This is one of my personal vehicles. I had been looking for the right model for me to restore and modify and came across this by accident whilst trawling www.thesamba.com . Anyway I went to view and the rest is history.The basic plan has always been the same although some of the details have changed . So it will be completely restored as far as body is concerned and then have mechanicals upgraded - Porsche turbo brakes - Large engine - Rare accessories - Detailed suspension .

Pictures sent prior to purchase











So off I went to have a look
























A few weeks later it arrived







Put on my drive to be stripped ( standard height buses dont go in standard garages )



Time to strip it down - What I found.
The floor needs some work









So do the front wheel arches



I missed the rear roof that had beeb replaced in the past.



Complete with bullet hole



It did come with a sunroof mechanism



and a full set of deluxe trim



once stripped it was put on dolly's







Then started to strip the paint

































The front cab floor also needed attention













The roof peak also needed some work























Once the front was sorted I could trial fit the Safari windows











To enable me to work under the bus with ease I built a body rollover





























Once done I turned my attention to underneath - Chassis repair





























































































































































































I will be fitting a larger engine and access from above will be handy
I have made an opening for the parcel shelf using one from a VW type 25
I was not happy with how it looked so I made it shorter to fit in better.



















Obviously a major part of any custom build is the choice of wheels .
I wanted original Porsche option wheels - My first choice was Cosmic - Made in UK
But they have recently been reproduced so I have changed them to Ronal Kleeblat
There were only 500 wheels made for Porsche as a Sample - Rare as hens teeth

These are Cosmic wheels - They have now been sold.



Ronal Kleeblat






Front Beam and front brakes

The best way to fit Porsche wheels is to fit Porsche brakes.
I want discs all round ( originally a Kombi would have drums )
The Front hub and discs will come from an early Porsche 944 .
The callipers will come from a later 944 Turbo .
The back Brakes will also come from an early 944.
This also allows a change to IRS suspension at the rear.