MacTavish
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Hello from KalgoorlieHello everyone.
My better half and I recently (well almost 2 years ago) acquired a FREE Kombi in non-working condition and we are looking at getting it functioning, roadworthy and eventually restored.
We got it from my fiances ex-boss who's husband was in the process of restoring it himself.
We had joked with them about buying it from them once they had finished the job but she was transfered with her work to NSW with only a few days notice so they came to us and asked us if we wanted it as is... for nothing.
Unfortunately he had pulled the engine out and had obtained another engine which he was using for parts so it wasn't in running order, plus alot of the exterior parts such as lights, bumper bar etc had been removed, but we have them all stashed away.
So what we ended up with was a chassis with a fairly good interior, 1.5 engines and boxes of parts.
It's a '72 Camper in a mustard colour and is still registered thankfully.
What we are trying to do it get hold of the names of places in Perth/WA that could help us with our restoration project and also some engine advice.
The husband who was doing the restoration suggested maybe just buying a new engine and selling off the old ones as apparently there is some good original parts in there.
We'd like to try and keep it as original as possible though so any advice would be appreciated.
The good news is we have recently moved into a new place that has a big workshop/shed down the back so now "Gilbert" has a place to live instead of in the carport, and ultimately get him back on the road.
I will post some pics of "Gilbert" later on.
Thanks in advance.
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Brookie
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Welcome to KK forum and we hope to see photos of Gilbert when you get a chance.
A 72 Lowlight camper is a top model to have.
Some pics of your engine and bits would also help for advice on which way to go. I guess your one and a half motors are 1600s which are fairly easy to rebuild.
I think you are our first Kalgoorlie members though have idea someone from there advertised a Kombi some time ago.
Welcome again and all the best with your project
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Piratekombi
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Welcome!  I also have a 72 camper, so agree they are a great model  - it seems you have done well! I also look forward to pics...
A new 1600 engine will probably be hassle-free for decades... however, a properly rebuilt engine will last as long, and would enable you to decide the components.... if you already have many of the parts, it is also likely to cost less.
Good luck, and have fun!
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WAY2COOL
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Welcome aboard MacTavish I'm sure you'll find plenty of help and good advice on here....Kim
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Keith D
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Welcome to the forum MacTavish.
Lowlites are the best of the kombis! Not that I am biased just because I have a '71!!!
Regards - Keith D
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Mustard Man
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Hi,
I've also got a 72 microbus, which i happen to building a new 1600 engine for. Between the Bug Me DVDs, and books out there, its really not hard.
I've not done anything like this before but just wanted to have a go. Take a look in the 'how i did it' section of this forum at my pics etc.
Plus, if you do it yourself you know anything that goes wrong in the future you can fix yourself etc.
What state is the engine in at the mo??
Oh, and Welcome.
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Phat bus
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Welcome to KK MacTavish,
if you need anymore body parts etc I know where there is a 72 camper in Kal which was not too rusty at all. It was on the west side of town and the owners didn't seem to care about it too much. it had no engine or gear box though and vandals had smashed all the glass.
A 72 should be either a 1600cc type 1 upright motor or 1700cc type 4 flat motor from factory as far as I'm aware. A vw motor can run cooler and perform better the correct mild modifications are made. In fact keeping a vw motor totally stock can mean putting up with hot engine temps when traveling in the country side on a very hot day.
In this country vw motors often have earn"t themselves a bad name because of it's struggle to maintain normal running temp on a hot day ie over 35degs. Specially if the vw motor was pushing a Kombi along with a fair amount of weight and wind resistance. However, this struggle can be contained with a few mild mods and knowing how to drive your kombi on these hot days. Nearly all Kombi's are geared so that the engine is running at their max torque and efficiency around 80km/hr. 2 ltr type motors with original gearing seem to run better around 85-90km/hr.
If running a type 4 flat motor I'd highly recommend fitting the elephant ear air intake scope extensions as the type 4 motor's fan only runs at 1:1 ratio with the crank shaft speed and needs some forced air pressure on the fan to work more efficiently in this country.
Fitting a decent flowing (non factor) exhaust does a lot of improvement for a vw motor. it will result in a some power improvement and most of all, a slight drop in engine running temperature. Also, replacing the factor ignition points give some improvement too. Do not install a non factor distributor with no vac advance mech on/into a standard aircooled kombi motor. It will probably develop a flat spot on acceleration and the motor will probably have slower acceleration than with the standard distributor.
To get a good understanding of what works and what doesn't I'd recommend keeping a copy of the book by John Muir call "How to keep your Volkswagen alive". This is a billiant book for the new VW owner.
Anyway, any "Q" and help shouldn't be far away on this website and other local vw websites within Oz.
Congrads on joining what's almost like a family, "Kombi onwership". And when you get your first Kombi wave you'll understand what makes us so deadicated to these weird but wonderful vehicles.
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MacTavish
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Thanks for the friendly welcome everyone.
I have had a friend who is a heavy duty diesel mechanic have a look at the engines and he seems to think it would be alot easier and more beneficial to just buy a whole new engine and see if the person would be willing to buy the remaining bits off of me. What are people's thoughts on this idea?
As promised, here are some exterior pics of Gilbert..... minus all of his lights, mirrors, bumpers, grills and badges etc that are sitting in the back.
Interior shots and engine/parts shots to come later this week once I remove all the bits and pieces inside.
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Gabbo's Run
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Hi mac and welcome to the KK club. you are half way there already. many people would love a free bus what ever it looked like. Looks a good bus also. Love your co driver sitting on the front seat.
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Keith D
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That's a nice solid looking body, Mac. I reckon that motors are far easier to rebuild than body repairs and rust removal!
I hope that's not you sitting in the driving see though, you'll have a job seeing over the wheel!!
Keith
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MacTavish
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We've ended up buying another one, a '71 camper. At least this one is running. 
On it's way up from Esperance, so once it gets here I will post pics of both in the Members Photos section.
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Gabbo's Run
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wow a kombi collection happening here, well done on purchase of the low light. cant wait to see the pix when you get it home.
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DubBoy
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hoodride it!
Ro
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