Unnumbered hood

[Doug McDonnell]

It has always been my impression that Karmann hoods were numbered on the latch and Reutter chassis cars on the hood frame hinge pillar. Now listed in Classifieds is a very original car with unnumbered hood. https://porsche356registry.org/classifieds/29905 My question. Any Reutter/Porsche chassied all original C/SC cars with unnumbered hoods out there?

[Eric Lenius]

Not Sure but I do know that sometimes people miss the fact that at least some of the later Karmann cars on the passenger side of the hood instead of on the drivers side. My 65 SC is this way. I have a friend with a nice C car we were discussing and he mentioned that it had no number. We popped the trunk hood and promptly found it on the passenger side.

[C J Murray]

I have a 1964 C coupe for sale that has 68k miles and was in storage for over 40 years and I haven't yet found the number on the hood. It is a Karmann built car 216217.

[Doug McDonnell]

Check the upper hood latch on a Karmann CJ (possibly stamped on the back of the latch).

[Eric Lenius]

I now see that I wrote an incomplete sentence. I meant that the markings are on the passenger side hinge mount. The deck lid stampings are on the removable latch "tongue" rather than under the grill. At least on my 65 build Karmann car.

[Mike Wilson]

My '63 Karmann hood has the last two numbers on the upper latch tab. Since the latches were changed on the C models, the numbers may be elsewhere.

Mike

[Ed Pimm]

Twin grill roadster 89608 front hood is stamped on passenger side hinge mount.

[Ed Pimm]

Twin grill roadster 89608 front hood is stamped on passenger side hinge mount.

[Bob Kittel]

I now see that I wrote an incomplete sentence. I meant that the markings are on the passenger side hinge mount. The deck lid stampings are on the removable latch "tongue" rather than under the grill. At least on my 65 build Karmann car.

I always that that this was odd in that the number is on a part that is easily separated from the lid. Unless the latch part was attached to the latch on the hood during assembly delivery.

My hood is stamped on the drivers side, Karman, and only three digits of the vin.

[Martin Benade]

I imagine those numbers were just for factory parts identification, not about provenance, the way we use them now. They didn’t need to be secure at that time.

[Mike Wilson]

We know from the video, Made by Hand, that there were parts painted separate from the body: hood, deck lid, doors and bumpers. Those parts had to be reunited with the body, hence the two or three digits of the chassis number either stamped or, in earlier cars, in chalk, on the parts. Since hood, deck lid and door hinges and latches are body color, it makes sense they were attached and painted with those parts. I can't tell you how many times I've watched the video to obtain info about authenticity or correctness. However, like most of you, there are other procedures that were not filmed that we would have liked to see.

Mike

[Wes Bender]

A little clarification might help. Some are talking engine lid and others are referencing front hood. My late Karmann C mfd in September '64 has no number stamping on the front hood, either hinge. Engine lid latch is stamped with the last three of the chassis number. Readily visible when the lid is open.

[Sean M Rooks]

A little clarification might help. Some are talking engine lid and others are referencing front hood. My late Karmann C mfd in September '64 has no number stamping on the front hood, either hinge. Engine lid latch is stamped with the last three of the chassis number. Readily visible when the lid is open.

My April of '64 Karmann C has no number on the hood either. Engine lid latch has the correct number. I've been assuming all this time that my car may have had a replacement hood. No numbers on the hinges. I'll need to maybe check the latch next time I'm with the car I guess? Or is that just earlier Karmann cars?

[C J Murray]

64 Karmann coupe

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[Greg Bryan]

My May/June '64 Cab, so Reutter built, or PORSCHE by then, has no number on the front lid that I've ever been able to find. There is no evidence of collision damage and I believe it is the original hood, but who knows.
The engine lid has the three numbers stamped on the rain pan below the grill. It's faint and hard to see, but it's there. Doors have the three numbers too stamped on the inner frame near where the window regulator bolts in.