1968 Westy TinTop build thread

[Cavilry6]

Well, I have enough small threads going that I thought it would be worth posting a comprehensive thread as I get closer to completing the bus.

I bought it in February of 2016 for a great deal. The guy wasn't advertising the Bus but was open to it "going to a good home" as long as someone didn't mind the busted in nose.

Mechanically, the bus was in great shape for the most part. He kept it running well. Unfortunately, the interior was a bit ratty and the exterior definitely had some rust issues, aside from the obvious body damage.

When I first bought the bus, I thought it was just going to be a surf vehicle...chill in my driveway and then drive me the 5 miles to the beach for a surf. However, after my first little day-trip I realized I was hooked. Over the next few months, the bus gradually became my main source of weekend entertainment. It's where I had my first few dates with my then-girlfriend, and it even took us to the spot where I proposed to my now-fiancé.

When we realized how much fun we were having in the bus, we decided we should spend some money on Davy Bum-Bum. We didn't want to "restore" him, but make him a bit more comfortable and ensure he would be around for years to come...we hope to always have him in the family.

So, I set to work on the interior rust. I figured I could repair the rust, add some sound deadening, and redo the interior.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mffTmQfqJbo&t=47s

I then realized that if I was spending all of the money and time to redo the interior, I needed to redo the seals since nearly all of them leaked. Then I realized that I can't just replace the seals without addressing the rust around the sills. Long story short, I completely disassembled the bus, dealt with the rust the best I could, and took it to get the nose repaired and a new coat of paint:

Now that the bus is back I am slowly ticking off the rest of the list.

So far I've installed new floors (Pergo Outlast! Haha), made new wooden wall panels, added new insulation, installed a rack system, installed one of Jeremy's hitches, and bought a cool old trailer to tow my motorcycle.

I'll get some photos up soon of the rest of the work, then show progress as we march towards the finish line. The goal is to be done by the end of the month for a music festival. Fingers crossed.
_________________
1968 Westy Tin-Top

[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate2-32802.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[NoBudgetVWGarage]

Nice Job. Looks Great!
_________________
1969 Transporter
1968 Ghia
1959 Ghia Hot VW Drag Car

[riverside66]

Sweet color!
_________________
1977 Standard Beetle -Sold-
1979 Transporter - "Wheatbread" -Sold-

[caseyr02]

Dang! Looking Sharp!

[curtp07]

Any pics of the body work in progress? Did they replace the nose, pound it out? How were the window seal areas?

Nice color.
_________________
Subaru

[Cavilry6]

Thanks all! Here are some progress photos. The window seals weren't bad, I stripped them down to metal and cleaned them up, it was a pretty easy fix for the most part.

All-in-all, I think I got what I paid for work wise. I paid $6k and asked to have it back within a month (they did it in two weeks). The paint looks good and I think it added some life to the bus, but they also did a lot of weird things like painting over the emblem holes, painting over the windshield washer sprayers, got overspray on the (admittedly ratty) sun visors, etc.

I did about 10% of the bodywork myself, did a bit of prep, and let them take the rest. The nose was pounded out for the upper 2/3s, but the lower 1/3 was replaced.

One funny thing, I had originally asked for the bus to be this blue on the lower section and white up top. When we went to pick it up, my fiancé (who is more forward than I) had the cajones to ask why it wasn't white up top...the guy admitted they forgot until after it was painted. But they offered to paint it later if we still wanted the white after our honeymoon. Haha.
_________________
1968 Westy Tin-Top

[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate2-32802.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[TDCTDI]

Not that it means anything, but I kinda like the solid color.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Cavilry6]

[JimmyJagged]

I really like the paint color and solid scheme. I think that you are closer to original factory than you think. I believe that all Westfalia campers were solid color. I have attached a photo of the Westfalia plant that I uploaded from Samba. Notice that ALL of the campers, including the tin-tops, are solid color, not two tone.
Best of luck with your Bus!

_________________
Current:
1971 Tin Top Weekender Bus
1973 Squareback
1985 Pop Top Weekender Vanagon (my 19yo son's first car. father/son project)
1985 Pop Top Weekender Vanagon w/ 2.5 Subaru

Past:
1976 Rabbit diesel (my first car). RIP. totaled by drunk driver (not me!)
1973 Pop Top Westfalia Weekender Bus. RIP. Blown engine due to 25yo ignorant of VW maintenance (me).
1986 Vanagon Transporter. RIP. totaled by drunk driver (not me!)
1987 Vanagon Syncro. I never should have sold.

