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LJay Samba Member
Joined: August 05, 2007 Posts: 584 Location: Arbroath,Scotland
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:54 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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streetwagens wrote: |
LJay wrote: |
I think I just heard Dai's T5 fire up.....
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I was interested in this one about 5 years ago, then I heard that someone had cut the tags out, and taken some more of the parts, so it became a bit confusing about who owned the bus, and who if anybody owned the identity! |
Ugh I noticed the steering wheel had taken leave and no one wants a bus with an identity crisis!-shame it could have had a better future with you guys.
Ive never seen that 51/53 bus that had no ID that Iain looked after for a while again since it sold either. _________________ 1962 Turkis Westfalia so34.
My build thread.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=742279 |
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busben Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2008 Posts: 526 Location: Somerset, UK
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:34 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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http://www.jp.se/article/nordar-horde-av-sig/
"Geeks got in"
The dilapidated VW bus at Kråkeboån is about to get a new life.
- It was a “Volkswagon madman of God's grace” that brought it, says Reidar Danielsson, who was present at the occasion.
It began around 2002 with a rumor spread on social media that an early VW van, called a barndoor, was in the region of Jönköping.
A few years later, in January 2014 published Reidar Danielsson, car enthusiast from Barnarp, a picture at Barnarps Instagram account.
- Then VW van fools all over the world woke up, he says.
What might not be so surprising, because the bus is apparently one of the world's oldest RHD VW buses.
Reidar Danielsson was contacted by people both from Germany, Austria and England.
Most interested, Ben from England, was in place at the swamp last weekend to bring home his next project. Since earlier he already owns, allegedly, the oldest known RHD Volkswagen bus. An equally rusty finding as from this Barnarp, but it was found in Töcksfors Värmland in 2013.
In just a few years, he has come very far in Töcksfors bus, says Reidar.
Crayfish base
The bus at Kråkeboån has probably been towed to swamp 1964 to serve as the base camp for crayfish. But in the 70s, crayfish plague came and since then the bus has not been used, it just stood there and sunk into the ground, says Reidar Danielsson.
To get up the bus took half a day digging of several enthusiasts. On the site used metal detectors to collect with the VW accessories that spread at the marsh.
What did the bus cost?
He got it for free. The landowner was happy that the bus disappeared, says Reidar. Jönköping-Posten has tried to reach Ben, but unfortunately without result.
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Scotty Samba Member
Joined: July 02, 2003 Posts: 1525 Location: Northampton - Uk
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 5:26 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Volkswagon madman of God's grace - Brilliant _________________
EverettB wrote: |
I'd be curious to know the length of his tip.
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http://scottys-stuff.blogspot.com/ |
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Demian_S Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2008 Posts: 82 Location: Sweden
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 1:35 pm Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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bally Samba Member
Joined: April 29, 2006 Posts: 1182 Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 2:59 pm Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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I look forward to the resto thread on this one too |
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Lowdown Dirty Rat Samba Member
Joined: June 25, 2005 Posts: 877 Location: Cornwall, UK
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 12:18 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Unbelievable.
Ben your like a one man Wolfsburg factory! Did they come off the production line much quicker then your getting and restoring them
The Sweedish government must love you, single handily cleaning up their forests. _________________ 1951 Samba 20-017894
1952 Samba 20-028952 |
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Barndoor Mafia Il Capo
Joined: August 23, 2001 Posts: 6194 Location: EUSKAL HERRIA
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 10:10 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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AWESOME! Looking forward to this build.
Don't worry Sir Alan Scott lll ......... you will always be the Robbie Williams of the UK VW scene. REALLY! |
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low54 Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2004 Posts: 424 Location: cotswolds-england
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2016 12:29 pm Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Good work 😎
Like rob said the Swedish government must love it you are cleaning up the woods for them. _________________ 65 original paint so42 dormobile
52 original paint 52 split beetle |
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chris67bug Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2011 Posts: 38 Location: Belfast
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 1:13 pm Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Just read this, it has made my day. Hats off to you Ben as usual! Great to see this has been saved, hope you got the ID tags back!
