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campingbox Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2000 Posts: 10196 Location: Petaluma, CA
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 6:53 am Post subject: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Like a lot of these threads start I figured I would start a build thread to help document the history of the bus and document the repair work. I'm also hoping this thread will help keep me motivated to work on it and update.
I'm still working on tracing back the history but I believe this bus was sold new in Germany most likely to a man in the military. It had US specs and was taken to Westfalia when new to have a Westfalia campingbox kit fitted. It's the only deluxe bus I have ever seen outfitted with this style interior. I don't know much about the history from '61 through '70 but in 1970 it was bought by a man from Iowa who was drafted into the military and sent to Germany. He was there from '70-'71 and brought the bus back with him. In the campingbox are a few German drivers handbooks, one from '64, another from 1970. There is also a USA license plate which is green, this is probably how it was registered while it was in Germany. It was owned by this man from 1970 through 2005 when he passed, spending most of his life in Minnesota, and his widow kept the bus until September 16th, 2015 when she sold it to a local car dealer named Liberty Station. The car dealer in turn called Mike Wolfe of the American Pickers fame and sold it to him on 09.29.15. Mike took it down to Rich @ J-3 restorations in Columbia, Tn. to do a quickie wash and get it running and stopping good enough to drive onto a trailer so the bus could be sold to a happy new home.
Rich's team knocked it out quick and put it up for sale on 11/03/2015. I didn't see the ad because I was traveling to Florida for the Bulli Brigade but my buddy Jake texted me about the bus and told me I had to buy it. His enthusiasm is contagious, so Clara & I deliberated for all of about 30 seconds and I sent him an email and gave him a phone call telling Rich we wanted it. Clara's favorite model is the corner window and well with my namesake the bus seemed to fit well with the collection. A few phone calls and a lot of nervous pacing back and forth in the hotel room and a deal was secured.
Here are the photos Rich had in his ad.
Halloween bus - kinda neat
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rebapuck Samba Member
Joined: May 17, 2007 Posts: 1023 Location: Chapel Hill NC
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 6:58 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Lucky you!! _________________ Judy
1966 Camper "Hannah"
1967 SingleCab "Khady" |
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campingbox Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2000 Posts: 10196 Location: Petaluma, CA
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 6:58 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Now I'm looking at these photos on my iphone, not even one of the big ones. I can see the rust in the roof and holes in the rockers and the Minnesota plates and I was a little worried. The price was good and I knew we'd miss it if I didn't jump in with no hesitation.
That night I was up late looking at facebook and instagram and collected some more photos.
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rebapuck Samba Member
Joined: May 17, 2007 Posts: 1023 Location: Chapel Hill NC
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:03 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Don't worry. You got it and that's the important part. Now, at your leisure, you can think about how crazy you were YOU CAN"T HAVE TOO MANY! _________________ Judy
1966 Camper "Hannah"
1967 SingleCab "Khady" |
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campingbox Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2000 Posts: 10196 Location: Petaluma, CA
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:08 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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And after a few nervous weeks of waiting for transport the bus was finally here.
Overall the bus was a little nicer than I was expecting. The rockers were wasted but the frame looks good. The original paint is super nice and the original headliner is awesome. |
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earlywesty Samba Member
Joined: May 03, 2004 Posts: 2358 Location: In the woods, Ontario
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:08 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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This is one of the coolest buses to come along in a long time. Congratulations. Is there any model of early westy you don't own? I also thought the price was fair when it was listed. Thanks for starting a thread on it, I am very interested. |
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campingbox Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2000 Posts: 10196 Location: Petaluma, CA
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:17 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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The seat cushions have been recovered but the original plaid is underneath.
Seems like there is just a thin layer of burlap over the original springs, that can't be too comfortable. I would have expected horsehair, maybe they didn't have pads for this size springs?
Childs cot is all original and like nothing I've ever seen before. I'm not sure if this is specific for the campingbox or maybe for the humpback seat? I see why they changed to the later green cot, this board/plank thing was probably fairly awkward.
Rear carpet is nice too.
Panels are all pretty nice.
I was confused about the little bracket next to the dome light but after a few days I realized it was to hold the table up.
The entire roof was rattle canned white which I was pretty bummed about. The nose was also rattle canned from the beltline up to the roof. Fortunately this comes off with a bit of effort.
I'll need to do some paint touch up to the driprail. I can't see any holes at the moment but I'm sure they would not be too far off.
