TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:18 pm

Hey folks...

I'm hoping someone can give me some info on this rack I picked up today. I did a search and found nothing.

Here's what I've got. The rack looks exactly like an old Norema Rack but in the diamond on the side it has GHE stamped in it. Does anyone know any details as to the manufacturer and or country of origin? Here's some pics:

Thanks in advance.

Chris

Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:31 pm

It is a rack from Happich.
Your mounts are slightly different to the one in the pic. Probably to make the rack more universal.

Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:13 pm

IN2VWS wrote: It is a rack from Happich.
Your mounts are slightly different to the one in the pic. Probably to make the rack more universal.

Thanks so very much! This is great info! I did a quick search... They're still in business but now-a-days they make all sorts of products for industrial and safety equipment.

I'm going to fabricate some shorter mounts so the rack fits the bug a little better.

Thanks again for the info!

Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:43 am

That's a late bay window GHE bus rack. I was going to buy that very one you have awhile back when it hit craigslist but passed because it wasn't correct for mine. I was googling all week getting info. The owner said his friend removed it from a 74 bus.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:50 am

The mounting brackets slide in and out making it fit almost anything.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:17 am

restojohnny wrote: That's a late bay window GHE bus rack. I was going to buy that very one you have awhile back when it hit craigslist but passed because it wasn't correct for mine. I was googling all week getting info. The owner said his friend removed it from a 74 bus.

Yeah, the story I got from him was that it was inside the old bus with some other parts.

Richard Roth wrote: The mounting brackets slide in and out making it fit almost anything.

It has quite a bit of adjustment. I was able to adjust it to fit the rails of the bug but it sets way too high. I'm gonna fab up some new brackets so it sets lower like the ones in these pics.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:05 am

I'd just fab Short U tube brackets to fit the stock tubes. It should look Good!

Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:33 pm

Yeah don't cut the existing original slider's but fabricate some new ones to your liking. That rack is cool.

Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:59 pm

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I don't really want to mess with the integrity or the aesthetics of this rack. I'll keep you posted on the progress. I have a source for the tubing I need. The hard part is going to be finding anchors for the thing. :?

Oh hell, who am I kidding? Searching for this stuff is half the fun![/quote]

Sat May 07, 2011 2:04 am

Just an update... I got the rack mounts fabbed up and dropped where I want them. I also fixed some of the issues and gave it a respray. I crafted some wood slats (they still need to be finished). But overall I think the rack is turning out brilliant. I just need to track down 4 clamps for it.

Oh and I've been busy on the car too. :D

Sat May 07, 2011 9:08 am

Looks Great now! 8) It looks like you cut down/rebent your original legs or just reused the feet off them? Might as well since they were about 6" too tall anyway. Maybe flat aluminum stock for the outer clamps you need? If you just use warm linseed oil/turpentine/dark oak stain mixture on the wood then you'll never have scratched/peeling varnish.

Sat May 07, 2011 1:31 pm

Thanks Mike. And thanks for the tip on the linseed oil/turpentine/dark oak stain mixture. I use linseed/turpentine mix on the stuff I build for the wife for out in her garden. It never dawned on me. Hell, I was thinking marine grade polyurethane. Linseed just makes sense! Thanks again!

Sat May 07, 2011 3:17 pm

I used that mixture when I was in the antique furniture business after stripping off all the scratched/peeling varnish. I have a roof rack here that has really bad varnish on the slats to do myself!

Thu Dec 05, 2024 8:30 pm

From the vintage photo thread:
RUNKLE wrote:

Mon Jul 14, 2025 3:24 pm

Although the OP started this thread almost 15 yrs ago, GHE stands for Gebrueder Happich Essen. Happich brothers, Essen (Germany city). The company is still very active but is now based in Wuppertal, slightly south of Essen.

Many German companies have a section in their main webpage about the history, along with a timeline of major product introductions and company changes. Unfortunately Happich is somewhat weak on this, but they do have this- https://www.happich.de/en/company/overview-of-the-happich-group