Engine number

[David Craigmyle]

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Hi
Can anyone shed any light on this Engine number?
I have never seen anything like it.
It came as a spare with my 912.

[Tim Berardelli]

David,

What are the numbers on the top of the engine on either side of the seam on the raised areas in front of the fan shroud? I hope POS doesn't mean what I think it means! That is not a 912 engine number.

[George Hussey]

maybe something someone stamped in there years ago when they rebuilt the engine with a new third member. was the guy's initials and his assigned number

[Adam Wright]

There is a theory of the POS, I saw this on an office wall once....

[Ron LaDow]

X

[David Craigmyle]

Lets hope its not a piece of s..t
Omly other markings are an H on the join at rear and 911 stamped into both case halves at the front.

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[Martin Benade]

I suppose a replacement case would only have matching numbers, not engine type numbers.

[Thomas Sottile]

That is a good mystery to keep you busy good luck

[Al Zim]

I think someone stole the engine and then purchased the third piece renumbered it so it could not be traced. A lot of that when on in the far distant past. Adam: thanks for your reminder! Which has now vanished. al zim

[Steve Hatfield]

I suppose a replacement case would only have matching numbers, not engine type numbers.

True!
I’m running an early 912 engine in my on the road B coupe while my S90 matching #’s sleeps on the bench. The 912 came to me from a known reputable shop owner, unmodified with (1) a numberless engine number space on the third piece, (2) no case number or model designation on the second boss in front of the fan housing, and (3) three matching three digit assembly numbers on each of the three pieces.

With a bit of Dick Weiss’s machining work and a couple of shorter transmission mount studs, this ‘androgynous’ mill is going on 40,000 miles since my rebuild/install and performs as new with low oil consumption and gobs (relatively speaking) of power while my 616/7 remains in deep sleep.

[Ted Ricci]

I just saw this thread and had to join in as I have had the same question about the engine in my car for over 20 years. I own a ‘64 356SC which has a matched 3 piece case with serial no. Pos. 10204 and case pieces each with no. 256. The car has incredibly extensive documentation to day 1. I’ve spoken to the original owner and know from him that he bought the car while living in London in 1964, and drove the car to ski in the Alps a few months later where the engine failed. He said as the car was still under warranty Porsche came and picked it up on a flatbed and took it away. He was told it was taken to a Porsche facility in Austria for repair and it was returned to him on a flatbed 2 weeks later... with the matched case engine now still in the car. He was charged nothing for the repair as it was under warranty, but had no documentation from Porsche regarding the repair. I have documentation showing that the second owner wrote to Porsche AG in Stuttgart in 1967 asking about the repair and engine no., and a reply letter from Porsche saying they had no records in their files of the events. The engine was rebuilt in 1981 by John Howe in NY while owned by the owner from whom I bought the car. The second owner also spoke with the original owner in the 1970s, and was told of the same events. I asked Harry Pellow in 1998 about this type of engine no. and he said he did not remember seeing one like it. i also tracked down John Howe in CA in 1998 and asked him about the engine. He said he remembered the rebuild and that the engine was a genuine 356 SC. I will post pictures of the engine serial and case numbers as soon as I figure out how to do so. Now seeing for the first time another engine with this type of serial no. I am renewed in my quest for any information about this mystery. Our car (SC with sunroof) is now fully restored to a concours level, and learning about this engine numbering mystery would be very helpful. Thanks in advance or any help!

I am therefore also interested in any information a

[David Craigmyle]

Hi Ted
That is really interesting information. I had given up on finding any more information on my POS number but hearing your story makes me think it may have been a factory change. if you can load a photo i would like to compare the lettering.
David

[David Craigmyle]

I have just found this about a car that had an engine replace in Salzberg Austria and ended up with a pos number.

https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/po ... 961/280173

[David Craigmyle]

And the definitive answer was on the samba. It is a replacement engine from Porsche Saltzburg.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/archi ... 536--.html

For Exchange-Engines, only a handful dealers were allowed to sell eninges. Porsche Salzburg as the official import company for Volkswagen could sell exchange engines. These engines were stamped with "POS" - POrsche Salzburg. Even Wolfgang Denzel had a licence and marked his engines with "WD" - Wolfgang Denzel.

These comanies did the same with chassis - the reason why you sometimes find classic beetles or Kübelwagen with a "WD" in the Chassisnumber.

[Ted Ricci]

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