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> but the engine number doesn't seem to show up on any lists that I can find. > It's U0500971. It also has a small plate just under the front lid (to the > left as you look at it) stating 19-4-3726. 19 means week 19 of the calendar year of manufacture and 4 is Thursday (4th day of working week). I make it that 6th May 1971 was the day they planned to produce the car (assuming the engine number quoted is original to the car); if the body was rejected in production, it may have been 'born' a day or so later after rectification. 3726 identifies the car within the factory. I suspect since Type 3s almost always have 3, occasionally 4, and rarely another digit as the first digit, that they are made in that production bay (in maybe 4 or more parallel production lines judging by brochure pictures). Since production ran at around 1000 a day in busy times, maybe the 4 just borrows some numbers from the Type 4 lines! Obviously every body needed a unique number assigned to determine body spec. and paint colour before being married to the chassis. Incidentally, a similar format of number appears on all (German?) VWs since 1970. More details at http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/dating.htm You will also (71?) have a stamped factory paint code across the left end of the plate. You can check the original colour against a brochure or my webpage http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/vwpaint.htm . In passing, the chassis and engine numbers are also on another page, /t3engnos.htm. Dave. UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk ------ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org