'68 bought on a whim / exc. condition / what do I have?

Ranch

Hi. I bought this van yesterday and wow my God I have fallen in love with it already. Took my wife and kids for a ride and everyone LOVES the ride.

I would like to know what I have, any and all comments are appreciated.

The van has a good pedigree. It was sold new in Olympia WA and apparently in 1971 a VW mechanic who worked at a VW dealer in Tacoma bought it. He owned it until 1991, keeping immaculate records and maintaining the original log book, even keeping for years a log of every time he filled up the gas tank. In 1991 he was too old to use the van so it was sold to the guy I got it from. He just kept it in his garage, changed the oil twice a year, and only used it every few weeks to keep it fresh.

Here are some pictures. It came with a blue and yellow tent, in mint condition, in the original fabric bags. The popup is in perfect condition. The undercarriage is flawless, looks like no accident history. No rust anywhere except for a small piece on driver's side floor step. Engine area is immaculate.

Can anyone comment on who did the conversion? Not Westfalia? In Germany? The sliding door doesn't close all the way unless I lift up on the handle too firmly, I don't want to force it. Where can I lube that? Any idea of the value? I paid more than I expected, but I probably got a pretty good deal.

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MOX · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 1:32 pm Post subject:

you got yourself a nice clean bus there!
the rear seat material, the light stained wood panels,the hinges under the bench seat on the cabinet door, the head rests.....that's been altered I think...custom mods over the years, but
front looks like a 68 stock front / cab interior but the rear looks "cleaned up" to me.
_________________
if you can't bring it back in one piece, at least bring back all the pieces

Batan · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 1:43 pm Post subject:

Looks like a Riviera camper that somebody might have customized down the line. I've never seen that finish on one. But the poptop is a Rivi and your tent sounds like a Riviera tent as well. Those ugly hinges also say Riviera(I have one too and I hate those hinges, lol).
All in all, looks like a great score if you like the finish and all. That outside paint being original, you can polish to a brand new shine.
Congrats! Very nice looking bus. So... how much did you expect to pay? Confused

My favorite part on that bus is that it's the early two-tone with a white roof.
_________________
'69 Riviera Bay
'03 20th Anniversary GTI
'74 Super Beetle
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ultralite · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 1:53 pm Post subject:

Congratulations! Man, I love that color. Mine is a '69, our family loves ours too. Here's my travel and maintenance thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=538316&highlight=blue+sky

I highly recommend the Bentley Manual and the Muir book for keeping your VW alive. I've used them both. The Muir books is easier to read but the Bentley has the best detail for getting to know your vehicle.

You're in such a great area for travel and camping. Do your maintenance, enjoy the drive, and you'll never look back!
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Godspeed

'76 Beetle (sold)
'69 Beetle (sold)
'72 BMW 2002 (RIP)
'69 Westy
'02 BMW wagon AWD w/stick shift(sold)
'67 Beetle (sold)

skid · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 2:04 pm Post subject:

That is a nice bus you've got there! Those aftermarket headrests are pretty neat too.
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'71 Westfalia

Ranch · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 2:49 pm Post subject:

Thank you all for the responses. I have never owned a VW bus and I am in mid-40s. This could become a great source of fun.

The story is that my son, 15, is relatively good at mechanics (not afraid to fix things). He has been telling me that his dream first car is an old Westfalia. Odd choice for a teen, and I respect his individuality.

We have a neighbor (isn't that how so many get started?), an expert at collecting good old VWs. When I told him I had a chance to get a 1968, one of the first things he mentioned was "what color is it?" as others here have asked. I showed it to him yesterday and he likes the color a lot. He was not sure where the poptop or windows or interior came from.

The interior to me looks very old and in great condition, but it was probably modified over the years as you mentioned.

The body is really flawless. I paid the guy $7,000 for it. More than I expected to pay for my son's first car, but he and I will have a great time maintaining it together.

By the way, I wonder if anyone can advise where to lube the sliding door in order to get it to close and latch easily? I should just look at the manual. I do have the manuals mentioned above. They came with the bus.

I also notice a bit of sloppiness in the front steering, but that might be easy to fix as well. Does this use tie rods?

Thanks for the discussion and comments.

