I want to get another kombi and take it on the beach occasionally to go fishing and try fraser island next year if all goes as planned
I'm looking at getting a late bay 8 seater 1800 or 2ltr
I dont want to jump any sand dunes or serious off roading
ive seen baja kombi's with huge tires and big lift which looks great but this will also be my daily driver which will spend 95% of the time on the road

do you just need some more clearance or bigger tires what is a minimum that i should do?
marcel

Once you find a good kombi , ensure you spray everywhere with some rust preventitive like fish oil and Just get yourself some merc 15" rims and some high profile 215 offroad tyres and you'll be away.
Fraser is probabley a little much for the above mods and you would really need to have a lifted bus to get around easily up there and even then my lifted bus still struggles in some places as you do not have the articulation of a buggy and plus they weigh 1500kg + depending what you are carrying etc.
I also know of a Early baja bay that is currently for sale here in QLD that is fitted with a EJ22 Injected subaru and has recently had any rust removed and repainted, all mechanicals checked and replaced if needed and a custom interior with rear bucket seats and a long range fuel tank.
Send me a PM if you think you'd be intersted in the bus and i'll put you in contact with the owner

what mods would I have to do to get it to fraser?

I understand lifting the rear one notch and fitting adjusters to the front and bigger tires would give an extra 4 inches of lift and a 1600 gbox would pull the bigger tires

do you have any more info on the early bay baja? although it sounds a bit out of my price range?
marcel

what is your price range ?

I was hoping to spend $6k max
say $5k for a rust free original kombi not too fussy about paint? and $1k to lift it with tires
marcel

I've been all over Fraser in a bus with 215/75/15 on the front with adjusters and 10r/s on the rear with the guards cut. all how you drive and letting the tyres down to the right pressures not 4wd pressures. and it was Vw powered not a transplant job.

Ive been all over Fraser in an 1800 TIV Kombi with 215/75 x 15 all round. Can be done, no prob, but a certain driving style that you learn with practice and time on the beach. As Brenndan said, tyre pressures is one of the most important aspects of soft sand driving.

A bus will out perform most 4wd's with a bit of skill behind the wheel and some planing ahead.

Any of the 4wd-vw baja converts I know, would still never go back to the drudgery of heavey metal 4wd.

ahh the wisdom......
Let's just say that many years ago some of my family went on a Fraser Journey of a lifetime. multiple vehicles carrying 50 odd blokes fishing. Some 4WD and some VW's(1 Split screen, 1 bay window and a buggy) well all was going good till the split blew a diff centre on the cornwells break track to Lake Mackenzie(track is now super tame and boring) so we took the guys out of the split and loaded them into other cars. The bay ended up with 11 inside and 3 standing across the back. The buggy towed the Split Screen back to camp(between Ocean Lake and Orchid Beach) and we continued the rest of the trip. The bay window had a stock 1600 in it, no front end lift, 215/75 on the front and 10R's on the rear. Carrying 14 blokes some of the hills needed a substantial run up and very few hills needed a 2nd go. Some of the 4WD's with us had more trouble getting up only carrying 6 people than what the Kombi did with 14!!!

Brennden i can see a Baja Bus trip comming on as soon as i finish mine .
I already let my rear tyres down to 4psi and struggle in soft stuff as i fear the ever likelyhood of a blown box in the wrong place.
I'mm even planning on taking a spare box with me for the week on fraser later this year

Maybe don't take so much beer with you!!!

thanks for all the great replies!
so some bigger tires, a bit of lift, right tire pressure and driving technique seems to be the go
what tire pressure is the best for sand driving?

I just have to fing the kombi now
marcel

with the Kombi being a lot lighter than a 4WD they tend to float across the top of the sand whereas a 4WD will leave a lot deeper track in the sand as they are heavier so tyre pressures on the Kombi have to be a bit lower. If you have 10R's on the rear run about 10psi and if you have 215/75 on the front run about 8psi for softish stuff. Hard beach we usually run them about 12-14 for rear and about 10-12 for the front.

these tyres pressures are only a rough guide and some locations require less pressure to cross if the sand is really soft.

the other variable is the brand of tyre you run. some cheap brands wont like running at low pressures and sidewall damage may occur. the pressures I have said above we run in BF Goodrich tyres which are the best tyre to run on a Kombi on the beach. you can let them down to nothing and they won't peel off the beads and the sidewalls are tough as nails.

We've had 12.5 35" let down to under 5psi and they didn't even look like coming off the rim. They also leave a very big and wide footprint too!!