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Rodmullet Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2010 Posts: 196 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:08 pm Post subject: Tacky Tiki Bus Projects |
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I am not exactly sure why, but I am going to start posting some projects as I work on the low budget "Tacky Tiki Bus", my very hacked, rusty 1973 bus...some serious, some for fun...hope it at least amuses someone.
First up, a custom headliner for the cab area. After several attempt at other alternatives, my wife, who is obviously much smarter than I am, suggested that we use the existing bows, and with her expert sewing abilities, here is what we came up with.
Before:
Here is a pic with the "loops" sewn in:
With the "header" piece that will attach above the windshield...I wanted this to not have to tuck under the windshield.
With the "header" glued to the headliner:
Front attached above windshield:
Wooden strips attached to roof reinforcement for headliner to be stapled to:
Finished cab headliner...will probably use hardboard (Masonite) for the cargo/passenger area, which will cover the rear edge of the cab headliner.
We used an outdoor fabric, some hardboard I had on hand, a few fancy screws with cup washers, and some staples...total cost, less than $25...with a bit of fabric left over, enough to do the sun visors....
More to come....
Rod |
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grandpa pete Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2008 Posts: 6426 Location: St. Petersburg, FL
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67sunbeam Samba Member
Joined: July 03, 2009 Posts: 53 Location: Lake Grove
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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Nice Job. Looks good. _________________ 1974 Westy
1967 Sunbeam Alpine |
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fastwagens Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004 Posts: 1028 Location: Michigan (The other west coast)
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:18 am Post subject: |
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Looking good. After trying to install a factory style headliner and messing it up I went the same route as you. |
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nodrenim Samba Member
Joined: October 06, 2006 Posts: 843 Location: Dobson, North Carolina
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:35 am Post subject: |
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Looks GOOD! Some years ago, I made a headliner out of decorator's burlap, held in place with long wooden strips, called lath. Forgot the total cost, but it had to be cheap, back then I was dirt poor, come to think,I still am. Sometimes small budgets get the best results. Peace |
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skid Samba Member
Joined: January 16, 2009 Posts: 1329 Location: Vancouver, BC
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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Nice that looks good! Can't wait to see what you do next _________________ '71 Westfalia |
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secretsubmariner Champagne Wrangler
Joined: January 08, 2011 Posts: 3104 Location: Tulsa, OK
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Rodmullet Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2010 Posts: 196 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 2:29 pm Post subject: Tacky Tiki Bus Projects |
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Okay, on to the sunvisors. The only foam of the correct thickness we could find was headliner foam/fabric, we got a remnant, about a yard, for $8, plenty left over to cover something else ugly on the bus.
We stitched (by hand) two layers of foam together over the sunvisor frames.
My wife machine stitched most of this, with a bit of hand stitching to close around the posts.
The finished sunvisors, using the bit of fabric left over from the headliner and some remnant foam....cost was a few dollars, at most.
More to come sometime....Front kickpanels.
Rod |
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secretsubmariner Champagne Wrangler
Joined: January 08, 2011 Posts: 3104 Location: Tulsa, OK
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Devon-Dyno-Soar118 Samba Member
Joined: August 30, 2004 Posts: 849 Location: Devon UK
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:58 am Post subject: |
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Nice work on the sun visors! Way better than the mouldy/dirty ones I am stuck with and a lot less than the $60 they want for a pair of new ones over here- am going to do that on mine now! Weird coincidence as I am about to do factory headliner on my 71. _________________ 71 West coast Kombi
54 Oval, 60k km from new
Daves 68 Bug Project
Rust Collector. |
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Rodmullet Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2010 Posts: 196 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:35 pm Post subject: Latest Tacky Tiki Bus Project |
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Well, it took a while, but here is the next installment of my low cost, low style project, the Tacky Tiki Bus....rear headliner.
Found these straw? type beach mats reduced at my local "5 Below" store, a purveyor of all things cheap....reduced to $1 each...I bought a bunch of them.
After a couple of installation idea miscues, my wife, who is much smarter than I, offers to sew some fabric strips to the back of these mats, as well as sew them together, so we can use the original headliner bows...It was not much fun, apparently....also attached a bit of fabric to the rear of the mats.
Here is the headliner ready for installation:
Here are several views of the installed headliner. we used velcro to hold all of the edges to the various surfaces.
And here we are hard at work...
More to come.
Rod |
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peaceful warrior Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2005 Posts: 5274 Location: Taoswest, USA
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 7:50 am Post subject: |
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Those tatami mats came out pretty darn good for a headliner. Nice job and kudos to your wife. _________________ "Two things are infinite: The universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." Albert Einstein
"Notchboy" says "Man up!"
"Tram" says " My bus is bigger than your bus."
66 13W Deluxe, 68 Westfalia, 87 Syncro.
TOOB Member #15
Brian |
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mygreenbus Samba Member
Joined: February 14, 2007 Posts: 1154 Location: Palm Coast, FL
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Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2012 8:03 am Post subject: |
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Nice work... _________________ '72 Bus |
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Rodmullet Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2010 Posts: 196 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 2:22 pm Post subject: Tacky Tiki Bus Project mini update |
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Bought these lights on that popular auction site..."second chance" item that did not cost too much...apparently "NOS" item...made in USA...I WILL find a place in the TT Bus for these beauties....
Rod
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notchboy Samba Member
Joined: April 27, 2002 Posts: 22461 Location: Escondido CA
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mrp2007 Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2007 Posts: 47 Location: Newport, VT
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Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:49 am Post subject: |
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Looks fantastic! |
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TequilaSunSet Samba Member
Joined: May 30, 2012 Posts: 2109 Location: Philippines
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Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:18 am Post subject: |
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Sweet... creative/cool low budget that works for me. _________________ Don't harsh my mellow...
1985 Hightower Vanagon 1.8T- Gone
1972 Panel Bus- Gone
1967 Bug- Gone
1964 Euro Sunroof Bug- Gone
1969/72/63 Sunroof Bug- Gone
1975 Brazilian Bug in the Philippines 🇵🇭- New to me |
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larryducas Samba Member
Joined: October 25, 2011 Posts: 233 Location: Fallbrook, CA
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 1:13 pm Post subject: can't help it.... |
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I love it, here are some of mine, not completed yet of course....
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Rodmullet Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2010 Posts: 196 Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:04 pm Post subject: Tacky Tiki Bus Projects |
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Glad to see someone else is as whacky, er, creative as I am...bamboo looks great!
Here are some updated projects...I got a little distracted with a hurricane, lots of hours at work, and getting sick....and now it is tooo cold to do much other than plan....
A mock up of my recovered door panels...actually installed one, will try to get a pic up soon...all remnant vinyl, using the original panels...and some plastic paint for all of the black plastic trim...
Maybe spent $40 for both panels.
Painted "Faux Finish" kick panels with airbrushed (by my wife) flowers.
A couple of bucks worth of hardboard, and lots of time making templates...
And last, a woodburned piece of birch plywood that fits in the little recessed area under the gloveboox where the rear defrost switch is, also the wife's doing...
Probably not too much else before spring, but I'll see what I can come up with.
Rod |
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Manfred58sc Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009 Posts: 3382
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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Lovin' all of it!! Good work. After 30 years in the scene, museum quality restorations are looking like background music. This has the juice,keep it up. _________________ Fat chick owner/operator |
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