# Forum Home Renovation Metalwork & Welding  Kombi

## PlatypusGardens

Well...here's an unusual project, but something I've wanted to do for some time.
Long story short, a guy had this Kombi front end sitting around in his yard, for sale he reckons.
Oooo I'd love to do something with that but can't really take it on at the moment as we'd just moved here and I have to get stuck in to my market stuff. 
On easter weekend we had friends visiting and one of them who has a cafe and is in to retro, recycled, hippie stuff etc, mentioned she and her business partner had been talking about how cool it would be to have a kombi front end in the shop to sit the coffee machine on or something. 
I said "well....." And showed her a photo of this:   
I said - it's a bit rough but it's for sale.....we could drag it back here and I can fix it up for you....
We went and looked at it the next day and she was over the moon.
Done deal 
So.
Yesterday:        
This is why I had to take the tool box off the ute which lead to fixing that up while I was at it    
Got it home ok, was only a short drive.
Via the shops.....it got a few looks as we parked outside the local Spar supermarket hehe  
Now......how to get it off and in the shed?
I have no machinery here, no crane, no way of hanging a lifting chain from the shed roof...  
I did buy these boards the other day for this purpouse though, and got to work making a ramp.   
The tyres held air for about 45 seconds so we had to work fast.
I was hanging on the end of the RHS levering the thing on to its wheels while my partner was at the front of it....mostly watching as I was sliding backwards on the concrete floor. 
Note the cross piece of timber at the bottom of the ramp 
Worked as expected and the lump of german steel came to a grinding halt when it got to that point, stopping me from getting impaled on the rhs.  
Video screengrabs:        
So now the plan is to remove as much excess weight as possible, ie the whole steering and suspension setup, most of the frame and floor.
Crossbrace the sides and doors, make a frame from rhs with some castors to make it mobile and see where to go from there.      
I'm hoping to sell as much of the front end parts as possible to fund the repairs needed to the body and some parts like missing headlight etc. 
We're probably aiming for something like this:   
Not sure how carried away we'll get with bodywork and paint...may go for the scruffy "patina" look, but it still needs a fair bit of rust repair, regardless.    
But for now - stage 1 completed.
Getting it here and off the ute.
Will report back when something happens but it may be a slow going project.  
If anyone in the Brisbane and surrounding areas knows of a VW club etc who may be interested in the steering/front end components when I get it out, please let me know. 
I know that the steering boxes are sought after for these things and this one actually seems quite tight.    :Smilie:

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## Bros

You will be like a dog with a bone as you won't stop until it is finished.

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## SilentButDeadly

Kombiclub forum will help you with this no problem. There sre a tonne of members in SE Qld. However the steering and front end parts usually aren't worth much...

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## PlatypusGardens

> You will be like a dog with a bone as you won't stop until it is finished.

  Hehe.
I'll do a bit here and there but have a heap of other things to do first.
Firebuckets mostly   

> Kombiclub forum will help you with this no problem. There sre a tonne of members in SE Qld. However the steering and front end parts usually aren't worth much...

  Steering box should fetch $100-$150 if it's in good nick.
$10-$20-$50 here and there for other parts, all adds up.   :Smilie:

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## Marc

Nice project.

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## phild01

> .
> We're probably aiming for something like this:   Not sure how carried away we'll get with bodywork and paint...may go for the scruffy "patina" look, but it still needs a fair bit of rust repair, regardless.

  
 Go flash, not scruffy.

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## ringtail

Awesome PG. I could have helped you out years ago when I was thick in the VW scene but not now. I know where there are 5 or 6 complete vans. Some rare ones in amongst them.

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## David.Elliott

Me. Jealous. Much? 
Amazing how a confluence of events happens every now and again... 
Can't help wondering how it got to be just a cab?

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## PlatypusGardens

> Nice project.

  Yes should be fun    

> Go flash, not scruffy.

  Depends what they want
 Either way there are some rust repairs to be done.   

> Awesome PG. I could have helped you out years ago when I was thick in the VW scene but not now. I know where there are 5 or 6 complete vans. Some rare ones in amongst them.

  Seen a few nice ones buzzing around the area here    

> Can't help wondering how it got to be just a cab?

  Dunno 
The guy who had it on his property was storing it for someone else and there used to be 3 complete ones as well he reckons.
Maybe this one had been in an accident and they kept the front end for spare parts....who knows.   :Smilie:

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## Marc

When I worked for a shop fitting mob, we had two VW ute. It was the best to load heaps of tools under the tray and have them locked up. Great loading capacity too.

