Brilliant Orange Time Capsule: A 39K mi bus and its OG/NLA parts

[Squeeze Cheese]

[Squeeze Cheese]

[hazetguy]

More engine pics please!
Curious as to where that (fugly) silver heater/preheater hose is going.
Do you need this part? https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2188331
_________________
thebucket: I invested in hoodride, now DBD won't return my call?
hazetguy: invested?
thebucket: Yeah Haze, its where people put money into a company in hopes of a return on their money

[Squeeze Cheese]

[hazetguy]

Cool. More engine pics though......
_________________
thebucket: I invested in hoodride, now DBD won't return my call?
hazetguy: invested?
thebucket: Yeah Haze, its where people put money into a company in hopes of a return on their money

[alman72]

at least the muffler is old empi, and not new empi.
From that era, it might not be total crap.

[notchboy]

Very nice survivor! Very weird options. Almost like a Tourister Package

Thats part of what I love about these is the mystery.

Want to sell that yellow pail, I need one badly for my 74 project?

Have you seen this?

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0
_________________

[xyzzy]

Awesome find.

So interesting -- I found my pristine '73 in Atlanta as well (Alpharetta). One owner, bought new, garaged for 28 years.

Seems there are some Georgia Peaches out there still!

Congrats, beautiful example.
_________________
-----
1973 VW Westfalia 2L hydraulic, dual Solex PDSIT
1987 VW Vanagon Westfalia

[Wasted youth]

Good gawd, man!

You just made my day. PM sent!

[Abscate]

Put a 53 on it and call it Herbie Bus..
_________________
.ssS!

[rusty busty]

[Globespotter]

Gorgeous.

Yes, to confirm, Canada bound buses (even deluxes) had no propane stoves due to regulations, so that is likely why that was not included. It seems like a ship to US but known that it was intended to be headed to Canada.

Also, my guess on the radio is that maybe in 1975 since AM/FM's were pretty rare, they put in a German one because they were not able to get a US/Europe one in a timely manner - just a guess.

Love to see original stock like this....
_________________
1977 Westfalia - October 2015 - Current
1971 Super Beetle - May 2012 - Current
1979 Westfalia - 1986-1991
1971 Super Beetle - 1977-1980

1971 SB Survivor Story: https://globespotter.com/
Road Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=511800&highlight=
My 77 Westy Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=647114&highlight=

http://vw-mplate.com/mcode.php?lang=EN&id=30990
https://vw-type2-id.xyz/mplate/72067382

[Wasted youth]

Three questions:

1) Did this model year come with the white tassels along the top front edge of the pop-top?

2) What year was the battery charger timer panel introduced?

3) Would it be sacrilege to install the combination two burner stove and sink?

[appetite]

Just lovely. Cograts!
_________________
69 Westy

[stwesty]

Amazing bus!
_________________
1974 Westfalia, automatic, dual-carb

[Angus II]

Hello,
I'm with Notchboy, on it being an tourist program "built" type of bus... that somehow showed up in the USA, for its first sell at a dealership..
Wouldn't it have a RV sticker/tag on it, even with only shore power??? UL approved and all.... If it was ment to be sold in the U.S. destination first??
But, any way you look at it, that sure is one nice bus. With a few mysteries to boot.

[67ctbug]

[mcdonaldneal]

Wow. Just wow.
Great job you've done and thanks for sharing!
That's the mother of all dilemmas you've got as to what to do with the bus (eventually!) I really appreciate your sympathetic touch so far!
Looking forward to engine pics and to see the state it was when you first saw it.
Question: did you fit the foam engine bay seal, or is that how it was when you dropped the engine?

I guess they used the tiny camping stove instead of the absent cooker? Weird to have such a specced out camper and for it to be so lightly used.

