My German 181's "history" (and ?'s)

[Glassaholic]

Hello!

I'm Nathan, and I've owned this German Type 181 for 6-7 years now. I purchased it on the Oregon Coast from a VW enthusiast with other awesome cars including an old school 2004 Beetle.

This is what I was told: It is a commander edition with no reduction gears, comfy seats, rated to 70mph and it came from the German Airforce. It had 28,000 original kilometers on it and an hours meter was installed upon rebuild where it is currently at 388hrs (90 when I bought it I think). Apparently it was used to land planes in blackout conditions and was filled with the necessary equipment for that purpose. An American working at the joint US/German base in the early 2000's found it in the back of a warehouse and pulled it out. The gas tank and oil pan were solidified and it needed a total overhaul. At the base they apparently rebuilt it and used it to pull the bbq around the base for large events for a few years.

When this American returned to the US he got permission to bring it back with him and it went onto a cargo carrier of some sort. During transport home something fell onto the windscreen and nose causing some damage to the body and crushing the windscreen. When he went to register it in Oregon as the 1970 he thought it was they denied him and would only let it be registered and a 73 or 74, so he went with 73. Soon thereafter it was sold to the gentleman I got it from.

I rattle canned it flat black after a few weeks of owning it and am getting ready to restore it once the rainy season returns in Sept/Oct. it's been my most reliable car and never lets me down, in 7 years ive replaced the carb, throttle and clutch cables and plugs/points/cables once...

Now the questions...
1. The Chassis number appears to be 1904 4777 (I will post a pic asap)
Does the German numbering system differ from the Mexican? It's definitely a 9, and not an 8 for the second digit... There is no plate or even the sign of one under the rear seat, and there's nothing around or on the door jambs or under the dash... Are there any other places I can look? Is it military protocol to remove the serials? I'd like to challenge the state patrol to get it registered as the correct year and chassis number...
2. The engine is an AL(73) so I'm assuming it was replaced instead of rebuilt, but is there any way to tell if it's a German block VS Mexican? I'd like to try and determine if the story I was told is plausible.
3. Is there any hope of replacing the blackout style headlight knob? One day I turned them on and it crumbled into 10+ pieces!
4. Are the tail lights the same as a bus? mine are badly faded...
5. Does any of the story I was told seem out of line?
6. Any idea after how many hours I should change the oil each time? Ive been doing every 100 hours...

[icemanhd]

Hey Nathan,
I have a Germany military (Army) thing as well and can answer some of the questions...

2. "AL" is a german produced engine and lines up with what would have come in it originally, the Mexican things had an "AM" coded engine case.

3. Don't replace the blackout headlight knob with a Mexican produced headlight switch, you can get surplus switches to replace the one that crumbled, keep it original!

4. Tail light lenses are similar to a bus (up thru 71) but have the european style orange on the top...

5. Seems plausible, I would recommend ordering the birth certificate for it which will confirm and fill in the blanks on the history.

6. If you drive it regularly then every 1500'ish miles, If you don't drive it regularly then once a year...

Good luck!
_________________
71 Drag Ghia
67 Bug, Hot VWs feature car
68 912
76 912E
87 911 Carrera

[Glassaholic]

Thank you so much for your reply! I had not heard of the birth certificate option and will be ordering mine next week!

Where would you suggest I look for he headlight knob? I've been googling and coming up short...

[icemanhd]

Ralf in Germany would certainly have the military headlight switch, I've seen them on e bay and other sites as well for around $75

http://ralfs-vw-teile.de/english/trading-parts/catalogs.htm
_________________
71 Drag Ghia
67 Bug, Hot VWs feature car
68 912
76 912E
87 911 Carrera

[hitest]

I have an opinion about changing the oil based on hours. Hour meters in general are used on equipment that really does not vary much in capacity or load while it's running. The wear is somewhat predictable. Your car's engine however varies greatly. It may take months to hit 100 hours on the meter- or days depending on how fast it's driven. A 33 mile freeway commute could be reflected as around 1000 miles a month- in which case you'd need an oil change every 3 months- but those miles may only register as 28 or so hours on the meter. Mileage-basing allows you to adjust oil change frequency by season, that hot dusty trip to Boise, etc...

I changed the oil in my bus after only 16 hours of driving- but it was an 800 mile trip at freeway speeds.

Sadly, 100 hours to me in the Thing means I'd only change the oil once every 19 years.
_________________