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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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 Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2014 2:48 pm Post subject: Re: Inspiration! |
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| bcubellis wrote: |
| Mike I have been viewing thesamba for many years now. Just joined today and this is my first post. I am 50 years old and have been into bugs since a kid. I have to say you really inspired me to take my baja to the next level. That bus is priceless in my eyes. Good luck in selling it and may God be with you on your next journey! Bob |
thank you bob ... My hope is that with Mr Snufalupagus (the bus has a name ) departing from my life I will establish not only a homer but a little space where I can play with and save a few more buses in this lifetime! |
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bcubellis
Samba Member
Joined: September 01, 2014
Posts: 1
Location: Mansfield, MO
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| Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:15 am Post subject: Inspiration! |
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| Mike I have been viewing thesamba for many years now. Just joined today and this is my first post. I am 50 years old and have been into bugs since a kid. I have to say you really inspired me to take my baja to the next level. That bus is priceless in my eyes. Good luck in selling it and may God be with you on your next journey! Bob |
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 8:51 pm Post subject: |
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Well the auction today was plagued by the worst weather of the summer in the Puget Sound area . The weather has been wonderful until today when it repeatedly pored down rain ... The LeMay Car museum people were pretty bummed out as there big two day open house where the auction was being held was poorly attended and few people showed up for the show and shine event... more or less the auction  Tomorrow should be better weather according to the forecast ...
I guess this is one of the biggest antique car events of the year around here . I think they may have had computer issues too for the on line bidders ... The bus did six make reserve but with so few bidders and all the weather (and technical? ) issues it was not what I hoped for . The bus though was a real tourist attraction for many in attendance . I had over 40 people come to the show tell me they came just to see the bus in person and seeing it was for them the highlight of the show and auction . Greg ( campingbox) came by to take measurements off the headliner install as he is going to attempt to install a headliner in a 62? samba himself and wanted to see the WCC handy work . (Good Luck Greg)!
People were impressed to see the gas heater fire up and the clock actually work
I had a great conversation with a guy who had meticulously restored a beautiful olive green and black low mileage 1929 Chrysler two door that again did not sell for lack of bidders. Weirdly Liked his car as much as my bus ... there is something about real antique late brass age cars when they are beautifully restored that just warms my heart .
Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow I am still selling the bus but it looks like I may end up hiring it out as a background prop for some AMAZON.com TV adds in the next few weeks before I let it go .
If you are in the area tomorrow, head down to Spanaway, Wa and check out all the cool old cars ... thttp://www.lemaymarymount.org/he weather should be better too... I will be there with the bus  Info : http://www.lemaymarymount.org/
Last edited by Rain's Westy on Thu Sep 04, 2014 8:44 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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| KombiMadness wrote: |
| mike spadafora wrote: |
Well I have sadly decided to sell it I hope it remains in the PNW as it is a piece of local VW history
I have loved this bus for a very long time but it is time to move on to other things in life .
http://www.luckyoldcar.com/ |
I just went through this thread and I gotta say you deserve every penny this Samba fetches at auction!!! Just from all the sanding alone 
Enjoy your new house. From the looks of your front yard in early photos, you've got plenty of other buses to play with.....  |
Thanks for the encouragement . These days all I have in the stable are my daily driver condition 66 Westy and my ever reliable 1956 (36hp motor) oval bug that is my back up driver if the Honda hybrid ever gives out. My days of owning multiple deluxe buses are long over .. and really having a mortgage free roof over my head and a little shop to timker around in are my most pressing concerns ... I Must say though that I miss the days of going to Dead shows in my 21 window... |
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KombiMadness
Samba Member
Joined: December 09, 2011
Posts: 388
Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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| mike spadafora wrote: |
Well I have sadly decided to sell it I hope it remains in the PNW as it is a piece of local VW history
I have loved this bus for a very long time but it is time to move on to other things in life .
http://www.luckyoldcar.com/ |
I just went through this thread and I gotta say you deserve every penny this Samba fetches at auction!!! Just from all the sanding alone
Enjoy your new house. From the looks of your front yard in early photos, you've got plenty of other buses to play with.....
