251261169c OEM VW Underbody Protective Plate / Schutzblech

[sanchius]

I came across this in a Craigslist ad, didn't see 251261169c documented anywhere here, so now it is...

I was initially hoping it was a protective plate for the thin, vulnerable, gas tank bottom, something I always worried about offroad or from road debris, but the bottom picture indicates that it goes just aft of the gas tank.

Brickworks.co.uk says: "Originally fitted to models with the additional Eberspächer BA6/DA6 heater between the chassis rails, but useful protection for things like chargecooler pipework or just a cool addition to the undersider of your 2WD T3."

They appear to be still available for modest price, though shipping might be painful: https://www.google.com/search?q=251261169c

Vanagon Belly Pan - $100 (Chilliwack)
A Belly pan cover for a 79-91 Vanagon/vanagon westfalia.
They are used to usually protect the BA6/DA6 heater under the van's.
Thick metal, protective plate 251261169c
Pickup in Chilliwack. Would trade for Air cooled vanagon parts (depending)

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[bobbyblack]

Cool find! Might be useful to protect an additional fuel tank.

-bobby
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[RawUmber]

There is also a reference to the 'Sub-floor protection sheet' (translated) in the 'Travels in difficult conditions' manual, page 27:
https://web.archive.org/web/20231224035316/https:/...ionnes.pdf

Translated to English:

'It is recommended to install the subfloor protection plate, available as a spare part, to prevent damage to pipes and hoses. Pre-drilled holes for the fixing screws are already in place. Simply install plastic nuts.

On vehicles equipped with a water-cooled engine and a cover for the coolant hoses, it is necessary to correct the sheet metal.'

[vanagonjr]

A friend’s 1980 model with the gas heater had this.
Can’t say I’ve seen another, but I’m not usually crawling under vans, unless it’s my own!
_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed

Complete SA Grill Set-up for sale!
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2748907

FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798

[Kdj]

I have one on my van. I have my CDH mounted under the van to blow through the original gas heated ducting. Definitely not a skid but helps keep the underside clean!

RawUmber, thanks for posting that link to the difficult travels PDF. The drawings at the end are super helpful to understand how VW would mount protection.

[Van den Broke]

So from the pictures, there are at least three(!) variations, having to do with the hole cutouts.
The used one in Chiliwack, the image from the manual that looks the same except the rectangular hole is not cut out, and the Latvian one with a quite different hole pattern.

But maybe the used one for sale is just missing a small cover over the rectangular hole. The parts list image in the Latvian ebay ad seems to imply this, as it shows a separate small cover.

[Van den Broke]

Another thought, the cover might have been necessary to comply with safety regulations regarding protection of the gasoline heater.