Awning, Engine Maintenance & Curtains.

Kombi update No. 6

14/06/16, Tuesday, By Will.

Dixie the Little Orange VW Kombi is so close to completion now (well for this refurb anyway) !  Are these things ever really finished ?

After waiting for a couple of days for the paint to dry on the C Channel Purlin & the rain to go away, today is the day for the Awning installation.

Rhino Rack with Universal Bracket.

Installing Rhino Roof Racks.

3 rack bars to support the C Purlin, which in turn supports the ARB Awning. We will later fit a solar panel onto the front racks.

Mock up of C Purlin in position so I can mark where to drill the fastener holes.

The Awning from ARB (a 4WD outfitting company) is 2.5 metres long, but the span where the Poptop is fitted is 2.8 metres. The only solution I could come up with was to use some light weight 75mm x 40mm C Purlin. Has to be a better option then drilling holes into the refurbished Poptop or Kombi Body.

Time to paint the C Purlin, what Colour. I have White, Black & Orange in my "Workshop".

Jenny & I decide on Black.

I also had the battery light fault on the dash to resolve. After checking all the connections & fitting the Deep Cycle battery I came to the conclusion it must be either a knackered regulator or alternator.

So last Tuesday (a week ago) after charging the battery up overnight, I loaded my bicycle into the back of Dixie Van & was just about to head up to South Street Mechanical/Volkshop in O'Connor about 60kms north when "Jip Knee" Jenny received a call from Comet Bay College.

Our 14yo niece, Shaye was sick and the School was unable to get a hold of her parents. So Uncle Will to the rescue. 

Finally an hour and a half later the Kombi, Bicycle and I headed north. Oh forgot to mention it was the coldest day Perth had experienced in 5 years, maximum temp only rose to 10C.

Riding my bike & catching the train home after dropping off the Kombi.

Once in the Perth southern suburb of O'Connor I left our Kombi in the trusty hands of Carl, Jeremy & Mick the Air Cooled VW Guru. They had her for a few days and repaired a heap of things. The big ticket items being the Alternator & Brakes. I picked her up on Friday and the drivability improvement was very noticeable.

We have a new Alternator.

From there I rode my bike 9kms to Murdoch Train Station, caught the train to Mandurah then rode 20kms out to South Yunderup. Man my ears were caning during that cold winters day ride.

Next Monday we drop the Kombi at Mandurah Canvas, Andy & his team will then install some insulation & line the Poptop. They will also cover the RnR seat & mattress sections for us. Then that's job done, Dixie Van will be ready for action.

Jenny making new curtains for the Kombi.

We think the new curtains look kind of retro.

There is one last small job that I will complete prior to our 3000km August shake down tour up to Exmouth, WA. That is fit a solar panel on the racks over the Cab area. Busy researching my best options.

Fridge in position, I used a stainless steel boat cleat as an attachment point.

The interior is really coming together now.

Last weekend Jenny & I head out on a mini Kombi adventure, Jen's knee is slowly getting better.

Fitting the Awning by myself turned into a challenge, at least all the holes lined up.

Just as I finish struggling to attach the awning, look who shows up. Jackie, Jenny & Prudence the dog.

Then my Dad, Bill arrives as well. Oh another set of hands would have been so welcomed just 15 minutes earlier !!!

Time to test it out.

Wow, it looks good.

Success, protection from the sun & rain.

I also decided to finally sort the table out, we have gone for a tripod support. Instead of drilling a 60mm hole in the floor to fit a socket.

A quick bite to eat on the new table.

Not to bad, we can use the table inside or out, I had to trim the post by 85mm.

Long live the VW Kombi !!!