Silver Reef Project (Photo heavy start)

[78BusGA]

Some of you will remember seeing some of these photos before. HI! I am re-introducing my Bus. It is in storage at the moment, until I get my Beetle working safe which is the priority.

SR, Silvereef is a 1978 Kombi (GO TINTOPS WOOOO). I am at least the second owner, having had it shipped down from Pennsylvania. I did drive it once, up and back three houses on my dad's street 4ish years ago. The gas was old, the hoses were cracking, the fuel vent hoses barely hanging on, the brakes sounding like raw iron grinding on the road surface. That was after it sat for maybe 12-15 years. It's been in my hands for 5 now.

I want to use this thread, with Your help and suggestions, to start the planning of it, the long term ideas. In the short term I want to just get it usable.

Silver Reef is the Idea for the Last Bus model that America Didn't Get. Europe and England got the Silverfish. So I am borrowing that a bit.

The concept starts with painting all the white with Diamond Silver, with the Reef Blue original. Perhaps the bumpers would be in Chrome. Undecided on that, though it would fit the Deluxe trim package model Silverfish had.

I want to pull in Details like the two pinstripes and the chrome and black handle height trim (I know it is not reproduced, a similar look would have to be found). I'd do the pin stipes in Diamond Silver. I also want to use the fresh air grille and side turn signal bezel trims from the late Bus production from Mexico/Brazil, possibly kept black. VW items and style.

I love the bottom stripe on this bus, with it's similar pin stripe, of which I would do in Diamond Silver to balance the silver and silver pin stripes from the top. But I would just do it as a horizontal band, with the height matching the top of the rear wheel well, not running over the tops of the wheel wells as in the photo. I am equating this lower stripe to the Mk1 Golf/GTI lower stripe and the lower two tone on the early and late Vanagons. VW did it.

The biggest deviation I made from my idea was seeing these wheel covers. I LOVE THESE! I think they will look AMAZING on the bus! Just gotta swap out those Audi centers for psudo-perioid VW centers. They came on 16" Audi steel rims with good used mud and snow tires out of Germany. I also need to put these on as the old tires are soo flat one side of the bus is being held up by a low Ikea table.

Inside Silvereef, I want to do something to expand the usability of the dash, or integrate a section of another VW dash to increase functionality somehow with keeping the original feel and essence. And I am thinking the Late Bus steering wheel out of Mexico/Brazil.

I want the middle passenger area to have the Vanagon(T3)/Eurovan(T4) two rear facing seats and a table in between from the Carat trim level. Two front seats without headrests, turned rearward, welded on frames similar to the middle seat frames, and the floor reconfigured with the T2 bolt down plates and hooks to keep the true function. But I want to keep the rubber floor mats to have it be a practical working vehicle that Can get dirty!

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What are we working with?

There's rust through behind the front wheels, a few pinholes in the floor, a small tear in the bottom of the front (front spare has been removed), that horrid side trim that's been riveted on...

But it is pretty solid! I understand it has been garaged for most of it's life. Clean Dove Gray interior that will need updating, all original everything included, save for the spare tire cover, but it comes with Dealer installed AC!

Keeping the engine stock save for paint colors. Keeping it mechanically stock save for small practical upgrades (Throttle cable pivot, Relocate the AC Compressor lower as they cut the tin to install it.)

What do you think? Love to hear your suggestions, and keep in mind the concept. Think it would fit an idea VW might had done for the last version years for America...
_________________
Few will understand the passion and majesty, among the nuts and grease.

Tom H.

My '74 Super 1303 thread - https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764902&start=60

My '78 Kombi Bus thread - https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=769385&highlight=

'72 Superbeetle (retired), '78 Bus Kombi 2.0FI, '74 1303 Superbeetle

[metahacker]

Very creative and extremely well thought out. Best of luck to you.

It's cool that you developed a theme to act as a driving force in design decisions.

If you have the OG York compressor with the huge cut in the tinware, the Gilmore Sanden is a nice swap. Since it's a tin-top - do you have the roof-mount evaporator?

Rear facing seats in Bays with camper bits (e.g. table)... and full width rear benches... make for fun hang out spaces. It's nice to have a fridge too for cold beer.