1965 Vw Omnibus Rescue: Earthworks A Kombi Playhouse Out Of The Woods Afterward 44 Years
Kombi rescue. The VW coach was parked inward the Alabama woods earlier it was 10 years old. Serving duty every bit a lilliputian girl’s shiny bluish playhouse earlier the rust establish residence. Years later, it became a makeshift storage building, habitation for discarded lawn mower parts as well as bushels of aluminum cans. Planted inward a depression spot betwixt 2 hills, the castoff, dissever window coach was a landmark. Sucked into the dirt as well as leaning, the VW was a permanent work solid unit of measurement member. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 work solid unit of measurement member saturated alongside cancerous rust from the belly up. The Volkswagen was dying.
"Would you lot live interested inward an former VW bus?"
The message appeared on my Facebook. An iconic VW. Could it live i of those window buses? 21 as well as 23 window VWs are golden mines. I didn't hesitate.
"Heck yeah!"
My soon-to-be bargain was told to anyone who would listen. The possessor sent me a twosome of photos, which exclusively ramped upwards my enthusiasm. It was non a window coach — but she said I could simply brand an offer.
“Yes!”
Cheap? Yes. My kinda junk yard deal. Or junk woods bargain every bit it turned out.
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| The 1965 VW Kombi sunk into the mud past times a current betwixt 2 hills. |
What is it?
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 1965 VW Transporter Kombi. This model VW coach was a forerunner to the modern solar daytime crossovers as well as SUVs. The Kombi’s parent seats could live removed to haul cargo or stay inward identify to haul seven passengers. This was earlier anyone imagined folding the seats into the floor. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 truthful utility vehicle that appealed to those needing a multi-purpose function vehicle or an active work solid unit of measurement hauler.
(Editors note: Kombi way station carriage via the High German translator on my Google search. I idea it meant combination. — Takeaway tip: Don't direct hold High German lessons from a guy inward Alabama.)
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| VW Kombi bulkhead (wall) separates the forepart seating expanse from parent cargo/seating area. Notice the flooring is gone! |
Bus load
Fifty years ago, VW Transporter models included the Panel Van, the Kombi, the Microbus, the Pick-Up and the Double Cab Pick-Up. VW provided a broad multifariousness on the staff of life box coach assembly line. It took a spell to wrap my caput or so the intricacies of these early on VW Transporters. I grabbed a book, "The Complete Book of Volkswagens" past times John Gunnell, to acquire to a greater extent than close the VW bus.
Confusing lingo
Car as well as bus. Easy. Look deeper. The commencement VW model, the master copy VW Beetle, is known every bit a Type 1. The Transporter (VW Bus), the minute VW model, is a Type 2. Here’s where it gets squirrelly.
The commencement generation Transporter pattern (Type 2), built from 1950-1967, are identified every bit T1 (first gen) as well as had a dissever forepart windshield.
1968 thru 1979 model Transporters are identified every bit the T2 (second gen) pattern as well as characteristic a Bay Window type windshield.
The terminology is confusing to non-VW people. I could tell you lot to a greater extent than baffling details close the 1980-1983 VW Vanagon but I’ll halt here. Just maintain your T1 or Type 1 conversations separated according to coach or Beetle. We’re simply gonna beak close the VW coach now.
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| Jungle scene? No, simply Alabama woods. The 1965 VW Kombi coach spent 40-plus years inward these woods. |
How did the VW province inward the woods inward the commencement place?
This VW coach rolled onto the holding of Steve as well as Janice Thomas’ work solid courtesy of an ex-brother-in-law.
“He bought it for the engine to utilisation inward a dune buggy or so 1974,” said Janice. “Our missy used (the bus) every bit a playhouse.”
Extra vehicles tossed inward the woods were no large bargain for Janice. Her husband, Steve, raced circular rails cars dorsum inward the 1970s. The VW coach sat out of the way as well as became a storage shed after the playhouse years. The coach disappeared into the greenery of the wooded Alabama property.
