Reflections on ten years of ownership

[Don66bus]

I have had this bus for 10 years now, and I thought people might be interested in a summary of the experience.

The bus: 1966 Deluxe (that weird reflection is my rubber raft drying on the front lawn)

Bought in October 2004 in Napa, California
Cost in 2004: $10,000 US (on the high side at the time because I could not fly to California quick enough to snag a great deal, so I took one that was lingering on TheSamba)
Estimated value 2014: Maybe $16-18K, based on other ads
Miles in 10 years: 40,000
Changes from last bus: I had a 21-window walk-through. I miss the walk-through as much as the sunroof. This bus is the first one that I take off the road in winter – the body is too nice to screw up with exposure to salt. I treat this bus to synthetic oil.
Biggest trips: Napa to Ottawa 2004, Ottawa to Oregon and back 2005, Ottawa to Vancouver and back 2009
Types of usage: Camping, hauling stuff, moving friends' possessions, delivering the community newspaper, going to Home Depot

Biggest loads carried: Firewood, used bricks, manure, household goods – up to a ton.
Major problems: Replaced transmission and reduction gears with rebuilt unit from Rancho after 2005 trip.
Minor problems and glitches: Mongrel 1600 dp engine with miscellaneous parts (and no serial number) makes it difficult to set timing, for instance; electrical gremlins; whacky speedometer (odometer still good)

Other maintenance: Two sets of tires, cables, shocks, tranny mounts, regular stuff
Ever broke down? Ever have to be towed? Nope. It may happen one day …
Changes to it: Replaced bay window Z-bed and cupboards with home-built, multi-purpose interior (box and cabinet can be removed for carrying stuff; seat back can be used as musical instrument by strumming the ropes; seat back makes bottom of bed for camping)

What I should do: Top end rebuild or bigger engine. Add an oil cooler for hot summer days. Install a temperature gauge. Change brakes to front discs and a dual master cylinder. Do a nicer interior.
Other fixes necessary: Probably replace rockers and metal under the windshield soon.
What makes me happy: Driving on quiet country roads. Coming back from a big trip with no breakdowns. Using it as truck to move friends or firewood. Lying in the bed at a campsite with rain drumming on the roof and knowing that I am a foot off the ground (like last night). Seeing passersby smile when I drive down the street.

Don

[curtis4085]

Very cool. Here to another ten years of memories.
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Special Thanks to:
Headflow Masters - Vista, CA
www.headflowmasters.com

[Riff Raff]

Nice reflection.
Good to see the bus being used the way it was intended - for everything!

Full marks brother.
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The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge
- Daniel Boorstin

[Big Bill]

Great idea for a thread. It looks as though your bus has served you well, and you have taken care of it in return. I wish I could say I have owned any VW for 10 years. Would you mind if any other long term owners posted in your thread??
EDIT... Every bus that I have owned "is going to be the last one I own", but at my age I hope this is true of the one I now have.

[nevadaheat]

This is a great thread. I love to hear about things like this and see the pictures. Thanks!
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-Bryan

71 Super Beetle

[Pinetops]

Great post, I really enjoyed it.
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"A rolling bus gathers no rust."

[EverettB]

Great post, I agree $10K seems like a lot for 2004 but you definitely got your money's worth and $10K now would be cheap.

I'm surprised on the 2 sets of new tires, did you replace the tires soon after you bought it?
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[Don66bus]

Everett,

I put new ones on as soon as I bought it, and just replaced them last year. I think I got 25 - 30,000 miles from the Yokohamas I had.

Don

[BarryL]

It looks real thumbs-uppy on my screen. Can't advise what to do next but there is always something. I have never-checked-off lists that silverfish have eaten away and things I do impulsively on mine. What is the official title of your interior panels combination?

[mandraks]

aero balearic

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regards

Uli

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'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel

[BarryL]

Kewl. I thought his looked to have Salt and Pepper-esque middle parts. I've found those panels and tossed or passed on them because I thought they were just faded down S&Ps.

[Don66bus]

So I said in the introduction: "Ever broke down? Ever have to be towed? Nope. It may happen one day … " and it happened yesterday. Nothing more than a broken throttle cable and I had spares, but it was on a busy highway at rush hour, so I called a wrecker. Good thing I did. The two spares I have been hauling around for years didn't work: one was a foot short (for a beetle?) and one had a ring instead of hook. It took a couple of hours of work in the driveway to rig up a substitute. The pan underneath the drivers's feet has one Robertson screw, one Phillips, four 10 mm hex screws, and one 13 mm hex screw. I could have opened it up with a multi-end screwdriver and a crescent wrench, but it worked better with my real tools at home (when I travel distance, I always go with a full toolbox). The busted throttle cable, installed over ten years ago, had been the wrong length and someone had welded the splice in front of the engine. I wondered why it would not pull through the throttle tube out the back of the engine.