Tcash · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 3:41 pm Post subject:

Hi nice find. Good Luck
Door links provided.
http://www.ratwell.com/technical/SlidingDoor.html
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=446358

busdaddy · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 3:53 pm Post subject:

That's not a bad price at all for a clean, well maintained OG bus like that, nice score! I've seen that interior before but can't recall what it is right now, give me time Wink

Before you get too carried away with enjoying it buy yourself a couple of good sized fire extinguishers and replace all the fuel lines, you'll also want to look into some proper LT rated tires. The door just may need a lube on the lower roller as well as all the rest of the mechanism, you do have to turn the handle up to latch it fully after slamming it, that's how early sliders work on VW.

Congratulations on finding a really nice bus, please give it the respect and love it's previous owners obviously have.
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Lionhart94010 · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 4:03 pm Post subject:

Great looking bus!

This will be a great education for all concerned as maintain a VW bus is demanding and rewarding, many great lessons for your son on this new venture :0)

A couple of things I would recommend;
The fuel filter sitting over the distributor is dangerous and it should not be in the engine compartment!
Also check the tire for proper load range…

I very highly recommend that you spend a lot of time reading about your bus, www.ratwell.com is a good place to start, especially the FAQ and essential upgrade pages, it will save you lots of money and make your adventures much safer !
_________________
Current VWs 71 T2 Westy SO-72/6(Miami), 71 Crew Cab, 2015 GSW TDI
Other owned VW’s 59, 68 1500s, 69 & 71 Bug’s; 72 & 73 S-Bug’s; 67 Westy, 67 Deluxe, Other 71 DC, 72 KG GT that now lives in Australia, 12 JSW TDI, 2015 GSW TDI, 2023 Tiguan
VW technical information sights
thesamba - www.ratwell.com - www.shoptalkforums.com/ - www.vw-resource.com - http://www.type2.com/
http://bobhooversblog.blogspot.com/ - www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles.htm

Batan · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 4:49 pm Post subject:

busdaddy · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 5:11 pm Post subject:

Bleyseng · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:04 pm Post subject:

Nice Bus! Good to see its in Seattle as there still is a few stashed around here.
Check out tinerant-air-cooled.com for the How to fix it tech articles....

Sounds like the centerpin is worn and that's a common wear spot and easy fix too.
_________________
70 Ghia Black convert-9/69 build date-stock w/133k 1600 SP-barn find now with a rebuilt tranny and engine
77 Westy 2.0L w/Ljet, Camper Special engine-95hp and with LSD!(sold)
76 Porsche 914 2.1L L20c, 120hp Djet (sold)
87 Syncro Westy Titan Red 2.1L 2 knob 100k miles

Ranch · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:32 pm Post subject:

Hello. Thanks for all the comments. I will post more pictures of the interior.

Here is a dude taking pictures of it here at Alki. I have never owned a vehicle that anyone wanted to photograph.

kamara · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:45 pm Post subject:

The pop top is a riviera, the lockdowns are identical to mine ('73-full poptop).
The interior looks like someone upgraded and had that put in....The fuel filter thing is important - it needs to be outside the engine compartment. I have one between the fuel tank and fuel pump, and another between fuel pump and where the fuel line goes thru the tin into the engine compartment, both of them the cheap plastic ones like in your pic.
That bus is a beauty! Great score!
_________________
"Spirit is the journey - body is the bus
I am the driver - from dust to dust." J. Clegg

- President of CCvdub (Tallahassee's VW Club)
([email protected])

73 Type2 Riviera, 74 Type2 Westy, 69 Type1 Standard, 72 Type4 412 Variant

busdaddy · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 6:48 pm Post subject:

Ranch · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 10:13 pm Post subject:

According to the Bentley owner's manual, my bus chassis number matches Kombi and Campmobile. Were those manufactured with furniture similar to what I have now? Sorry for the newby questions.

notchboy · Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 10:22 pm Post subject:

busdaddy · Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 8:35 am Post subject:

notchboy · Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 9:07 am Post subject:

According to your owners manual it was sold new on 8/21/68 not in 71. And the book says 1968. You have wide five drums as well. Wink

We sure about the year?

If your story is true, which judging by the condition it is, this is not a good find at all. Its an amazing one!

Looks to be a Riviera or Sportsmobile conversion? Very well kept too. I cant wait to see this one in person. Cool

Welcome on board, hope to see more.
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OB Bus · Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 9:15 am Post subject:


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'68 bought on a whim / exc. condition / what do I have?
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