TheSamba.com :: View topic - Family Roadtrip

Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:25 am

After a few years of dreaming of a family road trip across Canada, we've finally decided to do it. We've owned many buses in the past including at least half a dozen bay westfalias, several splits and a few vanagons. For the last ten years or more we've had splittys and a 91 Vanagon Mulitivan Westy poptop. I got tired of watercooled issues and after basically complete rebuilding the van and driving it for several years on camping trips, we sold it this fall. It was really my wife's baby and the disclaimer on the sale was that we would get another poptop camper to continue the summer camping tradition with our 3 sons.

So realizing Canada is a big country, we started with the idea of buying something more solid out west, flying in and driving home, mostly due to limited vacation time allotment. I've toured Canada in buses and want my kids to have that experience too. We are the backroads camping type, not so much campgrounds, so something with a lift and some offroad tires appeals to our lifestyle.

We ended up with this beast and will be flying out to Vancouver in June and spending a few weeks driving home to Ontario. It's a 78 deluxe westy that someone put a hightop on. Its originally from california and is mostly original paint. We have a late bay westy parts bus that will donate a poptop when we get home, presuming we don't like the hightop post-trip:

We are open to suggestions on things to check before we head out, places to see along the way and any other helpful advice. I am a capable bus mechanic and it will be getting a safety check before we go along with a new muffler. It has new ball joints and drag link, rebuilt top end on the 2.0L and a rebuilt transmission. Its running newer kadrons and an electric fuel pump. It will also have new type 4 CV's (better angle for lift) installed before we pick it up. The seller has been great and is taking care of some of these things. I might re-route the fuel lines prior to leaving as well as I don't like the looks of things. I am also going to ship out a box of tools and some small spare parts just prior to our trip, open to suggestions on this as well.

We have lots of time to plan and I thought starting a thread will help keep us on the way. Wish us luck.

Sun Feb 02, 2014 10:54 am

Congrats and good luck!

It could be a tight trying to get two adults and three kids in high top. You'll also need an extra seatbelt.

Sun Feb 02, 2014 11:21 am

yay, another aircooled camper in the local scene!

Sun Feb 02, 2014 11:33 am

Looks like it'll be a great trip! I remember seeing that bus in the classifieds last year before I bought mine! My GF and I will also be travelling across the continent back to the Maritimes (by way of USA) this spring/summer in our '77 and are gathering all the spare parts/tools we need now. Looks like you have some nice beefy tires on that bad boy. We're running passenger tires for now, but will be switching to a set of BFG AT KOs once we get into WA.

Sun Feb 02, 2014 11:42 am

cool bus, i love em all jacked up like that.

Sun Feb 02, 2014 12:26 pm

BUSBOSS wrote: Congrats and good luck!

It could be a tight trying to get two adults and three kids in high top. You'll also need an extra seatbelt.

It has a vanagon rear facing jump seat by the slider door, not pictured. It also came with the og childs cot and side tent which should help on the room. Although not sure how often we'll go to the trouble of setting up the side tent as we'll be moving to another destination most days.

Sun Feb 02, 2014 6:43 pm

Nice bus and an excellent plan for a road trip! I guess you won't need that '58 westy anymore....... I can take that off your hands :)

Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:56 am

fogoo wrote: Nice bus and an excellent plan for a road trip! I guess you won't need that '58 westy anymore....... I can take that off your hands :)

Sorry, the splits aren't going anywhere. :)

I've never owned a bus with Kadrons before so I'll need learn on tuning them, I"ll bring my snail with me on the way out there, timing light, etc...

I am not sure I really like how the fuel lines are run in the pics (over the coil!) and with electric pump I don't see a regulator. From what I have read Kadrons like 1.5psi and no more..... I have a dial regulator that I'll likely bring along with some spare filters. Any suggestions on the Kads? I was told they might be running a little rich, however the bus drives good (my guess is poor fuel mileage)...

Would like to go back to FI evenually.

Mon Feb 03, 2014 6:37 am

Might want to add a new engine foam seal to the list, it looks pretty tired in the close-up pic and there is a gap at the back....

Mon Feb 03, 2014 7:28 am

Nice!!! I always wanted to stop in dinosaur valley alberta... must be a place to camp around there, plus cool museum for the kids

Mon Feb 03, 2014 7:28 am

That's a nice bus! I saw it in Springfield, MO a couple of years ago. It belonged to KevinMC the backroads bus guy at that time. I would vote to keep the hightop, it's just cool. 8)

Have a safe trip, sounds like fun.

Mon Feb 03, 2014 8:43 am

Definatley get that fuel pump out of there. I personally like Kads. Pretty easy to tune as well. Jeff has a great write up on how to tune them as well over at kaddieshack.com.
You don't always need a regulator but its always good to check the fuel pressure and make sure it's not too high.
Subscribed :D

Tue Feb 04, 2014 4:56 pm

type2much wrote: That's a nice bus! I saw it in Springfield, MO a couple of years ago. It belonged to KevinMC the backroads bus guy at that time. I would vote to keep the hightop, it's just cool. 8)

Have a safe trip, sounds like fun.

Yeah I have been talking with Kevin about the build etc. Overall is sounds like it should be pretty solid mechanically and body wise.

We'll see how the hightop does on the trip, it will be the wife's bus as I already have a couple of my own.

Tue Feb 04, 2014 4:58 pm

BobB10 wrote: Nice!!! I always wanted to stop in dinosaur valley alberta... must be a place to camp around there, plus cool museum for the kids

There is a museum in drumheller, AB and then a park called Dinosaur Provincial Park about 1.5 hours south of there. We'll likely do both unless we can find some locals that let us in on some backroads spots where we can camp for free and still get the flavour of the area.

Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:42 am

Anybody have any other suggested destinations across Canada? We'll be starting on Vancouver Island and making our way eastward....Things that kids age 6 - 13 would enjoy?

Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:46 am

When i first seen this Post I'm thinking Frozen Canada trip
Then I see June trip :lol: awesome!!! and please throw that 'dial' Regulator as far as u can off a mountain,their crap :lol: pick up a decent Holly but as said u may not need one with a faucet style pump, pickup a fuel pressure gage and check it :wink:

Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:58 am

- swim in a glacier fed lake ... your kids will love it and never forget the experience
- Spiral Tunnel http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/natcul/spirale-spiral.aspx
- Jasper not Banff
- Eagle Canyon http://www.eaglecanyonadventures.ca/

Enjoy =)

Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:10 am

Kakabeka Falls, just west of Thunder Bay, stopped there on my only driving trip across Canada in '86. I'll always remember it. You can't drive by Banff and Lake Louise without at least taking a picture :lol:

Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:55 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. I have done some travelling around BC backroads before and always liked the undeveloped backroads hot springs. We'll probably try and hit one or two of those as well.

Thu Feb 06, 2014 2:00 pm

buseric wrote: Anybody have any other suggested destinations across Canada? We'll be starting on Vancouver Island and making our way eastward....Things that kids age 6 - 13 would enjoy?

On Vancouver Island, you might enjoy Long Beach (Coombs, Cathedral Grove and Horn Lake Caves are in the same region)
or around Port Renfrew, there is Avatar Grove (large trees) and numerous beaches that are easy to access. and, the road from Cowichan lake is quite nice.
the ferry from port hardy to prince Rupert is supposed to be pretty wild...