halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
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Post by halps on Jul 25, 2009 20:23:40 GMT 10
My wife and I have really enjoyed reading so many stories posted by the "community" of VV'ers we thought that we would contribute a little story of one of our family members... This is Franco. He is a 1976 VW Kombi Microbus with a 2l twin carby engine, an oil leak and some rust. My family invested in Franco in January 2008. I bought him off an Italian international student who was studying industrial design in Brisvagas. He (or should I say his parents) had just spent many $$$ on the engine and gearbox. His parents feared that the car would break down between Brisbane and Noosa and he, along with his international buddies, would be consumed by some kind of killer kangawallafox ;D ;D. My wife loves cars. She can tell you the specs of a lot of vehicles and really enjoys the driving experience. I on the other hand use a car to get from A - B as the list of my previous cars illustrate: Holden Sunbird (the only thing good about this car was the attention to detail that they put into the ash tray...I don't know why it didn't win car of the year in 1980 for this alone?? ) Mazda 626 (the Japanese can design cars...it is a shame they can't design them for someone 6f 2inches) Nissan Pulsar...(not even the cooler hatch...but the daggy sedan) Honda Civic...(again the sedan...but that didn't stop pimple-faced teenage males wanting to drag me or blast me with their tripe they call music) But when we bought "Franco" we became "social legends". All our friends thought he was cool. They said it had nothing to do with the fact he had 8 seats and we would soon become the designated driver to every local footie game, BBQ and dinner out. It was, they said that we could exploit the rule at the Tivoli Drive-In of $25.00 per car load. That equals about $3.12 per person for a double header. Now that was cool even before this global economic crisis. Our three kids think that he is great so we thought that we would "invest" (I am using that word to make us feel better ) some $dosh$ in him to bring him up to the age of liposuction and botox. Two out of three kids thought that was great! ;D ;D This will be our educational journey ...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2009 20:47:15 GMT 10
Hiya Halps.. Pleased ta see ya still hanging around the vint van scene..... Every time i come up behind a Kombi on the highway i always have visions of the inhabitants having dreadlocks down past their shoulders..Dolphin and whale music gently wafting from the old AWA radio / cassette self tappered onto the dash, windows semi fogged up.... and the VW sorta floating along being "Bouyed" by the capsulated dope fumes inside ... Ban the bomb and peace signs all over the walls and windows, a pile of "surfing World" mags supporting one corner of the bed, Dash littered with orchy bottles with chunks of garden hose sticking out the side.. ... a couple of old twin fins or a Mal stuffed in the back, an old acoustic 6 string guitar with only 3 strings attached stashed in one corner, ........and the driver having a totally "out of it look on his face".... but happy to be making headway at 50 kph on a 4 lane expressway heading for Byron bay You get the picture.... You have exploded the myth The kids look to be enjoying themselves... you will have to shout them a couple of Tie dye T shirts and a row of beads for around their foreheads..... Get their names change toi "Skye and.. Moonbeam ;D Cosmic .. But the question still remains.... will it tow the "Capricorn" Bondy: Reddo
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
Posts: 229
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Post by halps on Jul 26, 2009 8:32:00 GMT 10
Reddo, Great to hear from you. The Capricorn and the Kombi equals CapriKombi or even the Kombicorn. There is only one way to find out for someone like me who knows nothing about cars...hook it up and irresponsibly drive it on the highway at door shaking speeds (about 48km/h for the Kombi).
The president of the Kombi Klub said that it should tow it no problems, but what I will have to be careful is heading out of Brisbane on a Friday afternoon to go down the coast. He said if you get stuck in traffic any real length of time, the little oil-cooled engine might get a tad too hot. He advised at the next Kombi sevice to enquire about an oil cooler...or a lighter vintage van...whichever is cheeper or easier to find.
The "freshen-up" of the Capricorn is nearly finished. I really liked some of the colours that I put inside...but my wife didn't. So this week it is some more brush work.
The Capricorn story will be published next month.
As for the comments about "Kombi Memories" you must have been there in spirit when I had to strip it for the panel shop. All the stereotypical "items" were there. After the clean-out I could only find 23 cents under the rubber mats and behind the door cards to pay me for my labour. With foot prints on the headliner I bet it had some R rated stories to tell.
Stay in touch HALPS PS: We are booked into the next South East Qld excursion in late August.
