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EverettB 
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Joined: April 11, 2000
Posts: 71546
Location: Phoenix 602
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 Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2025 10:02 am Post subject: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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Blue Baron posted this Vintage photo recently:
I received an email from Michael Steinke stating he had written an article abut Hubertus in the Westfalia-Register Post in April 2025 and he also include some additional information including a small booklet Hubertus published.
The materials are below.
| Quote: |
| About this blue-white ´57 de Luxe Westy (crossing the African continent between ´59 and ´62, named "Swala", Kiswaheli for "gazelle") I published a small article in our last Westfalia-Register Post in April 2025. Hubertus died in 2021. |
Article:
Additional materials:
| Quote: |
I've learned a little more about Hubertus Kanus´ solo African expedition in his ´57 Westy.
In the early 1960s, he gave illustrated lectures in Germany (he was an ethnology student) and had a small booklet printed |
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srfndoc
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Joined: August 21, 2010
Posts: 3389
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2025 11:15 am Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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Michael always has the best Westy finds. Hard to tell from the pics but I wonder if this bus has the same interior as Paul's 56 currently for sale. The curtains look very similar.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2744373
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velvetgreen
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Joined: August 17, 2004
Posts: 2893
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2025 4:34 am Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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Great photos- hard to imagine a trip of that magnitude 65 years ago sans any internet connectivity, GPS and relying on paper maps!
Didn't know that Westfalia Register was still going strong. I looked for a website for them etc but no luck. |
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Krustrepair
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Joined: June 02, 2024
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Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2025 7:19 am Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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What a cool story. This is very inspiring.
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campingbox
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Joined: November 14, 2000
Posts: 10250
Location: Petaluma, CA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2025 8:17 am Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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Thanks for sharing.
Looks like Lind needs to make a trip to Africa to find the next school wagon. |
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Alan Brase
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Joined: March 28, 2004
Posts: 4570
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
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| Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2025 10:34 pm Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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Great find. The English part said he broke 5 steering bolts. Other
worn parts did not seem at all out of line: 2 sets tires, 4 sets shock absorbers, torsion bars (Im guessing fronts?) 1 cylinder head.
Must have very slow driving, my Wolfsburg bus has a redline at 48mph, but a round trip of 1960 Africa might have been more like 3rd gear stuff.
But FIVE STEERING BOLTS?
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Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home |
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mandraks
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Joined: November 28, 2004
Posts: 7117
Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2025 12:40 pm Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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| EverettB wrote: |
I received an email from Michael Steinke stating he had written an article abut Hubertus in the Westfalia-Register Post in April 2025 and he also include some additional information including a small booklet Hubertus published.
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Wow, a blast from the past, i have not talked to Michael since our Bulli-Kartei trip to romania in the 90s. Happy to hear he is still around.
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BarryL
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Location: Casa de Oro, California
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2025 6:29 pm Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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| Alan Brase wrote: |
| But FIVE STEERING BOLTS? |
What exactly are "Steering Bolts"? |
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Alan Brase
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Joined: March 28, 2004
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Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2025 8:10 pm Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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| BarryL wrote: |
| Alan Brase wrote: |
| But FIVE STEERING BOLTS? |
What exactly are "Steering Bolts"? |
Perhaps we need some Deutsch sprechen man to read the original text?
Actually Deutsch lesen ?
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Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home |
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EverettB
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70bus
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Joined: July 15, 2004
Posts: 1417
Location: P.O.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2025 9:42 pm Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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| Quote: |
But FIVE STEERING BOLTS? |
My question is, all at once?
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
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"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams
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BarryL
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Location: Casa de Oro, California
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2025 6:22 pm Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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| 70bus wrote: |
| Quote: |
But FIVE STEERING BOLTS? |
My question is, all at once? |
Same question: "all at once" what's? |
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70bus
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Alan Brase
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Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
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| Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2025 8:31 am Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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Wow, that might be the ones.
I've NEVER heard of these breaking before. I wonder if it was not properly tightened at some point.
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Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home |
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70bus
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| Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2025 10:13 am Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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| Quote: |
| I've NEVER heard of these breaking before. |
Ditto. Seems unlikely, but there aren't many 'bolts' in 'steering' - lots of nuts, tho. Could be a mistranslation. What does the underside of a 57 steering box look like? Maybe he scraped off the bolts on the bottom (Part 23) a few times. Lowered buses do that all the time...
In the 70, going over the mountain behind Jerome, I once hit a rock so hard it put a nick in my steering box; I'd assume you'd break the box before you knocked it off. Ot course, rough roads loosen stuff and then all bets are off - I nearly lost 2 wheels after driving the washboard road to Rainbow Bridge. Vibration spun 3 lug nuts out of each rim; luckily, when I got back to highway, I heard them rolling around in the hubcaps!
Maybe he shook a few of #16 loose and they sheared.
I didn't see 'bolt' or 'bolzen' in any of the articles.
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams
Raul the 65 singlecab
Karl the 70 nine-seater |
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BarryL
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Location: Casa de Oro, California
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| Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2025 6:29 pm Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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| 70bus wrote: |
| Maybe he scraped off the bolts on the bottom (Part 23) a few times. |
That's got to be it. The oil comes out when even one is gone. |
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70bus
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| Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2025 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: Hubertus Kanus and his 1957 Westy |
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I had just removed all 5 bolts from my steering box, so that may have colored my assumption. :)
But this is a 57 steering box, so Occam's Razor sorta slices towards "five steering (box) bolts"
Too bad he's no longer alive - losing 5 mounting bolts might have been quite a tale.
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams
Raul the 65 singlecab
Karl the 70 nine-seater |
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