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HastaAlaska
Samba Member
Joined: November 22, 2012
Posts: 1420
Location: Off Grid
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 Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 9:48 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| fes wrote: |
I read an article in Haggerty magazine lately pertaining to this..https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/08/04/crackdown-on-asbestos-essentially-halts-collector-car-exports-to-australia/
They may not let you in..have a gander,Braking system alone will probably cause denial of entry. |
This is interesting - I would expect the rules to change a few times before we arrive, but this is the first I've heard about asbestos problems on classic car imports to Aus. Thanks for the link. We've been working with an engineer in Aus who has told us it should be straight-forward. Pre 76 there wasn't much in the way of emissions regulations in Aus so it's fine - also swapping the engine isn't that big of a deal. Leah is Australia so she can bring back a vehicle as a personal import and it is easier (or at least that's what they are saying)
Not going this bus away - got way too much grief from people about the last one.
Also the idea of f*cking around with dual carbs is enough to keep me up at night.
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Around The World in a VW - Follow the Docuseries
2011 - PRESENT
Hasta Alaska Series - https://kombilife.com/hasta-alaska/
World Overland Series - https://kombilife.com/world-overland-travel-series/
Latest Adventures - https://www.youtube.com/@kombilife |
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williamM
Samba Member
Joined: August 07, 2008
Posts: 4333
Location: southwest Arizona
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| Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 2:09 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Any body know for sure what is in the heater boxes? I saw a post about it, but that was some time ago.
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some days I get up and just sit and think. Some days I just sit.
opinion untempered by fact is ignorance.
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timvw7476
Samba Member
Joined: June 03, 2013
Posts: 2205
Location: seattle
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| Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 3:03 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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the last I heard was the asbestos in the boxes was non-friable, meaning
it's trapped somehow & can't be released into the air....
But I doubt that when dealing with steel stampings & castings that have been
exposed to vibration & heat cycling for at least four decades attached to
an ICE. |
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OrangeZA
Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2016
Posts: 110
Location: Scottish Highlands
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| Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 4:29 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Hey William, I take it you have seen this thread about refurbishing the heat exchanger bellows and finding a replacement for the asbestos cuffs that are contained within?
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=584296 |
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williamM
Samba Member
Joined: August 07, 2008
Posts: 4333
Location: southwest Arizona
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| Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 8:29 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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 Thanks- thats a pretty good article of what we have to do- even have the oven cleaner!
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some days I get up and just sit and think. Some days I just sit.
opinion untempered by fact is ignorance.
Don't step in any! |
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HastaAlaska
Samba Member
Joined: November 22, 2012
Posts: 1420
Location: Off Grid
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:55 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Hey guys,
I have our bus stripped back to a point where I have some photos to show you.
I've been discussing with Neil in Scotland over winter regarding reinforcing the kombi due to the hightop roof and walk through (Neil please feel free to chime in if you like)
I intend to put the triangular plate on the passenger side to reinforce the char back plate that was cut out by a previous owner.
However, as you can see the drivers side is also missing. I'm thinking I need to do something about that. Any thoughts?
Also I've shown pictures of how the hightop is cut out. As so much of the roof is gone I was thinking of a building some kind of aluminum frame to go inside the hightop and b) installing some expanded metal belly pans (which I would have to fabricate.
Right now we are working on metal work so would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks guys
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Around The World in a VW - Follow the Docuseries
2011 - PRESENT
Hasta Alaska Series - https://kombilife.com/hasta-alaska/
World Overland Series - https://kombilife.com/world-overland-travel-series/
Latest Adventures - https://www.youtube.com/@kombilife |
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vwwestyman
Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5688
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:59 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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I think I would weld in support triangles like the Late Bays had for the seats. Just make sure that they don't interfere with the seats being able to turn around!
For the top, if you're planning on having a bed or storage up there (not totally open) then make your cross-braces such that they are also the support for the bed.
Belly pans do seem like a good idea! I'm not sure if bolted-in ones (ala the one for protecting the BA6 heater) would be as sturdy as welded in ones for strengthening the body. The problem with welded in pans is that anything covered by them becomes nearly inaccessible for any kind of servicing you may want or need to do. Though I suppose there isn't really a whole lot in that area.