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## PlatypusGardens

Beetles and Kombis are great.
The most iconic vehicles ever made, instantly recognisable.
Everyone has either owned one or knows someone who has.
Anyone who's owned one knows it's a love/hate relationship.
They're great when the sun is shining and you're going slightly downhill with a tail wind.
Not so much when you have to work on the engine (or worse - try to find a mechanic who'll work on them.) 
I wish we still had our old bus but it was too far gone with the rust for it to be worth keeping.
If I'd had a big shed at the time where I could have put it on stands and worked on a bit here and there, maybe. 
So for now, this will do - working on 1/3 of a Kombi, even though it's for someone else it will still be fun.
One day I might have my own again. 
1/3 or complete, who knows   :Rofl5:

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## Bros

I owned a beetle, engine repairs were easy it was a simple engine and it took very little time to remove it if you had to. Kombis might be a different story.

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## toooldforthis

> I owned a beetle, engine repairs were easy it was a simple engine and it took very little time to remove it if you had to. Kombis might be a different story.

  the early Kombis same as Beetle. Lift the rear and pull out motor on trolley jack.
a few times I got my mates to come and lift the beetle by hand while I pulled the motor. 
Later Kombis were easier cause the rear engine panel could be removed and just drag the motor out, or push the van forward. 
Had a beetle, gf had one. Then a early Kombi, then a later one. Then a Karmann Ghia. 
completely overrated VW - esp in Oz conditions. just cheap and easy to fix that was all.

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## Bros

> Had a beetle, gf had one.

   Was it the early 6v ones with no fuel guage just a lever to change to reserve?

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## toooldforthis

> Was it the early 6v ones with no fuel guage just a lever to change to reserve?

  gf's was like that.
mine was much more up market  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Kombi engines are still "simple" as such.
I removed and rebuilt ours.
Split the case and went right down to replacing the crankshaft bearings etc.
4 bolts holding it to the gearbox and a crossmember with 2 or 4 bolts from memory.
Quite easy to get out.   
They're in an awkward spot for any in-car tinkering though, is what I meant.
Compared to opening the bonnet on a "normal" car.
Still better than, say, a HiAce van I guess where it's under the seat. 
Never owned a Beetle but the engine looks easier to access and remove than the Kombi. 
Overrated?
Dunno what you mean by that.
They're a cool looking vehicle according to many people.
....and when operated within their limits (especially in Oz) they're a great piece of machinery. 
We flogged the absolute poo out of our poor van, doing 500K a day through the outback in the middle of summer.
Foot down flat doing about 95 km/h
They were never designed for that. 
I forget now how many cylinder heads we went through in the 3 years we had it...5 or 6 maybe.   :Smilie:  
The dual carby setup was a bit rubbish tho.

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## David.Elliott

We had a purple Type 3 wagon...the engine wore out so we had it rebuilt and warmed over at the same time... 
My continual challenge with that car was the fuel solenoid wires coming adrift. Then the fuel hose would bust off and spray hot fuel all over the exhaust...fun!

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## Uncle Bob

Mate had a Kombi, as you do when your a surfie dude. We had a lot of fun in that. But it was the most unreliable vehicle I'd ever known, spent way too much time pushing the bastard around.
Then there was the times going up hills where we would jump out and run past it lol.
We ended up calling it Hitlers' Revenge  :Smilie:

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## toooldforthis

by overrated I just meant the reputation was a bit higher than reality. 
plenty of stories but in the 2nd Kombi gf & I spent 18 months working our way round Oz.
was house sitting in FNQ during the wet and decided that was a good time to pull the motor cause had oil leak and flappy valves around #3 - pulled stud was the diagnosis which proved to be correct.
pulled the motor in the backyard, dismantled under the lean to, and hitched to Cairns with half a crankcase under each arm to get helicoils. 
borrowed a trolley jack from local bus depot for a carton of xxxx. 
got the motor back together and slid it under the bus.
knocked off for the night and had torrential rain during the night and the jack stands sunk and the van slid off. missed the inlet manifold by 2mm I reckon.
left the van where it was and levered the engine up and into place.
qed.

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## ringtail

Anyone else set their beetle on fire by having 4 in the back and the seat springs shorting on the battery terminals ? Good fun. My best beetle morphed into a baja. Went to Fraser twice in that thing when Fraser was real. Drove it from Brisbane to Rocky too. Took 11 hours up and 12 hours back. On the way up was 40 degrees and we stopped at every servo for fuel and drinks. On the way back it was night, raining, jumping out of 4th gear and one wiper arm fell off. Happy days. Wouldn't trade them for anything.

