"The Toaster" ~ Personal History and restoration

[DadaCheese]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

From the AP: "AAA projects that 48.7 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving..."

For us, 153 miles from the Bay Area of California up to my in-laws in Chico, CA.

Brought ourselves (Kathy & I), my sister-in-law, out from New York, my mom, as well our cat, Nikita.

Comfy with the bed down in the back.

Regretfully have not seen any other air-cooled VWs on the road during the 3 hour trip.

Hope you are all safe, warm and happy with family & friends.

Mom in the bus she used to drive:

After a rainy night:

The five of us and my mother-in-law, prior to heading back to the Bay:

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Dada as in dadaism.
Cheese as in the stuff I love to eat.

[oakman]

Happy Thanksgiving to you too! I love when this thread gets updated. Safe travels out there!

[Pinetops]

Nice pics, happy Thanksgiving!
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"A rolling bus gathers no rust."

[mandraks]

[DadaCheese]

Happy Winter, everyone.

Was just down in Southern California for New Year's and managed to dig up a couple snapshots of "The Toaster" during 1975 & 1976.

Soccer and Scouting (both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts) were activities that the Toaster was often used for, besides being our family's main car during '75 & '76. In 1976, my dad bought a floor-model blue and white Bay Window.

I don't think these photos, since the bus is not prominently displayed, are quite good enough for the old picture/postcard thread.

My mom at home before a scout meeting:

Cub Scout Outing:

My brother with his team's soccer banner (below).
...that top on The Toaster was used often for camping trips, and when my parents drove us across the country (in the Bay Window), we used it then too.

I'm pleased to find these pictures also to see that yes, the original hub caps were once gray, and that we also used to have the original round mirrors too.

Also while down south, Kathy and I went to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
https://petersen.org/

Here's the 1954 that they have on display:

...and if you are a Herbie fan; a couple links to Herbie "Fully Loaded" also at the museum:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1592311.jpg
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=1592310
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1592309.jpg

...and lastly...
Some friend sent Kathy and myself some T-shirts that they had made via CafePress. There was no note as to who they came from. We put up a post on Facebook to ask the mystery gift sender to come forward, but so far; nothing. ...someone from TheSamba?

Hope everyone has had a great holiday season. Look for me on the 80 this morning; it's always a great day when I use The Toaster for work, even if it is raining.
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Dada as in dadaism.
Cheese as in the stuff I love to eat.

[DadaCheese]

Found these at our local Daiso ($1.50 discount store of primarily Japanese items)

Very cheaply made, out of balsa wood, but only $1.50.
Good perhaps for holding paper, but nothing heavy.

12cm X 5cm X 19.5cm

Might be good for organizing junk on the parcel tray.

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Dada as in dadaism.
Cheese as in the stuff I love to eat.

[BarryL]

[DadaCheese]

[Spike0180]

Looks like you have tons of fun! Wish my VW was in good enough condition to be used that much. (It will be soon enough) but just an FYI, that painters tape really sticks once it gets wet. It'll rip your paint off. You may want to look into a different solution.
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Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[DadaCheese]

[DadaCheese]

We are seriously starting to consider a cross-county, and back, trip in “The Toaster”.
Possibly this year (2017).
NOT set in stone, but we're at the early; “can we do this?” stage of planning.

West Coast (Bay Area of California) to New York via a central-northern route, then dipping down to the Southern U.S. for the return.

There's a great many excellent threads about other long trips that folks have taken, and I also appreciate the many lists of tools and extra parts that folks bring along.

Really; it is just time and money.
We don't have much of either, but we’re tired of thinking; “one day.”

Although hot, we'd consider July.
A great deal of the trip would be spent in the car, likely trying to keep most travel segments down to about 300 miles a day.
Per day that would be 6 to 7 hours of driving (300 miles, averaging 57mph = 5.67 hours sans stops or traffic).

At an estimated 3,721 miles to Kathy's sister in NYC, 13 days of travel (without break-downs or lay-overs).

Returning, a more ambitious 4,311 miles (roughly), that's 14 to 15 days of traveling.

Beyond the many things I want to fix on the Toaster prior an attempt like this, and the great likelihood of breaking down (more than once), it's a matter of being frugal as well as having emergency funds at the ready.

We'd likely be primarily camping; sleeping in our tent and/or in the bus. Perhaps an occasional AirBnB, or motel. Perhaps we’d also be fortunate to meet other VW enthusiasts on the way too.

Took a quick look at shows/events for July of this year, and the only thing that may even fit our schedule would possibly be the “Camping at Bald Mountain” in Townshend, Vermont on July 14th. Looks like that’s about 150 miles north of friends of ours in Providence, RI that if we do the trip we’d hope to visit.

Are there other July shows/events in the States that aren't posted yet that folks know about?

So; roughly 8,100 miles. Using a conservative estimate of 15mpg, (our collective average over the past year has been 17mpg), equals 535.5 gallons.
Times a conservatively high $3/gallon for premium, equals $1,606.50 in gas alone.

Again; just at the musing part of this, but Kathy's inspired, and it's always been a dream of mine to accomplish this trip in The Toaster.

Thoughts, advice and naysayer's comments appreciated if tinged with friendly well-meaning VW community spirit.
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Dada as in dadaism.
Cheese as in the stuff I love to eat.

[d-rick]

Just Do It...you will never forget it

Love your thread
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1959 mango-trailerbus
1962 single cab *1/2
1966 13 window
1967 panel/camper
1968 cig-panel *1/2
1968 passenger bus *1/2
1969 beetle
1969 dormobile
1978 sage green Westy
1990 DoKa
2002 Golf TDI

[pyrOman]

[BulliBill]

Hi there,

Slow down to 55 or 60 mph and you'll get better gas mileage and save a bit of money...

The Vintage Races held at the rural "Road America" race course in beautiful Elkhart Lake, WI in mid-July. Lots of old Vintage street cars of all types and plenty of vintage and historic race cars in use on the race course. A group of VW Bus enthusiasts often convene that weekend to camp nearby and attend the vintage automotive festivities.

We're in the St. Louis, MO area if you end up in our neighborhood...

Bill Bowman
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I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[Enkiel]

[BarryL]

[AS350driver]

[AS350driver]

[BarryL]

[DadaCheese]

SMALLEST of updates: began conversations with my boss about the possibility of taking a month off to do this.
I work for a non-profit with a three-person IT team, so even my absence from work would need to be planned for in advance, and I may need to take some unpaid time off as I do not currently have enough vacation days to cover a whole month off.

It sounds as if this could be arranged. Kathy's work situation notwithstanding (another factor to be looked into).

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