Trip to Vw Country!

Two weeks ago now Madison and I made the trip to VW Country where our new roof was waiting for us to take it to its new home.

The drive to Sydney went really well and the trailer we hired didn't even feel like it was there. Personally I was super excited and just couldn't wait to get there and see what was soon to be our new roof!

Once getting to Country VW I thought I had taken a step into heaven!

After being reminded by Madison that we were only here to buy the roof we then sussed everything out and made sure we were making a good deal. Which we definitely were.

With help from Peter we then loaded the new roof on making sure that everything was safely tied down before heading in to see some of his current projects and other parts he has sitting around waiting to complete someone else’s project.

Rust!

When first buying the camper Madison and I both knew that there was a fair bit of rust repair we were going to have to address but last week when I removed the hedliner around the pop-top I sure was shocked how bad it really was. Before doing this we had already made the decision to look for a whole new roof for bert as it would be the best way to address the issue. Seeing the state of what was left of the roof I gave Peter from VW Country a call as I heard from Sam Hutchins (@aussiekombihunter if you're instagram savvy) that he had one ready to go that would help us out majorly!

After contacting Peter and setting a date it was a nervous... and exciting waiting game.

Out with the bed

On one of our spare afternoons this week we decided that it is time that we began stripping the Kombi down. Madison jumped right in and removed the bed with no troubles at all! One reason for this is so that we can do rust repair easier and also because we want to get the blue slip with rear seats in so it will always be recognised as a 4 seater. 

We also removed the floating floor which was actually screwed in all different places. I was a little nervous that we would be finding more rust hidden away. But this was not the case at all only a few screw holes and 1-2 holes the size of 50c coins that will need to be patched. left the back looking a lot bigger and definitely makes it look cleaner.

Front Grill

Last week I had a spare day to work on a mates Transporter as it needed some quick work to get it passed Rego. While waiting for putty to dry I decided to attack the front grill of our Kombi as its half missing metallic blue paint was really annoying me. This was my first time using paint stripper so was a pretty rad learning experience! Using the paint stripper made the job a lot easier especially in the curved slits. I just used a blade to get rid of each layer of paint then finished removing the underlying rust with a wire wheel. The original paint  that was hidden under 3 different layers was what my family calls 'Baby poo green' - the same colour of my brothers first VW Beetle that he bought for $800. 

After popping out a few dints and giving a final light sand, the grill was ready for some primer. I did 5 light layers then left it to set for two days before giving its final colour. The final coat is a burnt orange that I had laying around from a class project - a very close colour match.

How it all started!

Madison and I bought this 1976 VW Pop-Top Camper as a project for us to work on together and build it exactly how we want it.

When it came to picking the Kombi up from the previous owner my thought process was terrible! The Kombi had no registration or insurance which means that we were unable to legally drive it any further than onto a car trailer. As this was our first time ever buying a car and even transporting one we weren't properly equipped in any way but we sure will next time.

The thought process of Madison, Tom, Tyler, Hugh and I was a very simple one- car to tow, car trailer and the Kombi of course! 

After finding a trailer to hire we set off to pick up our kombi and that we did! The trip home was very stressful as we only had it connected by the winch and asingle D-shackle... But we made it without any real hickups. 

After checking out the kombi and just laying down in it and relaxing for a hour or so, Hugh wanted us to drive it to a lookout so we could take some photos! 

It was an awesome feeling taking it for its first real drive as it fully being ours! 

Now its time to start work on it!