here.

[Dawie]

Does your floorpan have a round knob next to the tunnel for heater adjustment?
The twin levers next to the handbrake were introduced mid-sixties.
No-number floorpans started about 1972, and they all had twin levers for heater.

Front gearbox-mountings on pan also changed around 1960, and again during early seventies.

[JBug]

fig, it could`ve been here I`ve burried my head so far in TheSamba and I must`ve confuzzled myself.
dawie, I have that knob, my brother joked that it was for the nitrous tanks