flyingbusman
Well-known member
I have a 1970 type 23 Kombi, just in from California.
It is an early 1970 bus built on 27th January 1970, possibly actually a late ’69 model as it still has the non-servo assisted drum breaks all round.
It has opening quarter lights in both cab doors, and three rear compartment windows. Heater controls and cables are present and if I get time I will connect them up. No promises.
The van is a blank canvas inside, with two cab seats in need of repair and a rear bench seat also in need of recovering. I had to take the old custom tasteless deep pile carpet out.
This van is the perfect base for any restoration, as no repair work needs to be done.
The Very Good
As you would expect with a Californian bus this is immaculate inside and out.
Inside it is as new with no rust what so ever behind the cab, and in the cab there is only a little scabbing of the floor under the drivers feet, and it’s got a long way to go before it goes through. Even the original polystyrene is still in place behind the front panel. The outside is a similar story; all out riggers and jacking points are original and solid, as are all the doors, sills, front panel, rear and front arches and cab floor.
The cab doors open and close as if they just came out of the factory, the sliding door runs free with no play what so ever, the rear door is solid, but catches so I will investigate, might be due to the surrounding rubber. Engine lid is solid and opens and closes well, one of the hinges might need changing not too far in the future.
There is no rear bumper, but the mounting points have no corrosion on them. The front bumper is present and very, very solid.
I think it must have been owned by a family that did a lot of travelling at one point, as a very solid A-frame has been mounted to the front of the van for towing behind a big American motor-home or something.
This van has never been welded for repair, the only time its seen the torch is to fit the A-frame mounting brackets to the chassis.
The van comes with service receipts all the way back to 1981.
Engine is strong and tight. There is a paper with an estimate for a gearbox rebuild from 1995, however no receipt for the work having been done. However from the sound of the box i.e. no whining noise, I would assume it was done, as it was on the road until November 1999.
Very good white wall tyres, loads of tread left.
A friend of mine has decoded the M-code plate as far as published records can go.
This van is pretty much road worthy, all it will take is a pair of UK rear lights and a break adjustment and away you go.
The minor down points
At some point since having the A-frame fitted, it has been let to fall back against the front panel near the window, leaving a bit of a dent. This has been repaired along time ago. Similarly there are other old dent repairs on the rear corners. Nothing major and the repairs seem to be very solid.
All the window rubbers are shot to pieces except the front window, as are the sliding door and rear hatch seal. The 2 cab door seals are serviceable. The chrome frame around both cab doors will need replacing as the rubber scrappers on them have disintegrated. Two new ones of these will be with the van.
The van was repainted, at a rough guess, 20years ago into the metallic greeny brown you see today. Some care seems to have been taken in places like the pin-stripping, and no care seems to have been taken in other places. For example, it appears to have been painted with everything on it taped off, so on removing things like lights, you can see the original Lotus White.
As with any 37 year old vehicle, there are the odd blemishes, a few dings and dents here and there, but this in no way detracts’ from the unbelievable smoothness of the side panels.
Price
This bus is sold as seen with no warranty given or implied.
The bus is priced at £4500 as is, or £5000 with full UK MOT.
PM me if interested and for more pictures, and I will contact you with my number.
Thanks for looking
Mat
It is an early 1970 bus built on 27th January 1970, possibly actually a late ’69 model as it still has the non-servo assisted drum breaks all round.
It has opening quarter lights in both cab doors, and three rear compartment windows. Heater controls and cables are present and if I get time I will connect them up. No promises.
The van is a blank canvas inside, with two cab seats in need of repair and a rear bench seat also in need of recovering. I had to take the old custom tasteless deep pile carpet out.
This van is the perfect base for any restoration, as no repair work needs to be done.
The Very Good
As you would expect with a Californian bus this is immaculate inside and out.
Inside it is as new with no rust what so ever behind the cab, and in the cab there is only a little scabbing of the floor under the drivers feet, and it’s got a long way to go before it goes through. Even the original polystyrene is still in place behind the front panel. The outside is a similar story; all out riggers and jacking points are original and solid, as are all the doors, sills, front panel, rear and front arches and cab floor.
The cab doors open and close as if they just came out of the factory, the sliding door runs free with no play what so ever, the rear door is solid, but catches so I will investigate, might be due to the surrounding rubber. Engine lid is solid and opens and closes well, one of the hinges might need changing not too far in the future.
There is no rear bumper, but the mounting points have no corrosion on them. The front bumper is present and very, very solid.
I think it must have been owned by a family that did a lot of travelling at one point, as a very solid A-frame has been mounted to the front of the van for towing behind a big American motor-home or something.
This van has never been welded for repair, the only time its seen the torch is to fit the A-frame mounting brackets to the chassis.
The van comes with service receipts all the way back to 1981.
Engine is strong and tight. There is a paper with an estimate for a gearbox rebuild from 1995, however no receipt for the work having been done. However from the sound of the box i.e. no whining noise, I would assume it was done, as it was on the road until November 1999.
Very good white wall tyres, loads of tread left.
A friend of mine has decoded the M-code plate as far as published records can go.
This van is pretty much road worthy, all it will take is a pair of UK rear lights and a break adjustment and away you go.
The minor down points
At some point since having the A-frame fitted, it has been let to fall back against the front panel near the window, leaving a bit of a dent. This has been repaired along time ago. Similarly there are other old dent repairs on the rear corners. Nothing major and the repairs seem to be very solid.
All the window rubbers are shot to pieces except the front window, as are the sliding door and rear hatch seal. The 2 cab door seals are serviceable. The chrome frame around both cab doors will need replacing as the rubber scrappers on them have disintegrated. Two new ones of these will be with the van.
The van was repainted, at a rough guess, 20years ago into the metallic greeny brown you see today. Some care seems to have been taken in places like the pin-stripping, and no care seems to have been taken in other places. For example, it appears to have been painted with everything on it taped off, so on removing things like lights, you can see the original Lotus White.
As with any 37 year old vehicle, there are the odd blemishes, a few dings and dents here and there, but this in no way detracts’ from the unbelievable smoothness of the side panels.
Price
This bus is sold as seen with no warranty given or implied.
The bus is priced at £4500 as is, or £5000 with full UK MOT.
PM me if interested and for more pictures, and I will contact you with my number.
Thanks for looking
Mat
