Looking for a good resource

[Data the Cat]

I am starting to research an idea for an upper middle grade/young adult story about a 16 year old girl and her stepfather bonding over rebuilding her grandfather's '68 bus. So advice, resources and anything you'd be willing to share will be appreciated.

I'm thinking, they're looking at a 50 year old bus - what would be the first steps to rebuilding something they find in the barn on his property that probably hasn't run since the late 80's/early 90's? Until then, it was kept in pretty good shape and is actually kind of a unicorn find - that lovely bus we all dream of finding in a barn that can, with some work, can be the conversation piece that has people turning their heads and sharing their memories.

I can get a copy of the John Muir book (I'm thinking that might be the type of thing they find in his old tool box as it was pretty standard back in the day - but then I drove bugs) but where would someone with a clue start the process of evaluating the vehicle, what kind of mechanical issues would 20 years of sitting in a barn look like and need working to bring it back?

Even if you can point me to a resource that isn't deeply technical. The story is over them bonding and I want it to be authentic but I'm not expecting a kid to read this and be able to build a bus from it. (Maybe inspire them to look twice if they see one )

Thanks.

Data the Cat

[Sawspa]

One cool thing about barn finding a vw is the cool stuff the previous owners left in it. I found a ‘94 summer tour Grateful Dead t-shirt holding up the stereo. You could have them find something inside to trigger memories or establish a goal or place to take the bus when its done.
I think you are on to something. Cool concept.
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1978 Westfalia Campmobile 2.0L oversized ham heads and a stepped up cam, running points and a 76 exhaust "Lefty Loosy"

[KentABQ]

That sounds like a great bonding idea. Will this be the lucky girl's first car when she gets her license?

There are lots of resources here on The Samba to help with the refresh. Most important items are brakes (the rubber hoses crumble, the fluid gets water in it, and pads/shoes seize), fuel (drain the tank completely, replaces ALL fuel and vapor hoses), and about 142 other things. Just research here, and buy a Bentley's VW Service Manual (the other one stinks, in my opinion).

Welcome to The Samba! And please keep us posted on the progress.
Ask lots of questions.
.....Take lots of pictures.
..........Have lots of fun!
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[orwell84]

I think people missed what you were asking. The Jon Muir book will give you more than enough info about the mechanical and philosophical aspects of getting an old bus running and it's a fun read for a non mechanic. There are a lot of build and project threads in the stickies section of the forum that will give you an idea of what people go through to get buses running and redone. I would hunt through those and find one that matches something that would be realistic for your characters to accomplish. Some people do very extensive restorations that take years, but many others clean one up, do a little bondo and rattle can painting and make one look quite decent. Good luck with your book.

[TomWesty]

[my59]

There are 2 simultaneous stories here, the getting the bus going, and the memories they have of the PO. That's plenty of conflict possibility, and when you add in the barn find deterioration, the twist is in.
I bought my grandfather's car, he was retired USN, and kept every receipt. It was a treasure trove of info, along with finding out my grandmother smoked, and never in her grandkids presence.
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my59: Well son, my grandfather died before I got to drive it, so does that answer your question?
our79: sunroof bus w/camper interior and 2.0 FI
Other:'12 Jetta, '77 Benz 300D, and a 74 MG Midget.

[aeromech]

Well if you’re writing a story I wouldn’t get too wrapped up in the details of what’s involved with bringing the bus back to life. I’d try and focus on the personality of the bus. I’d leave the technical info pretty loose. Try and make the bus appear to be a giant awakened from a long slumber by a princess.

Maybe select a few anecdotes from a few of us to blend into the story.
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VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
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Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[airschooled]

Nathan is one righteous dude, and he lived a similar story:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=528538


Data the Cat, have you ever ridden in or worked on a bus? I’ll be in your neck of the woods in late September or early October if you’d like to go for a ride and work on a bus yourself. I’m on a cross-country tour, so there’s always maintenance to do when you drive 2,000 miles a week in a 49-year-old car!

Robbie
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[Data the Cat]

[Data the Cat]

[oh didn't he ramble]

don't know where you are in MA, but transporterfest at the Larz Anderson (Brookline) is October 7th. There will be plenty of buses there and plenty of stories to go with them.
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d.

[SGKent]

a tossed rod is not uncommon when oil levels aren't checked frequently. This underscores the differences between a car like the bus back in the late 60's, when oil in Europe was expensive so the bus had a small sump that needed frequent checking for proper level or a tossed rod resulted - and the cheap price of oil and gas here in the states - hence our American 6 & V8 engines had larger sumps which held more oil and needed less frequent checking. It also was a different time when buying gasoline was not self-serve, and many gasoline stations also had service bays where they did tune ups and oil changes. I am telling you this because for the reader to really transition from a young lady of today to the time her grandfather used this bus - she has to experience in a way what you did by having a bus that tossed a rod as consequences of someone in its life not checking the oil (perhaps the prior owner) and then place it in today's context - e.g., letting a smart phone battery go dead while expecting an important call, perhaps? Maybe a visual scene where her grandfather is a younger man getting gas and someone working in a gas station says simply while checking - "hey you are a quart low, want me to add one... ?" The response from the grand father is, "Na, it will be fine'" hence the way the bus ended up with a tossed rod and the consequences that resulted in something happening that influenced his and therefore his grand-daughter's life. Maybe he met his wife this way when his future brother-in-law helped him tow and fix his bus. There is a scene in Tom Hank's movie Castaway where he is intrigued by the image on a package - when the movie ends, all his emotional dreams are brought together by the gal in the pickup with that image - and he sits at a cross roads where the viewer (reader in a book) is left to imagine the ending by the direction he turns on that cross road. Perhaps your young lady in her bus might have such a moment too - where she sees her emotional past and future through the work with the bus and grandfather. Not meaning to be long winded here but thinking like Gary (Aeromech) that the young lady, her life and emotions, should be the focus and not the bus. That would be the largest audience. The bus is just an icon of what is happening in her life physically and emotionally - like the package with the butterfly on it was an icon of part of what made Castaway work.

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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[ImAddicted]

Depending where in MA you are located, you have some good resources around the state to tap into. If you are close to Methuen\Salem, NH reach out to the Bug Club (https://the-bug-club.webs.com/), or reach out to Fusername here, he's out of Arlington and has saved several less-than-new buses. I'm sure one or both of these resources could give you an inside track.
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1979 Transporter (sold)
KC1MUR

[Abscate]

You could reach out to the Guy who just started a project with his 16 year old daughter in DetroitOhio.


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.ssS!

[TomWesty]

[Data the Cat]

Thank you everyone, this really helps a lot!

Data

[Data the Cat]

[Data the Cat]

[oc92]

This is a great book about old vehicle restoration... it balances out the tech talk with the "life" stuff... maybe check it out as research.

https://www.amazon.com/Truck-Love-Story-Michael-Perry/dp/0060571187
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72 bus
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[Abscate]