_________________
My brother & I on the roof of Dad's Splitty circa 1967 - I'm the half pint with the skinny legs! |
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CaLiBus
Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2011
Posts: 1097
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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23 windows belong in the sunshine state
Good luck to you Mike! |
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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Well I have sadly decided to sell it I hope it remains in the PNW as it is a piece of local VW history
I have loved this bus for a very long time but it is time to move on to other things in life .
http://www.luckyoldcar.com/ |
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CaLiBus
Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2011
Posts: 1097
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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| mike spadafora wrote: |
| CaLiBus wrote: |
There you are Mike! Glad she's part of the stable still and you managed to hang on and not sell that amazing bus!
You need to come back to Southern California again and share this bus at OCTO! Over beers ofcourse 
AWSOME picture BTW.. |
Thanks  I keep thinking of bringing it down for OCTO... but I'd want to travel in a caravan of people willing to be with someone cruising at 55mph top speed and very slow on hills .
I am (regrettably) seriously thinking of selling it though.... I am wanting to own my own home rather then spend the rest of my life renting... but that is a story for another post. Hopefully my mentioning this does not bring the wolves to my door... 
When I do sell it I want to find an owner who will cherish it for it's history, originality, and total period correctness . Driving it is like being in a time machine and I'd like to find a new owner who appreciates that aspect and not someone who wants to do the trendy " slam it on earlies" thing or someone who cannot see the value in restored OG anodized aluminium beauty rings on 15" OG wheels pushed down the road by a 36 hp motor they can crank-start . |
Aw geez Mike...  ...
Just keep hitting the corner store for the rest of your life and scratch them lottery tickets until BINGO!!!.. You gotta Home! .. That's the easy way out!
Plus selling a beautiful bus for a home is like trading for another nice bus on milk crates that won't move  ! |
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joe56vw
Samba Member
Joined: June 24, 2004
Posts: 3202
Location: Olympia wa
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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| mike spadafora wrote: |
| CaLiBus wrote: |
There you are Mike! Glad she's part of the stable still and you managed to hang on and not sell that amazing bus!
You need to come back to Southern California again and share this bus at OCTO! Over beers ofcourse
AWSOME picture BTW.. |
Thanks I keep thinking of bringing it down for OCTO... but I'd want to travel in a caravan of people willing to be with someone cruising at 55mph top speed and very slow on hills .
I am (regrettably) seriously thinking of selling it though as I am wanting to own my own home rather then spend the rest of my life renting... but that is a story for another post. Hopefully my mentioning this does not bring the wolves to my door... |
i'm sure that happens every time you update this thread anyways
_________________
'60 15 window walkthrough
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=559931&highlight=
why is there no sarcasism button on here? |
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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| CaLiBus wrote: |
There you are Mike! Glad she's part of the stable still and you managed to hang on and not sell that amazing bus!
You need to come back to Southern California again and share this bus at OCTO! Over beers ofcourse
AWSOME picture BTW.. |
Thanks I keep thinking of bringing it down for OCTO... but I'd want to travel in a caravan of people willing to be with someone cruising at 55mph top speed and very slow on hills .
I am (regrettably) seriously thinking of selling it though.... I am wanting to own my own home rather then spend the rest of my life renting... but that is a story for another post. Hopefully my mentioning this does not bring the wolves to my door...
When I do sell it I want to find an owner who will cherish it for it's history, originality, and total period correctness . Driving it is like being in a time machine and I'd like to find a new owner who appreciates that aspect and not someone who wants to do the trendy " slam it on earlies" thing or someone who cannot see the value in restored OG anodized aluminium beauty rings on 15" OG wheels pushed down the road by a 36 hp motor they can crank-start .
Last edited by Rain's Westy on Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:27 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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More Crater Lake trip photos ...
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Last edited by Rain's Westy on Fri Aug 15, 2014 10:14 am; edited 1 time in total |
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CaLiBus
Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2011
Posts: 1097
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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There you are Mike! Glad she's part of the stable still and you managed to hang on and not sell that amazing bus!
You need to come back to Southern California again and share this bus at OCTO! Over beers ofcourse
AWSOME picture BTW.. |
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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I drove up to Crater Lake. OR last week and found the perfect backdrop for bus photo op ... I did a little colour tweaking and it looks like a 1950's German postcard...