Question: The throttle cable has no housing between the last cross member and the engine front sheet metal (where it enters the throttle tube). In that space, it seems to wander around the space shared with the clutch cable, transmission, and gas line. Is there supposed to be a hard tube in that location?

[plane_ben]

I don't know if buses ever had a Bowden tube or not. What I do today, and this works fantastic, is go to a bicycle shop and get enough brake cable sheath to run from the front bulk head where the cable exits its tube, to the exit side of the throttle tube on the fan shroud. Push it in and trim to length. Then use the universal throttle cable that is stranded (not solid). It gives a very smooth action and seems to cut down the frequency of breakage.
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I'm at the age were "fuck off", "fuck you", and "fuck it" answer most questions.

[Don66bus]

I took a rock to the headlight so I ordered a new lens and then, belatedly, new gaskets for the headlight lens-to-bucket seals. The new gaskets are a very different configuration than the old, maybe original, gasket. When I moved to the left hand light to renew the gasket, I found that my headlight buckets were very different. One used Phillips screws for the chrome ring and the adjusters; the other used regular slot screws. The parking light holder was different. Some of the dimensions varied.

Just to say that in a 50+ year old vehicle, there are likely lots of odd combinations. I noticed too that the headlight cavity had a different paint colour than the rest of the bus. The 1966 Velvet Green had more turquoise in it than the repaint shown in the picture.

[mwallace]

Beautiful bus! I'm in Ottawa too, I don't think I've seen this beauty on the road.

[teahead]

Cool bus! Def. got your money's worth.

Most folks probably put less than 100 miles/year, if any!


I bet a ton of dynamat everywhere, to quiet it down some, would make you more happy.

You want a new engine...why? too slow for you? Overheats?

If you do get a new engine, get it drilled/tapped for full flow oil filtration and you can easily install an additional remote oil cooler if you want to keep things cooler.

Maybe when your trans takes another poop, convert to IRS to lose the RGBs so you can scoot more on the highway? Also rides/handles a little better from what I hear.
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'63 German Walk-Thru Deluxe 15-window - SOLD

[ozark23]

I too like this thread. Got my first split bus 14 years ago in '06 for 3K; I still love it today. congrats on 10 years. I had front seats only, rest was bare shell inside. Lots of fun, work, brake jobs, etc. but camping/driving my bus is the best fun in a car I have ever had.

[Don66bus]

The bus finally had some metal work and new paint (back to the original velvet green and white) over the winter at a shop an hour away. The painter had both the skills and the garage to work in: I have neither. There was one minor problem with the engine catching on fire when he backed it out to sandblast. If you are going to have a fire, being at a paint shop is convenient for repairs.

I was just wanting the metal work done and then some blending, but he said blending was more trouble than a repaint. I'm happy. It is not a show car but it should last another 10-15 years without major rust. Here are some of the areas that he fixed. There was a mouse/rat nest in the passenger rocker that had been there since the last repaint 20 years ago.

and here it is after paint:

Since the fire took out all the wiring in the back, I had it shipped to my mechanic who rewired it. I then pulled the engine to clean the tin and the engine compartment. I also:

- made a new battery strap until a new one arrives
- replaced the accelerator cable (it had become brittle in the fire)
- replaced the horn wire that I knocked off when I was rolling under the bus
- re-installed the Deluxe trim (bumper trim inserts still waiting for a hot day)
- re-installed the basic plywood interior that I prefer

The bus was still stumbling periodically which felt like a gas interruption, so I replaced the fuel pump as a first step. On this particular dual port, you have to remove the carb and distributor, and loosen the intake manifold to squeeze that Brazilian fuel pump out.

It appears to be running well now. If most of the pandemic wave passes, we might try a cross-country trip in the fall.

[NUTSFORBUSES]

Nice thread !!! "Reflections"
My first was a 66 Westy in 1976. I just can't stop ! Here I am enjoying my 64 just this last weekend, and Yes my 6 foot + bed in the back (no tent over the back, weather was too damn good)
Do the disc in front w the dual MC, you will love it. A big ass motor never hurts.

[Braukuche]

Bus looks fantastic. Your a good friend to that old guy.
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Go Reds! Smash state!

Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now