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Post by kelskombi on Jul 31, 2009 11:07:10 GMT 10
Hi guys, sweet looking kombi there, you should have no problems towing the van with a 2 litre as i have only a 1600 single port and it seems to do the job ok cheers kel
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
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Post by halps on Aug 2, 2009 14:21:01 GMT 10
Kel, I saw your "VW partnership" at Rock the Cliffe the other week. I was going to introduce myself and the family, but we were not in our Kombi and we didn't want you to think we were stalkers . The only thing that we are a little concerned with is the tow ball weight of the van. This has not been measured. Anyway folks I have glandular fever so I will possibly have some time on my hands to update this thread. Franco had some rust in the usual and not so unusual places... The front windscreen sill The doors and the foot steps And the rear tail hatch...largely due to a previous accident repair - poorly completed. We soon found at the beginning of this adventure that not a lot of panel shops like old cars, particularly old Kombis As Reddo points out they carry a bit of "baggage". I called on a parent of a student that I teach and he recommended a semi-retired panel beater that only took on "special" projects (ie the ones that he felt like). He only worked 4 days a week, started at 9:30am (after the peak-hour rush) and finished when he "bloody-well felt like it" and then added "you gotta @%#$*#@ problem with that?". I was not about to argue...I have only had one, physical altercation in my life and Stephanie really went to town on me in Grade 8 so I have learned to be a "lover" not a "fighter". (Stephanie if you read this I said "Would you like to dance." NOT "You look fat in those pants." The school dance music must have been too loud that night.) ROC as I will call him, had been in the industry for 40-plus years and did a lot of "old-school" stuff the right way. The Kombi was to stay with him for some 9 months, largely so that he could save my family money by working on it in between larger, more expensive projects. He was a fantastic tradesman and enjoyed explaining why he would fill some areas in brass and others in another product, why he couldn't use heat on a panel, why he needed to remove and repair a section, while leaving another attached to the car. He is a wealth of knowledge. He even asked me why they called a Kombi a Kombi? I didn't know. So he told me about the Australian history of the vehicle. While I grew to really enjoy the sessions that we worked together, he grew to call Franco...Hitler's Revenge Deep down I new he liked it as much as we did. HALPS Brisbane
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
Posts: 229
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Post by halps on Aug 15, 2009 10:09:05 GMT 10
Franco was the first car that we have ever decided to "do-up". My wife and I didn't come from a background of fathers or brothers that were keen on tinkering with cars. My father showed me how to change the oil and generally care for your car, but that was about it. We soon learned that there is a lot of detail, research and praying that should go into the project before you start. Once we stripped the car, labeled every part and bagged every screw we began to understand that even something as basic as a standard Kombi has many, many parts. Here is the inside, rear view of the Kombi. Sometimes the simple job of removing a bolt or a screw took an hour because it was rusted in place. This one seatbelt proved almost impossible to get out. (ALMOST). The bolt for the belt screwed into a nut that was welded to the panel. Behind this panel the fuel tank sits almost flush with it. The weld had broken and the bolt simply turned around behind the tank. It was far too tight to get your hand or a spanner behind there. I thought about cutting a hole and pulling it out, but Rock reminded us that we shouldn't weaken any panel that may be holding a seatbelt. The only option was to drain the petrol tank, remove it and then their was clear access to the offending nut. This would happen again and again with little jobs that you would assume would only take 2 minutes. I know that you experienced restorers out there would take this sort of thing in your stride...but for us it was all part of the learning experience. It was lucky that we had daughters to give us all the advice in the world.
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Post by dosse on Aug 15, 2009 12:27:07 GMT 10
G'day Keith & Suzannah. Good to see the kombi all finished.........but where is the tow-bar. Regards dosse.