Why non sell it dorsum then?
Demand was depression for junkyard VWs inward Alabama inward the 1970s. Drivers were wary of traveling inward these on highways because of their depression horsepower as well as wobbly route manners, peculiarly inward high current of air weather or spell getting passed past times a tractor trailer. Die difficult hippies as well as anxious teens looking for their commencement vehicle gobbled upwards the inexpensive buses. For everyone else, used, ameliorate treatment transportation alternatives could live had for a few hundred bucks. Worn out Beetles as well as coach bodies sold for adjacent to nothing. Junkyards sold them for $25-$50. Many were left to rot or given away similar this one.
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| 1965 VW coach establish sitting on the forepart bumper after sinking into the soft mud betwixt 2 hills. |
How I establish it
First generation, dissever window VW buses wrangled from the jungle, swamp or mount top direct hold occurred all over the world. This 1965 Kombi was uncovered inward a combination of all 3 terrains. The wooded sanctuary betwixt 2 small-scale hillsides as well as bisected past times a rainwater runoff ditch was non slowly to reach. I clamored over, nether as well as through trees, vines as well as bushes to acquire my hands on the bus. The driver’s side was buried inward the mud inches away from a trickling stream. Scales of moss covered the slab sides on the boxy VW trunk inward a canvass of fungus.
Somehow all the drinking glass remained intact.
“How did a stray B.B., baseball game or tree limb non taken a swipe at the glass?”
Taking inventory of the proficient parts was quick. Tail lights? Check. Headlights? Gone. The forepart doors sag as well as their outer shells flap. An empty silhouette remains where the big, 14-inch circular VW emblem was in i lawsuit mounted on the nose. Inside the worst harm couldn’t live overlooked. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 dirt flooring visible where the floorpan in i lawsuit lived. The headliner’s cardboard backing hangs downward as well as touches the frame. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 consummate develop of VW wheels, welded tight alongside 44-plus years of Fe oxide, are a proficient thing, right?
“I want you lot could direct hold got it sooner,” said Ron Kidd. “Like, xxx years sooner.”
So much harm but it nevertheless looks cool. “Take a picture, it’ll terminal longer,” was my commencement though when I considered moving the bus. I desire to motion it, but how?
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| Runoff rainwater eroded Earth nether driver's side of 1965 VW bus. |
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| My son, Joe, maneuvers a flooring jack nether the 1965 VW bus' forepart bumper. |
Saws, a shovel as well as chain
Tree cutting was inevitable. Shoveling the tires out of the ground, a given. Digging out the frame as well as jacking upwards the transaxle to complimentary it was par for the course. The work was trying to motion it without damaging the trunk or breaking glass. I know in that location wasn’t much to lose, but my destination was to motion it to my work solid inward the same status that I establish it.
My excogitation was futile. Imagine moving a china cabinet - total of mom’s prized dishes. You know you lot cannot motion it without breaking something. Scratch that – breaking lots of things. During relocation of the 1965 VW coach I managed to add together a dainty twist, or, every bit they state inward France, torque, into the body.
Pull harder, but not...
A gentle tug alongside the 2004 Chevy 2500 4x4 was followed past times some rigid arm tractor action, so dorsum to the truck for to a greater extent than controllable oomph. The parent end/transaxle was pulling away from the trunk of the rusted VW when pulled alongside our tow rope/chain setup. The lower one-half of the coach trunk had no structural back upwards to stabilize it. Moving along the uneven terrain as well as out of the woods would live roughshod as well as odd penalization to what remained of the VW carcass. To remedy that, i chain was attached to the transaxle as well as some other to the forepart back upwards bar nether the dash, so snugged tight using a come-along. After all seemed secure as well as a fleck to a greater extent than earthworks from underneath the wheels, nosotros applied to a greater extent than grunt from the 6.0 liter LS engine alongside Ron Kidd behind the wheel. That’s when nosotros managed to yank liberate the pump back upwards bar below the dash. The parent wheels moved dorsum to a greater extent than than a foot, which caused the dorsum tires to force the parent corner of the bus’ trunk up. Not a proficient look. No going dorsum now.
