Well, even with
the highest of hopes and the grandest intentions, things don't always
go to plan. Those of us who had put so many hours into the Kombi
through 2004 and 2005 really needed the break which 2005 ended up
providing.
After the success
with getting the engine running and back into the car, things slowed
once again. This time more for the lack of parts rather than anything
else. The van was moved from its temporary home to the home of one of
the members, where it was once again under cover and protected from the
elements. Not as spacious as its long term home at North East Powder
Coaters but at least it was in the company of other Kombis!
For some reason
when work on the van was started the wiring loom was cut at each end.
We then had two choices - either splice in new wires (trying to match
the colour codes where possible) or find a replacement loom. The second
didn't look promising until one of the crew came good with a wiring
loom form a 64 Single Cab Ute which was marked for the crusher. The old
loom was soon removed and the new one wrapped in insulation tape and
smeared in grease to make it easier to draw through the chassis. A
day's effort and the new loom was in place and the wires routed through
to the switches etc. The good thing about the new loom is that it has
wiring for indicators, allowing us to install small motor cycle style
lights on the bumpers and still retain the semaphores (on a separate
circuit) for show and authenticity. A battery was hooked in and the
lights temporarily connected to allow everything to be checked out. All
was looking promising.
Next up the
various cables for heaters, choke etc. These were to prove a problem as
the metal pipes which house the cables were filled with rust, dirt and
bits of plastic. The challenge now is to find a way to clean them out.
October 30th came
around all too quickly. All of the various spare parts were removed
from inside the van and as many external parts as possible refitted for
the Festival. The Kombi was lovingly man handles up the drive way and
on to a waiting car trailer early on Sunday 30th and delivered to
Wigley Reserve (See VolksFest
2005 for full report) where it was put on display. The feature
article in VW Magazine Australia earlier in the year has certainly
boosted the profile of our Club Kombi and it proved very popular with
visitors. The Festival raised some real dollars for the Kombi, both
through raffles and direct donations, so once again we have some funds
to push things along again.
Stay tuned for
further updates on progress with the Club Kombi in the months ahead.
