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Hi all,
First time to the forum
I'm now a retied guy, wanting to do some camping, getting out bush, surf fishing & relaxing
I am brought to the forum in search of a Bay window Kombi Pop Top Camper, that is ideally rust free.
I would be keen to hear from experienced others in any info that will be helpful in avoiding problems / traps I might possible encounter on the journey [so as to be aware / hopefully avoid same].
If anyone can help me I will be most appreciative.
Look forward to reading your responses.
Cheers for now Maurice

Gooday Maurice, how's things, all good ?

Good to see ya here.
Anuva Pizza fire may be on the horizon

Hi there Maurice and a big welcome to the best little forum in Oz. Never mind one or maybe two little people on here he is harmless.

Correct Equally Little Dot, he is harmless, but depending on the time of night, and the number of little grape drinks he has consumed, his Pizzas can be deadly

Of whom are we speaking ??

Don't go away Maurice, we'll be back to the scheduled program as soon as Little Dot has had her tablets.

Maurice I am not little compared to >>>> Sir Lance- a - lot is ref to getting back on topic so wait for some of the more "in the know" men come along. BTW Lance-a-lot this thread is in the non too serious thread area.

Armless..... That's a big call from Miss Dot.


Weclome Maurice.

MauriceR wrote: ↑Tue Mar 20, 2018 5:33 pm Hi all,
First time to the forum
I'm now a retied guy, wanting to do some camping, getting out bush, surf fishing & relaxing
I am brought to the forum in search of a Bay window Kombi Pop Top Camper, that is ideally rust free.
I would be keen to hear from experienced others in any info that will be helpful in avoiding problems / traps I might possible encounter on the journey [so as to be aware / hopefully avoid same].
If anyone can help me I will be most appreciative.
Look forward to reading your responses.
Cheers for now Maurice

Welcome to the forum Maurice, as you may have already worked out, some of us are just a little crazy here. The others are still working on it.

Seriously though, where are you based?
There are some cool Kombis rolling around the streets of the Gold Coast. There are a few blokes up here that make their lifes work out of restoring them. There are more Safari windowed splitty's up here than you could imagine.

MauriceR wrote: ↑Tue Mar 20, 2018 5:33 pm Hi all,
First time to the forum
I'm now a retied guy, wanting to do some camping, getting out bush, surf fishing & relaxing
I am brought to the forum in search of a Bay window Kombi Pop Top Camper, that is ideally rust free.
I would be keen to hear from experienced others in any info that will be helpful in avoiding problems / traps I might possible encounter on the journey [so as to be aware / hopefully avoid same].
If anyone can help me I will be most appreciative.
Look forward to reading your responses.
Cheers for now Maurice

Hi Maurice and welcome to the forum. You sound as though you are looking for a fully restored Bay Kombi, is that correct? The best models came out between '74 and '79 known as highlight T2 or late bay Kombi's. The next model is a T3, has the squarer corners and would be cheaper to buy if the price of a fully restored T2 puts you into shock. If you are anywhere near the Wollongong area, contact this person https://www.wpvw.com.au/WPVW%20family.htm because Wayne would know where there were any fully restored campers available in the area.
If you are game to use Face Book, look for the KombiClub, they also have a forum but not used that much lately it seems. Be very careful about buying a "fully restored" Kombi, you want to see all the photos during the "resto" and contact with who did the work. Far to many bog up and flip places out there just cashing in on the value of the T2 Kombi's and there are many heartache stories out there.

T1 Terry

Hello All, thanks for the mail.
I'm in Box Hill, Melbourne.
Yes, your right, I'm looking for a bay window, around 1974, or some where there, pop top, manual, with 3 way fridge & gas cooker.
Does not have to be renovated, I'm not precious about the paint, & do want to avoid the rust as much as poss.

I can recommend the pizza & company on the open fire, was very good, Maurice 21.3.18

MauriceR wrote: ↑Wed Mar 21, 2018 4:14 pm Hello All, thanks for the mail.
I'm in Box Hill, Melbourne.
Yes, your right, I'm looking for a bay window, around 1974, or some where there, pop top, manual, with 3 way fridge & gas cooker.
Does not have to be renovated, I'm not precious about the paint, & do want to avoid the rust as much as poss.

I can recommend the pizza & company on the open fire, was very good, Maurice 21.3.18

Don't be tempted to buy the model before, known as a low light because the indicators are close to the front bumper rather than up beside the vent grille. They don't rust as bad as split window Kombi's, but they do suffer severely with the rust problem. If you don't have your heart set on a bay Kombi, the T3 might be a better buy because they were more on top of the rust issues by then.
I'd avoid the 3 ways fridge in preference to an inverter type 240vac fridge that will fit in the build space, if you actually want a built in fridge at all. We ripped all the original camper build out of our poptop '74 Kombi and made a lift up section from the rear floor to level with the door so we could fit the autogas LPG tank under there along with the jack and other gear. The cooking etc we do outside under the awning or a gazebo that stands up over the whole vehicle if we camp up for a while. A great option as the pop top fits inside the gazebo and when all closed up the Kombi can be driven out without needing to disassemble the gazebo. That way your camp spot is staked out and you can drive back in after the trip to town.
The change to dual fuel gas/petrol was one of the best improvements we made, it runs great on LPG and like a Kombi on petrol You know that "what was it you wanted to happen" when you push the accelerator down after a corner and by the time it gets its act together you need to drop back a gear .... that doesn't happen on gas and it pulls a lot longer up the hills without that sudden loss of power and need to drop back 2 gears.
Without the cupboards and fridge there is a lot more space, we use a Waeco esky type fridge (60ltrs or maybe 80ltrs) and works great with the solar on the poptop and lithium battery. We have a few portable panels for the long stays, otherwise the generator recharges the battery just fine. We also did away with the original 12v flooded cell start battery and use the lithium battery for both jobs. The original position for the start battery means they don't live very long because they get cooked, then the acid eats the battery tray away and attacks the body work around it.
Getting a rust free '74 will require buying a Kombi that has had a full restoration. After 44 yrs no matter how well it was looked after, the body will be rusting from the inside out. The window rubbers shrink and let water in, the poptop looses is tight seal and water gets between the poptop and roof skin, a rust hole starts and lets more water in. The problem is there is a path from the walls to the side rails and this is where the rust really takes hold. The sill rail under the sliding door and corners either end of the front doors as well as the sill rails there are prone to rust as well. Don't be surprised to see weld repairs around the windows, all of them, the water gets in under the rubber and away it goes.