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combimonami
Samba Member
Joined: February 18, 2013
Posts: 2
Location: FRANCE
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 Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 6:52 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| Kwoggy wrote: |
Does anyone know the specifics on this bus? I found it on the Pintrest app but all the links related to it seem to flag it as unsafe. Asking here because it looks off roadish... I can move the post if need be.
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Hi everyone,
What are these wheels called?
were they mounted on the T3 syncro?
Thank you for your answer.
Guillaume |
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Dr. Larmdank
Samba Member
Joined: November 16, 2021
Posts: 34
Location: QLD
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| Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 4:43 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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They look like vw steelies off a later model. 15 or 16"
Look like my 16" vw Caddy ET50 wheels |
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VOLTWAGEN
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2014
Posts: 118
Location: Perth, Australia
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2021 12:50 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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A new addition to my bay, a Wilco Hitchgate Solo XL wheel carrier/ swing away
Fits perfectly width wise, would have preferred it to be close to the van, but leave room for tracks/fuel
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Dr. Larmdank
Samba Member
Joined: November 16, 2021
Posts: 34
Location: QLD
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:20 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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Nice one! Another Aussie too yeewww
How have you done your reciever hitch setup behind the bumper there? And have you strengthened where the bumper and your setup mounts to the chassis? |
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Shonandb
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 1196
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2021 8:16 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| VOLTWAGEN wrote: |
| A new addition to my bay, a Wilco Hitchgate Solo XL wheel carrier/ swing away |
What are you planning g to do with you license plate? On the wheel with an illumination light?
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image |
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VOLTWAGEN
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2014
Posts: 118
Location: Perth, Australia
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VOLTWAGEN
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2014
Posts: 118
Location: Perth, Australia
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2021 9:47 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| Shonandb wrote: |
| VOLTWAGEN wrote: |
| A new addition to my bay, a Wilco Hitchgate Solo XL wheel carrier/ swing away |
What are you planning g to do with you license plate? On the wheel with an illumination light? |
You can get a bolt on bracket that goes on the left hand side of the swing away
https://wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchgate-license-plate-relocation-kit/
But in my state they allow you to buy an additional Aux Plate (smaller than a normal plate) for when you have items that block your main plate eg bike racks etc. I've already got one and will just cable tie it on the wheel arm, it doesn't need to be lit as it's seen as a temp item. I don't tend to drive at night in the country, too many bouncy things that like to have parties on the road when its dark
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Shonandb
Samba Member
Joined: January 12, 2019
Posts: 1196
Location: Vancouver, BC
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| Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2021 1:55 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| VOLTWAGEN wrote: |
| Shonandb wrote: |
| VOLTWAGEN wrote: |
| A new addition to my bay, a Wilco Hitchgate Solo XL wheel carrier/ swing away |
What are you planning g to do with you license plate? On the wheel with an illumination light? |
You can get a bolt on bracket that goes on the left hand side of the swing away
https://wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchgate-license-plate-relocation-kit/
But in my state they allow you to buy an additional Aux Plate (smaller than a normal plate) for when you have items that block your main plate eg bike racks etc. I've already got one and will just cable tie it on the wheel arm, it doesn't need to be lit as it's seen as a temp item. I don't tend to drive at night in the country, too many bouncy things that like to have parties on the road when its dark |
Nice. Looking to convert a hitch bike rack with simple pivot back/down and have a trailer plug in light with license relocation mount for those times I'm not pulling my trailer as I just put it on the trailer when I have that with me.
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image |
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Dr. Larmdank
Samba Member
Joined: November 16, 2021
Posts: 34
Location: QLD
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| Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 4:25 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| VOLTWAGEN wrote: |
one of these:
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Legend. they look pretty good. Been thinking of different ways of making a swing away and tool carrier for mine so always interested in what people have done, thanks! |
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VOLTWAGEN
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2014
Posts: 118
Location: Perth, Australia
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| Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 5:07 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| Dr. Larmdank wrote: |
| VOLTWAGEN wrote: |
one of these:
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Legend. they look pretty good. Been thinking of different ways of making a swing away and tool carrier for mine so always interested in what people have done, thanks! |
No problem, I have been trying for year to get someone to make one up in Perth, but either nobody would touch an old vehicle, or it would be ADR's for towing, or they would be quoting thousands to do it
I thought I had someone lined up to build a whole rear bumper with dual swing away, but they are now ghosting me, from little google they have started a new job and obviously don't care about their side business anymore to even reply
I almost got to the point of buying a welder and doing it myself, still might, but this will do for now |
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Dr. Larmdank
Samba Member
Joined: November 16, 2021
Posts: 34
Location: QLD
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| Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:53 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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Yeah I find if anyone gets asked to work on an old VW they aren't keen at all or charge a million dollars.  Not that I trust anyone to work on my kombi properly at all anyway.
(actually I have found a vw specialist I trust for jobs I don't want to do. Which is nice.. Last specialist I tried in 2015 handed the car back to me detonating its heads off)
Get a Unimig and a big bottle of argoshield. Love mine and have done shitloads of work with it! |
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VOLTWAGEN
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2014
Posts: 118
Location: Perth, Australia
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| Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2021 9:41 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| Dr. Larmdank wrote: |
Yeah I find if anyone gets asked to work on an old VW they aren't keen at all or charge a million dollars. Not that I trust anyone to work on my kombi properly at all anyway.
