1974 Westfalia SO 73 Pastel White

[Bad Hippie]

I just purchased this 1974 Westfalia yesterday. No engine. I has some rust. Fortunately the underside and the floors look pretty solid.

Unfortunately the interior has pretty much been stripped.

I spent a few hours with a weed wacker and a metal detector going over the area and pulling out bits.

Ultimately I think it's too good to part out still. I'm not sure if I'll keep it, or send it down the road, but she's coming home first.

I still need to get it there, just waiting on my tow. Hopefully by the end of the weekend.

[Vangabonders]

I prefer a bus like that over a bus that is half made of bondo. Looks like a great project to me
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73 tintop to poptop westfalia (Frankenbus)

[Bad Hippie]

Finally managed to get her towed today. I really need to get my own tow setup.

This is how deep it had sunk.

[Bad Hippie]

Finally home!

I guess I need to figure out how to clean this fabric.

Girlfriend and her friend trying to figure out what pile I've dragged home now....

Canvas is in great condition. I've only found one small rip.

Moss monster.

[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2388786.jpg[/img

It's spectacular up here!

[germansupplyscott]

Killer project. For sure too good to part.
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SL

[Abscate]

Good luck with that! Clean it up and I bet it will look a lot better. It hadn’t seen Pastel since Ludwig wrote the Symphony….
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.ssS!

[Bad Hippie]

Here's the M Code pPlate.

These are slightly crummy screen shots of my decoded plate.

I'm not sure why they say the interior is red. The door panels and what remains of the original carpet are green and the Westfalia plad is blue and green.

Also, can anyone tell me if the stripes are original? I'm seeing some evidence of a respray. Not sure yet, how extensive it was. The stripes could have been added then.

[Bad Hippie]

So I've been a bit lax on any updates with this project. Life gets in the way and all. My job got outsourced and I made the decision to go back to school at the age of 42. Finally going to get that aircraft mechanics license.

Shortly after my last posts on this I started with the initial clean up. It was plenty thick with scuz. The results were good.

I realized that the bus had received a respray at some point.

That's about it for this photo dump I've got a few smaller ones that I'll post in a bit.

It's always fun to see these things emerge from the detritus.

[Bad Hippie]

Some before and after of some of the components cleaned up.

Front floor mat.

Seat belts that were buried.

Front bumper had the remains of the cheap fog lights removed.

[Bad Hippie]

These are just a few detail shots of the stripe decals that were applied over the respray. I only took them to send to a guy who thought he may have owned the bus at some time. Turns out it wasn't his.

Just a few shots of the family. I spent a bunch of time this last summer working on the '66. She made it to the Gorge for Dead and Co. So it was worth it.

I need to get this sorted soon. This is the center pivot point for the pop top hinge. I think I may need to just put a screw and a nut in it for now. Any suggestions appreciated.

[Bad Hippie]

Trying to go through the bits I recoverd from in and around the bus when I pulled it out. Figure the best way for me to do this right now is to put them where they belong on the car.

Amazing what a soapy bath and a gentle scrub will do for original parts. Follow up with a polish and some wax. Top is done bottom is just washed.

Both polished and waxed.

Before installing. I put back the original gaskets that I found inside. Cleaned up in and around the housing and re installed bulbs that were in the bus. They looked good and I cleaned them up before putting them in. I guess we will see if they work when I can put power to it.

Front end is looking a bit better. I also cleaned up and installed the grill a few months back.

Next step headlights!

Unfortunately the reason for the current documentation and influx of work, is that I'm probably going to be putting her up for sale soon.

I really wanted to keep this one, but the cost of school has put a big hurt on my finances. It appears I will need to liquidate some assets.

[Abscate]

Tarp it and put it aside. The value isn’t appreciable in its current state, and that coveted 1800cc with the perfect balance of throw and displacement doesn’t grow on trees anymore.

Get a shift at the Starbucks to grind down those costs , and cut back on escorts and blow to once A week max, plus holidays
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.ssS!

[orwell84]

[Bad Hippie]

Unfortunately it didn't come with an engine, and I haven't put much effort into getting one just yet.

I do plan on picking up a job here soon. I've been playing the game so far. Because I lost my job through no fault of my own, I was eligible to receive funds for retraining. Those paid for my first quarter and living expenses. Unfortunately they have now been used up. I'm eyeballing Home Depot, as they work well around their employees school schedule. I've been told they will likely start hiring soon. I also can't use my equipment operating experience at Starbucks. Lol

I wish escorts and blow were an expenses. Instead I have a girlfriend. Just like boats and aircraft, that's one area where it's cheaper to rent than own...

[Bad Hippie]

So, I have reluctantly posted this Bus for sale. Not on here yet. More locally on Facebook at the moment. I'm going to try to dump my progress of the last few months. Hopefully any buyer will be interested in continuing the thread.

Up now, headlights.


[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2488225.jpg[/img
Original to the Bus disassembled for cleaning.

Original rings. Dent included.

I amazing how well they held up considering they were dug out of the brush.

This little bugger held me up for a while. I thought I was going to need to make it. Fortunately a buddy happened to have a headlight mount that matches the original. I ended up using the entire thing on the passenger side.

[Bad Hippie]

Tail lights and some a side maker and a reflector.

More digging through the pile of parts and putting stuff where it belongs.

Both tail lights lenses and housings leave a bit to be desired, but they should work for the time being. All of the components were found in the duff. Unfortunately the previous owner stepped on one of the lenses when I was looking around for parts.

Before cleaning.

Side marker lenses found in the Bus.

I had to glue the drivers side lens back together. Not perfect, but it should work for now and it matches the patina of the Bus. Actually ot went back together pretty well.

[Bad Hippie]

Floor report...

Actually not too bad in my opinion.
Front floors are pretty solid.

[img]https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/2488286.jpg[/img

Rear cargo floors are the same. Main issues are drivers side front.

[Bad Hippie]

Floor survey. Finally got all of the bits and pieces out of the Bus. Many of them, I put in place. It looks much more complete than I expected. Less daunting without the piles of parts.

Obviously one of the most important aspects of a vintage Bus is the floor condition. Here are photos of the floor and rear area survey.

Front floors look pretty dang decent. Obviously the step area could use a bit of help.

This is the worst area in the rear floor. Along the drivers dir behind the front seat. The hole is a Westfalia addition. The rust along the side isn't...

[Bad Hippie]

Other rust...

Basically what one should expect from a Bus that's been un restored and sitting out for years. Maybe actually a bit better than one should expect.

Most of this rust, I would personally run until I had the time and money to fix it bot by bit. That's just my take on it. The biggest issue is the passenger windshield pillar. That's the area I would want to address first. I don't have any photos yet. Expect them soon.

[Bad Hippie]

On to the good stuff.

Check out this pop top!

The original tent canvas is in spectacular condition! All it needs is a good cleaning! Unfortunately some of it was left hanging out in the weather for a while. Those are the dark dirty sections. It looks like the fabric held up just fine though. Screens appear to be in excellent condition. I couldn't get the side flaps to open yet, but I didn't want to force them an break something. It almost looks like they have never been use at all.

These are the two rips in the canvas I've found. Penny for reference.

Just check out this original Westfalia fabric! Absolutely stunning condition!

I had fun talking this picture. It's pretty comfortable up here. I really wanted to keep this bus...