It was a really fun trip. I met some retired German tourists who fondly remembered these buses as kids in Germany wile I was there ... I bet I also pissed some people off though as I crawled up the steep climb to the park at 25mph in second gear (the bus has a 36hp motor)
In a weird way I wish these cars had not become so uber-valuble as it makes me nervous even taking it out on a joy cruse it is hard to enjoy driving something that is worth more then some peoples houses . It certainly was not like that back when I first got it in the mid 1990's
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 4:09 pm Post subject: prerestoration photo |
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A pre-restoration photo from 1992-93 of the bus parked in Chahalis,Wa. the back windows were broken out in the early 80's and the bus was left for years out in the rain with no windows  later on kids also smashed one taillight both reflectors , the brake light, the side mirror, and stole the front emblem The owner sold it to me soon after that around 1996
The bus still had both rear correct seats when I got it .
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: Video 55 23 w |
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| CaLiBus wrote: |
Incredible journey Mike! Wow! Not many folks know what it actually takes to put a post BD Wolfsburg 23 w together ...
Putting one together myself and ohh boy how difficult it is to find these one year only parts !
One amazing accomplishment ! Congrats man!
BTW .. That video reminds me of back in day in the early eighties when you could find these jems laying around in yards and driveways haha.. Oh well |
ya you wouldn't believe how many classy busses I found in the woods around Olympia , Wa in the early 1990's ... three 21 windows three 15 windows, two flip seat westys trucks, you name it... and then there was all the stuff I passed up or parted out that today would be gold.... Makes me sad... but in all that time I only put my hands on two early bumper samba's.. they have always been scarce. |
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xavi_242
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 1672
Location: Barcelona (SPAIN)
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| Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:18 pm Post subject: Re: 23 window 56 video |
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| mike spadafora wrote: |
| But sadly I am more in need of a house then the bus and may have to sell it in the near future. I need to win the lotto... |
hope you keep it!
_________________
1967 Split SO-42 Dormobile |
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mastorna
Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2008
Posts: 199
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 11:57 am Post subject: Re: 23 window 56 video |
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| mike spadafora wrote: |
| Now it is done! But sadly I am more in need of a house then the bus and may have to sell it in the near future. I need to win the lotto... |
Great story. Any chance of getting this bus out to the Vintage Meet or Burgermaster Meetup on the 19th? Hopefully can see it on Friday. If you've got an issue to sell, give me a call (i'm in the neighborhood).
_________________
1959 Type II Mango SO-23
1962 Type II Kombi Light Gray
1963 Type II Standard Sunroof SWR\BG
1963 Type II Deluxe MG\PW |
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CaLiBus
Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2011
Posts: 1097
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| Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 11:05 am Post subject: Video 55 23 w |
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Incredible journey Mike! Wow! Not many folks know what it actually takes to put a post BD Wolfsburg 23 w together ...
Putting one together myself and ohh boy how difficult it is to find these one year only parts !
One amazing accomplishment ! Congrats man!
BTW .. That video reminds me of back in day in the early eighties when you could find these jems laying around in yards and driveways haha.. Oh well |
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Rain's Westy
Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2004
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 10:44 am Post subject: Re: 23 window 56 video |
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| CaLiBus wrote: |
Awesome !. I have always wondered where that bus went after seeing this video few months back 
Very cool |
I saw this bus parked where you see it myself in 1992... I fell in love with it and decided I must do whatever it took to get out of the weather and into dry shelter to eventually restore it . It took several years of prodding to get the owner to finally sell it... meanwhile the rain and weather continued to pore in the windows further destroying the body and interior. I finally got it into shelter in late 1995 and slowly began collecting parts to restore it. back then very little good repro metal was available for restoration so I had to locate and cut up other cars in junk yards to restore it ... or use NOS . (the bumpers including there trim were all nos!) I would collect every piece of NOS rubber, chrome or anything else I could find . From 2000-2006 I sporadic would work on repairing the body damage up to the point where the remaining work required a full undercarriage sand blast . In 2006 I began serous restoration putting in hundreds and hundreds of man hours into every aspect of the bus . (God I hated polishing and buffing all the dam belt line trim! ) Now it is done! But sadly I am more in need of a house then the bus and may have to sell it in the near future. I need to win the lotto... |
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CaLiBus
Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2011
Posts: 1097
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| Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 6:50 am Post subject: 23 window 56 video |
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Awesome !. I have always wondered where that bus went after seeing this video few months back
Very cool |
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