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
Posts: 229
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Post by halps on Aug 18, 2009 19:35:29 GMT 10
Dosse, The Kombi tow bar is off being sand-blasted and then powder coated. We wish we could be heading to the 12th South -East gathering, but with this glandular fever I can't see the family making it over the weekend. Have faith...we will turn up for the day just to say G'day. Now back to Franco... I knew it was always going to be hard selecting colours for the interior and patterns for the seats. The Kombi seats were very tired. They lacked any real comfort and they had been painted to hide some scuff marks and tears. The door cards and interior panels were very thin and warped from moisture. The door seals were very hard and had cracked in places causing whistling sounds when the Kombi reached break-neck speeds of 58km/ph. One thing that my wife and I both agreed on was that the old, faded, chipped basket weave design had to go. Now it was time to explore some options. We wanted "Franco" to be comfortable so this little resto/freshen-up was not going to be 1976 period accurate. A mate gave me an idea... This was quickly rejected... We needed some quality thinking time... HALPS Brisbane
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
Posts: 229
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Post by halps on Dec 15, 2009 14:07:26 GMT 10
Well it has been some time since I updated this thread. It seems during this festive season the site has been a bit skinny of photos; obviously people are having too much fun in their vintage vans. Here are a couple of progress photos of the Kombi. You may remember that we left you considering our interior colours. Before we got to the trimmers we had to go to the spray painter. Here the Kombi sits all alone Again this has been a learning experience for me. I had anticipated that I would be getting the Kombi sprayed by some small, bearded, sweaty bloke that ran a dodgy shop down in a gully somewhere . As many of you already know the spray painting industry is no longer a "dirty" industry. The owners of this facility took real pride in their family company and were very quick to point out the narrow-minded generalisations that I had previously anticipated were no longer a true reflection of the industry. They showed me the whole process of their trade. And again I would probably use another word rather than trade like "artistry"; simply because of the level of skill required to spray the paint. It certainly wasn't like spraying "heritage green" on a timber fence. Here they are seen... doing what they do... and more doing what they do but this time on the bumpers. The kombi left the spray painter on the back of a flat bed truck and went to the trimmers. The trimmer was quick to point out that the Kombi was not my lounge room chair, so I should consider being a little adventurous with designs and patterns. I thought I was being a little adventurous buying the Kombi in the first place . Together we settled on some simple designs. Here are the old door cards: note the vent on the door card to take air into the rear of the bus This vent also took with it whatever the Kombi happened to run into when driving. Every insect, leaf, paper and water was transported into the back. So they did not feature on the new trim. The old basket-weave pattern on the off-white seats was also replaced with... Nothing too daring, but at the same time unusual. My kids quickly labeled the colours matched with the exterior paint...the Aussie flag car ;D ;D A shot of the boot And here is one of my daughters highly respecting the new seats I told her a 1000 times no shoes in "FRANCO" This lead to the most challenging aspect for the trimmer...completing the headlining He said that it was one of the largest that he had done for some time. More to follow soon: HALPS Brisbane
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bobt
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"Ugly as Sin"
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Post by bobt on Dec 29, 2009 19:07:22 GMT 10
Hi Halps am a bit slow on the uptake these days.. Mate the Kombi has come up a real treat. Just love the pattern you choose for the seats and the colour scheme. Congrats on getting such a good job done. Bobt
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
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Post by halps on Jan 26, 2010 7:55:38 GMT 10
Thanks Bobt for the comment. I know that people have a real love for classic cars that have been part of the Aussie culture for some time like the Holdens and Fords etc. But I do like it when someone shows me something a little left of square. Like a "Landcrab" (I had no idea what the hell that was until I saw a picture) or something like that. As a kid spending some time growing up in Ireland my dad had a VW. When we came to Australia he bought a Falcon 500. He still remembers the power it had compared to the European cars that were on the market in Ireland. Anyway...I was really excited picking up the Kombi. Here is a picture of me making the collection Here is a picture of it out of fuel on the side of the road I made a "rookie error"...no body even suggested to me that petrol can evaporate out of the tank if the car sits still for over 4 months And here is me filling it up (with premium...because it is a high-performance machine) ;D ;D ;D If anyone on this site has had to reattach the very fragile chrome strips around windows, plus the inner and outer scrapers and the felt channels...you will understand my pain. I taped everything up and began... It took me 5 hours of starting with confidence, listening to George Harrison's greatest hits and then... it turned ugly with me swearing, praying, throwing things, my wife leaving with the children to go to the park to let "Daddy cool down", to nearly crying until finally- four hours later I had one front passenger door done. The next one took me an hour and with each window...less and less. It was a monumental job...possibly out of my experience level...but it got done with no damage to the car at all. I then added some scratch plates And a few other bits and pieces...so that we could go for our first trip off to the beach...with a full tank of petrol HALPS Brisbane
