Garden Find - What is this?

[Aerkuld]

OK, you guys seem to have the uncanny ability to identify vehicles based on the smallest details in photos, so tell me what this is . . .

I found this chassis at the bottom of my garden. It looks as though its a sheet steel chassis, with rear suspension, e-brake and pedals attached. There appears to be a 'lip' around the edge of the floor with the remains of a rubber seal - I'm imagining this is where the body would mount?

I really need to clear more of the dried grass away, but I'm guessing some of these features may be reasonably easy to identify. The rear suspension looks as though it's a trailing arm and possibly a torsion bar? Pedals look as though they're bottom-pivoted. What is the small boss sticking off the center tunnel - a speedometer take-off may be?

I'm guessing it's a beetle chassis, but I have absolutely no idea. Anyone?

[oldE]

Yep

Best
Les

[wdfifteen]

Pre-68 Volkswagen.

[targa911S]

yep.

[flatbutt]

wait...someone buried a Beetle chassis in your back yard?

[JD159]

Looks like a dung beetle to me.

Cool find!

[Aerkuld]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Pre-68 Volkswagen.

Could you tell me how you tell it's pre-'68?

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Aerkuld

Could you tell me how you tell it's pre-'68?

Heater knob makes it pre-64, IIRC

[widebody911]

Also: I'll take that gas pedal off your hands if you don't want it

[Aerkuld]

Originally Posted by widebody911

Heater knob makes it pre-64, IIRC

I'm assuming the boss sticking out from the tunnel with the square end is what you're saying is the heater control knob?
I'll have to do a bit of digging out and see what's there. It depends what I'm going to do with it, but you definitely have first call on the gas pedal if I'm not keeping it.

[ossiblue]

VW changed the gas pedal from the roller type to a flat pedal in 1958. Your photo shows the roller type with a flat pedal attached, probably an aftermarket flat pedal add-on. Unless someone added the roller pedal later, this relic looks to be pre-58.

[Aerkuld]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

wait...someone buried a Beetle chassis in your back yard?

Pretty much.

We've just got the house and it's on a surprisingly large plot for the SF bay area. We were told the guy who lived here previously was into cars, and was a mechanic on jet powered hydroplanes in his spare time. There's an old radiator, a wheel and tire, and some old differential parts in a tumble down shed, but I hadn't ventured down to the bottom of the garden until the other day. There I spotted the two shock towers sticking up out of the grass and decided to take a closer look.
He was into old Fords apparently, so not sure what the story is on this. I'll have to check with the sons. They did tell me they pulled a load of Allison aircraft engine parts out of the basement when they were clearing out - wish they'd left those!

[Aerkuld]

Originally Posted by ossiblue

VW changed the gas pedal from the roller type to a flat pedal in 1958. Your photo shows the roller type with a flat pedal attached, probably an aftermarket flat pedal add-on. Unless someone added the roller pedal later, this relic looks to be pre-58.

Right, I'm definitely going to be clearing the grass away at the weekend.

[juanbenae]

if you need strings & cheap paint brushes to grid the area off and dust clean the parts as collected let me know. I'm in Sunnyvale and have some experience in archeological digs in my past. ive also got a few empty plastic bins for the artifacts to be field stashed in & one of those frames with wire to sift suspect soil.

granted my sole experience is when Indian remains were found at a construction site I was inspecting during sewer line install, deep. I got to know all the cute patchouli oil stinked up hippie chicks that sifted every excavator bucket load after the remains were discovered and they taught me a ton. like hairy legs & pits can be hot on the right girl..

[GG Allin]

Probably just an old Ferrari race car chassis.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Aerkuld

Could you tell me how you tell it's pre-'68?

Swing axle trailing arms.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by ossiblue

VW changed the gas pedal from the roller type to a flat pedal in 1958. Your photo shows the roller type with a flat pedal attached, probably an aftermarket flat pedal add-on. Unless someone added the roller pedal later, this relic looks to be pre-58.

Good catch, I thought that was just a piece of junk stuck under the pedal.

[tcar]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Pre-68 Volkswagen.

Could be a '68 with a manual tranny, they had swing-axles. Only the auto stick-shift had IRS in '68.

They all had it in '69.


But it's not, earlier, with the heater knob fixture.

[Aerkuld]

Well, I ventured down to the bottom of the garden this afternoon and pulled the chassis out of the grass a little. It mostly still has floors in place, but the tin worms have been in there. I'm really surprised how solid the whole thing is.

I also found what I think is the chassis number. I'll see if I can find anything which tells me an approximate year based on that.

[ossiblue]

Originally Posted by Aerkuld

Well, I ventured down to the bottom of the garden this afternoon and pulled the chassis out of the grass a little. It mostly still has floors in place, but the tin worms have been in there. I'm really surprised how solid the whole thing is.

I also found what I think is the chassis number. I'll see if I can find anything which tells me an approximate year based on that.

VIN decodes to June, 1957 build. Looks to be late model year '57 beetle.