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SISKOZ
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2023
Posts: 50
Location: New Zealand
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 Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2023 1:56 pm Post subject: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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Happy New Year to everyone who frequents the barndoor area of the Samba.
Well, where to start...quickest way to say it is I've found and purchased what I believe to be a pre 1955 barndoor. I've just purchased it off a great bloke here in the south island of New Zealand. A new year's eve purchase!
I currently have a 66 dormobile roofed kombi undergoing restoration so I have a fair idea about transporters. But I'm not too clued up on pre 55. But when I saw the Speedo cluster and lack of dash on this I quickly thought I may be on to something special
. Please have a good look at the photos and let me know what you can decipher. Obviously a big project but I'm in no hurry. My plan is to keep and restore. I'm a bit taken back by the find...I'm not sure if I've just done something that many enthusiasts dream of or am I completely wrong? I appreciate your feedback and opinions .
Cheers from NZ, Matt
Photos to follow
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1966 Ambulance Kombi Turned Dormobile Camper
1954 'Farm Find' Barndoor Kombi Project |
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tedz
Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2004
Posts: 46
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2023 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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Hey Matt, keen to see more of your find..
Cheers Tedz
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Cheers Tedz. (20-106513) |
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SISKOZ
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2023
Posts: 50
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2023 7:05 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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1966 Ambulance Kombi Turned Dormobile Camper
1954 'Farm Find' Barndoor Kombi Project |
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SISKOZ
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2023
Posts: 50
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2023 7:15 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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So I managed to get there today to give it a bit of a clean up and have a good look over it. With help from Tedz from the post above via phone we deciphered the chassis number. My best guess is -20-086856-
Which should mean a may '54 Barndoor.
It's kind of hard to make out the plate on the back and I'm wondering whether it was panel/kombi/microbus etc before the farm hack ? Definitely not a single cab. The story goes that the guy i purchased it off found it on a farm and it had been used for carrying hay. I'm going to try find more info on the history soon. Please Samba community have a look at the photos and let me know what you think. I think it's save-able and I intend to do so. Like I said in my initial post I'm more of a 55-67 bus guy but happy to have entered the 'barn' door to the earlier types. Stoked!
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1966 Ambulance Kombi Turned Dormobile Camper
1954 'Farm Find' Barndoor Kombi Project |
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Lind
Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2000
Posts: 9915
Location: idaho
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| Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2023 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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Type 2/23 is a kombi. Welcome to the barndoor club.
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Wanted:
Idaho VW license plate frames or other dealership items.
VWoA literature and early dealership or distributor literature/pictures/information
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Brian_1952
Samba Member
Joined: February 06, 2005
Posts: 700
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| Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2023 7:59 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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It appears to have the brackets to down the rear seat and the flat plates that the center seat sat on so it’s not a panel
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(20-024785)Ambulance (20-037784)truck (20-035850)panel
(20-035778)kombi
WANTED 52 parts and NOS sheet-metal |
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djfordmanjack
Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2009
Posts: 2171
Location: Graz, Austria, Europe
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| Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2024 6:46 am Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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a bit rough, but still a great find ! Today every BD with the VIN intact is worth saving, imho. Many important parts are still there, like the roof peak , pedals and such. you could probably source the rear roof and window section from later buses.
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Hotrods, Fords, Veedubs and Triumph Twins !
52 Barndoor DLX Coachbuild project
55 Wolfsburg panel project, og paint Taubenblau L31
62 Dickholmer, custom color Seeblau L360
63 1500 Notch, og paint Rubin Rot L456
67 1500 Käfer, og paint Lotus weiß L282 w/red interior |
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ryans65
Samba Member
Joined: February 16, 2016
Posts: 1260
Location: Yulee FL
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2024 5:06 am Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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| two RHDs on here, love it |
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Huetti_1989
Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2011
Posts: 1135
Location: Austria
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Mitchvwnut
Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2016
Posts: 33
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2024 11:48 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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Awesome find!! Lots of good bits still there, Best of luck with the rebuild.
Interestingly, our buses would have been built within a week of each other. My chassis number is less than 250 buses later then yours. It’s cool they’ve both been rescued the same week too!
