AUTOMOTIVE TAFE courses seem to have come a long way since we were lads. The Street Machine team has visited some awesome facilities of late, including Motorsport Training Australia in Wodonga, the Automotive Centre of Excellence in Melbourne and now the Chisholm Institute in Dandenong.

The kids at the Chisholm Institute who are studying their Certificate III in Vehicle Body Repair and Light Vehicle Refinishing are currently in the throes of a cool project; giving new life to a very tired ’71 Kombi for Sidchrome.

“The Kombi was fitted with a Dormobile pop top roof and was imported from England a few years ago,” Dan Keyse from Sidchrome says. “It is the rarest of the bay windows; with the low front headlights, oval tail-lights and the moon vents. We thought it would be a cool project to work on with the TAFE kids.”

On first inspection, the Kombi was a typical example of a camper that had been left to sit too long, with a very sad interior and plenty of dings. Some rust was expected, but blasting revealed a multitude of sins in the floor, battery tray and all through the front end.

“The front end is a bit of a rust trap and, with a number of inner panels, it is quite complex to repair. But the students were able to fabricate the repair panels needed and stich them in.”

Once the rust repair is done, the students will get stuck into smoothing out the bodywork and finally applying the paint. As you can see, the Kombi isn’t going to be a stocker. The duco will be a striking two-tone red and white deal, with brushed aluminium trim-work to set it off.

The blokes at the Australian VW Performance Centre are treating the bus to a 140hp mill to up the horsepower quotient, as well as going right through the suspension, brakes and driveline. Inside, the camper interior has been ditched and the Kombi will be decked out with a Pioneer audio system, custom leather trim and incorporate a retro-style drinks cooler and cupboards in the style of a Sidchrome tool chest. The real wow factor, though, will be the roof. Rather than the lift-up camper, the panel will be filled with a glass moon roof to let sunshine in. The whole deal will sit a lot lower than factory and will roll on 17in Fuchs-style rims.

As well as providing something a lot cooler than a smashed Camry for the students at Chisholm to work on, the Kombi will also be an awesome prize that one lucky punter will win!

To find out how you can WIN this awesome Kombi visit winwithsidchrome.com.au