TOPIC:

For a while now I have wanted to build a tribute of my campervan that my late father had.

My father was a VW guy, his passion was beetles and transporters so I grew up with VW vehicles.
Still today I do like VW vehicles, mostly the older ones.
Dad said he regretted that he sold this campervan to his mate for the rest of his life. Today it would have been worth a small fortune.

The T1 started out as a panelvan that was used by Televerket, the norwegian phone company.
Hence it being light blue as all the Televerket cars.
He never really told the story how it all began, but he did told he converted it to some sort of camper spec.
My father passed away in 04', and I did not really got to ask him as about it as photo albums was mostly moms thing, and we never really looked at them without some sort of visiting from someone.
So when mum passed in 2011, I herritaged the albums, and the interest about famili related car pictures picked up, along with their history.
Here it seems my dad has pulled most of the bits off, to do a resto job.
Notice the dent in the right hand corner about half way up. This is one thing that will identify this whicle a bit later.
I'm sitting on my grandmothers lap. I'm born in Jan 76' This must be in the start of the summer 77' I guess.
Notice at this point it is all panel van. Panel vans is the only ones to have the vents on top off the rear of the side panel.

Fast forward a few months and here my mum and dad is having a roadtrip. Possible to my grandmother which lived about 5 hours away.
I think I know the area this picture is taken in.
Notice the primer in the area of the dent?
And the keen eyed will also spot it now have camper windows in the side doors.
My brother is born Sep 77', so this must be taken right before that.

Here it seems to be painted all grey with white roof and VW logo.

I think this must be about a year later as my brother is standing on front of my mum and grandmother.
Now it sports a green and white paint job, with no VW logo.
Also notice the homemade front spoiler and the spotlights.
If you look closely you will also notice the side air scoop over the engine side louvres.
I think that is also homemade, but you could buy that from various sourses.
Another feature is the truck mirrors, which was a common mod on these back in the day.
Both the frontspoiler, sidescoop and spotlights will be made on my body.
The Tamiyabody has the small indicators, which was a fitment from 52'-61'. I will change them for the later ones as this picture.

A bit better picture of the side scoop

I think my dad sold it when I was around 4 years old.
He told me I remembered where we had driven at age of 4  when I was about 13 years old I stated I remember have driven here in the past.
But I do not remember the campervan, and I do remember things from I was about 5 years old.
This might be the point he was selling the van to his mate.
You can spot me in front of the van.
You can also spot it has now one more window at each side (behind the side doors)

Another picture from a differnt place we used to live (Hesnes, outside Grimstad town) with a differnt view of the extra side window.

My version will be the one with the front spoiler and spot lights and side scoop and with the extra side windows along sporting the green and white paint.
I have to be a bit creative to do someting with the moon windows and the extra side and corner windows as the Tamiya body is a full 23 window, aka a Samba.
Think I will also make opening split windows up front, slight lowering and possible differnt wheels.

I allready have the body.

Since this will be my late summer/fall build, I have time to work out some details.
I really want to fit 1.7" wheels again as the Escort Mk2 build (17" in real life which is very common upgrade. Early split windows did feature 16" skinny wheels), but I want them to be steelies with hubcaps, which seems nobody is making right now.
I will also use different tires than on the Escort build. I already know which ones to use. Will order in a few weeks.

His next VW was a beetle and I do remember it wery well. He sold that in 84', me being 8 years old at the time.
I will do a tribute build of this as well at later stage.

 

Great project

Not sure the green & white is the best looking iteration though?

That Tamiya shell only has "n" windows if you use that number of window masks. Similarly, window shape is down to window mask shape...   

I've made hubcaps for steel style wheels, and modified rims to make the tyre profile taller (with paint) - but I've never done both on the same wheel. I think the M-04 Beetle wheels (part # 9335219) would be the best starting point as there's some space before the slots start, and there's a space in the middle for a tube &/or magnet.

  

Thanks!

Not sure either green and white is the best color for a split screens, but apparently you could order that color combo when new. 
For VW geeks, it's 512 Velvet Green with L87 Pearl White on top.
Think my fathers splitt screen had a darker green than that..

I think PS-9 Green and either PS-57 Pearl White or PS-1 White is the best match for my dads T1.

