Wonder if it was reinforcement for either twin sliders or possibly panel vans which don't have double skins where the side windows are?
They weren’t on my twin slider, otherwise the panels I made and carpeted would not have sat flat. It was a tin top, so I don’t think it needed any extra strength. ( This is the only interior pic I have of it.).
They weren't on my Westy's either. They were on both my factory window Devons. Maybe a pukka part fitted to vans destined for full length pop tops?
My bus is the Triggers Broom of all busses. Long ish story short, it was a converted panel with flat glass cut in windows when I got it with roof rust issues etc that I unsuccessfully fixed with repair panels from whoever. Cant rails fu d roof panel fu d so obtained a donor which was a 72 tin openered Devon Deluks ( made that bit up) Roof panels ok ish, side windows almost ok ish, cant rails pretty good. Hodge podged the lot together and rolling ever since. I’ve got that gusset as well from both vans and they’re both slightly different. One from van as in original and one from the 72 Devon which had factory windows. I’ll try and picture them one day but they’re both mostly covered up now. Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,luvvvvvin a mystery,,,,, maybe I’m Peter Andre
First van I had with them I left it in and they play havoc with your roof lining so I took it off my present van. I know I shouldn't have removed it but... so unsightly and nigh on impossible to retro fit a ply interior roof. It's no excuse I know - it doesn't effect the van in normal use but no doubt in a crash it would fold up into a smaller shape without it. Ah well, I never have passengers in the back.
Same bulge on my Devon was a pain to get around. Ended up just adding a bulbous cap. lol Turned out on though but the angles along the rail before and after it are also different. Another pain to get around but somehow managed. These things aren’t easy to work on. www.transmission610.com
With Triggers broom, I don’t have the issue of trying to look somewhere near stock. Yours is a fab looking van and makes mine look like small change and then some. Mine don’t go fast enough to crash into anything. Ozziedog,,,,,,,nothing is foolproof though as fools are rather ingenious
Looks good, the two raised pipe clips ? Does that clip the joining rail ? Perhaps as a hold down. Ozziedog,,,,,,,,, luvvin the way different solutions and looks appear
Thanks. Those clips are to hold my poptop braces. It’s fibreglasses and will eventually have solar panels, so pretty heavy.
Re, the welded belly pans. Just went and looked at mine. They ARE welded on all four sides. The gap I was referring to was at the top of the inner chassis rail. Duh!
And one of these but the welds look good. I’m going with Devon in Sidmouth, mods. My other van had neither.
but the part looks like an original vw part on the parts diagram. When did the Y shape front chassis start? Is it linked with that?
Mine has those and it started life as a single slider, minibus from Australia. As Zed said they are ugly and show through my leathercloth that I covered the inside about the various cards. The nearest my bus has been to “Devon” is on holiday.
This is interesting. I'd honestly never seen these on anything but Devon conversions through my own 5 buses and 8 years of restoring other peoples. that's maybe 20+ buses I had in pieces. While the welding certainly looks strong I've not seen one that I would describe as pro. They really do look like an after thought assigned to the apprentice to fit. The design of them even looks like a bodge to me. Ah well!
Perhaps Australian ones had them because they could potentially get more hammer on roads away from city centres.
