Suggestions? Who to restore my '67 Westfalia in CA

[DadaCheese]

Greetings.
Before you make kind suggestions of places like West Coast Classic Restoration, and LaVere's VW Restoration (both EXCELLENT looking shops), please hear me out.

My wife and I live in the Bay Area of California. We have rented apartments for over ten years. If I had a house, or even a driveway, I'd consider slowly working on my '67 Westfalia as a hobby myself. Instead, it has been sitting, neglected in the northern part of the state for 10+ years.

I feel I need to find someone to do my restoration work for me. Preferably someone who has experience, but wants more (experience), and has both the time (even if it takes a LONG time), and the place (space, tools, etc.) to get it done without breaking me.

The car drives, but needs plenty of body work (classic common rust areas), needs to be stripped down, rust eliminated, painted and put back together using as many new parts as possible. Heck, engine-wise, I can even hire-out for that separately. It's the body work, painting, and rewiring/sealing/etc. Even Westfalia kits are easier to come by these days if I don't use the original ones from the bus.

SO, do you know anyone who does this kind of work? Do you have someone to suggest? Please let me know. Thanks!

[arthurnugen]

How about checking with the local High Schools? Maybe there is one with a shop class looking for a project? I know all the teenagers around here would love to work on a bus and if time is not an issue, that may be good for you.
_________________

[Mowser]

[jeffff]

[Clara]

Post pictures of your bus!!!!!

Fixing up a bus is fun, especially if it's one you've had a long time and are attached to.

Is it original paint? If so, read this:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76072&highlight=paint
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=104334&highlight=paint

and think about not re-painting it.
_________________
The Obsolete Air-Cooled Documentation Project http://oacdp.org/

[DadaCheese]

[arthurnugen]

[crofty]

[Rick]

yeah, 30k seem WAY out there. I realize that body work is expensive, but when you said 30k I had to stop myself from saying I'll do it! Since you're in the bay area you should go to the Kelly Park show this weekend in San Jose. You'll see lots of great buses, and be able to talk directly to some people who either do the restorations or know people who worked on their buses. Bring the westy, I'd love to check it out.

[DadaCheese]

[hazetguy]

depending on how bad the bus is (we have not seen any pics), i don't think 30K for a HIGH END body restoration and HIGH END paint job, DONE CORRECTLY is out of line depending on what needs to be done to the vehicle. sorry, i don't. i know people who have spent much more, but then again you could eat off the frames they are so immaculate underneath (and all over as well).
i don't think this is the best route for someone who wants to use their bus on a regular basis though.
_________________
thebucket: I invested in hoodride, now DBD won't return my call?
hazetguy: invested?
thebucket: Yeah Haze, its where people put money into a company in hopes of a return on their money

[crofty]

To each their own, I still think 30k sounds high.
_________________
Your Vanagon sucks, Stop waving at me.

[bugginmiami]

30k is high, but not if you are looking for a top of tte line body restoration. I was feeling out people on what it would cost to repaint my bus, and the number I kept hearing was $4k and up. So for something decent, I think that would be a starting point. Mine has minimal rust and bodywork needed, but I wanted it stripped and paint better than it had on there, so that was the starting point. At that price Id be stripping the windows,bumpers etc off myself too. Id think you should be able to find someone able to do it for $5k. I have a guy here that will paint it for $1500, and it wont be horrible, but it wont be pretty and will be directly painted ontop of the crappy paint, and cheesball bodywork. Just have to find what quality you want and are able to afford to pay for. The more involved you are in it, the better it will be. There ARE those that will take your $6k and give you a $1500 paint job. If you can show someone exactly the quality you expect, see prior work, check in during body/rust repair and have a clue what looks right vs. wrong, you will get a better finished product to last the next 10 years.
_________________
* ---www.volksblast.com--- *
* -- South Miami - Feb 12th 2017 *

[chrome]

[/quote]

off subject but, what size tires are you running ? and are your rims the flat 4 repops or OG ?
_________________
65 21 window
57 T1 ragtop
58 ghia vert
68 fastback
73 Thing
74 Thing
54 chevy 210
63 mercury meteor wagon

[BDWannaB]

I'm with Hazetguy. You get what you pay for. Go to a show and pick out the 10 best restored buses. Most, if not all, of them cost a fortune in bodywork, paint, etc.
_________________
'56 Sunroof Kombi
'67 Deluxe

[arthurnugen]

WE NEED PICS! Get someone with a digital camera up there to email some pics of the bus to you, especially of the underside.
_________________

[Campy]

Most good painters like to do their own body work because a paint job can only be as good as the preperation that is underneath it. Most body men won't work on old buses because they are a pain in the butt (curved bodies, spot welds all over).
Be careful who does the body work on the bus. When I got my 1957 micro bus back in 1977, someone in Santa Rosa had just restored it and the body looked great, except for the cut out wheel wells and flares. A few years later, though, the right outer rocker began getting some nasty looking bubbles beneath the paint. What he had done was patch a fairly large hole (rusted out) with fiberglass and resin. Rust continued because the "pocket" inside caught moisture. This was a short term fix which allowed the body man to save time and money. He, also, had filler on parts of the body way too thick, which was done to save time. Next to the left side of the "V" on the nose panel, filler began to crack. You want to make sure that a student or any body man is not going to take these shortcuts to save money and time.
Regarding painting, don't take the body down to bare metal unless you have to. When I was restoring my 1963 camper, I sanded down through a couple of layers of newer paint to the original paint, and painted over it. As long as the original paint is good, with nothing like bubbling beneath it, you can shoot your primers and top coat over it.
I live about 25 miles east of Orland (Chico) so send me a message if you go to Orland, and want to come to my house and take me to look at the bus. I can give you some advice on what needs to be done to it.
_________________
Don't worry; be happy. (Baba)

[arthurnugen]

[jeffff]

[DadaCheese]

I'll certainly concede that 30K may be reasonable if it is all done right, and you have all been pointing out great "problem" areas to watch out for no matter what I end up doing (I appreciate all of this). Just wish I had that kind of money lying around. ...a theme being developed here seems to be; "how 'restored' do I ultimately need/want the bus to be?"

Regretfully my wife's grandparents in Orland don't own a digital camera, but I'll get some shots the next time I am up there...