(actually I have found a vw specialist I trust for jobs I don't want to do. Which is nice.. Last specialist I tried in 2015 handed the car back to me detonating its heads off)
Get a Unimig and a big bottle of argoshield. Love mine and have done shitloads of work with it! |
A Unimig was prob what I would get, still might, with the amount of mining industry etc here, more manufacturers aren't looking for small jobs and if they do they charge mining rates which are crazy |
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VOLTWAGEN
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2014
Posts: 118
Location: Perth, Australia
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Earl Bay
Samba Member
Joined: October 26, 2015
Posts: 91
Location: France 38
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 8:21 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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Tow hooks vs recovery hooks with shackles
So we have one tow hook located in the bumper support, one in the front and one in the rear.
And while those are just fine to pull you off the road to the next gas station,
what do you think about pulling on that if you're stuck somewhere or need help from, for example a Syncro, because your 47 horses just won't make it?
Anybody here that ever thought about it or actually did something like that?
I'm not trying to just look badass because then I'd simply mount shackles on the bumper where the 2 bolts hold the bumper to the bracket.
While that might be the best position for every possible angle of the tow strap probably neither the bumper nor the bracket will be strong enough.
What about weld on shackle holders on the frame? or inside the bumper brackets?
Seems even less doable in the rear. Reinforce the inside of the bumper and reinforce the bracket? Are those two bolts per bumper bracket even up to anything?
What do you guys think? |
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richparker
Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2011
Posts: 6983
Location: Durango, CO
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 10:16 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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Last summer I buried the passenger rear tire of my bus in a mud hole on a forest service road way away from civilization. A guy came up on us driving a jacked up Excursion with a winch. We hooked the winch up to the factory tow hook and he pulled me right out. I was with 5 other buses and and he was nice enough to pull everyone across the hole, we hooked the winch hook to everyone’s factory tow hooks.
Here’s a short video of my buddy’s ‘78 being winched through the mud hole using the factory tow hook
Link
_________________
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
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VOLTWAGEN
Samba Member
Joined: May 24, 2014
Posts: 118
Location: Perth, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:13 pm Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| Earl Bay wrote: |
Tow hooks vs recovery hooks with shackles
So we have one tow hook located in the bumper support, one in the front and one in the rear.
And while those are just fine to pull you off the road to the next gas station,
what do you think about pulling on that if you're stuck somewhere or need help from, for example a Syncro, because your 47 horses just won't make it?
Anybody here that ever thought about it or actually did something like that?
I'm not trying to just look badass because then I'd simply mount shackles on the bumper where the 2 bolts hold the bumper to the bracket.
While that might be the best position for every possible angle of the tow strap probably neither the bumper nor the bracket will be strong enough.
What about weld on shackle holders on the frame? or inside the bumper brackets?
Seems even less doable in the rear. Reinforce the inside of the bumper and reinforce the bracket? Are those two bolts per bumper bracket even up to anything?
What do you guys think? |
I have thought about something like that for mine, but have never really advanced it more that just thinking about it.
I do have something like this on order though for the rear, it goes straight into my tow hitch
https://www.4wd247.com/products/mtxh50-maxtrax-hit...sUQAvD_BwE |
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Earl Bay
Samba Member
Joined: October 26, 2015
Posts: 91
Location: France 38
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| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2022 4:23 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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That Maxxtrax hitch won't work in Euroland because those square receiver hitches are not road legal over here.
(edit wants to add: towing trailers with that isn't road legal, nobody would care about the hitch itself probably, but it would make quite the expensive recovery point because you can't even buy them here)
Seems like rebuilding the bumper Bracket in a beefy version makes the most sense. And then either drill the bumper for these
https://www.horntools.com/schaekelhalter-schaekelb...mp;slide=0
Or design them in such way that you can weld something like this
https://www.google.com/search?q=Weld+on+Shackle+Mo...&dpr=1
to them. That way they'd be more or less hidden under the bumper but you could still place them far enough to the front of the vehicle so the tow strap doesn't interfere with the bumper
Last edited by Earl Bay on Tue Jan 18, 2022 8:13 am; edited 3 times in total |
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combimonami
Samba Member
Joined: February 18, 2013
Posts: 2
Location: FRANCE
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| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:27 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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| Dr. Larmdank wrote: |
They look like vw steelies off a later model. 15 or 16"
Look like my 16" vw Caddy ET50 wheels |
Hi
thank for your answer
Guillaume |
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Ohio_Style
Samba Member
Joined: July 09, 2007
Posts: 610
Location: You'll never leave Sparta alive, Ohio
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Dr. Larmdank
Samba Member
Joined: November 16, 2021
Posts: 34
Location: QLD
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| Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:42 am Post subject: Re: Off road modifications for your bus FAQ |
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I think the standard front and rear tow attachments are only good for light recovery or winching. I would not trust them for a bus that is really stuck.
The rear bumper bracket where the tow attachment is, is only held by four small bolts. And a kombi often rusts out inside this area where the captive nuts screw into!
There are ways to make the bumper mounts stronger to then build a recovery point into. Not hard to figure out.
For the front I'll be going with a bolt on recovery point similar to ARB products that 4x4 people use.
Recovering a vehicle can kill you. So best to do it right if you're planning on hardcore offroading |
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