Kurrent Kombis

Our SURF RAT KOMBI, is a 1971 low light Bay. We found the personalized number palates “72 KOM” on EBAY for a great price, hence this rego. We weren’t terribly good at maths and besides Lowlights were made in that year also!

Timeline since resto.
2007 Paul Johnson from East Coast Kombis did the original resto… Rego in NSW, RAT84Y.
2007 sold to Stephen Moss
2012, July sold to Adam Connoley.
2012, September to John Garnsworthy…Rego in QLD, 72 KOM.

Since we purchased the kombi from Adam we immediately endeavoured to freeze the ageing process by always garaging and covering her. All the metal has been Ankor Waxed as this wax penetrates and inhibits rust by sealing and protecting from further damage. We feel probably the best method as for many years classic and vintage car owners in the UK have used Ankor Wax as a means to protect their cars.

Besides a full service we have replaced the muffler which we donated to the Newell Highway on our way back from Melbourne after we bought her from Adam. Queensland seems to be very different form NSW in regards to their “Road worthy Certificates” so the following was done.. All new tyres fitted to 205/50R17. Disc Rotors, wheel bearing and brake pads, rear bump stops, ball joints, front and rear shock absorbers and center steering pivot replaced all globes fitted seat mountings, replace exhaust system, we donated the precious muffler to the Newell Highway on the way back from Melbourne to Brisbane! Issued Road worthy certificate and Modification certificate 5 seats..etc etc.

In Queensland the laws are strict in regards to lowering vehicles, now the mechanically work has been done where we can adjust the height all round, currently the ride height is high as we are driving on off road tracks to the surf. Now this RAT KOMBI has become a SURF RAT KOMBI…When we went surfing in the 1960/70’s we often saw “woodies” either with interior or exterior use of wood, hence the introduction of 8mm red Oak marine ply paneling and interior decoration.

Following is from an article about how this “low Light” became a “RAT,” that appeared in the “VW Magazine” issue of 25 Feb-April 2010.

Without a doubt, a heated VW debate will always start when the question “what makes a rat a rat?” is proposed on forums, chat rooms or at club meets world wide. Although the style has been with the scene for some years, a consensus on what constitutes a rat is far from being resolved, although there is agreement that rusted hulks fit for landfill should never be confused with the definition. Terms such as patina, character, original and matching close partnership with lowering narrowing and big motors, yet whatever your combination of the afore mentioned, the fact remains that the rat style is here to stay and grow.

The style attracts both those enthusiasts striving for something different, and those looking for a niche in the hobby. Some stumble across ready made rats, keeping the barn find look while repairing and improving what needs to be fixed, while others choose vehicles specially for their rat potential, with a deliberate emphasis on creating the look. Others again, like Paul Johnson from East Coast Kombis, unintentionally fell into the style while in the process of rust repairs, turning what was to be a clean, simple daily driven lowlight, into a scene stealing Kombi rat.

Paul ahs always been involved with classic cars, and being a welder by trade, was readily equipped with the necessary skills to tackle rust and panel repairs. VWs, particularly Kombis, have always been a part of his car hobby, and as he began to repair and fix more than the occasional rusted hulk, the hobby quickly turned into a business. Running a steel fabrication shop in Sydney in 2005 the collection of Kombis grew, and with a move to the central NSW coast in 2007, Paul decided to concentrate solely on fixing these once abused and now increasingly popular icons. East Coast Kombis was established.

Aside from customer cars, Paul began to find time to restore vehicles for himself and the first of these was a Lowlight for his own personal use and as company car for the business. The bus was subjected to a complete bare metal re-spray, new interior. Porsche engine, transmission and although it was a fantastic mobile billboard. Paul was not happy to see the car being knocked around as a daily.

He consequently bought another ‘71 Lowlight with the intention of creating this into his everyday hack, but the project quickly changed direction. Paul started with the usual rust removal and panel replacement for a bus of this age, which included a new battery tray, a rear quarter donored from another van, inner and outer sills, inner and outer steps, and inner and outer lower front panel. Paul then decided he was not too fond of the colour and he removed all the paint back to bare metal using paint strip and seaweed pads. With a naked bus standing in the workshop, the bare metal look appealed to both him and good friend Steve Moss, who at this point, steered Paul in a slightly different direction. The Rat Bay was born!

Steve offered to buy the Lowlight from Paul, but far from just leaving the bus bare and on stock running gear, Steve asked Paul to go the full Monty. A traditional rat look usually incorporates a lowered and narrowed stance, so Steve asked Paul to tub the front wheel arches to accommodate a 100mm narrowed and adjustable beam in combination with dropped spindles. This was achieved by removing the arches and welding in new sections 30mm higher. The rear was then splined to even out the ride height, and with the bus now sitting 150mm lower to the ground, Steve brought in a set of Fuchs wrapped in 235x50x17 for the rear. The wheels finished the stance off perfectly.

The outside was then sprayed with 2 Pac clear, and roof (a painter’s worst nightmare) was masked for a black and white cheque pattern. To keep the bare metal theme running through the car, Paul used a cheque plate aluminum floor and fitted aluminum door cards. The remainder of the interior is designed to take the hard daily knocks, although Steve opted for a set of aftermarket seats to aid the comfort factor slightly, and for his entertainment pleasure, he installed an NTX sound system, with a Pioneer head unit and 7.5’ DVD screen. A rock’n’ roll bed was fitted to the back for lazing away during those long VW shows.

The 1600 Type 1 motor was kept and freshened to 1640 with a mild cam, and the transmission remained stock. True to the daily hack code and rat look, the engine bay is devoid of any detailing or chrome dress, apart from an aftermarket air filter to replace the stock arrangement with the exception of the alloys, it’s probably the only chrome piece on the entire bus!

Steve added a few custom touches to the exterior, including various stickers in keeping with the bare metal theme, such as “LEGALISE RUST” and “CAUTION: BITS MAYFALL OFF”, and the use of Cola script for “Air Cooled”. The obligatory rubber rat also found its way into the rear engine fresh air vent, but, Steve made sure all the extras were subtle and in tune with the rat look. The biggest change that Steve made to Paul’s original plan is that the bus is not used as daily, but rather as as weekend cruiser and leisure machine with attitude.

As a surprise bonus, the rat Bay has collected a number of trophies at various VW shows, with many people taken by the bare metal finish and the opportunity to actually see Paul’s excellent weld and panel work in the flesh. Although Paul lost his daily hack to a delighted Steve, you can be certain that this will not the last unique bus creation to leave the workshop at East Coast Kombis.