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New Westfalia sliding door carpet trim !
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eche_bus
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 3:06 pm    Post subject: New Westfalia sliding door carpet trim ! Reply with quote

Just after polishing up some battered original sliding door carpet trim, I discovered NLA VW had just reproduced both the aluminum and white plastic pieces. This was great news - anyone that's tried to replace these knows just how hard it's been to find good used ones.

I thought I'd share some photos I took of the new parts, and over on my build thread, I've done the installation show-n-tell.

White plastic edge strip
$24.99
http://nlavw.com/gb/interior/389-white-floor-edge-trim-for-sliding-door-step.html
The strip NLA VW supplies is 95cm long, so is meant to be cut down to the desired length. The color is a fairly pure white, with a glossy finish.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I'd accumulated three originals, varying in length from 89 to 90.5cm. They apparently shrink as they age, getting all wavy in the process. I figured they were originally an even centimeter length, so rounded the length of the longest, flattest one up to arrive at 91cm. Not a bad guess, as I noticed later NLA VW's website mentioned that as the original length. You'll notice quite a difference in color between old OG and new, but nearly 40 years is plenty of time to turn white plastic into beige.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Here's a look comparing the backsides of the OG (top) and repro:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Here's a photo comparing the contours of a good OG (left) to the new repro (right). At first glance they appear almost identical, but I discovered during installation of the aluminum strip, that they are not. On the repro, the slightly more vertical (as installed) angle of the outboard face causes the rear lip to locate just short of the OG location. This prevents the aluminum strip (that sits on top of it) from sliding back far enough to align properly with the original screw holes in the bus. I had to go back to the bench and use much blow drier heating/flattening of the plastic trim's outboard bend in order to push its lip further inboard. Even then, I had to use a lot of force and careful coercion to get the aluminum trim strip installed. No, none of the OG plastic trim had this problem. Wink
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Aluminum Trim
$26.55
http://nlavw.com/gb/interior/390-westfalia-aluminium-carpet-floor-joining-trim-for-sliding-door.html
The repro aluminum trim strip is 115cm long, and according to NLA VW, the originals are 111cm, so you cut it to match what you need. It is anodized, which gives it a dull sheen, but a more durable finish compare with the bare aluminum OG part. As much as I'm a stickler for originality, this seems a good choice for a part used in this high wear area. Much preferred over a shiny finish that would show every little speck! The photo shows my kinda-polished OG part vs. the repro (below)

The face of my OG part is cut at an angle at the ends. The repro part is not cut.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Here's an end view comparing the ribs and angles. OG on left. They are virtually identical in all dimensions.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


A close look at the repro from the inboard edge:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


A comparison of backsides, OG left/top: Note the repro has no holes. You'll need to locate, drill, and countersink your own.
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


[EDIT: updated with link to installation ]


Last edited by eche_bus on Thu Nov 27, 2014 6:14 pm; edited 1 time in total
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busdaddy
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sweet!, I wonder if the plastic for the headsplitter beam is next?
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eche_bus
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 6:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Could be - they seem to have quite a few parts now on the Westy section of their website that I haven't seen anywhere else.
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EZ Gruv
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

busdaddy wrote:
Sweet!, I wonder if the plastic for the headsplitter beam is next?


This, please.
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obieoberstar
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 6:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

x2 on the head splitter rubber trim. I think everyone needs one.
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vworwhat
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PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 7:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Would somebody be kind enough to measure the dimensions of the OG trim for me? Its about 111cm long, but how wide are the 2 sides) Thanks a lotC!
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Keith
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PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

obieoberstar wrote:
x2 on the head splitter rubber trim. I think everyone needs one.


X 1,000!! I have been looking EVERYWHERE for a replacement or reasonable substitute, even considered having something CNC made out of plastic. Such a simple part that is such a HUGE headache to find. I hope they read this and make it for us. The fact that they reproduced those threshold parts is amazing and gives me hope.
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DaleNW
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PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone ever seen the all aluminum version? Goes in place of the plastic part. It is how they are on the vanagons, but I have one that is made for the bay sliding door threshold. I heard rumor that they were from the Champaign edition buses, but haven't seen it on one in person.

I need to clean it up, but plan to use it instead of the plastic (which gets slippery when wet).

Mine is in a pod somewhere between Seattle and Boulder, but will dig it out and get photos of it some time in July.

