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Thu Jun 05, 2025 7:11 am

I'm trying find out why there is a difference between long spoon and medium spoon pop out catches. I keep getting told that they are the same fit and will fit all years but the photos here show something different. The long spoon is a repro and came off my 1960 Kombi (closes the window perfectly), and the medium spoon is an original but will not fit, (the spacing means the spoon won't fully close).

Thu Jun 05, 2025 7:12 am

Can anyone share pictures of medium spoons fitted?

Thu Jun 05, 2025 9:31 am

I found this to be the case on my 1959 Micro as well. The medium latch will not fit no matter how much adjusting and bending I do to the latch or bracket on the pop out. Original and Repop 'long' spoon works fine and closes great.

Anyone know if VW made different medium spoons post barndoor?

Thu Jun 05, 2025 9:47 am

I have a medium spoon on my 1957 Kombi. My understanding is that it was factory installed on the forward cargo door so that it will not interfere with opening the passenger front door. My other five spoons are the long ones. I’ve not noticed any issues with my spoons. I am away from home so can’t take pictures.

Thu Jun 05, 2025 9:47 am

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=599927&highlight=pop+window+latch

Thu Jun 05, 2025 2:04 pm

From the gallery

Fri Jun 06, 2025 2:27 am

BruceFD wrote: I found this to be the case on my 1959 Micro as well. The medium latch will not fit no matter how much adjusting and bending I do to the latch or bracket on the pop out. Original and Repop 'long' spoon works fine and closes great.

Anyone know if VW made different medium spoons post barndoor?

I tried fitting to the front cargo door and the rear passenger side window (11 Window with 6 factory pop outs) with no luck. There may be some adjustment in the rear, I'll have a look at that later today I hope.

Fri Jun 06, 2025 2:31 am

faux wrote: BruceFD wrote: I found this to be the case on my 1959 Micro as well. The medium latch will not fit no matter how much adjusting and bending I do to the latch or bracket on the pop out. Original and Repop 'long' spoon works fine and closes great.

Anyone know if VW made different medium spoons post barndoor?

I tried fitting to the front cargo door and the rear passenger side window (11 Window with 6 factory pop outs) with no luck. There may be some adjustment in the rear, I'll have a look at that later today I hope.

Thank you, I will compare these to the ones I have, I wonder if they made changes from 58 to 59?

Also, I can not find anything that says what the pop out catches would be on a 60 bus with factory pop outs? What di my bus leave the factory with?

Fri Jun 06, 2025 9:32 am

The mystery is solved to a certain extent. There are adjustable plates at the rear of a 60 bus which allows fitment of the medium spoons but the others are factory and will only allow short and long spoons.

Fri Jun 06, 2025 9:44 am

faux wrote: The mystery is solved to a certain extent. There are adjustable plates at the rear of a 60 bus which allows fitment of the medium spoons but the others are factory and will only allow short and long spoons.

That sorta makes sense, but everything I've read on here says on a early factory 6 pop-out bus, it should have 5 long laches, and 1 med latch - on the forward facing cargo door. I am still curious if the latches from Barndoor-era buses (medium latches) are different than post barndoor. Ill measure my medium latch tonight (it also doesn't fit on any position other then the rear) but I don't think it will be any different.

Can anyone with a nice fitting (front cargo door) Medium latch take it off and measure the mounting position so maybe we can get to the bottom of this.

Fri Jun 06, 2025 12:16 pm

I was told that a 58 had adjustable plates (like the rears on the 60) all around. I haven’t seen this but it was from the person I bought the medium spoons from.

I would really like to know the differences in catches and the years they were introduced and fitted. I don’t seem to know anyone who can answer this and the repro catches all say up to 67 and are all universal. Now I know different, unless the repros are based on the smaller footprint (which would fit all my windows).

Sat Jun 07, 2025 5:37 am

No bus had six (6) long spoons. A spoon latch (some like to call them medium spoon) was always used on the forward cargo door to prevent the passenger door from smashing into the window when opened. Long spoon latches used on the other five (5) windows.

Are your pop-out window frames original or reproduction?
If your reproduction latches fit and the originals do not I would suspect the frames are not original. No way to tell without pics of what you have going on though.

All buses have the same slotted plates in the rear AFAIK. I've never had any issues with long spoon or "medium" spoon latches working with original pop-out frames. No changes to the pop-out window mounting sheet metal or frames that I know of.

Sat Jun 07, 2025 9:41 am

That is what I thought, but my 60 has all original pop outs and the original plates welded to the bus.

Why would they have slotted rear if it wasn’t to allow for this? Apart from one long spoon, all of my pop outs catches are original.

So, if what you are saying is correct, how are long spoon and medium spoon fittings 2/8” different? It isn’t an issue with the bus, it is the difference in the catches dimensions that causes the problem, thus the medium and long spoons fittings on rear due to the slots. Some has said that their 58 had slots all round but I haven’t seen these in the flesh or in picture.

Sat Jun 07, 2025 6:19 pm

Stocknazi wrote: A spoon latch (some like to call them medium spoon) was always used on the forward cargo door to prevent the passenger door from smashing into the window when opened.

How close is the rear cargo door window to the window behind when the check strap is off and the door wide open?

Sun Jun 08, 2025 4:10 am

BarryL wrote: Stocknazi wrote: A spoon latch (some like to call them medium spoon) was always used on the forward cargo door to prevent the passenger door from smashing into the window when opened.

How close is the rear cargo door window to the window behind when the check strap is off and the door wide open?

With the medium spoons in the rear open, I can open the cargo door to the rear of the bus (with window closed) and the door just touches the rubber of the pop out. I assume it would be the same with the front cargo door and the front passenger door, but as above, the medium spoon won’t fit there, just a long spoon.

Mon Jun 09, 2025 6:01 pm

Here is a picture of the medium spoon latch on the front cargo door as it came from factory. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:

Tue Jun 10, 2025 12:45 am

faux wrote: BarryL wrote: Stocknazi wrote: A spoon latch (some like to call them medium spoon) was always used on the forward cargo door to prevent the passenger door from smashing into the window when opened.

How close is the rear cargo door window to the window behind when the check strap is off and the door wide open?

With the medium spoons in the rear open, I can open the cargo door to the rear of the bus (with window closed) and the door just touches the rubber of the pop out. I assume it would be the same with the front cargo door and the front passenger door, but as above, the medium spoon won’t fit there, just a long spoon.

On my 60, the rubber of the pop out is just touching the rear side window.

Tue Jun 10, 2025 3:21 am

GERMANAIRE wrote: Here is a picture of the medium spoon latch on the front cargo door as it came from factory. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:

Thanks for this, what year is the bus?

Tue Jun 10, 2025 5:10 am

faux wrote: GERMANAIRE wrote: Here is a picture of the medium spoon latch on the front cargo door as it came from factory. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:

Thanks for this, what year is the bus?

It’s a 1957 Kombi 8)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=800764

Tue Jun 10, 2025 11:15 pm

GERMANAIRE wrote: faux wrote: GERMANAIRE wrote: Here is a picture of the medium spoon latch on the front cargo door as it came from factory. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:

Thanks for this, what year is the bus?

It’s a 1957 Kombi 8)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=800764

That makes sense, I still think the early spoons like this only fit early busses (maybe up to 58?). Now I need to find out if there is a difference in hole placement on the early ones.