1970 Bus Father/Daughter Restore Project

[steelheadrob]

New to the forum.

Found this 1970 VW Bus in a farmers field after it had be sitting for over 20 years. My daughter's dream car is a VW Bus so we decided it would be a father daughter project. Going back to my roots, my car back in high school was a 1969 VW bug that I rebuilt the engine in and painted. I haven't touched a VW in over 30 years so any advice from the VW long timers would be appreciated. I am sure I will make some mistakes along the way but figure if your not willing to make a mistake you will never accomplish anything.

Body is straight with at least one heavy bondo spot. Interior was trash, windows down, home for birds, squirells and yellow jackets. Tires were sitting flat for years, had it towed in out on flat bed. Engine was tired, H5 block out of vw bug, after some work I got it started, but decided I am going the complete rebuild route.

[Whaanga]

Looks like a great project. We had a 1970 bus when I grew up and we loved it.
I was able to find a 1973 bus a few years ago but my daughter thinks it’s the dumbest car in the world. Once, when I picked her up from school, she was so embarrassed and mortified that she climbed on the floor until we got out of the school parking lot.

Maybe some day she’ll come around.

But, I’m very happy for you and your daughter. Congrats! Keep us posted on your progress.

There are many great folks here who will help you. Just make sure to change all your fuel lines. Others will chime in with advice and input as you ask specific questions.
_________________
Late 1973 Bay w/a transplanted 914 Engine

[TomWesty]

Nice starting place. I’ve seen way worse buses. There may be a post with bears in it coming your way. We’ll do our best to help along the way. Do you fly one of those planes?
_________________
If you haven't bled on them, you haven't worked on them.
Visit: www.tomcoryell.com and check out my music!

[skills@eurocarsplus]

looks like it started life as a brilliant blue deluxe.

here's mine

here is what it came to me looking like

mine was gutted too. you have more glass than I did
_________________

[steelheadrob]

Thanks for the replies. I look forward to the project and the advice along the way.

My dad is the pilot, instructor and he has a flight school and shop where he rebuilds planes, he actual found 2 buses while he was flying over a farmers field. This is the one we got, he is doing an LS swap on the other vw bus he found, a 1971 vw bus, sorry VW purist, he is in his 70s and reliving his street drag racing days, he had a VW bus with a chevy engine in it the 1970s that he raced on the street. I have a picture of me standing by his V8 chevy VW bus back in the day when I was a todler.

Yes the maroon color is the second paint on the bus, the first color was a cool blue. My daughter wants to go orange as the color on the bottom with white on top. So the bus will be orange and white.

[wcfvw69]

What a great project for you and your daughter. You've come to the right spot to seek advice as you navigate through this project. I have a 70' Westfalia bus. The younger kids go crazy everytime I have it out. Late teens and 20 somethings always tell me "I so want one of those".. Your daughter is lucky.

Look over the stickies in the bay forums. Lots of fantastic info in there! Also, be SUPER careful before buying any "new" parts for your bus. Most are Chinese copies of super low quality. Seek good used VW parts, NOS VW parts or restored German VW parts or ask in your thread who sells the best whatever part your seeking.

Good luck!
_________________
Contact me at [email protected]
Follow me on instagram @sparxwerksllc

Decades of VW and VW parts restoration experience.
The Samba member since 2004.

**Now rebuilding throttle bodies for VW's and Porsche's**
**Restored German Bosch distributors for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored German Pierburg fuel pumps for sale or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche fuel pumps or I can restore yours**
**Restored Porsche distributors or I can restore yours**

[steelheadrob]

[cmonSTART]

Very very cool project! Good luck with it!
_________________
'78 Bus 2.0FI
de K1IGS

[skills@eurocarsplus]

a 70 has a host of one year only parts, like fuse box, ignition switch assembly and turn signal switch (if my memory serves me....and may add the flasher relay to that list)

if you have a yellow colored fuse box do your best to find a white one. the yellow ones are made out of glass and will shatter when you touch them. if you have a white one consider yourself lucky....and bring your A game doing electrical because the fuse boxes are super hard to find
_________________

[daves_ale]

Good times and I have to say you're raising your daughter right. My girls love my V-dubs, just wish they did when they were the age of yours. Hope she gets her hands dirty with you along the way, that will help her out and make her more independant and self sufficient in the years to come.
Good luck and keep posting
_________________
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wishes us to be happy"- Ben

'66 Euro Beetle 1200A
'71 Single Cab
'78 Westy
'02 Jaguar XK8 convertible

[wcfvw69]

[TomWesty]

[Abscate]

My daughter had an awesome four years at Bryan Mawr fixing everything on campus. She went with a cool set of tools which she was always using.

Connect Missy up with some of the cool Sambarinas we have here; young women like female role models to follow as well as Dad.

My girls still love talking up 90 year old Grandma and her stick shift Golf
_________________
.ssS!

[steelheadrob]

[steelheadrob]

[steelheadrob]

Here was day one of the bus build. Decided we were going to document the build on youtube.


Link

[skills@eurocarsplus]

[BUSBOSS]

[andrewtf]

Congratulations.

You are setting of on an adventure you will never (ok..... almost never....) regret.

However, please be prepared to end up with something like this:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=657738&highlight=gobigemma

If you raise them to be strong independent thinkers and doers, you cannot stress yourself when they actually grow into their own.

Been there (am there), done that (am doing that), and there is nothing - absolutely nothing - more rewarding.
_________________
'75 Riviera - 'BIG EMMA' (Pan American highway trip paused for a make over)
'77 Riviera - Murphy' (being reborn.... slowly)
'63 Austin Healey

[Abscate]

+10,000 points for the safety gear - don't forget those nitrile gloves, either.
_________________
.ssS!