Thanks for sharing this eche-bus! I'm going to get one just to be on the safe side since you never know how long these are going to be around.
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Keith
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PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

DaleNW wrote:
Anyone ever seen the all aluminum version? Goes in place of the plastic part. It is how they are on the vanagons, but I have one that is made for the bay sliding door threshold. I heard rumor that they were from the Champaign edition buses, but haven't seen it on one in person.

I need to clean it up, but plan to use it instead of the plastic (which gets slippery when wet).

Mine is in a pod somewhere between Seattle and Boulder, but will dig it out and get photos of it some time in July.

Thanks for sharing this eche-bus! I'm going to get one just to be on the safe side since you never know how long these are going to be around.


Definitely not from a champagne bus, I have one.

The aluminum vanagon ones can work if modified. There's a topic on it here.
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PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Keith wrote:
DaleNW wrote:
Anyone ever seen the all aluminum version? Goes in place of the plastic part. It is how they are on the vanagons, but I have one that is made for the bay sliding door threshold. I heard rumor that they were from the Champaign edition buses, but haven't seen it on one in person.

I need to clean it up, but plan to use it instead of the plastic (which gets slippery when wet).

Mine is in a pod somewhere between Seattle and Boulder, but will dig it out and get photos of it some time in July.

Thanks for sharing this eche-bus! I'm going to get one just to be on the safe side since you never know how long these are going to be around.


Definitely not from a champagne bus, I have one.

The aluminum vanagon ones can work if modified. There's a topic on it here.


yours must be long gone. check the rarest of the rare pics and discussion. page 78, second post from the bottom ( unless I am confusing parts)
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Keith
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PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

alman72 wrote:
Keith wrote:
DaleNW wrote:
Anyone ever seen the all aluminum version? Goes in place of the plastic part. It is how they are on the vanagons, but I have one that is made for the bay sliding door threshold. I heard rumor that they were from the Champaign edition buses, but haven't seen it on one in person.

I need to clean it up, but plan to use it instead of the plastic (which gets slippery when wet).

Mine is in a pod somewhere between Seattle and Boulder, but will dig it out and get photos of it some time in July.

Thanks for sharing this eche-bus! I'm going to get one just to be on the safe side since you never know how long these are going to be around.


Definitely not from a champagne bus, I have one.

The aluminum vanagon ones can work if modified. There's a topic on it here.


yours must be long gone. check the rarest of the rare pics and discussion. page 78, second post from the bottom ( unless I am confusing parts)


Nope, not long gone. All original second owner '78 Champagne westy.
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Ernie Punkin
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PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2015 11:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wanted a little more elegant look for my sliding door area vs the aluminum trim, so I ordered this stainless steel trim from Vanwurks in the UK.

http://www.vanwurks.co.uk/stainless-steel-sliding-door-trim-for-volkswagen-t2-bay-window.html

They make a left hand drive version. I thought I'd share in case someone was looking for another idea. Not the least expensive solution, but it's an alternative ready to install.

They don't ship to the US directly, but I used a shipping service Forward2Me.com.

Sorry, don't have installed pix to show yet. Hopefully it will turn out well. Will post in fall if all goes well. Smile
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

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PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 2:35 pm    Post subject: Re: New Westfalia sliding door carpet trim ! Reply with quote

Is anyone in the US supplying these? Or do I need to order from overseas?

Why does it seem like most parts come from out of the country, doesn't the US have a large majority of these buses?
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:55 pm    Post subject: Re: New Westfalia sliding door carpet trim ! Reply with quote

kguarnotta wrote:
Why does it seem like most parts come from out of the country, doesn't the US have a large majority of these buses?

Yes, and the majority of them in the US seem to be in the hands of cheap-asses who would rather spend six days and $60 (once they've been back a dozen times buying differnent stuff) so they can half-ass it with stuff from Home Depot instead of spending $45 for the correct part from a specialist vendor.

It's a common behavior of cheap-asses. I see all the time in the hardware store where I work -- same guy in the store a dozen times in a day and dropping $50-60 while half-assing the connections on a lavatory sink. He could have gone to the plumbing supply a couple miles down the road, gotten exactly what he needed and been done well before lunchtime for under $30, but he refuses to go there because they're "expensive"... Rolling Eyes
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 7:22 pm    Post subject: Re: New Westfalia sliding door carpet trim ! Reply with quote

It's less expensive to do it correct the first time. Some people prefer to trip over dollar bills to pick up nickels.
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