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2010 13:40:43 GMT 10
Onya Halps.. You have my support in saying that fitting weather strips, bailey chanells etc is a bugger of a job. In fact you have done better than i did on my first attempt at insatlling those fiddley bits on an EH prem sedan years ago.. actually slipped with a 6 "screwdriver and scratched the inside oof the door. Ya had me worried about your choice of wheels, hubcaps right up until the last photo. The Kombi looks great mate. As for the Capricorn towball weight... best i can suggest is drop it on the Kombi bal and see how much the bum sinks/ wheels lean outwards. Not too clued up on Kombi suspension .. or towbar attachment points.. but in this day and age stiffer suspension and towbar mounting point stifferners should be relatively easy track down. Cheers mate Freddo
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
Posts: 229
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Post by halps on Jan 26, 2010 15:48:49 GMT 10
Reddo, After reading your "accident story" update I thought I too would begin drinking for Australia. It is currently 34 degrees and about 80% humidity. What better time to test the tow ball weight using your scientifically proven, common sense method of "hitch and look". Well I did sweat, pant, and dragged the Capricorn out for the first photo shoot of the new look with the Kombi. Here it is What do you think VV community? Comments? Critical/Constructive feedback for the novice (I hope I haven't set myself up here ;D ;D). More pictures (think in your mind a photographer saying "Work it, Work it, Angles, Smile, Love the camera etc)... remember this was my first ever undertaking of resto work on car or van. None of the pictures illustrate the true tow ball weight as it wasn't hitched at the time (I took the photos) and when it was hitched the caravan was not loaded with new fridge, a/c, table, cushions and all the personal items that we will take. Even with a very "skinny" van weight my untrained "gut feeling" was that the Kombi would need support. And as we all know that means more $$$ Any comments appreciated on final look. Go easy on me, as stated it was my first ever climb into the "resto" of a car or van.
HALPS Brisbane
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Post by DC3Td on Jan 26, 2010 16:23:48 GMT 10
Swell looking combo. Yep, you`re about right re the kombi needing support. Given the fact its rear engined, you`ll have very light steering with little control.A ride level kit could certainly be the way to go.Best i can come up with elsewise is ask Willyn.He`s got a similar combo (amongst his stable).Check his pics/stories. cheers gordon
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Post by ronmcgr on Jan 26, 2010 17:12:01 GMT 10
Halps, They look really good together ;D The Kombi shape is good for airflow over the caravan. You may need a weight distribution hitch to help the Kombi. If the Kombi lacks power, I can put you onto a guy who fitted a Rover 3.5 V8 into his! ;D It went like the clappers Cheers, Ron
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Post by brookie on Feb 3, 2010 8:49:45 GMT 10
Great looking Kombi and photos of resto show work and care that have gone into it. Have towed camper trailer with our Kombi and also there are quite a few Kombis plus vans around Australia
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Post by brookie on Feb 3, 2010 10:03:16 GMT 10
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
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Post by halps on Feb 3, 2010 20:45:30 GMT 10
Thanks for the comments and encouragement. It is much appreciated . It is the little things that are now taking a long time. The Kombi and the Capricorn will be heading to the Sunny Coast for about a month towards the end of March. That is when the real fun starts. ;D ;D HALPS Brisbane
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halps
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Get out and enjoy your van man!
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Post by halps on Feb 3, 2010 20:48:28 GMT 10
Brookie, Your package looks great. A really nice combination. Well done.
As stated, I think I will need to spend some more $$$ to get it to the "can pull up mountains with ease...hardly know it was there..." experience that you get from yours.
HALPS Brisbane
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veedubnut
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The Compact Camper
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Post by veedubnut on Feb 24, 2010 3:13:40 GMT 10
Nice Bay Window Kombi Halps!
I have not been too frequent on here for a while, but I'm still around. I'm glad to see there is quite a good number of VW folks on here now, I used to feel like a lepper not owning a Ford or a Holden hahaha
Cheers
Greg
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Post by willyn on Apr 9, 2010 21:19:24 GMT 10
Hey Halps just caught up with the finished Kombi and Vin Van Looks awseome a job well done now go out and enjoy it with the family best regards Will and Lyn
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2010 11:09:57 GMT 10
Hi Halpsy The VW and Van Komi-nation looks cool mate.. 8-)well done. ;D Back in early february you wrote... "The Kombi and the Capricorn will be heading to the Sunny Coast for about a month towards the end of March. That is when the real fun starts. HALPS Brisbane " Soooooooooo... where are the happy snaps of The Kombi and capricorns maiden voyage??? Pictures.. we want pictures.. ;D Reddo
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