52 Samba

[e m p i]

Just read it all from start to finish.
Awesome work and a fantastic read
Well done.

[lowdown dirty rat]

Cheers guys.
Few more surprises to come as well

[clymoj]

Yep this is looking awesome, thanks for the updates

[bigmick1]

woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwww

[vwbuzzers]

Great mods and respect to see you still going from 2008

Buzzers

[lowdown dirty rat]

Damn Photobucket
I promise I will fix all the previous pics. But in the meantime, time for an update.

[lowdown dirty rat]

Time for an update.
Some major mods have been going on.
One period correct, the other not period correct.
But as I was writing this it occurred to me that the one that some people may have a problem with was actually the period correct one, and the period incorrect one no one would probably bat an eyelid at.
So let's start with the incorrect one shall we? Front safaris.
I can't actually find any evidence that front safaris have ever been fitted to a pre-53 barndoor. In fact if the famous Africa Kombi 'Charlotte' pictured below doesn't have them then I'm pretty certain they weren't available as it has every other air-con option possible.



Also the A-pillars are a different shape and just not conducive with mounting safaris. It's a proper hack job to weld them in. But they are just too cool to not have. Pictures of the safaris fitting to follow shortly.

[lowdown dirty rat]

As for the period correct mod.
It has been hanging on my conscience for a while. I must have changed my mind about it 100 times. But it's done now and I love it!
BARNDOOR WALKTHROUGH!!
I have always owned walkthrough buses and absolutely love the fact I can slip in and out of the cab. Especially with kids in the back. But I had excepted the fact that it wouldn't be correct for my 52 so therefore a no-go. Well, that was until it was discovered that a walkthrough panel was displayed at the Frankfurt VW show in March 1951 right alongside a 51 samba!



Now a walkthrough was period correct! It is possible (however small) that a walkthrough samba may have been available from the factory in 52.
That's when my head started spinning. So I sat down and wrote out the pro's and con's of each a walkthrough and the original bench.
The obvious plus for the bench was I had half an original bulkhead in original paint with the body number stamped on it. But it was only half and only hanging on by a couple of spot welds and the original paint would all be hidden behind a repo seat and new bulkhead interior panel anyway.
It may have also been nice to do a Westy style seat back hammock. But that was about it.
Pro's for the walkthrough were that except for the half a bulkhead everything else was either missing or to far gone. I had no usable seats, no decent tool box, no central floor panel and no hard to find grab handles. And as the bulkhead remains would fall out with a stif breeze, no hack was necessary.

A walkthrough is great with kids, a more practical camper with access to the front even with a hammock up and more cab space.
And the way I see it is it is all fairly easily reversible.
Plus it worked very well with my plan to hide the tubs and seat belts.

I also quite liked the fact that a repo Barndoor walkthrough had never been done before. (Gerson did make one for an Australia double door fake Barndoor samba but it was sooooo wrong in so many ways it's not worth mentioning). So I have spent the last few years finding everything I can on the Barndoor walkthrough. Collecting pictures and measurements when ever I could. I sent some of these through to Mark Spicer who made the toolbox and walkthrough side plate for me out of original Barndoor steel.

I had already edited the KF side plates for the new chassis shape and raised beam way back when.
Then Jeff used the rest of the pics and measurements to complete the rest. And I believe it's pretty spot on accurate with the exception of a few minor bits here and there which are due to the custom chassis. It just needs the bulkhead supports and the seat mounts and it's all done.

[lowdown dirty rat]

[lowdown dirty rat]

And you have probably noticed the cab floor has gone in, been edited to be early, and you may have noticed the little front tubs. All 5 and 1/4" of them.

[Bally]

Nice


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[type21f]

Nice


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WHS^^^^^

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[lowdown dirty rat]

Cheers guys

I mentioned previously that when Ryan made my front beam I asked if it could be built as RHD beam, a first for Ryan, even though it was going in a Left hooker. Well the reason for this is I predicted the hydraulic ram might protrude through the floor a tad due to my raised beam mounts. Now because I was planing a walkthrough this protrusion would be unacceptable unless it protruded into the walkthrough's tool chest.
I love it when a plan comes together.
There is even an inspection hatch to check on the hydro's.

[lowdown dirty rat]

If you are wondering what I plan to do with the original bulkhead, well the plan is to have it RUSTored with a bench tool chest and the KF front wheel arch tops that were cut out for the tubs. And using a repo bench seat covered in the correct fabric made into our living room sofa. Bonkers I know!
But with that restored, swapping back to the original bulkhead and bench, should you desire, would only be a weekend job.

I plan to have a removable middle seat that can turn the 2 front seats into a bench if need be in the mean time.

[clymoj]

Not bad for a hack job

I love how much research and planning you put into each mod to get it 'correct'