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Dave Cook
President, Wild Westerner Club
1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
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Spike0180
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Joined: June 06, 2015
Posts: 2269
Location: Detroit, Michigan
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:23 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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I would also put in some partial supports behind the drivers seats. (I prefer over-engineered to under-engineered). Another idea is to place a support in front of the back seat. So make the rear-seat kick panel a steel sheet with a tube top (you would have to notch around the fold out bed if you are going to have one though). This could add some good structure.
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Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp
Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic" |
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RR2 kombi
Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2017
Posts: 2
Location: Calgary Alberta Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:35 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Keep it stock, five engines over 350,000 around the world . And still going
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HastaAlaska
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Joined: November 22, 2012
Posts: 1420
Location: Off Grid
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22665
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:33 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Username yields enlightenment?
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.ssS! |
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KentABQ 
Samba Member
Joined: September 11, 2016
Posts: 2406
Location: Albuquerque NM
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 7:40 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| RR2 kombi wrote: |
Keep it stock, five engines over 350,000 around the world . And still going
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Wow! That thing is built like a VW Swiss Army knife!
It brings to mind an Imperial Trooper vehicle from Star Wars.
But I'm not enough of a geek to know which vehicle, I'm happy to say. 
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1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"
"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea
Bus ownership via emoticons:
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RR2 kombi
Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2017
Posts: 2
Location: Calgary Alberta Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2018 9:55 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| Yes, I bought from Trever and Wendy McGrath about 10 years or so ago. |
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Tcash
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Joined: July 20, 2011
Posts: 12844
Location: San Jose, California, USA
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22665
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 3:25 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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for the poster
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HastaAlaska
Samba Member
Joined: November 22, 2012
Posts: 1420
Location: Off Grid
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Manfred58sc
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009
Posts: 3382
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| Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:21 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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That is a bad-ass Bus ( avoid parking garages..). Vagabond travelling has changed as the view of " house living " society sees Bus dwellers as homeless ( and thus needing to be removed or arrested). This is a worldwide shift. The old days of "the Bohemian" experience is not recognized or valued by most. Besides, very soon this can all be had as a virtual experience in the comfort of your home with snacks and a proper bathroom close by.
By all means carry on, I like your videos and look forward to seeing this Bus come together.
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OrangeZA
Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2016
Posts: 110
Location: Scottish Highlands
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| Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2018 1:09 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Hi Ben,
A lot of the structure has been removed from that carefully designed monocoque shell so I would worry about its integrity when subjected to torsional loads from driving on uneven or unmade roads or even a collision of some sort.
Simon Glen's '73 Australian built Kombi, that he took across the Sahara twice as well as many other arduous journeys through Asia and Australia, ended up with 2 cracks in the chassis. In a review of his experiences with his Kombi he said:
| Simon Glen, VW-Audi Car April 1990 wrote: |
| To further illustrate the rough life of the bus: every cross-member of the chassis is bent and buckled from hitting rocks. The heat exchangers have been replaced twice, not because of corrosion but because they became so bashed and tatty that they didn't work effectively and couldn't hold the engine tinware in place. |
His camper conversion was professionally done, but I don't know if it was officially approved by VW or if the roof bow connecting the 2 C-pillars had been cut. It seems logical for me to assume that his Kombi wasn't fitted with belly-pans (option M191 - with outer and central underfoor plates) as they would have helped to protect his chassis cross-members from getting bent and buckled.
I'm no structural engineer, but it seems sensible to me to mimic what VW did or approved when modifying your new T2 to suit your requirements.
My parents bought a 1978 T2 camper back in 1980, it was a Devon Moonraker conversion which was officially approved by VW and therefore able to be sold new at VW dealerships across the UK.
As you can see in the brochure above, the middle roof bow connecting the C-pillars has been cut. The T2s used by Devon for conversions all left the Hanover factory with the M191 option; that's the outer two panels welded between the main chassis rails and and the sills plus the bolt in one that fits in the middle between the main chassis rails, even if they didn't come fitted with the Eberspächer heater, I'm guessing therefore that the middle one must also add some rigidity to the chassis. This option also came as standard on T2s which left the factory with the M263 option (1200kg payload), early sunroof models and models with twin sliding doors, I guess anything that had to cope with more stress or had a tendency to be floppy without them! Reproduction belly pans, made in the UK, appear to be available from Bus Depot in the USA.