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## PlatypusGardens

I could write a book about the mishaps in our Kombi from broken distributor to snapped A-pillar. 
Happy days...not at the time,  but funny in retrospect and wouldn't trade them either

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## Jon

The heater in my dads kombi seemed to work by pumping hot exhaust fumes into the cab. 
Any time I borrowed dads or my sisters something was bound to fail.
But they were great. 
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

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## phild01

Got my licence in a beetle.  Reverse park and the gear lever wouldn't hold so asked the test guy to hold it in, my request was denied.  Did the best reverse park of my life holding the lever with one and steering with the other.  Licence approved.

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## toooldforthis

> Anyone else set their beetle on fire by having 4 in the back and the seat springs shorting on the battery terminals ? Good fun. My best beetle morphed into a baja. Went to Fraser twice in that thing when Fraser was real. Drove it from Brisbane to Rocky too. Took 11 hours up and 12 hours back. On the way up was 40 degrees and we stopped at every servo for fuel and drinks. On the way back it was night, raining, jumping out of 4th gear and one wiper arm fell off. Happy days. Wouldn't trade them for anything.

  as long as you still had the driver side wiper, not a problem  :Smilie:  
The first car I tried to buy, at 17, was a Citroen Light 15. The driver side wiper was the expected electric/mechanical job, but the passenger was manually operated via knob on the dashboard. 
Fell in love with that car but the seller changed his mind about selling, guess he loved it too much too, or couldn't bear to see it go to a pimply kid.

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## MorganGT

> They're in an awkward spot for any in-car tinkering though, is what I meant.
> Compared to opening the bonnet on a "normal" car.
> Still better than, say, a HiAce van I guess where it's under the seat.

  ....or a Renault Trafic van - my work van wouldn't start last Monday, roll-started it and got it to our factory. Turned out the 2 bolts holding the starter solenoid on had come loose and one had fallen out. But it took one of our techs (who is an ex-mechanic) 8 hours to pull things apart enough to get in and refit it and get it all back together.   :Smilie:   

> The dual carby setup was a bit rubbish tho.

  Ours had 2 1/2 carbs - there was a separate unit on a crossover pipe between the 2 carbs that was basically a mini carburettor to assist with cold starts. It was a relatively uncommon version - a Microbus with a 2 litre engine and auto transmission. Surprisingly fast away from the lights. Fun to hoon too, including the day when I scared the crap out of myself throwing it through a roundabout and the front sway bar snapped, hit the floorpan under my feet hard enough I could feel it and caused the bus to suddenly heel over at a huge lean angle.

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## PlatypusGardens

See?
everyone has a Kombi or Beetle story   :Smilie:

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## ringtail

> as long as you still had the driver side wiper, not a problem

  Nope. That's the one the went AWOL, of course. :Biggrin:

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## Bros

> Nope. That's the one the went AWOL, of course.

   What did you end up with half a potato or onion?

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## ringtail

Pineapple country up there.

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## PlatypusGardens

> Originally Posted by *toooldforthis*   _as long as you still had the driver side wiper, not a problem_

   

> Nope. That's the one the went AWOL, of course.

   

> What did you end up with half a potato or onion?

   

> Pineapple country up there.

  
.....  :Unsure:  ....please explain?

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## Bros

> .....  ....please explain?

  https://vehicle-maintenance.wonderho...potato-162813/

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## PlatypusGardens

> https://vehicle-maintenance.wonderho...potato-162813/

  
"Video unavailable" but I get the gist from the link name.
Never knew that.

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## Bros

> "Video unavailable" but I get the gist from the link name.
> Never knew that.

   Never tried the video sorry.  
Do a search on "potato windshield wipers" and you will get heaps of hits.

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## PlatypusGardens

Had a poke around the Kombi this afternoon when I was sick of grinding and welding and plasma cutting and the noise of the compressor. 
Found some treasures.         
Apparently it had the optional Lambo doors....     
Doors off for easier access.....then the dash came out....      
Pillars cut down.....Starting to look better already.     :Smilie:

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## ringtail

> Never tried the video sorry.  
> Do a search on "potato windshield wipers" and you will get heaps of hits.

  Fortunately it was quite late at night and no other cars around. Highbeams with 4 spotties and one can see ok - ish. It was only hitting the lights of Brisbane where we really struggled

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## Spottiswoode

Never driven one, but understand that they are cool, just because. 
My stories related to my sister being driven to her wedding in one and dad having to jump out, climb underneath and fix the gear shifter so they could keep going. Seems it got stuck in one gear . 
Otherwise it's great fun in the car with the kids, although typically being the driver makes it hard for me to complete for 'Double punch bug'.

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## David.Elliott

Sombody say KOMBI?