Always makes me sad when I read about such early RHD buses, they were made in Dublin from 1951 on but in VERY small nos and none seem to have survived |
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busben Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2008 Posts: 526 Location: Somerset, UK
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 12:27 pm Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Thanks Chris. As for the early rhd buses, I only know of a few ckd rhd beetles being built in South Africa and Ireland this early on. I'm pretty sure from my research that any rhd buses were special order & German factory built at this point ......... but of course I may be wrong?
This bus is 20-020752, January '52, and the second oldest rhd bus known at the moment. It's only 8 VIN numbers newer than the oldest known, the Tocksfors rhd, which is 20-020744. Probably built the same day and now back together after 64 years
I've tried emailing the guy who took the tag and the steering wheel but no joy yet. The land owner didn't remember anyone speaking to him about taking them , and neither did the old owner of the bus who we also spoke to. |
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chris67bug Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2011 Posts: 38 Location: Belfast
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Yeah Ben, looks like only 8 were built in Dublin in 1951 and all gone, so looks like you've got the earliest... unless something else turns up lol. |
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AustroBus Samba Member
Joined: June 01, 2014 Posts: 232 Location: Vienna, Austria
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busben Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2008 Posts: 526 Location: Somerset, UK
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 11:59 pm Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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chris67bug wrote: |
Yeah Ben, looks like only 8 were built in Dublin in 1951 and all gone, so looks like you've got the earliest... unless something else turns up lol. |
Something's bound too Chris, but for now it gets the title I guess! Interested in these supposed Irish ckd rhd buses. Any chance you could send me more information 'cos I'm boring enough to find this stuff interesting Cheers dude.
AustroBus wrote: |
Great to see that everything went fine - expect the missing vin-tag.
Now i can't wait to follow the resoration thread on this bus! |
Thanks again for your help Alex and for sharing the story on your facebook site |
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AustroBus Samba Member
Joined: June 01, 2014 Posts: 232 Location: Vienna, Austria
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chris67bug Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2011 Posts: 38 Location: Belfast
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 6:47 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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busben wrote: |
chris67bug wrote: |
Yeah Ben, looks like only 8 were built in Dublin in 1951 and all gone, so looks like you've got the earliest... unless something else turns up lol. |
Something's bound too Chris, but for now it gets the title I guess! Interested in these supposed Irish ckd rhd buses. Any chance you could send me more information 'cos I'm boring enough to find this stuff interesting Cheers dude. |
Information on the dublin factory seems a bit limited so far, have to admit I didn't even know vans were built there which was a surprise. All I have been told is that the numbers of BD's made is very low though. From the eirecooled forum:
"barn doors were here from 1951 when they sold 33 vans . in 52 they sold 177 .in 53 they sold 242 and in 54 they only sold 26."
Seems none survive But then again who knows...
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busben Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2008 Posts: 526 Location: Somerset, UK
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 8:51 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Thanks Chris. So you're saying 33 were sold in Ireland in '51, and that 8 of them were rhd ckd kits actually built there in the factory? Seems weird to make 8 a year! Wouldn't be the busiest production line ever!! and hardly worth it with the low sale numbers. Where's this info actually come from dude?
Cheers! |
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chris67bug Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2011 Posts: 38 Location: Belfast
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 6:21 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Ben, sorry not sure where the figure of 8 came from - must have been welding fumes that night lol. As you say that would be very slow production, even BL wasnt that bad!! The source of the figures is from the eirecooled forum, I will try to find out where they got those figures from. I would take it that the 33 buses made/ sold in 1951 were all RHD but no proof (as yet). Again the chances of any of these lurking somewhere are v.slim, the earliest irish built bus known to survive (at the moment) dates from 1955.
BTW any idea of the south african production figures for barndoors? The climate out there must have allowed more survivors! |
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busben Samba Member
Joined: March 07, 2008 Posts: 526 Location: Somerset, UK
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Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2016 10:44 am Post subject: Re: Oldest RHD bus in the world... |
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Nice write up in "Gasoline" magazine about the trip to rescue 20-020752. No idea what it says! Probably "look at these idiots!!!"
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