I expect to be having a tree change soon (I can't afford a sea change) and I will need a work vehicle of sorts, as I will need to carry all sorts of stuff when I get there.

Which year model of the bay window Kombis has the 2 litre engine and which has the strongest gearbox (I think that's the 6 rib)?

76 was the first of the 2L engine & 6 Rib box

yep, so 76 til 79, but by now many earlier ones have probably been converted anyway.

Thank you gentlemen.

single cab 2 ltr .
My furniture shop req a delivery van , i bought a 77 microbus couldnt fit much furniture in her but she drove everyday 100kms plus no probs got a splitty ute best design if your haulling bulky stuff..

My '75 Double Cab has (original) 2 litre and 6-rib box. VW were famous for running changes in the middle of model years, so it may be '76 and later for Kombis, 75 and later for pickups...

hth

2L engine came out somewhere in '75, but was still run through the 002 (5-rib) gearbox until about February 1976.

If ya want to haul a lot of weight up a few hills then a 2L with a 002 box would be ideal as the 2L has a lot more low-down torque, and the 002 gearbox is geared lower than the 091 (6-rib) gearbox.

The trade off is of course that you will get slightly higher fuel consumption with the 002....