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Sat Jan 04, 2014 10:44 am

My Dad was a VW man so I grew up with VW's. We drove our 69 bay all over the country on vacations. I learned to drive by crashing my old mans 61 Baja into the garage just missing his chopper (if I had hit that I wouldn't be here writing this post today). My first car was a 66 Ghia that I drove as a teenager until I put it in storage after joining the USMC. When I got out in 89 I left it at the peeps house in storage to hopefully one day restore her. Time went on and life rolled over me and now I'm 46, married, two kids, two dogs, a house and I got the VW itch bad. I pulled out the 66 Ghia and went to work on sorting out the damage the multiple generations of opossums did using her as a home. Then I started going over parts and breaking down the engine when suddenly it started to dawn on me that this lil Ghia project was not going to fit in with the family unit, not on vacation, trips to the swap meet, car shows or the beach, it's just two damn small. My kids are 8 and 12 and I have a Ambullneo Mastiff. No way were we all going to be able to fit. So I started poking around the shows and looking at bigger more family friendly VW's. I looked at all the square backs and busses and I came apron this beautifully restored 64 DC with this old timer sitting next to it that reminded me of my old man. He told me the story of buying this beauty and all the restoration that went into it over the years. He told me of the great family times he had in it and he told me the story about how every year he would put the kids in the DC and go out to get the Christmas tree and how much that meant to them all. It meant so much that now that his kids have moved out and have families of their own he now has to go out to each of their houses and take the grand kids out in the DC to go get the Christmas trees. Man that DC and this old timers stories won me over, I was hooked. I HAD TO GET ME A DC. So the search was on high and low Ebay, Craigslist, and the 3 lil pages of DC adds in the Samba. I didn't realize how rare expensive and difficult it was going to be. Well after a year and a half of searching I final got what I wanted, a 63 DC with all the bones some rust and a half way decent price tag. Let the restoration begin.

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Sat Jan 04, 2014 10:56 am

First things first clean her up and get this damn smell out! What the hell is it?

Sat Jan 04, 2014 11:08 am

So I found out why she smelled so bad. I removed the covers leading to the fuel tank and found home insulation that housed two mice a years worth of what appears to be feed of some kind. How did I know it was mice, well the droppings the smell of urine and the two lil mice skeletons.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 11:32 am

So its time to take her apart and decide what were going to do and be able to do with the budget.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:09 pm

Well lots of rust in the rear under the tail lights, rust and damage on her nose, dog legs need some work, cargo door and the support beam underneath are rusted out, cargo floor in front of the door rusted out along with holes where it looks like a gas heater once lived, a few rusted jack points, a cross brace, outriggers and this cut out rear window. I have to say all in all the window is my most worrisome nemesis, but first things first lets put in some SAFARI'S! My priorities are so screwed up I feel like a teenager again.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:10 pm

big back window?

Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:24 pm

Ok time to get serious about the sheet metal. Had to sign my next check over to Gerson at Classic Fab. Here it all is minus a couple rockers and a front floor pan for my driver side.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 12:38 pm

big back window with vent in corners still I am guessing early '66
it also has ice pick door on it so probably someone put the wrong year doors on it

what's the vin# plate on the overhead vent say? how about the one in the engine bay? m-code plate?

Sat Jan 04, 2014 1:05 pm

joe56vw wrote: big back window with vent in corners still I am guessing early '66
it also has ice pick door on it so probably someone put the wrong year doors on it

what's the vin# plate on the overhead vent say? how about the one in the engine bay? m-code plate?

That isn't the original window. Some one hacked in a bigger one. You can tell because it is flush on the outside instead of inset to the inside like a stock window would be.

Icepicks are correct for a '63.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 3:08 pm

cru62 wrote: joe56vw wrote: big back window with vent in corners still I am guessing early '66
it also has ice pick door on it so probably someone put the wrong year doors on it

what's the vin# plate on the overhead vent say? how about the one in the engine bay? m-code plate?

That isn't the original window. Some one hacked in a bigger one. You can tell because it is flush on the outside instead of inset to the inside like a stock window would be.

Icepicks are correct for a '63.

Yep thats correct it is a 63 that was hacked and some kind of non VW window was put in place. I'm going to post pics of the new rear section , the cut out and the replacement soon. I am just catching up by posting the previous pics. I am a lil further along than these post show. I found a rear window section and have it in already.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 3:22 pm

So I found a rear window section on the Samba in Arizona and luck would have it the guy is coming out the next day to deliver for free. I love it when a plan comes together.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 4:48 pm

I don't know if that's classified as a hack... Realistically, though not original, it looks like an ok job. I wonder if it's the same dimensions as a later big back?....

Did dealers "upgrade" olders like they did to the rear window of bugs?

Either way cool bus

Sat Jan 04, 2014 6:16 pm

Malokin Martin wrote: I don't know if that's classified as a hack... Realistically, though not original, it looks like an ok job. I wonder if it's the same dimensions as a later big back?....

Did dealers "upgrade" olders like they did to the rear window of bugs?

Either way cool bus

Thanks man, no I'm not sure that it was an option it was however a pretty good job though. I almost left it alone but it was one of those things that just kept eating at me to fix. I have a good idea why they did it. If you have ever been in the rear seat it feels a lil closed in with the wall on the driver side and the smaller window in the rear also its real hard to see when backing. I'm sure thats why the elephant ear mirrors made the scene. Well to late to leave it alone she's back to stock with a small window. I'll post the pics when I get them up on the pc. My buddy Jesse who is an awesome fab man helped me with the tear out, fitting and welding. I'm ok with a welder and I'm learning as I go but Jesse is an artist. I love watching people who know what they are doing work.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 8:22 pm

Sent her off to go get fitted for seats but ended up at the sandblaster. The seat story is a long one.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 8:42 pm

Got her back from Kenny's Sandblasting and it looks like I got some bondo to remove. I was afraid of that but all in all not looking that bad.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 9:39 pm

Cut, drill, pry, pop, cut, drill, pry, pop, cut, drill, pry, pop! WELD, WELD, WELD, GRIND, GRIND, GRIND!

Removal of the old crappy cut out.

Surgically remove the donor section.

Fit it, weld it, grind it.

Ready for the glass

Sat Jan 04, 2014 9:40 pm

Kraash37 wrote: Got her back from Kenny's Sandblasting...

Damn! Kenny used some pretty coarse sand :shock: .

Sat Jan 04, 2014 9:59 pm

cru62 wrote: Kraash37 wrote: Got her back from Kenny's Sandblasting...

Damn! Kenny used some pretty coarse sand :shock: .

I was always under the impression you couldn't sand blast a car that it had to be soda blasted so it wouldn't warp. Kenny has been in business doing cars for over 40 years and said thats bull shit. He was highly recommended and I couldn't beat the price so I went for it. I'm pleased although it is a lil rough.

Sat Jan 04, 2014 10:05 pm

people sand blast cars all the time, only the long panels are likely to be warped if it is not done right

Sun Jan 05, 2014 7:52 am

Nice looking drop gate! Did you change your rear window out due to rust? Keep the pictures coming. Everyone loves to see in-work pics. 8)