TheSamba.com :: View topic - Our 1973 Westy Resto/Hack

Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:20 pm

Friends, I've decided it's time to share the abridged story of our Bus after a few years of browsing the Samba. My wife will tell you that I'm obsessed. Who knows about all that? My opinion, although obviously unpopular with some folks, is that these Buses allow for infinite modification and can be made into whatever you want. We've done that and we love our homemade camper just as a lot of you love your perfectly stock, unmolested Bays. I wouldn't change a thing.

We bought Vanny (Yes, we know he's a Bus, not a van, but his name is a title, not a description) in 2011 in Longview, Washington from a guy named Scott for $900. When we bought him, he had only been in the PNW for 3 years after spending the majority of his life as a dry, California Bus.

Over the last few years, we've done paint, interior, brakes, an engine upgrade, and various other upgrades, downgrades, and "hacks."

The pictures tell the story. Thanks.

This was our first glimpse. A '73 Westy. Completely gutted of the original interior and barely running. We would soon discover one big vacuum leak where the 1.7 Liter engine was pretending to be.

Got him home to my parents' driveway.

A blank canvas.

Once we got the carbs rebuilt and the vacuum leaks tracked down, we got him home to our place in Battle Ground and really got to work.

One of the first orders of business was to get the inside cleaned out and painted. A couple coats of Rustoleum on the inside made a huge difference.

Then it was new wall panels.

The seats were pretty bad and we didn't need that couch anyway...

And his first trip to Astoria (of many). The beer ALONE is worth the trip!

Made wood floors out of old pallets, free from a paint store.

Half of the wiring didn't work, so I dove in. It was about three days before I had any idea what I was doing and another week to get it back together correctly. By some miracle (read: help from the Samba) everything works now!

And, of course, had to build some cabinets for our camper to replace the missing Westy interior.

One of the major projects was an exterior paint job after some well-placed Bondo (EEEEEWWW!!! I know, I know.) We did the whole thing with Rustoleum and brushes. We love the result.

Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:28 pm

Looks good to me! Next time though, try using a roller instead of a brush with the Rustoleum. Faster and it will lay out smoother for you. Here's a before and after of my Rustoleum job. Cut in with a brush and rolled the rest on.

Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:32 pm

We really wanted a sweet camper that we could take out for weekends and take surfing, so my wife tackled the interior design and I built us a roof rack.

We took a couple little camping trips after the paint job, but he was running rough and weak and we barely made it home after one trip to the coast. That's when we decided to upgrade. We picked up a crusty '79 from a guy in Portland and tackled the conversion to 2.0 Liter Fuel Injection.

Here's the '79 we bought for $1000. We named her Jane. My dad and Uncle came over to help with the swap. And YOU GUYS helped me sort out a lot of the technical issues of converting. All went smoothly and we were back on the road.

Since the conversion to 2.0, we've done brakes and a few other details. This summer we made it out camping a few times and look forward to taking a lot more trips next year! Thanks for glancing and thanks for all the help!

Wed Oct 15, 2014 7:03 pm

Nice going. Thanks for sharing.

Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:02 pm

From one-purist to another: If it suits your needs and tickles your fancy, then you done good!

Our bus and its story is very similar - a neglected shell turned into a camper using scavenged materials, hand painted, and the obligatory engine swap. The end result is a nice looking ride that draws constant comments and thumbs up, and is a reliable member of our family.

Not bashing the stock-nazis, but there are many ways to enjoy a bus, jus sayin.... 8)

-Klauss

Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:10 pm

Hey Neighbor!
Nice work! That wood floor looks great. And even your "crusty" $1000 donor bus looks pretty solid. Saving buses is good.

Thu Oct 16, 2014 12:43 am

Great job making your bus a part of you 8) . You do realize that you will never be able to sell it because it will be like ripping your arm off. It is now part of your soul... a part of who you are. You are now condemned to spend the rest of your driving years fretting over obsolete technology and searching for non-existent replacement parts when you need them most. :P

Thu Oct 16, 2014 12:49 am

Haha! Thanks for all the support, fellas! My diabolical plan is that my grandkids will be unable to sell it after I'm dead because of the cutting, drilling, and painting we've done. They'll be forced to keep it in the family forever. Muahahaha!

Thu Oct 16, 2014 5:58 am

Wasted youth wrote: ... You are now condemned to spend the rest of your driving years fretting over obsolete technology and searching for non-existent replacement parts when you need them most. :P
Well said. (sigh...)

-Klauss

Thu Oct 16, 2014 7:54 am

I consider myself a "stock dude" for the most part, until I see something like this. If you removed a perfect westy interior, that might be hard to watch, but y'all took a blank slate and made something beautiful!

And on a side note it is awesome to see examples that this "hobby" is still affordable and accessible to people who want to do this kind of thing. :)

Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:00 am

Great job... especially the floor!

Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:26 am

Cool bus and cute wife.

Good job making it work for your needs.

Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:43 am

Bala wrote: I consider myself a "stock dude" for the most part, until I see something like this. If you removed a perfect westy interior, that might be hard to watch, but y'all took a blank slate and made something beautiful!:)

agreed

Thu Oct 16, 2014 3:44 pm

Thanks again for the kind words, everyone. We've gotten a lot of compliments on the road and met lots of VW people. Even folks who aren't into Volkswagens come up and comment and ask to see the inside.

The floor tends to get the most attention. It's just pallets, cut up and pieced together, and a thick application of clear polyurethane to smooth it out.

Thu Oct 16, 2014 4:56 pm

Make it yours, and make it work well! That's where its true value is!

Unless you're building a show queen, function, safety and reliability (not necessarily in that order) have to come first. As long as you don't chop and hack the thing to pieces, it seems they will always have some relative resale value!

Great thread, good looking bus and hope you're enjoying the heck out of it!

Thu Oct 16, 2014 6:07 pm

Keep it going. Turning your bus into what you and your passenger need is the best part of a bus. We started out with a rusty '73 as well and after getting it rolling we have made lots of changes that fit our style of traveling versus what was available for the particular model year or generation. Be sure and keep taking lots of pictures along the way, its great to look back a with your passenger every now and again to remember the travels.