the year could be from any were from August 1960 to July 1965. its very hard to tel try looking for a letter before the first digit of the serail number.
However, if you go to "TheSamba.com" and click on the "Technical" tab at the top right of the page; they have a fairly complete listing of all Volkswagen-issued Chassis, Engine and Transmission serial numbers for air-cooled VWs going back to the early '50's.
If the serial plate on your engine has been riveted onto it, then it's probably a factory rebuild--and it may have been rebuilt to accept the installation of parts designed for use in other engines ( it's fairly common to find older 1200 cc engines that have been bored out to accept larger crankshafts).
Best guess is that your engine has been rebuilt using one of Volkswagen's stock blocks, that originally owned a serial number that began: "AD 397589"
1957
a CB engine is from a 72-73 VW Bus.
That's not a serial number but rather a part number--the part number for the whole engine. It could be any year.
1967 1600cc Type 3
The engine serial number should have two letters followed by a 6 digit number located under the alternator/generator base. Please look closer and try again.
Need to know what type engine are you asking about, a newer VW? You can call a VW dealership and get an answer.
Go to www.jbugs.com/category/vin.html for info.
This would be a model year 1972 through 1974 Type 1 Beetle engine.
This would be a late 1965 to early 1966 manufactured engine, 1966 model year 1300 cc engine.
Anywhere from late 1974 through late 1979. These were Type 1 or Beetle engines.
This would be model year 1972 through 1974 Type 1 Beetles with the 1600 cc engine size.
The VW engine serial number AH 111101101A indicates that it is a type 1 engine produced in 1971. The "AH" prefix corresponds to a specific engine type used in certain Volkswagen models during that year. This engine was commonly found in the VW Beetle and other Type 1 vehicles.