some time shortly we are hopeing to start a family and are thnking about getting a family car that can take the kids and the stuff that comes with them. the baj may be a bit crowded and the Amanda may find it hard with the baby and pram to fit into it. It also needs to be able to tow a boat. If we are to get a kombi the only one Amanda really likes is the barn door style
1.my question is what years did the barn door come out and also did the come as a split window as well.
2.also what is the towing capacity of a barn door kombi/or a dual cab ute.
3.also how about a mounting point for a child seat. is it easy to fit a mounting point.
4.also how hard is it to convert it to a baja kombi.
5. what size was the engine for a barn door
6. does anyone know any for sale that are under $10 000

any help would be gratly appreciated

John

uummm barn doors as massivly rare and were out b4 the "normal" split screens, do you mean bay window ??

Barndoor referes to the size of the engine hatch on early splits..

ok i thought this would end up confussing the hell out of me. what we are chassing is a kombi that does not have a sliding side door but the ones that opens like a proper door and i would like it to have a split front window . hope that clears it up and yes i do believe they would be rare that is why my wife likes the idea. it will be hard and have more style about them

To answer your questions first you must know what types of bus there are.

1. you are saying a barndoor, I think you mean a split window bus, these are the ones that have the 2 opening doors on the side that look like barn doors(dont get confused with pre 55 busses, these are called barndoor busses because of the rear door(engine lid) being larger and the door above being welded closed.
All splits from 1950 to 1967 had 2 side opening doors, some had 2 doors on each side and a few in 67 had 1 or 2 sliding doors.
2. buses from 67 had sliding doors and had a curved front windscreen.
3. All splits had a 1200 engine, later ones around 67 had a 1500 engine . All had reduction gears, these reduce the top speed to about 50 miles an hour.

4. Towing with a stock split would be crap as they did not have the power, even with the reduction boxes it would take forever to tow things.
If you plan to tow get a later bay window bus as some of them came with 1800 or 2000 engines.
Mounting a child seat is fairly easy, depending on what bus you have,
Here is a pic of the baby seats in my 57.

Hope this answers some of you questions

Cheers
Dave

thanks dave that certainly cleared it up for me.

it would not be to hard for you to find a RWC split for the money you are talking about, but to find one that had been retrofitted with a later (70's) 2l engine and gearbox to suit towing and better handle day-to-day may be a lot more difficult. Bay window busses on the other hadn are bigger on the inside, more powerful engines which take up less space, much better brakes and better handling due to a redesigned rear end. they are also somewhat cheaper then the splits, and 10k would buy you and absolutely immaculate one (probably with change to spare if your lucky)

No problems John.

If I were to use a bus for every day travelling with kids, I would have a bay window bus, these are after 1967.
They are better equipped, ie better brakes, suspension, engine. Thats why vw made them, they were the replacement for the splits.

Dont get me wrong, I love splits, but as a daily driver, you have to remember that they are 50 years old,
Also with 10k to spend, you will not find a restored split (you will find one that has had a nice shiny new paint job????????????????????????????) .But not a proper resto.

Also ask anyone who owns one, you never finish them, they always need money spending on them, and the parts are quite expensive!!

The best option is a bay window.

Just one other thing, I have a 2 year old daughter and I will not take her in the split if it is over 25 degrees as it gets hot in there, not the best for airflow
I have never seen airconditioning in a split bus and why would you fit one(if possible) as it would spoil the looks.

Just my honest opinion, and if others dont agree with me, thats O.K.
Cheers
Dave

Buy a Split with IRS conversion (Bay Window Bus Gearbox/rear suspension)
a nice, Type1 1914cc twin 44 webber motor and front and rear Safari Windows (hindged at the top so they open outwards) for the airflow and you`ll be laughing. Especially if you pick it up for $10,000. More like $30,000.
Like "Honest" Dave says, to be able to tow a boat and all that, you`ll be better going for a Bay. Unless it`s an inflatable Dinghy does Dinghy have a h in it?? I always thought it did but it looks weird!
Cheers
Graham.

it has a h otherwise youd be saying dingy ie dark and dim (aussie idiom i think):thumb

you need to get some cool pics of bay windows bagged hotted up anything to get amanda to like a bay i bought my 2 ltr 77 bay of a family 3 girls 1 boy loved the bus he also used it to tow trail bikes with his mates on biking trips he just up graded to a transporter 89 model for the power steering etc "modern comforts" i drive mine all day and its great as long as you you have an airconditioned car as a back up when its shit hot

hey, I've got the perfect bus for you.
*1973 Bay window Kombi.
the classic Kombi shape that everyone knows and loves
* 8 seater.
stacks of passenger room, or pull out the centre seat, and you've got seats for 5 and heaps of cargo room.
* sliding door.
is much easier to get in and out of on crowded shopping centre car parks, and in the garage at home.
*engineer's certificate for 3.8 litre v6 engine.
all the towing power you could want plus some.
and it's a commodore engine, so parts are relitavely inexpensive.
*lowered, with adjustable beam, and new Koni adjustable shocks.
super stable ride around town, and at speed.
* new Gearbox with Albins Super Diff, Albins 3rd, and Albins 0.70 4th.
super strong, able to handle the torque of the engine, and cruises the highway at 140 kph comfortably.
*17" rims.
looks sweet.
AND... it meets your budget of $10,000.

click this link for more pics.
http://www.aussieveedubbers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=33338#pid285889 

thats a nice bus

thanks.
I'm gonna run it down the 1/4 on sat night.
there's a street meet here, and I'm keen to see how quick it really is.
I've never raced before (on a drag strip) so it should be interesting.