TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:42 am

This vehicle was recently found in Argentina. It is supposed to be a 1951/52 barndoor ambulance (is there such a thing?). Owner mentions a 2-27 code, which according to him means ambulance (outfitted by Miessen). He also mentions the gas tank being to the left of the rear hatch, INSIDE the cargo area (!). That is all you need, to be picked by an ambulance because you are sick and be smelling gas fumes all the way to the hospital! :D
Obviosuly, there are other non original aspects (such as the venting of the engine bay), but any information on the little information provided would be appreciated.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:46 am

little small the door for a BD, no?

Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:53 am

enkiel wrote: little small the door for a BD, no?

Back to the books. You really need to be a little more informed before commenting on this sort of stuff.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:54 am

Wow, for once I agree with SHSC. Barndoor Ambos needed a rear hatch for getting the patient in and out. So a small engine lid was needed. Also, what's up with those louvers? Very 80s.

-Taylor

Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:08 am

the piano hinge large rear hatch and small engine lid are what I have seen on BD ambos. does it also have the small top roof air scoop (NOT Behr) up front? I have seen them have fuel fillers on the right like non bds... do you have a VIN?

type 27 is ambulance

where's the brake light and taill lights?

Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:13 am

Nice waste of a '58 decklid.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:15 am

NorCalRiviera wrote: Wow, for once I agree with SHSC. Barndoor Ambos needed a rear hatch for getting the patient in and out. So a small engine lid was needed. Also, what's up with those louvers? Very 80s.

-Taylor

that does makes sense..

SHSC wrote: enkiel wrote: little small the door for a BD, no?

Back to the books. You really need to be a little more informed before commenting on this sort of stuff.

and go to hell, kthxbye

Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:38 am

crofty wrote: Nice waste of a '58 decklid.

58's didn't have piano hinge.

And I think that decklids for BD trucks and ambulances were made from cut down treasure chest doors from the trucks. But I could be wrong about that.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:50 am

Original BD ambulance....

Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:58 am

SHSC wrote: crofty wrote: Nice waste of a '58 decklid.

58's didn't have piano hinge.

And I think that decklids for BD trucks and ambulances were made from cut down treasure chest doors from the trucks. But I could be wrong about that.

No kidding, but wouldn't a BD decklid have a brakelight?

Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:28 pm

SHSC wrote: crofty wrote: Nice waste of a '58 decklid.

58's didn't have piano hinge.

And I think that decklids for BD trucks and ambulances were made from cut down treasure chest doors from the trucks. But I could be wrong about that.

Decklids for barndoor trucks were made from cut down singlecab side doors.

The barndoor ambulance decklids were made from cut down barndoor decklids.
The rear apron is also special as well.

Here are a few more photos;

You can see that the VW coachwork on this model was pretty crude and that most of the special panels were handformed.
This particular bus is a '52 and I believe the VIN was around 24,000.

Here is a shot of the gas filler door;

It uses a barndoor ignition tumbler and key to lock it shut.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:36 pm

crofty wrote: SHSC wrote: crofty wrote: Nice waste of a '58 decklid.

58's didn't have piano hinge.

And I think that decklids for BD trucks and ambulances were made from cut down treasure chest doors from the trucks. But I could be wrong about that.

Wouldn't a BD decklid have a brakelight?

A.F.A.I.K., Yes. Maybe it was filled or maybe the decklid was changed but the hinge retained?

Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:11 pm

campingbox wrote: crofty wrote: SHSC wrote: crofty wrote: Nice waste of a '58 decklid.

58's didn't have piano hinge.

And I think that decklids for BD trucks and ambulances were made from cut down treasure chest doors from the trucks. But I could be wrong about that.

Wouldn't a BD decklid have a brakelight?

A.F.A.I.K., Yes. Maybe it was filled or maybe the decklid was changed but the hinge retained?

I thought they all had 'em too. If so, they did a pretty good job filling it in. It looks pretty smooth. The piano hinge on the decklid looks a lot different than the rear hatch one.

I'll take a run out to the yard and take a look at mine and let you all know. LOL

Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:13 pm

That's great information, thanks guys. Please keep it coming if you know more. I'll post more photos and a vin if I ever get them. Adios,

Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:13 pm

Any pics of Ellis's aka rustyvanbondo's barncampoulater around

Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:22 pm

SHSC wrote: crofty wrote: Nice waste of a '58 decklid.

58's didn't have piano hinge.

And I think that decklids for BD trucks and ambulances were made from cut down treasure chest doors from the trucks. But I could be wrong about that.

Well, it looks like it is a BD deck lid. I didn't notice the stamps going all the way to the bottom edge. Strange that they filled in the brake light though, but then again they did louver the hell out of it.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:28 pm

i thought the miesen built amublances kept the barn door engine lid?

Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:19 pm

ronnie wrote: i thought the miesen built amublances kept the barn door engine lid?

Notice how the recess on a barndoor ambulance engine lid goes all the way to the bottom edge, where as a 55-(early) 58 lid the recess stops short of the bottom? They cut down the og lid as the guys above said.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:24 pm

Splitpile,

Remember when this thing was for sale here on the Samba? Seems like it took forever
to sell for $8500.... I passed b/c it wasn't a westy....lol

Here are links to other pics of the bus:

http://www.vintagebus.com/gallery/image/993.JPG
http://www.vintagebus.com/gallery/image/992.JPG
http://www.vintagebus.com/gallery/image/978.JPG
http://www.vintagebus.com/gallery/image/735.JPG
http://www.vintagebus.com/gallery/image/9516.JPG

I can remember sitting in a few barndoors in Zearing, Iowa back in the day. The only
reason I know they were barndoors is b/c I rememberthe Behr scoops... Back then, if it
wasn't a '71 Westy - discs in front and type I in the back, I wasn't interested....lol

Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:35 pm

Its now time for me to ask one of those dumb questions that gets you lynched...but what the heck, right? :) Barndoors are so named because of the big ol' barndoor lookin' engine lid on 'em, right? So, if the SC's & ambulances have a little engine lid why are they still considered barndoors? I understand the bus in question is from a BD year, but that seems a little bit like saying my bus is a 21 window just because its a deluxe and 21 windows are deluxes too. Bottom line, yes its a '66 deluxe and yes there are '66 deluxes with 21 windows, but mine only has 13 windows so nobody is gunna call it a 21 window. If a 52 ambulance doesn't have a barndoor engine lid even though it was produced in a 'barndoor' year, why's it still called a barndoor? Maybe a better example of my confusion would be the brazilian splits made in '72...even though 72 is a year that bay windows were produced, a brazilian one doesn't have a bay window, so its not called a bay...right?

I'm not tryin' to ruffle feathers here, & I hope the barndoor mafia doesn't put a hit out on me or anything, I'm just out on a quest for knowledge. Like many of you, (don't deny it) before I started learnin' about busses & long before I owned one, I thought "barndoor" referred to the hinged cargo doors on a split as opposed to the sliders on a bay. The logic behind a barndoor bus without a barndoor is my next step in the great quest. :)