TheSamba.com :: View topic - Oct '58 ('59 model) 15 Window Deluxe back on the road

Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:15 am

My new bus looked like this a few years back...

And then one of the PO's stripped it back to OG SWR/BG - good move!

The bus changed hands a few times but no one did much to it... best intentions, funds are tight - we can all relate to that.

I have wanted a 15 window for a while but finding the right bus isn't easy. And really, cutting out rust and welding in new metal is not my cup of tea and it can get ridiculous.... the more you grind and cut, the deeper the rust goes. So, I wanted a rust free survivor and finally found her!

4 weeks ago I bought the bus from the PO. It was stripped back - no glass, engine or interior..... but the damaged front end had been professionally replaced with a clean donor front clip & a few Gerson bits. They did a great job with that! The OG floor was saved, both front & cargo bay. A lot of the deluxe goodies, window glass & assorted stuff were in a pile - some was good & reusable, some not. The bus did come with a Bug 1600sp engine but stuff was missing from it.

Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:30 am

Since I live in Australia, putting Humpty Dumpty back together, driving, stopping, going again, was a bit tricky. So, through good fortune and because he's a friend of the PO, I engaged the services of all round VW boffin and good guy, Jeremy Young (IN2RUST), to resurrect this sleeping beauty and get her driving again for the first time in maybe 30 years!

We started to compile a large parts list - stuff we had to buy new (repro) and second hand OG. She's a deluxe so we wanted to restore her grand visage. Brakes, RGB's were pulled apart and inspected, parts replaced or machined. Steering box & spindles were rebuilt. Seals were replaced. Complete new wiring harness. New glass to replace broken. 6 stainless Wolfgang pop-outs. Everything was inspected, serviced, fixed or replaced. She was converted to 12 volt so things like swapping out the armature in the wiper motor and marrying a 12volt beetle engine to the original 6 volt split case tranny, had to be done.

The parts list grew & grew. More problems were found and had to be remedied. But the 54 year old beauty deserved it.....

Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:40 am

With great perseverance and years of experience and skill, Jeremy started to get quick results. He's a great guy and knows a heck of a lot about VW Buses!

She came with Gerson pressed bumpers so I had to splash out and get the pressed bumper deluxe trim pieces from Westling Machine (not in the photo - I will install them here in Oz). Extravagant, because more mundane but vital parts were needed first - but the bus deserves it.

As you can see, it's an amazing transformation. She is now driving, stopping and looking pretty good. All her electrics are working, even the horn.

Now she is on her way to Australia to be driven & loved by me and my family. She is stock except for the Bug 1600 & 12 volt conversion and will stay that way for a while.

Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:50 am

Great job on the bus -

Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:39 am

zuggbug wrote: Great job on the bus -

X2

Thu Apr 26, 2012 6:47 am

Awesome bus!

Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:11 am

Nice bus! What tire size are you running?

Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:19 am

cool bus.

are you going to paint the top chesnut brown?

Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:38 am

That sir is a peach of a bus!

Thu Apr 26, 2012 8:09 am

Very nice! That thing needs some big bumpers.

Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:08 am

Nice bus indeed, belonged to one of the most stand up guys in the community- Al "hellabro" Labrador
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=253069&highlight=hella+bro

To bad the vultures stripped it before landing in your hands, it was complete when it first hit the Samba, including the ambulance fan...

The bus has an interesting past..

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=414975&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5447243&highlight=#5447243

Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:19 am

Is this the same bus Skinner had for sale at the May 2011 BOR in Sac?

Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:31 pm

desert westy wrote: Nice bus! What tire size are you running?

205/75R15....

Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:38 pm

ricekooker wrote: Very nice! That thing needs some big bumpers. Can't fake the funk with the right bumpers, thought you knew!

Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:44 pm

westcoastbullies wrote: Nice bus indeed, belonged to one of the most stand up guys in the community- Al "hellabro" Labrador
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=253069&highlight=hella+bro

To bad the vultures stripped it before landing in your hands, it was complete when it first hit the Samba, including the ambulance fan...

The bus has an interesting past..

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=414975&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5447243&highlight=#5447243

Thanks for the comments, guys.

westcoastbullies, I did a lot of research when I bought this bus and knew its history. I read that Al was a great guy and his passing is a loss....

Regarding, price - as Everett said in one of the above threads, there had been a bit of money & time invested in the bus after it was purchased from Al's wife; not least of which was replacing the entire front clip with a clean donor plus a few Gerson bits (dogleg, front valance, etc), donor driver's door and then everything was aligned & straigtened. This job was done at Skinners and wasn't cheap but it was done properly - they did a fantastic job getting rid of the only 'major' blemish on this old survivor. It also came with new Gerson pressed bumpers and attachment bits, which also aren't cheap. Also, came with the Bug 1600. So, all in all these things add up...
So, the price to me was fair and reflected that work, time & effort.

Also, when I say it was 'stripped', I mean not MIA but ready for a resto. A lot of the parts were there but the PO changed tack and decided to sell rather than restore. This happens all the time, some of you have done this with 'barn finds'! You realise you haven't got the time & money to do a proper resto so you flip it - fairly common, really.

At the end of the day, buses get flipped. Some more ethically than others, but the important thing is that another 15 window survivor is now going to be loved, driven & used by my family, the way it was meant to 54 years ago! :D

It's not a loss - it's a gain.... check out the photos, before she was trucked to the shipper....

Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:50 pm

spookymulder wrote: ricekooker wrote: Very nice! That thing needs some big bumpers. Can't fake the funk with the right bumpers, thought you knew!

If you're talking about slash end US spec over riders, I don't like them. IMO, they spoil the lines of the bus and at the rear they are actually almost blocking the tail lights.

This bus was built October, 58. A few months prior (in August) they changed from pressed to slash end over riders..... so yeah, if you want to be a purist the pressed aren't correct for this bus.
But each to their own. It's not faking anything - it's just personal preference! Just like back in the day, when buyers chose M code special options like walk through, sliding doors, 12 volt, custom paint, etc.

On another note, yes unfortunately the Ambulance Fan is MIA..... but otherwise she is fairly intact & OG.

More photos in next post....

Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:55 pm

She is looking mighty fine.... Santa Cruzing, Baby!

A shame some 'goose' in the past cut the access hole but it's an easy fix...

Rebuilt spindles, rebuilt steering box, new M/C, new drag link, wheel bearings, brake drums machined, etc...

OG bench, radio, clock....

New fuse box, complete re-wire & converted to 12 volt...

Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:04 pm

The old trim was trashed so has been removed. The OG rear seats are OK but need re-upholstering...

Get in, take her for a drive - for the first time in a long, long while...

Ready to go.... the clean donor front clip was period correct but from a standard. So the deluxe clock hole was cut in the exact position it's supposed to be. The grab handle holes will be plugged and grab handle repositioned.

Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:08 pm

Congrats on the Bus, glad to see any Bus where someone is excited about it and spending time and money to make it better.

Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:13 pm

Lind wrote: cool bus.

are you going to paint the top chesnut brown?

Lind, I've thought long and hard about paint. I love the look of SWR & CB but I also like the original Beige Grey.

I've thought about just blending in to the OG faded SWR or a total respray.
There's already been comment about the 'incorrect' bumpers so painting her Chestnut Brown will surely bring more howls from the purists....

But for the time being I'm not touching the body, it's beautiful as is for now. First, I want to get the interior sorted with Dark Grey/Blue Grey trim which was in it originally, and get the rear seats done. We'll see about the paint... :)