Rockers are also on the short list - I ordered all the metal so will get busy burning those in soon. |
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andre b Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2004 Posts: 806 Location: San Jose C.A.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:18 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Awesome,,congrats Greg and Clara,,the bus went back into the right hands,,enjoy! |
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campingbox Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2000 Posts: 10196 Location: Petaluma, CA
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:23 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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buseric wrote: |
This is one of the coolest buses to come along in a long time. Congratulations. Is there any model of early westy you don't own? I also thought the price was fair when it was listed. Thanks for starting a thread on it, I am very interested. |
There are a bunch of westy models that we don't have and some of the buses we have it would be nice to upgrade to better ones. Maybe one day we will have all the different ones and they will all be nice! =)
Yes, I thought the price was good. Even without the campingbox interior and history I think it would have sold quick. The camper kit is the marzipan. It's the most expensive bus I've ever bought but I haven't regretted it for a second. It's not for sale at any price now. |
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dockmaster Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2005 Posts: 297 Location: Florida
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:31 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Nice Greg. Congratulations! |
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Big Bill Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2005 Posts: 1782 Location: Santa Rosa, Ca
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 7:42 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Wow, cool find. The dash sure cleaned up nicely, and the paint under the rattle canned roof looks great where you worked it out. These one off buses like this that where done by Westy are interesting, also nice that you have the early history of its journey . The only other Delux Westy I can think of is Watermans 21. It found the correct home. |
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Touch Nicks Thing Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2003 Posts: 2029 Location: Alexandria, VA
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:05 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Um, damn! |
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Drew Ogden Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Elbow Cay, Bahamas
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:15 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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It pays to be aggressive when you buy something, and to have balls and throw down cash without waiting for more pics. Good for you!! Congrats on the purchase, I look forward to hanging out in the bus!! That child's cot is insane... |
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campingbox Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2000 Posts: 10196 Location: Petaluma, CA
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:31 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Drew Ogden wrote: |
It pays to be aggressive when you buy something, and to have balls and throw down cash without waiting for more pics. Good for you!! Congrats on the purchase, I look forward to hanging out in the bus!! That child's cot is insane... |
Thanks Drew! I'll try to have it ready for Kelly Park, not sure if you'll be there though.
I think that is pretty much how it went down. No questions, no extra photos, and I sent him a substantial deposit by Paypal before he even responded saying I could buy it. I figured he would take the path of least resistance which is what he did. I could tell from the nine photos and limited description that we wanted it, so nothing the seller said was going to change my mind. I figured worst case, the bus would be a dog and I'd lose a few bucks trying to unload it, best case - which is what it was, the bus would be a keeper that I would never ever want to sell. |
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jjjjack Samba Member
Joined: August 08, 2005 Posts: 1013 Location: Gainesville, FL
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:34 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Such and awesome bus. I remember drooling over the ad. Pretty cool how that flap for the cot lines up with the top of the cabinet making one big surface! Looking forward to following the progress. Congrats! _________________ Jack Stenner
1959 Mango Westfalia SO-23
1953 Porsche 356 Coupe
IG:j.stenner |
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srfndoc Samba Member
Joined: August 21, 2010 Posts: 3275 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:39 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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I saw the ad hit when it was first posted and thought "wow" that is a unique bus. Looks like it ended up in the right place, congrats. _________________ RPM=(MPH*336* (R&P*4th*1.26))/Tire Diameter in inches |
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EverettB Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 69824 Location: Phoenix Metro
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campingbox Samba Member
Joined: November 14, 2000 Posts: 10196 Location: Petaluma, CA
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 8:58 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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jjjjack wrote: |
Such and awesome bus. I remember drooling over the ad. Pretty cool how that flap for the cot lines up with the top of the cabinet making one big surface! Looking forward to following the progress. Congrats! |
Yeah, the childs cot is neat. I am so glad it didn't get tossed. Otherwise I would have wondered maybe forever what those cleats were for at the front of the box. I wonder if originally it came with a big sleeping pad for the top of the cabinet?
I bought my first bus in 1996, and almost immediately after that I met Joe Crockett (RIP) by contacting him through an ad in the back of OBR. At the time he had just found a '61 standard campingbox. I wasn't interested in Westy's at all at the time - I remember telling George Schmidt that I hated campers and he told me I was crazy. Joe's bus had a very rusty roof. Joe soon after that sold it to my buddy Marcos who I think sold it a few years later to someone in Japan. I wonder if it had that same childs cot? Wonder where the bus is now?
These photos were taken by Lind - that's Marcos standing under the tent
We are missing the two aluminum handles for our cabinet. I also notice Marcos' bus had a westy tag on the upper right corner of the campingbox. I see no evidence of this on our cabinet. Maybe they ran out of badges towards the end of '61? I wonder if this badge was maybe applied with tape and it fell off when the bus was fairly fresh? Hopefully at some point this mango bus surfaces again.
Marcos' bus also had the rear breadbox cabinet which this bus never had - atleast there are no markings on the rear carpet and there are curtain rods which go around the corner windows and rear hatch which I think would have been left off if it had the cabinet. I wish it had that box! How cool would that be to see the box through all that glass? |
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srfndoc Samba Member
Joined: August 21, 2010 Posts: 3275 Location: SoCal
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:15 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Any sign of the original curtains to see what color/pattern they used? Maybe the light yellow solid pattern? _________________ RPM=(MPH*336* (R&P*4th*1.26))/Tire Diameter in inches |
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vwmike Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2001 Posts: 156 Location: Fraser Valley, BC, Canada
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:16 am Post subject: Re: '61 corner window westy campingbox |
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Very cool Greg! Can't wait to see it around the PNW. Hope to park next to it one day with our 59. |
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