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| The dissever window bus' bumper guards as well as hollow headlight buckets brand for a hateful as well as scary VW. |
Getting it home
Once the VW was pulled clear of the woods, a wrecker was called so it could brand a careful trip habitation via a rollback. I asked the wrecker driver to direct hold it ho-hum as well as easy. No luck there. During his commencement maneuver out of the driveway, alongside the VW swaying high atop the wrecker, he pulled out likewise wide, causing the driver of a giant, oncoming truck to lock-up his tires. After the smoke cleared, I watched from behind every bit the erratic driver proceeded to hang the lilliputian VW inward the current of air at blistering speeds. Vigorous flapping as well as rust dust pelted my truck every bit I followed behind. Somehow, the remains of newspaper sparse sheetmetal held on for the duration of the trip.
Drop her off anywhere, simply ease her down
The unloading procedure was every bit smoothen every bit a bouncy work solid at a birthday party. Against my protests, the driver demonstrated the shake, rock, milk shiver technique to slide the VW off the wrecker. The windows convulsed. The trunk creaked as well as groaned. Bitter, expiry sounds were made every bit the VW Transporter lost the battle alongside gravity as well as it shrieked – metallic against metallic – downward the bed of the rollback.
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| After beingness pulled, stretched, twisted as well as shaken the Kombi looks a fleck worse than she did inward the woods. |
Home at last!
Clearing out most of the junk that survived the trip within the coach was my commencement priority. Then I scrambled to brand the sorry remains of the coach to a greater extent than pleasing for my neighbors. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 bathroom was inward order. I hoped that to a greater extent than of the master copy VW Dove Blue pigment would present upwards after a proficient scrubbing.
“Well, perhaps the rust looks cleaner?”
The coach sits. I direct hold no grand plans to restore the Kombi. I pulled the forepart as well as parent bumpers for Keith Lively to utilisation every bit templates for the Mega VW Bus construct (Part 2) that he is working on. Right at in i lawsuit I’m savoring the direct chances as well as happy to await out inward the yard at the 54-year-old bus. Who knows how long the remains of the coach volition last?
“I ameliorate await at it again.”
Jody Potter
— Junkyard Life
STAY TUNED!
VW KOMBI VIDEO COMING SOON.
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| Inside the Kombi is a mess of rusted-through metal. The flooring is gone as well as the musical rhythm out is unstable. |
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| Below the dash as well as dissever window inward the 1965 Kombi the pump post separated due to a feeble endeavour at holding the coach together alongside a cardinal chain connecting transaxle to pump post. |
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| 1965 VW Kombi chassis i.d. plate on right-side of overhead air vent. Type 23 Kombi. |
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| Sekurit VW glass. |
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| Lettering on VW Kombi driver's door could live a clue to a previous role every bit a work-a-day companionship vehicle. |
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| Rear bumper on 1965 VW Kombi eaten away past times rust. |
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| Rust, moss as well as dirt environment VW coach parent wheel. |
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| I don't know if I volition e'er run across an early on VW coach inward the woods similar this again. It was a proficient day. |
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| 1965 VW Kombi vehicle i.d. plate behind right-hand forepart seat. Code 013 for middle as well as parent topographic point option. Code 31 Dove Blue pigment visible. |
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| Behind the cycle await at the 1965 VW Kombi. One side of Safari drinking glass came liberate from frame (but nevertheless intact) during transport. |
Do you direct hold a classic or musculus automobile barn find? Send us details as well as we’re on the way! Send emails to Jody Potter at junkyardbull@gmail.com or Ron Kidd at Kidd403@bellsouth.net.