Regarding hub caps I found these on Thingiverse, and the seems most fitting for me. Tamiya ones is too flat, missing the VW logo. There is someone making hub caps to fit the orginal T1 wheels, but I think they are too flat as well.
Here is the Tingiverse ones I'm thinking of using

As with the Escort, I think the M chassis wheels are too small, and far too wide.
To get a bit more scale looking I came to thinking of these, which are close enough to 1.7", or 1.75 as Tamiya calls them.
These covers are ment to be used with the FAV wheels.
Knight Customs has made them available on My mini factory, to be be purchased as a 3d print file at low 2 dollars.
I do have a friend that prints loads of stuff that has helped me before.
Do hope the hubcaps above do fit these, if not, I can live with these as it is.

For the tires I will be using RC4WD 1.7 Lorider tires for Tamiya trucks.
They are 73mm in diameter. Orginal tires of a T1 in real life is 69cm, so they are nearly spot on!
Width of those RC4WD tires are 21.9mm and fits perfectly in theory on the FAV front wheels as the orginal tires on those is 21mm.
A FAV front tire is 80mm, so they will be too big in diameter, but they have a great thread pattern!
For the rear tires I will widen them so the will fit the rear FAV wheels.

For the front indicators, I have come over these, which will be perfect www.rc-beleucht...glass.html
I only need to find or make a bezel to match.

Regarding the windows, they are actually sunken into the bodywork. so they will be seen if only sprayed.
The sky windows can be sparyed as they are not so pronounsed as the side windows.


And in my parts bin, I do have a unassembled resin copy of the 1:9 Revell VW 1600 engine that I do plan on using in this build.
Might make a performance exhaust and carbs, depending of how it goes 

Wonderful project. Reminds me when my father told me he exchanged his Borgward Isabella Coupe for a Renault R4 because i was not planed. Not that i ever will build a R4

Richard, I'm very happy that our side discussion yesterday allowed you to find what was needed... looking forward for the rest of this project

Yeah I'm very happy with the outcome as well.   Was very nice to talk to you 
Had totally forgotten My mini factory.option.

If I want the 1.5" version, I have to use Shapeways as they are not available on any other platform.

Try Thingiverse as well
I think I saw some there...

I have checked there, non of the wheel covers there sadly..

A very nice project richard. Can't wait to see this tribute. As a fan of the vw. I love to see original picts. 

Thank you Flo!



JR, sadly the windows are not that shallow, in fact the as sunken in about 2.5mm, but I do have a plan...

The roof skylight windows are way less pronounced, but still the frame is highly visible

I have been playing with things I have, mainly wheels and tires which is free after all.
Robbed the front set from my re-re Fav, these is actually sligtly less in diameter than the orginal Sand Blaster tires. These are 71.5mm tall.

They are nice and skinny, and about scale reagarding a split screen standard tire

Here are a orgianl one (with 14 or 15" wheels I belive)

Fav tires to the right. The other one is rc4wd Mickey Thompson 1.7" Baja ATZ Scale Tire. I'll save those for a future off road build, maybe another split screen bus.
The ATZ tires is now discontinued from RC4WD.
Diamter is 74.2mm

If I decide to go with the Fav tires, I'll think I stick with skinny tires front and back.
The Knight Custom 1.7 covers are ment for these wheels.

I have loads of wheels and tires in my parts bin, including these Fly Wheels that was on the market for about 15 years ago.
Years since I saw them last time.
These are the Craigar SS type and it fits the split screen very good in my opinion.

Same wheel front and back, but with bigger rear tires.

This is another Fly Wheel that I've gutted the ugly centers.
Great for custom builds! Sadly I have not seen more of these for ages!

The rear one has a simple styrene center that I have made.
Big'n little tires here as well.

These can very easly made into steel wheels look with some smooth wheel caps as these,
I have collected these gum ball covers for this or making spotlights/headlight buckets.
Have been in my parts bin for about 15 years.
These are from the gum vendor machines at shopping malls etc.
Can be cut down to right size if needed.
It is these or the 3d printed ones mentioned in my previous post.

Another option is to turn down the centers from the Tamiya 2 piece wheels...

Since these wheels has the center wall off to one side, it's possible to make both shallow and deep dish wheels depending from which side the center is fitted to.

Here I have turned down both centers and fitted the loosly to the wheel barrels.
Just used a wheel axle and popped into my drill, and then a axcato knive to turn down the diameter till they fits.

My last free option is to turn down M chassis wheels and insert them into the barrels.
Cut them just after the front bead and then lightly sanded the outer diameter and then fitted them into the barrels.
I made them press fitment.
Centers can be adjsted by add or remove another ring as a spacer.

I really like this setup 

I used this saw to cut the wheels