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June 54 barndoor 11 window
February '55 Oval Beetle- Restoration
62 beetle - daily driver
'89 Transporter |
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djfordmanjack
Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2009
Posts: 2171
Location: Graz, Austria, Europe
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Mitchvwnut
Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2016
Posts: 33
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2024 3:41 am Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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My understanding is that all Australian delivered barndoor buses are German built. Transporters weren’t ckd built here until sometime in 1955. I’m unsure whether NZ barndoors were the same or not.
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June 54 barndoor 11 window
February '55 Oval Beetle- Restoration
62 beetle - daily driver
'89 Transporter |
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djfordmanjack
Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2009
Posts: 2171
Location: Graz, Austria, Europe
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| Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2024 3:45 am Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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not sure, I seem to remember that both started assembling in ca 1954. Be interesting to find out exact date.
edit: This thread here contains some interesting info about NZ barndoors.
It still seems unknown how many or when were imported or CKD assembled. There is a pic with 1000th bus assembled, being a BD, so it is safe to say that NZ had CKDs.
now it'be interesting to find out if Australian transporters were imported directly from Germany, Britain or even NZ maybe ?
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
| Barney Barndoor wrote: |
1000th N.Z. Assembled VW a 1954 Barndoor - Otahuhu New Zealand
CKD VW Containers in background
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Hotrods, Fords, Veedubs and Triumph Twins !
52 Barndoor DLX Coachbuild project
55 Wolfsburg panel project, og paint Taubenblau L31
62 Dickholmer, custom color Seeblau L360
63 1500 Notch, og paint Rubin Rot L456
67 1500 Käfer, og paint Lotus weiß L282 w/red interior |
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TRS63
Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2017
Posts: 999
Location: Stuttgart - Germany
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SISKOZ
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2023
Posts: 50
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2024 10:08 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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Hi everyone reading this...
Today I organized to pick up the new purchase and take it to the garage where my other 66 is currently getting worked on.
I pumped up the tyres and surprisingly they all held air. The steering is still functional which helped but unfortunately every wheel apart from the front right was locked. Instead of spending the time to loosen them up we just winched it onto the trailer and away we went.
It was about 33 degrees Celsius and very humid so I wasn't keen to spend too long hanging out in the hot sun.
I purchased 4 wheel dollys to assist with moving the bus while in the workshop. While I've been waiting to pick it up I've been in two minds about whether I'm willing and able to take on such a project. With some advice from some guys here in NZ who have/are worked/working on big project barndoors...it's given me confidence to at least tuck it away in the garage and see how I go.
I've been watching the nova scotian barndoor YouTube videos and there are some big gulp moments thinking about how much work needs to be done. It will definitely have have be taken down to the chassis and then evaluate the condition of the chassis and start from the ground up. Super cool project but a crazy amount of work! Let's see what happens!
Enjoy the photos. Had my mate Lee helping. That's me in the blue t-shirt.
Cheers Matt
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1966 Ambulance Kombi Turned Dormobile Camper
1954 'Farm Find' Barndoor Kombi Project |
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ddutch
Samba Member
Joined: June 17, 2020
Posts: 124
Location: Nederland
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| Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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| It would be nice and helpful if you could locate another half of a Barndoor body that's kind of complementary with yours. I hope you're be able to save it in some way. |
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tedz
Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2004
Posts: 46
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 10:01 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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Good work mate, great to see it tucked away out of the weather.
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Cheers Tedz. (20-106513) |
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SISKOZ
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2023
Posts: 50
Location: New Zealand
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| Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2024 9:41 pm Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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I want to order a birth certificate, so I've been having a closer look at the chassis number. I ground away the surface rust in an attempt to see the numbers better. I'd like to ask your thoughts as to what you see in the photos below.
My best guess is -20-086856-
The -20-08 is pretty clear.
The next number I guess is 6 because you clearly have 85 after that and it's like the 5 but the top is definitely curved like a 6. And then the end I guess is a 6 as it's the same as the 6 I just mentioned. Can anyone confirm from their chassis numbers whether the lower part of 5 and 6 is noticeably larger than the lower circle of the 8?
Thanks!
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1966 Ambulance Kombi Turned Dormobile Camper
1954 'Farm Find' Barndoor Kombi Project |
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sled
Samba Member
Joined: February 16, 2005
Posts: 6179
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| Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2024 7:42 am Post subject: Re: New Zealand RHD pre55 found - "farm find" |
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Is the VIN tag not legible? Sometimes the tag can be of assistance in determining.
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drive your split. |
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EverettB 
Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000
Posts: 69809
Location: Phoenix Metro
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