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Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:00 pm

I have had 5 ghias and a super beetle. my last vw was sold 1o years before getting this.

Even back then, I was an amateur at best with repairs -but I have decided to take this on myself.

It was drivable as is when I bought it, but had some minor mechanical problems and a big need for a refresh inside and out.

I live in Columbus so the buses here are expensive AND rusty.

I lucked into this one on Craigslist from a guy who just moved to Ohio from California, but now with a small child and needed to relocate to Washington, sold it to me.

This si how it looked as is.

AS IS

Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:20 am

Before I stared the rebid, I put it together with what was there and used it for a year.

Sun Aug 02, 2015 2:16 pm

Welcome back. Nice camper.

Tcash wrote: Here is a little information. Good Luck

Pictures would be cool.
How to post photos/How to post a photo in the Forums

Pronunciation (Samba) English

I am thinking of buying a VW van
Cleaning+Rodents+Hantavirus
Up in smoke... Bus fires... don't let it happen to you!
M-Plate Location
M-Plate Decoder Volkswagen Type 2 Bus
Bus VIN / Chassis Numbers
Type 2/Bus Owner's Manuals
Bus repair manuals
Bus parts manuals
Early Baywindow Bus Parts Book
Late Baywindow Bus Parts Fiche
Type 2 Wiring Diagrams
Model and Year Variations
Type 4: Secrets Revealed
Distributor Parts & Specifications
PARTS INTERCHANGE MANUAL
Youtube Videos

There is a ton of information located at the top of the Forum section.

Sun Aug 02, 2015 9:45 pm

Nice Bus! I live just outside Columbus :) biggest problem I have is it seems to rain every other day here, and I have to work on my bus in the driveway :)

Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:40 pm

Why does it look like your girls will kick your ass if you deviate from anything positive towards the bus? :twisted:

Seriously dude. Just sayin.

Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:21 am

Beautiful!!!!! And the kids are very pleasant as well. :)

Mon Aug 03, 2015 12:06 pm

Nice looking hardtop! Looks like you need a side tent.

Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:39 pm

notchboy wrote: Why does it look like your girls will kick your ass if you deviate from anything positive towards the bus? :twisted:

Seriously dude. Just sayin.

:lol: I was thinking man, those kids look pissed. probably because they were forced into riding in a loud bus that stinks like bus and has no entertainment system

Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:16 pm

Thanks Tcash sean14538, therealfrogman, and bala. And - yes, a side tent is in order.

As far as the kid comments- they LOVE the bus! They want to take it everywhere. …and it did (does) have an entertainment system, but the bus itself has been what they like, and usually ask for the music/screens to be off. They have also been helping to work on it where they are able.

Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:43 pm

Great Bus!

Your new VW venture into T2 Buses will be interesting, pushing a brick with a T1 engine is quite a bit different than pushing a KG or SB ;0)

A good stock engine can push a fully loaded T2 you along at 65MPH on a flat high way, but get to a steep hill and you will be doing 25-35MPH… it’s not that bad, as you get to appreciate the country side better at that speed :0) and hopefully you won’t have any mad truckers or hot heads try to drive you off the road for slowing them down…

A couple pieces of advice, from one father to another, be wary of any modifications done without lots of though, ACVW have a lot of peculiarities that may not seem important but, are.

For example, the exhaust; on all factory T2 exhausts systems, the tip is right at the corner of the bus, because that's the best place to make sure exhaust does not make its way back into the passenger compartment…

As you probably already know from working on SB/KG the fuel filter does not belong in the engine compartment, and it’s placement next to the coil and distributor = bad idea-

Don’t forget to check for bad firewall grommet on the fuel line and possible about to fail metal fuel line… also it’s not a bad idea to thread or safety wire the top bras carb inlet fitting, as they have been known to pull out.

Richard Atwell (now Mayor of Saanich, BC) has compiled an amazing resource for T2 Bus owners, and reading his articles can save you countless hours of frustration, save you lots of money as well as make your bus safe/safer for you and your loved ones!

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/EssentialUpgrades.html

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/FAQ.html

Also see additional Great Resources on my Tag line…

Welcome to thesamba T2 Bus Pilots family :0)

Tue Aug 04, 2015 9:48 pm

thanks for the tips Lionheart!

Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:04 pm

ok - i am going to post pics soon but wanted to update with where I am.
lots of
After painting it, I put the interior back together, put the lights in, and started putting the windows in

still to do - headliner, door windows, one jalousie window. customizing and details, front suspension rebuild.

Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:12 pm

here is a pic sampling to show the back progress

Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:10 am

It's looking great! Are you gonna put the bumper guards back on? Don't toss them, they are worth $. I love your bus, a '71 tin top westy is one of the best buses ever made as far as I'm concerned. How did you deal with the rust on the hatch? It looks good although that looks like the kind of rust that likes to come back. Good thing you can always just put another hatch on it. Keep up the good work, do you have more pics of the new paint job? Did you spray it yourself?

Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:06 pm

Pinetops wrote: It's looking great! Are you gonna put the bumper guards back on? Don't toss them, they are worth $. I love your bus, a '71 tin top westy is one of the best buses ever made as far as I'm concerned. How did you deal with the rust on the hatch? It looks good although that looks like the kind of rust that likes to come back. Good thing you can always just put another hatch on it. Keep up the good work, do you have more pics of the new paint job? Did you spray it yourself?

I have the guards. I am not putting tem on.

I ground down the the rust. I used Rust Bullet rust converter / primer. I did spray the bus myself. I will post more pics soon.

Mon Aug 24, 2015 8:26 am

Looking good! I bet the kids love that green!

Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:56 am

That looks AWESOME

Why was what looks like tape all over your bus in various areas?

Mon Aug 24, 2015 4:33 pm

secretsubmariner wrote: That looks AWESOME

Why was what looks like tape all over your bus in various areas?

the owner (or 2) before me had taped and covered the back to keep water out of the leaky window seals.

The tape and residue was very difficult to remove.

Fri Aug 28, 2015 2:17 pm

I now have almost all of the windows in. Still need to do the door glass and hardware.

I made a video of my Jalousie window rebuild. This was my first attempt. It was DIFFICULT.

Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:24 pm

I will post some pics directly to this thread eventually, but in the meantime I am almost done with the bus. See the Flickr folder. https://www.flickr.com/photos/26576987@N02/albums/72157645674183078/page5

Prior owners of this bus passed records on through the years -if any of you are here, this is your bus

First owner unknown - no receipts Aug 1970 - Aug 1974
then...
Robert Bob Kuhn: 11 Sep 1974 - 28 Sep 1984 California
Micael Mike Kilfoy: 28 Sep 1984 - early 1990
Thomas Tom King: early 1990 - 2003
Possible other owner(s): no receipts from Oct 21, 2003 - Aug 19, 2005
George B. Harris: 20 Aug 2005 - 10 Apr 2006
Jeremiah J. Gallegos: 21 May 2006-1 May 2013 (brought bus to Ohio)
Me (Brue Hoyt): 1 May 2013-present