'55 11-Window "Sheep Carrier"

Found this '55 Kombi in a paddock near my home town. We heard about it from some guys who came and admired my '67 Panel when my missus was doing some chores around town. We chased it up and eventually, after tracking it down, came to a good deal with the owner and brought it home. These pics of of how I found it....

oooooooooooooooohhh i love those light round lights mmmmmmmmmmmm

Nice😊

kroozzn63 wrote:oooooooooooooooohhh i love those light round lights mmmmmmmmmmmm

They really are cool, eh? 👍

I didn't end up getting out to pick it up until the Wednesday of the following week but in the end a mate from work helped me. As usual my tow vehicle was my trusty 6-cylinder '68 Land Rover IIa Ute.

Unfortunately not all things go smoothly and in my experience moving old cars is fraught with problems. The '55 was no exception. All the tyres were long flat and the front 2 wheels were stuck properly in the hole it had been sitting in. I gave every wheel a good thumping with a sledge hammer to unstick the drums and managed to pull it out with a snatch strap on the third attempt but the driver's front wheel would not move and the drum was rusted solid. This problem would turn out to be something that plagued me throughout the move.
Hitched up and ready to snatch:


Out of the hole.....note the trail front the stuck drum:


Towing it through the paddock up to the trailer:


When we got up to the gate where the trailer was we had more issues. My mate took the wheel off and we whacked the drum some more but it wasn't going to happen. The flat stuck tyre also was like a trying to drag a plow. So we took the rim off and dragged it onto the trailer using the hand winch which, as it happened, also wasn't strong enough!

Off comes the wheel on a last attempt to get the drum moving:


Halfway up the ramp but stuck again:


My workmate Thady taking a break:


In the finish we used the Landy as a brake vehicle for the trailer and used the owner's early model Land Cruiser ute to pull it up onto the trailer. Basically we strapped the kombi to the bullbar and backed the 'Cruiser up until it was ok. We didn't get back to my place until 9:30pm......that was 5 and half hours since we'd left. I filled up the drum with INOX (a penetrating fluid) whacked it with the sledge hammer a few more times for good measure and hoped for the best.

The next morning brought no more movement from the drum so I headed off to work and rang a few mates for advice. In the end Steve Muller tipped me off to the right move. Section the drum with a grinder and cutting wheels, taking about an inch out of it to allow the outer part to move. So I went to "Stupid-Cheap", got myself a cheap grinder and cutting wheels and got to work.
Sectioning the drum:


Now I will say now that I got everything I paid for AND less when I bought the grinder. First the cutting wheel stuck and then the motor burnt out.
So I was left with no other options. The trailer had to go back to Kennards and I was already late by over 12 hours so the bus had to come off. On recommendation from another Split owning mate I hitched it to a telegraph pole and slowly drove away leaving the split on the road. Actually that is a gross abbreviation of the process. What actually happened was sadly not documented on film although perhaps it's best it wasn't. Let's say OH&S and many purists would've had a heart attack. Nonetheless it was now on the road and I took the trailer back the next morning.
The person who deserves most of the thanks for that operation was my father-in-law. He hates Kombis, thinks they're unreliable, suicidally unsafe, uncomfortable and uneconomic and he drives a Volvo XC90 SUV. When he arrived to stay the night before and saw this lurking outside the house on a trailer he was considerably angry with my wife. Thankfully I was at work. But he loosened up over night and his advice on Thursday arvo was excellent. He still thinks I'm mad but I actually managed to get a pic of him leaning on it and smiling hesitantly. That's a victory in my lexicon!

I also have to thank my mate at Kennards who was very patient and only charged me for a day, not a day and a half.

But the '55 was still immobile and sitting on the street, unregistered and uninsured. I was feeling a bit uncomfortable about that but it had to wait until the weekend. Saturday came and I went back to "Stupid-Cheap" and swapped the grinder for a new one.This time I took my time more and, wonder of wonders, Steve's tip paid off. Don't know what I'd do without him!
Sectioned and spinning!!!


Now the bus would actually move I rang a mate and we prepared to move it into the backyard. The most bizarre thing was that although the tyres had been flat, probably for 20 years, they all held air, the front passenger holding 28psi!! So the push into the backyard was tons easier than I'd anticipated.
Backing up for the driveway:


Up the driveway:


Through the car port:


Backing up:


And finally in position!


So now she's parked in the backyard.
Can I guess your next question lads......."what are your plans??"

heheh...i was thinking more along the lines...well thats the easy bit over😂 good find tho👍

hmmm - thanks for the posts - it has me thinking about some splitties I've seen near here. I would love a splitty camper one day, and I've got the space for it to sit and wait for a resto...

I thought she was looking good in the carport🙄😁

I think you're right about the easy bit being over.
I do have plans though.....extensive plans. 😎