Corvair powered Bus....and it's pink

[PinkBajaBus]

An introduction and first post on this site. I purchased my first VW, a '74 Super Beetle 25 years ago at age 17. A year later I got a 1968 standard Beetle and shortly after that I got my first Bus. After discovering that I am truly a Type II man, I drove that Bus, a 1970 bench seat model, through college in Illinois. I lived through three winters in it with little or no heat and slowly converted it into a homemade, sparsely optioned camper.

It was a great vehicle, however, and I delivered Italian food in it at night. I sold it a year before I moved back to California and missed it as soon as I saw it drive away. In 1994 I bought another one, a 1969 bench set Bus--same color as the first, blue lower, white top. I drove that one until 1997. Circumstances forced me to sell that one, and once again, I saw it drive away and regretted the sale.

So for the last twelve years I have been Bus watching, hoping for the right 1971 Camper to come my way. I looked at several models but never found one that was the right Bus for the right price at the right time. Until now.

It's not a '71 model and it's not a camper, but it is a solid 1970 model in which a previous owner installed a Transvair kit with a 110 hp Corvair engine and Powerglide transmission. The interior is stripped, but will be converted into a camper equipped with a dual 110v and 12v electrical system, home built cabinets and rear seating, a propane furnace, a mild lift and 15" white spoke rims/tires.

This thread will document progress as it moves along, but I figure it will probably take about three years before it's done, so there may be periods of inactivity. Because I will not be able to work on it in the garage, some of the things I do may seem out of order, but I want to be sure that the body is water tight first, then will move on to the brakes and suspension, then motor mods and then interior.

Some initial pictures:

[PinkBajaBus]

The Body is mostly solid, though the right front door is rusted out and the lower section of the nose has some rust on the inside. The windshield panel shows little rust but the paint on the body is not that old, so I might find a mess underneath.

The rest of the body, including the battery pan, is solid with nothing more than surface rust. The original color was tan/white and at some point I will return it to that color. For now, though, the pink will stay. It was an original air conditioned Bus, but almost all of that gear has been removed.

It appears that someone added camper gear in the past. This plug was added a long time ago:

[PinkBajaBus]

Part of the electrical system was modified at some point in the past. A second, dead, deep cycle battery was located in the engine compartment along with a dual battery control center and a bunch of extra wiring that was not hooked up to anything.

The wiring runs underneath the body through the frame rails and along the left side body panels behind the side panels.

The dash is a spider web, but doesn't look to be too bad to figure out. Fortunately, the stock wiring hasn't been hacked. Instead, a bunch of extra wiring was run on top of the existing harnesses.

The limp, useless shifter is no longer needed.

I've seen this one too many times and replaced numerous clutch cables on the side of the road. Won't have to worry about this anymore. The clutch pedal has been removed and the hole in the frame rail filled with the original clutch linkage assembly.

[PinkBajaBus]

The Corvair engine and Powerglide are an awesome set up in the Bus. I haven't messed with the engine much yet, but it is amazing how smooth and quiet these engines are. It retains the sound and cadence of an air-cooled boxer motor and sounds enough like a VW when running, but the extra two cylinders merge the pulses and and it just sounds....different.

The conversion could have been done a little cleaner and with a little more thought to where things should go, but at some point I will pull the motor and place things in a more logical location or order.

The power is awesome. It effortlessly pushes the Bus along and the Powerglide doesn't shift until it reaches about 30 to 35 miles per hour unless throttle application is really light. One of the Busses I looked at in 1994 was a 1979 2.0L with an automatic transmission that was owned by an older German man who was the original owner. That Bus ran perfect and I'll never forget how good the Type IV motor and automatic transmission felt in a Bus when everything was right. I wanted to buy that Bus in the worst way, but his price was a little higher than my budget and I was scared away by the fuel injection, automatic transmission, and the fact that I would have to smog it.

But that van ran perfect and this one reminds me of that one, only with a lot more power.

The installer placed the shifter at the base of the seat platform. Stealthy.

Right now I am still in clean up mode, removing things I don't need or won't use.

First on the list of real things to do is replace the the rear hatch and two far rear window rubbers and replacement of the left rear vented window assembly with a solid window assembly.

The current middle windows are rusted through. Fortunately, the body metal below is still good with no corrosion.

The two middle windows will be replaced with a pair of 1978-1979 slider windows.

[Conquest]

I like it.

Not a lot of men are secure enough to drive a pink bus, I'm not one of the either.
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'78 Westy

[bigbore]

man that looks like fun and you got to leave it pink!
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where its cold and snowy

[kevinrco]

[morymob]

Would have been nice had the po used the Monza Spider eng, the one with the turbo.

[Mr'72Special]

That is quite the find, but it sure looks like like you've got your work cut out for you. That's a pretty big hole behind the driver seat, did the P/O cut off your M-plate? But the best part about that bus is the Corvair 110 HP flat six/powerglide combo. I often find myself wondering about what drivetrain I'd get if I ever got enough money, and I always find myself split between a Raby c/s and your exact setup. With the way you(and everyone else that has your drivetrain style) describe yours, makes me want to scour the earth for a good auto Corvair.

Edit: Forgot to mention I love how the P/O made a 'stealth shifter'. Do you plan on keeping it?

[EZ Gruv]

Please tell me you are going to keep it pink!
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Eric
1977 Deluxe Westfalia - 2.0L FI Type IV, Completely Original
Photographer for HotVWs, VolksWorld, AirMighty, VW Camper & Commercial, Hayburner, and more.
My Photography Page.

[flat4freak1978]

Will she spin the tires with that flat6? Cool bus. Id love to have 110hp.
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1978 bus. 2.0 f.i. manual trans. "the great gonzo"

[WestyPop]

The Corvair engine is a good powerplant for a bay bus. PowerGlide... it's an acquired taste, I think, for many folks, but it's sure got the low gearing to move the VW bus. Yours definitely looks like it is a great starting point and has lots pf potential.

There are quite a few "pink" VW buses around that are actually a very oxidized VW red color. OTOH your bus's shade of pink looks like it's somewhere between 'titty pink' and 'dog pecker pink'. You'll never lose track of it in a crowded parking lot.

Best wishes on your fun project.
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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
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J.R.
68 Westy
(+ others)

[flat4freak1978]

Dog pecker?? hwhahahahahahaha. Never seen that on a crayon label.
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1978 bus. 2.0 f.i. manual trans. "the great gonzo"

[Chazbot]

Aircooled Powerglide eh? sounds pretty cool. I would like to take a long look around that one. And I agree, those ain't crayola colors he's using there.

[PinkBajaBus]

[Emeritusx]

When ever I see pink, I always think of Pinky and The Brain.... I loved that show..

I would have to name it Dolly cuz that bus is titties!
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82 Westy ☢, 66 Splitty ☮, 73 Type 181 ✠

[EvilWerks]

Word! Its nice to see another conversion here. I am putting a 3.1L corvair motor into my bus currently. I am pretty close to done and am happy to hear another report on the PG tranz as I rebuilt mine and am installing it. I have a thread about it here with lots of pics
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Dr Evil, MD (Mike)

74 Bay being converted to 3.1L Corvair power and pop top
Link --> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=345677

[EvilWerks]

Here is a link to my thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=345677

Also look up Mike Hill's conversion. His is very well done
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Dr Evil, MD (Mike)

74 Bay being converted to 3.1L Corvair power and pop top
Link --> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=345677

[PinkBajaBus]

Thanks Mike. I've been following your thread. I like where your Bus is heading and can't wait to see it rolling.

[skid]

I love the pink, you should really keep it!
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'71 Westfalia