Looking at what is left of the original roof, I have to say that a damn sight more of the roof structure was removed from your T2 than a Devon Moonraker. You could still feel the remnants of the C-pillar roof bow through the padding of the roof opening. I never removed the elevating roof from my parent's old camper so I can't tell you if Devon boxed in around the roof opening, but I know that when Space Roofs fit an elevating roof to a Brazilian T2 they cut out the same amount of roof section as is missing from your '73.
| Space Roofs wrote: |
| To fit this roof we remove the whole of the Brazilian roof from just behind the front cross member all the way to the rear gutter. We then weld in a 40 x 40 x 3 mm steel framework down both sides of the van. This framework is then covered by 1 mm powder coated pressed steel sections that form the inner headlining of the van and support for the bed. A 1 mm pressed steel powder coated section is fitted at the rear of the van which provides strength for the roof and support for the bed. A pressed steel and powder coated cross member is then fitted midway along the van to support both bed sections and restrengthen the roof. |
Sounds like a similar solution to what you are suggesting in your post above. If you are putting aluminium next to steel, watch out for galvanic corrosion with the condensation you get in a camper. Maybe, as Dave mentions above, you could use the cross member to support a bed or storage lockers?
Also note the rear-mounted spare wheel on the Devon Moonraker, it is my understanding that VW didn't approve of bolting the spare wheel to the front panel as it negated the effectiveness of the crumple zone. The Landmark conversions in the USA were also VW approved and had a rear mounted spare too. I think the only factory approved front mounted spare wheel was that found on late model European Westfalias and Karmannmobiles which had a modified deformation element which allowed the spare to sit lower and behind the front bumper.
There must have been some technical reasons for them going to such expensive lengths to reengineer the deformation element to such a degree when they could have made more money and simply charged their customers the same number of Deutsche Marks for mounting the wheel on top of the bumper?
Simon Glen wasn't a fan of bull bars or front mounted spare wheels as he reckoned that the extra weight compressed the front suspension too much for the pistes of North Africa.
I can remember reading a letter from VW in an old copy of the now defunct VW enthusiast's magazine "Safer Motoring", it warned the readers about how alterations to the body of the VW Transporter could effect it's structural integrity. The letter cited an example where they had seen a camper in which the panel behind one of the seats had been cut away to make way for a foldaway seat/cooker unit!
As Dave and Spike say above, copy what VW did when they removed the panels behind the front seats.
You can see they did the same triangulation on both sides.
In the above photos you can see the 2 different ways VW reinforced the B-pillar/wheel housing area when the seat back panels were not fitted. The white example is how they did it with the later Mexican and Brazilian T2 and the Green one shows how they did it in the '70s. I've seen both methods working with swivel seats. Note that the top of the triangulation on the B-pillar appears to be the same height.
RR2 kombi, it's nice to see RR2 is still going strong  please post more photos and details! |
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HastaAlaska
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Joined: November 22, 2012
Posts: 1420
Location: Off Grid
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:03 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| OrangeZA wrote: |
If you are putting aluminium next to steel, watch out for galvanic corrosion with the condensation you get in a camper. |
Gee thanks for the awesome reply and posting that stuff, I'm sure others will appreciate you sharing too.
Sorry if I misunderstood but are you saying that VW did cut out both seat backs on some models?
To me that little triangle isn't a good substitute for the absence of a bulkhead and I will be reinforcing as much as possible.
Currently working with a guy to re-fabricate the driver seat back as close to VW spec as possible.
RE the corrosion - any suggestions on how to avoid that - or an alternative lightweight material for the internal framing?
Thanks so much
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Around The World in a VW - Follow the Docuseries
2011 - PRESENT
Hasta Alaska Series - https://kombilife.com/hasta-alaska/
World Overland Series - https://kombilife.com/world-overland-travel-series/
Latest Adventures - https://www.youtube.com/@kombilife |
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Spike0180
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2015
Posts: 2269
Location: Detroit, Michigan
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| Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2018 12:46 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| HastaAlaska wrote: |
| OrangeZA wrote: |
If you are putting aluminium next to steel, watch out for galvanic corrosion with the condensation you get in a camper. |
...RE the corrosion - any suggestions on how to avoid that - or an alternative lightweight material for the internal framing?
Thanks so much |
Yeah, just make sure to isolate it somehow. Some sort of rubber or plastic or wood component between the metals.
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Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp
Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic" |
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