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earlybayjim
Samba Member
Joined: July 12, 2013
Posts: 249
Location: East Dubuque, IL
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 Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:18 am Post subject: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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I don't know how to start this thread, but it has to be started no matter what. Yesterday we finalized the purchase of a 1971 Westfalia with less than 2700 miles on it. My wife and I are still kind of in shock.
It's not currently running or stopping, as it's been sitting for 40+ years. An elderly woman in Florida bought it new and drove it sparingly until parked in the mid seventies. She passed away and her son bought it from the estate. He kept it garaged until earlier this year when her other son bought it from him and had it trailered to Wisconsin. He decided to sell because he didn't have time or physical ability to work on it. That's where we come in.
I don't have much for documentation besides the paper sticker on the drivers door jamb for the first oil change. The bus is remarkably clean with all original paint as far as I can tell. Surface rust is present on the drip rail in some spots because they left leaves on the roof in storage! Smh! There is some surface rust on the wheels and bumpers as well. Unfortunately it didn't come with the original tires on it. The muffler appears to be original and still has the gray paint intact.
I'm going to do my best to document this bus and share it with the samba. I don't think I'm worthy of this bus and I'm going to be extremely careful with everything I do to it. I'm still not sure if I should even keep it!
Loaded on the trailer.
Back home finally
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1971 Chianti Red Westfalia x2
1985 Westfalia
1984 tintop |
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earlybayjim
Samba Member
Joined: July 12, 2013
Posts: 249
Location: East Dubuque, IL
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:22 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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First and only oil change.
Driver floor
Odometer
Driver rocker
Grey paint on the muffler
The undercarriage still has the primer, overspray, and under coating in great shape
The engine still has the paper stickers on the fan shroud.
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1971 Chianti Red Westfalia x2
1985 Westfalia
1984 tintop |
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TomWesty
Samba Member
Joined: November 23, 2007
Posts: 3482
Location: Wyoming,USA
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:24 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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Wow!
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If you haven't bled on them, you haven't worked on them.
Visit: www.tomcoryell.com and check out my music! |
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Q-Dog
Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2010
Posts: 8699
Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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advCo
Samba Member
Joined: May 27, 2017
Posts: 373
Location: Houston, TX
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:23 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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 nice find!
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"He pulled the mirrors off his Cadillac ‘cause he doesn’t like it looking like he looks back"
'68/'70 Ghia Coupe Project
'70 Westy Project - Champagne I Wannabe
A bunch of vintage Japanese motorcycles
"Much ingenuity with a little money is vastly more profitable and amusing than much money without ingenuity." -A. Bennett |
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rastomas
Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2007
Posts: 258
Location: rosendale, ny
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:26 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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"Wow" ain't the word...I am going to the thesaurus for a better word!
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"It's not 'You are what you eat', it's 'You are what you don't SHIT". Wavy Gravy.
'74 Westy |
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rastomas
Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2007
Posts: 258
Location: rosendale, ny
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:26 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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"Wow" ain't the word...I am going to the thesaurus for a better word!
_________________
"It's not 'You are what you eat', it's 'You are what you don't SHIT". Wavy Gravy.
'74 Westy |
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KentABQ 
Samba Member
Joined: September 11, 2016
Posts: 2406
Location: Albuquerque NM
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:31 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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That's an amazing discovery. Congratulations! 
My vote is to get it in safe running order, and use it for its intended purpose... Touring, adventuring and funning!
It's been cooped up and neglected for too long to let the moths and vermin get more use of it than you. 
_________________
-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 |
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earlybayjim
Samba Member
Joined: July 12, 2013
Posts: 249
Location: East Dubuque, IL
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:45 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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| Q-Dog wrote: |
Nice!
So, what Subi engine are you gonna put in it? |
Bahaha! I was going to make a joke about air ride and and tubbing it out but I didn't think it would be well received!
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1971 Chianti Red Westfalia x2
1985 Westfalia
1984 tintop |
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Stuartzickefoose
Samba Post Whore
Joined: February 07, 2008
Posts: 10350
Location: SoCal for now...
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:50 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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Dump it on earlies...!
Nice find!
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Stuart Zickefoose
2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDi 6 speed manual
206-841-7324
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busdaddy
Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2004
Posts: 51125
Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:51 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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What a score!, can't wait for more pictures!
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Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.
Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
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Слава Україні! |
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:51 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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Get it appraised before you go anywhere with it. That belongs in a collection rather than being driven. Really. It is probably 1 of 1 at this point.
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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 |
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earlybayjim
Samba Member
Joined: July 12, 2013
Posts: 249
Location: East Dubuque, IL
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:18 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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| SGKent wrote: |
| Get it appraised before you go anywhere with it. That belongs in a collection rather than being driven. Really. It is probably 1 of 1 at this point. |
We are pondering this at the moment. I'd like to at least clean it and buff the original paint and from there where do we go?
Do I try to find new old stock brake hoses? Do they exist?
Do I repaint the bumpers?
Do I repaint the wheels?
The canvas is chewed up in the front. Replace that with Wolfsburg west canvas? Has anybody seen a nos canvas?
Does anybody know a good appraiser in the midwest familiar with vws?