Love it.
_________________
1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[otiswesty]

Very nice bus. I'm sure the VW museum would be interested in having it
_________________
1978 Sage Green P22 Westfalia
1989 T3 Syncro Single cab

Just a regular guy

[Squeeze Cheese]

I’m back! Had a nice camp with the wife and kids at Stone Mountain, and had the pleasure of a fireside visit from our new friend, Samba member ultralite and his absolutely stunning 69’ Westy:

That’s our Dakota Beige 78’, and for those that wondered why anyone would consider anything else a “forever bus” when one owns this mint orange 75’…

Yesterday I would have told you the reason is because I have put too much work into the 78’ since I’ve had it, all the essential upgrades, solar, glorious cold modern AC, getting it driving just right, a history of memories made, etc. and the thought of doing it again on another bus is exhausting. But today, I know the real reason. The 78’ sits in the garage right now – absolutely trashed. Over the course of 48 hours, a 3 and a 5 year old, who swam no less than a dozen times in various bodies of water, managed to turn it into a bus that looks like we’ve been living in it for 2 years. There’s a layer of funk – you know what I mean – on everything.

It’s not that I’d be afraid of funking up the Orange 75’, funk from use is mostly temporary. It’s that I like not caring about that funk! I have absolutely no hesitation in taking the 78’ on adventures, knowing it will be nicked, rained on, smeared, dribbled with edible substances… and it’s a cherry bus, no doubt, I'm really proud of it - but it’s not tooooooo perfect, know what I mean? With the Brilliant Orange 75’, I’m in such awe at it’s condition that I, personally, would hesitate to abuse it like I know I would! I figure, if the eventual “forever owner” should decide to use it for an around-the-world-trek - or put it in a museum, that’s their prerogative. But I feel like my role in this is just to preserve it until its destiny unfolds.

Anyway, many requests for engine photos so I’ll use this post for that.

Like I said, I had to pull this engine for the first time because it needed a gasket/seal set and of course new fuel and vacuum hoses to run right and safely and not leak a pint of oil with each start up. The original push rod tube seals just crumbled during removal. The foam engine seal had literally turned to dust after sitting for 30 years (along with the front seat padding) and created a wonderful cloud of smoke as it burned on the exhaust when I fired it up for the first time. So I replaced that of course. The fan shroud had a layer of very tough whitish corrosion that I guess was a chemical reaction with the Georgia air, and without harming the original decal, the best I could do was work on it with steel wool. Other than that, I just tried to clean everything.

The factory inspector’s “In Ordnung” stamp, which must have not been very firmly applied that day in 75’:

The engine count number stamp looks much better:

Some wide angles. Note the original one year only muffler with preheater shroud was tragically removed. I guess that’s why Ratwell calls it “uber rare” – it didn’t even survive on a bus of this caliber. The “early FI” EGR was disconnected probably at the same time, I made a better block-off plate and painted the muffler and gravel guard, which were the only two rusty things on the car. I also thought it’s cool to see an intact right blower fan-to-riser tube, that crazy shaped accordion thing.

Here you can see the underside of the 75’ left rear tin with the blocked port that would have originally connected to the crossover tube preheat shroud:

Believe it or not, first bus I’ve had with no oil leaks!

The surviving emissions decal and the rare OG steel timing scale with correct 5 degree ATDC dot:

Duel Vacuum Advance Distributor with original rev-limiter rotor:

Diagnostic port, still wired up:

Original air filer:

The original thermostat, rebuilt by Clark at Awesome Powdercoat:

The early FI intake nozzle with the preheat intake port

So clean you could drink from it!

And finally, the air filter grommet in its original orientation, which I never knew was a part that existed before now:

More to come…
_________________
78' Dakota Beige Westy. “Skills” EJ25 engine conversion w/ zero mile factory short block, Delta 1000 cams, heater core and modified Gilmore AC. Matt Steedle 091 transaxle upgrade w/ 4.14 ring and pinion, Folts aluminum gear carrier. General Grabber AT2s on stock wheels. Solar powered aux battery w/ inverter.