Old Westy tents

[Jim EG]

Hello all, new here.

TLDR: Abe Simpson rambles about his long lost Westy before getting to the tent he's been dragging around since 1982.

I was 15 and flush with $400 from my part time job when I saw it while walking home, on the street directly behind my house. Faded red with stickers from Europe on the back window, a French auto club.

The bearded guy standing next to it saw me looking and asked if I wanted to buy it! He picked it up to fix but had to move, so I was the new owner of 36 unwilling horsepower behind a 1960 Westphalia. My friend and I pushed it around the corner and went back and carried the motor back. Which, was really dumb. Could have just...anyway.

So as a couple very stoned youth, George and I start going through it. Maps of Paris under the seat. Empty Methadone bottles. Detritus from around Europe in the cabinets. Looked to have been bought by a service member and toured around Europe then shipped stateside. This thing has stories.

Learned to repair and care for machines with that bus. Many trips to Santa Cruz , a portable party. Did stupid shit to it like put 50 size Cragars (Unilug, on adapters!) on it, cut the clearance with a jigsaw. Cut out the panel behind the seat to put in bucket seats...Yeah, I pretty much destroyed it. I regret that to this day, but I was young, stoned and stupid. Youth is wasted on the young.

I never was brave enough to fire up the gasoline heater, but I did set up the tent once in 1982. Red and white circus stripes, heavy as hell canvas, with a shitter attachment IIRC. Heavy poles in their (now kinda funky) canvas bag. I'm pretty sure it's all there. Why have I dragged this around to every place I've lived the last 40+ years? Stubbornness I guess.

It's heavy as hell so would be a bitch to ship. Is it worth dragging out, taking photos etc? Could find a way to search closed classifieds for previous sales, so unsure where to price. Any input highly appreciated.
Jim

[oakman]

That tent is well worth dragging out and taking pictures to sell it!

Your message inbox should start filling up with folks offering to buy it from you..

I've seen these tents listed here for anywhere from 2k-4k, depending on condition, rarity of color etc.
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Brandon

[Malokin Martin]

It kind of depends on if you have the poles and all the sides.

[Lind]

Any pics of the bus from back in the day?

I love the journeys that these old buses have made. The fun and smiles along the way. Buses are fun cars.
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Wanted:
Idaho VW license plate frames or other dealership items.
VWoA literature and early dealership or distributor literature/pictures/information
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[brettsvw]

Pics of Westy?
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My 59 kombi build.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=635003&highlight=

My buggy build.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=558601&highlight=

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=289807

[thom]

Poor guy's inbox is about to be flooded by pickers
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-Thom
1956 Single Cab
1957 Porsche 356A Sunroof
1957 23-Window Deluxe
1957 Mercedes Westfalia single cab
1963 Unimog 404
1965 E-Type

[BarryL]

Is it a "Poor guy" or Chat GTP?

[andre b]

Wow cool story, I remeber seeing a baby blue and white Westy over there just sitting in a drive way really close to the beach just rotting away.

[Jim EG]

Hi, I'm going through the garage this weekend. I'll drag it out and get some pics. If I find any pictures of the bus, I'll post. Yeah, I'm getting a few DM's...

[andre b]

Ya..I can make it there in 30 min..il bring cash..let me know

[Jim EG]

Now that I've been thinking about it, I'm pretty sure there is a NOS window/door gasket set in the box with the tent. Probably bought it around 82-83 time frame. What are those going for these days?

[andre b]

[EverettB]

[Jim EG]

Hey all, I dug out the box and found a bunch of other stuff - headlight assemblies, some door hardware, the OEM shift knob (lol) and the OEM European tube SW/AM 6v radio.

I've been sick, so I'll get pictures of the tent up later this week. Honestly it looks mint. The leather straps that were wrapped up inside the canvas still feel suede and are flexible. The vinyl trim is clean and the canvas appears mold and rodent micturition free. That was my biggest fear.

The rubber kit looks to be the front doors-complete and the two front windshield gaskets. I must have used the side and rear door pieces and I know I put smoked plexiglass in the 6 side windows.

Ready to part with this stuff after 40 years. Will update when/if posted on classifieds.
Thanks,
Jim

[Jim EG]

Sorry for the potato pics, it's raining here. I uploaded both the tent and poles to the gallery. Zoom in on the stitching and you can see it's not rotted. It smells like old canvas, but no mold I could see. A couple stains on the roof, looks like birdshit to me.

Here's a link to some Type-2 eye candy with the awning set up at the very end. Mive was very similar, just some differences in the cabinets and I had the gasoline heater:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/71053412@N04/albums/72177720315612461/

[Malokin Martin]

[BarryL]

How could the poles be so thrashed when the tent is pristine?

[Jim EG]

Poles aren't trashed, it's just surface rust. I live a mile from the ocean and they've been in the corner of the garage for 12 years. The tent was in a box on a shelf.

10 minutes with some rust oleum and a brush and they would look as mint as the canvas, but I'm showing everything as found. Patina and all. Will answer the serious PMs shortly.

[BarryL]

Sorry, thrashed is too severe. I understand they clink together and lose paint.

[Malokin Martin]

“First guy to show with cash” would be a foolish way to sell this. Just sayen’

You have a ball and all the kiddies want to play with your ball now that they can see it. Make sure for sure it’s the right price before you turn it loose.

Let’s be honest, those poles are kind of fucked. It’s not surface rust. But hey: dude they’re original and straight. That’s enough. No shade.