[static]

[KentABQ]

[Cavilry6]

Thanks all!

You're definitely making me feel better about the solid color I really do like it, and now I can tell people why. Haha.

I spent last night tidying up the interior. The curtains, floor, and walls are now done. Basically, at this point I am just waiting on shipments to start rolling in from SewFine so that I can start putting the rest back together and then finish the stereo install.

FWIW, SewFine has been GREAT to work with. The final bill hurt a bit, but I am replacing every soft part of the interior. They know I am on a tight timeline so they are sending me things as they get done and doing their best to send them in the order they need to be installed. Major kudos to them!

_________________
1968 Westy Tin-Top

[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate2-32802.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[Cavilry6]

Well, the nightly work on the bus has continued as much as wedding planning has allowed.

Next up will be:
• I am almost done refurbishing the front bumper. New centerpiece from Bus Depot and some hard work on the side sections and it's almost done.
• I ordered the electric windshield washer kit from Bus Depot as well. I've never had the washers and figured it would be nice to have on a 3,000 mile road trip.
• Still waiting on the bushing for the steering column. The shop that did the body work lost/broke it so I need to figure out how that goes back together.
• The first part of the shipment from SewFine arrived. The armrest vinyl and new pads for the front buckets, so I will get going on that soon.
• I am blessed to have some connections with Kicker and Pioneer, so I need to get the new speakers and stereo installed. Yay!
• Mostly I'm just fiddling about for now...but once the rest comes in from SewFine it will be a rush to get it all ready to head out on the trial trip in exactly two weeks. Ahhhhhh!

Bus Depot sent me two of the same vent wing seals when I bought the full kit. Unfortunately, I waited 8 months to start replacing them and by the time I realized they wouldn't make it right...to say the least I'm pretty pissed.

Anywho, I did get the hitch from Jeremy and my new bike rack installed, so when I took the bus to the body shop I loaded up my bike in case I needed to leave it overnight for them to finish installing the windows. Works like a charm!

_________________
1968 Westy Tin-Top

[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate2-32802.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[Cap10323]

I'll be honest, when you first posted here asking about a 'dream engine' I dismissed you as another dreamer lacking the actual gumption to go the mile and make their bus nice.

Kudos to you for proving my nihilistic self wrong, that bus looks fantastic, and you're doing a great job on it.

Also, I personally really like the single-tone paintscheme, I feel like Bays always look better one color, save the white top for Splits.


On a side note, have you done anything to the drivetrain? Might want to throw a set of pads/rotors on it, or just do some other easy maintenance while you're at it so your bus drives as good as it looks.
_________________
-Ian

'77 Westfalia - 2.0 F.I

[Cavilry6]

Thanks so much Cap!

I'll admit I do have an unfortunate tendency to be a bit too dreamy...I hatch a lot of great (to me) ideas but my ADD brain usually bounces on to some other project before I can see it through. That said, a few projects really have hooked me and kept my interest in seeing them through...my 1975 CB750F being one, and the Bus being the other...it doesn't hurt that I have my beautiful fiancé encouraging me along the way since she loves the Bus as much as I do.

Can't agree more on the color. I let the body guy off the hook on Tuesday. I told him that I appreciated his offer to have me come back to have the top painted white, but that I was going to stick with the color as-is. He gave me a huge hug. Haha.

For the drivetrain I have done a once-over (for what it's worth) to ensure nothing is glaringly wrong. The goal is to drive it as-is on my 300 mile road trip at the end of the month and then bring it back and do a serious service on it before the 3,000 mile road trip in August.

I haven't determined yet if I will try to tackle that myself or take it to a mechanic. I WANT to do it myself to be better acquainted with the Bus and ensure I can do it in the future (I know that paying for others to do the work is a great way to go broke owning an old VW) but I also know that work travel and wedding planning might make that a tall order.
_________________
1968 Westy Tin-Top

[url=http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate2-32802.png]Click to view image[/URL]

[Sloride]

Well done on your bus. I like the solid colour as well.
_________________
1972 Westfalia - 1.8 VW in-line h2o conversion
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Link to the engine swap:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=565304&highlight=

1964 Ruby Red Beetle

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=705757&highlight=ruby+red

[jeremyrockjock]

Looks great!!
_________________
Why buy what you can build.
Step away from the fiberglass and no one gets hurt!!

[TDCTDI]

[TDCTDI]

[Cavilry6]