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## PlatypusGardens

Almost ready to lift (what remains of) the body off the frame.
Need to unbolt the steering box first so I can cut the frame on that side.   
Thank god for the plasma cutter.   
While there's a bit of rust to be fixed in "tricky spots" mainly around the footstep parts on both sides, I think a lot of the curved parts can be obtained from metal I have removed from areas like around the seats etc.   :Smilie:          
Peace yo

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## phild01

What's the smiley in the first pic?
Hope the finished paint job is better than the peace effort :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> What's the smiley in the first pic?

  It's just happy to be there    

> Hope the finished paint job is better than the peace effort

  Yes, I'll put the beer down and use my right hand.   :Smilie:

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## SilentButDeadly

> Sombody say KOMBI?

  If that were real there'd be a quarter of a million in VW right there...even before one was demolished to make it a caravan. 
Mates of mine finished their 23 window a year or so back...it's a lovely thing. But it does come from a different era in the driveability stakes. Personally, I've spent too much time with them to hate them. 
Not sure of PG's commission but then it's not my money. Either way that front end wasn't going anywhere before. But it is now!

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## PlatypusGardens

Some of them fetch a good coin    :Shock:   https://www.google.com.au/amp/jalopn...looks-like/amp   VW Bus sells for a groovy $235,000 - Dec. 5, 2014

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## PlatypusGardens

> Not sure of PG's commission but then it's not my money. 
> Either way that front end wasn't going anywhere before. But it is now!

  There's no money in it for me.
I'm doing this for our friends and for the love of tinkering.  
It had been sitting there for years with a handful of people saying they were gonna buy it but nothing happened

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## PlatypusGardens

I'm happy now          
You may notice that the steering box is still attached to the front end.
I decided it was easier to cut the frame behind it and get it off later.
I got the 4 bolts holding it out, but couldn't get the linkage off with the box in situ, and to save time and knuckles, I left it there and cut the linkage. 
It will be easier to get out this way.
All the bolts I've undone so far have come out no worries and no stripped heads.
Good German steel.     
It would have been a lot easier with 2 or 3 people and endless chains and lifting equipment.
But it's amazing what you can achieve with a bit of stubbornness and some milk crates and blocks of 4x4 pine.
And lots of swearing. 
As usual there was a lot of snagging and _just one more thing to cut off_ and more snagging before it all just popped off like a champagne cork.    :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Better go clean that mess up now   :Sigh:

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## PlatypusGardens

:Smilie:

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## phild01

Are you going to strip the paint to bare metal?

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## PlatypusGardens

Probably not everywhere. 
I'll fix the rust where needed and then see what the rest is like

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## Marc

Do you have spray paint gun?

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## phild01

It does deserve time well spent.

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## toooldforthis

jeez not much left eh?
and money changed hands  :Blush7:  
this must be good for something interesting:

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## PlatypusGardens

> Do you have spray paint gun?

  nah but I might get one when the time comes   

> It does deserve time well spent.

  She'll be right     

> jeez not much left eh?

  Patience my friend
all will be revealed 
there is a plan   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

I think I know what a lot of you are thinking
oh old rusty ratty PG is just gonna slap this together and make a right dog's breakfast out of it  
While that is warranted based on my rusty art and general love for rat rods and patina...... If there is one thing I'm very patient with, it's rust repairs, bogging and sanding   :Smilie:

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## phild01

> ...... If there is one thing I'm very patient with, it's rust repairs, bogging and sanding

  I'm feeling a bit better now  :Biggrin:

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## Marc

> I think I know what a lot of you are thinking
> oh old rusty ratty PG is just gonna slap this together and make a right dog's breakfast out of it  
> While that is warranted based on my rusty art and general love for rat rods and patina...... If there is one thing I'm very patient with, it's rust repairs, bogging and sanding

  Actually I was thinking in that pathway you made with all those different pattern. Translated into coffee shop Komby, it should be a very nice surprise.  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> I'm feeling a bit better now

  
Get back under your trailer

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## PlatypusGardens

> Actually I was thinking in that pathway you made with all those different pattern. Translated into coffee shop Komby, it should be a very nice surprise.

  Ah yes nah probably won't be any patterns here, but it should look good when finished   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Good grief

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## Marc

I like this one. Still original in a way and practical, goes 30 mph, not bad.

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## PlatypusGardens

> I like this one. Still original in a way and practical, goes 30 mph, not bad.

  Yeh that's awesome.
30mph on tracks with no suspension (presumably)......you'd feel every lump and bump!

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## PlatypusGardens

Spotted today.    
Wonder what happened to the rest.......home made comvertible?   :Smilie:

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## Marc

> Yeh that's awesome.
> 30mph on tracks with no suspension (presumably)......you'd feel every lump and bump!

  Build by an engineer, I assume suspension is there or it would destroy the body.

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## PlatypusGardens

Mmm
airbagged maybe

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