_________________
1971 Chianti Red Westfalia x2
1985 Westfalia
1984 tintop |
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earlybayjim
Samba Member
Joined: July 12, 2013
Posts: 249
Location: East Dubuque, IL
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:21 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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| busdaddy wrote: |
| What a score!, can't wait for more pictures! |
Thank you. Hopefully she is getting a bath tonight and I'll get as many as I can. Yesterday was exhausting and I had just enough time to get it off the trailer and into the garage before bed.
_________________
1971 Chianti Red Westfalia x2
1985 Westfalia
1984 tintop |
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Manfred58sc
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009
Posts: 3382
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:30 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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Amazing!!!
Rebuild brakes with NOS parts, YES
Re-paint any of it, NO
New canvass top, I would try a pro repair first
I would contact a VW magazine or Dennis Gage ( My classic car ) for an interview, it needs no evaluation as it stands alone as the lowest mileage Westy left on the face of the planet.
Insure to $100,000 and enjoy as you see fit
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Fat chick owner/operator |
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jtauxe
Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004
Posts: 5780
Location: Los Alamos, New Mexico
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:25 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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Words fail me... this is amazing.
Don't repaint anything, and don't replace the canvas. This will have its greatest value as a "survivor", where everything except the rubber (brake lines, tires...) is original.
Do clean it up, and preserve it as is.
Seriously, this may be the lowest mileage bus outside a museum. And this is an amazing collector's item, and should not be used for actual driving and camping, etc. With the money you could get for this one, you could buy several top-notch campers for that.
And you, or someone, needs to document the heck out of this. Photos and descriptions of every detail will be highly useful for those restoring similar buses.
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD
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71whitewesty
Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2010
Posts: 1544
Location: oregon
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:45 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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Insane! I agree with the others. Preserve it as is except for mechanicals, get those in order. Take your time, this is a real find. Sell it to a worthy collector if it’s not something you can take care of to the level it deserves. Awesome Bus!!
I’d remove those rear bumper guards though. Someone added those at some point.
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71 Westy 1600 DP, all stock Bus 1
1970's Snow Trac 1600 SP (sold 12/2016)
1968 Tucker sno cat, sold 2021
1969 Tucker Sno cat 542
2017 VW Alltrac
71 tin top stock 1600 DP (project but runs)
Twin 71 White Westy, Bus 2, that I pulled from a 15 year slumber in a dry eastern WA field in 2015.
1966 Sundial Camper "Boomer" |
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:00 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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| Quote: |
| Insure to $100,000 and enjoy as you see fit |
No disrespect meant by my reply to the statement above.
Fact is no reputable insurance company is going to insure that for $100,000 unless one sells in an auction like it, or someone like Mecum, Gooding, Barrett Jackson, or someone like Wayne Carini etc., appraises that at $100,000. Once you start driving it then it is just another nice bus. You only get ONE shot at getting this one right. The insurance company is going to insure it what a clean bus would sell for today plus a little. I don't know what that bus would sell for at an high end auction once it is cleaned up. That said, insure it at an agreed value. I suspect you could get a policy for $30,000 today and then once it is appraised get the policy upgraded closer to that amount. Also there are some legal precedents here. If I buy a diamond ring for $1500 and it turns out to be a one of a kind Tiffany that is worth $350,000, most likely the seller's attorney will be visiting me once they hear about the instant windfall - ESPECIALLY if I knew it was worth a lot more when I bought it from the private party. Auctions are different.
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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 |
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mikewire
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2010
Posts: 805
Location: San Antonio, TX
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white74westy
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2011
Posts: 777
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:18 am Post subject: Re: 2700 original mile 1971 Westfalia discovered! |
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| SGKent wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Insure to $100,000 and enjoy as you see fit |
No disrespect meant by my reply to the statement above.
Fact is no reputable insurance company is going to insure that for $100,000 unless one sells in an auction like it, or someone like Mecum, Gooding, Barrett Jackson, or someone like Wayne Carini etc., appraises that at $100,000. Once you start driving it then it is just another nice bus. You only get ONE shot at getting this one right. The insurance company is going to insure it what a clean bus would sell for today plus a little. I don't know what that bus would sell for at an high end auction once it is cleaned up. That said, insure it at an agreed value. I suspect you could get a policy for $30,000 today and then once it is appraised get the policy upgraded closer to that amount. Also there are some legal precedents here. If I buy a diamond ring for $1500 and it turns out to be a one of a kind Tiffany that is worth $350,000, most likely the seller's attorney will be visiting me once they hear about the instant windfall - ESPECIALLY if I knew it was worth a lot more when I bought it from the private party. Auctions are different. |
Call these people:
https://www.chubb.com/us-en/?gclid=CjwKCAjwmJbeBRB...DAoddvsFtQ
I'm happy to give you my contact's name. If you're interested, PM me. She was very good at what she does. She knows a bit about VW's as well as other vintage cars. She'll ask you a bunch of questions about the way you intend to use the vehicle. I'm not sure that 100K is out of the question. I have an agreed value with them. While it is not 100K, it wasn't too far off. You'll likely have to provide pictures, etc. It will also need to be in a locked garage. Hope this proves useful! Let us know what you end up doing.
Sweet score!
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