1967 SO-42 Campmobile "Klaus" Restoration 2019 thru 2024

[LJay]

Jesus that’s horrible! Scary thing is a lot of the underside work could’ve been hidden by grinding down the mess, bit of sealer and say raptor bed lining coating and you’d have been none the wiser, get the new shop to take step by step photos so you can see the welding standard before it’s covered up-it looks like they are on this already.
I’ll be following this one it’s got a great history and hope it goes to plan this time!
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1962 Turkis Westfalia so34.

My build thread.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=742279

[volksbus]

Work continues today, re-doing the important structural repairs underneath that were badly botched in 2019-2020.

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon

[LJay]

That’s more like it, I think these guys will see you right
_________________
1962 Turkis Westfalia so34.

My build thread.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=742279

[volksbus]

Update as work continues:

We can now see that old metal structure behind the new metal was not prepared at all by shop no 1. Shop no. 2 damaged this and other panels with unskilled media blasting.

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon

[velvetgreen]

that must be both satisfying to get it fixed properly and disheartening to see how crap a job the first place did. Are they gonna glue/panel bond on the long panel?

[DanM]

The "before" looked pretty good to me, but what do I know.

[volksbus]

[DanM]

[volksbus]

[DanM]

I feel for ya. Something I was told long ago and am now almost old(er) and wise(er) enough to follow: "Keep all the receipts, but NEVER add them up". Looking forward to continued (good!) work on this one.
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drive it. break it. fix it. repeat.

[volksbus]

In this van's history, the first owners, Mr. and Mrs. Fuller, of Richmond, Ind., drove it as far south as Guatemala on more than one occasion. This sticker is the souvenir from having broken down in Mexico at some point and being helped by the state-supported roadside assistants.

It was original and faded but still in good condition when it went to Shop No. 1 in 2019. The rear window rubber was new -- we had replaced it not long ago, without destroying the sticker.

We had a conversation about the sticker and its importance, and I marked it with a piece of painter's tape "keep." Nevertheless, it was nearly wiped off entirely.

So, we have had it recreated and we will print it for the finished project when the time comes. Here is the art to admire!

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon

[volksbus]

This is what we look like inside...removing all rust that was hidden and fabricating the pieces that are not available:

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon

[srfndoc]

Finding a place that does good metal work is tough these days. Lots of hacks out there and the good ones are always busy and take time to get in to. Hopefully this latest guy you found is the final stop.
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RPM=(MPH*336* (R&P*4th*1.26))/Tire Diameter in inches

[volksbus]

How I Lost Another Year Trusting Another VW BS'er

I am sorry to share a very disappointing experience with Adam Kottke (Seward Speed Shop) Rockford, Illinois. [email protected]

AKA Shop No. 3.

I was introduced to Adam in March 2023, and we began talking about my bus restoration, which was a restoration gone wrong through two shops prior. Adam said he would go look at the bus and consider it. We met in person and talked about the scope. We have friends and experiences in common and his skills and accomplishments seem comprehensive and well known. There was no indication he would do me wrong. He seemed to be and talked like a solid guy.

While he didn't make it to the previous shop (Rockford to Woodstock) to see the bus in advance, he decided to take on the job and my bus was towed there in April 2023. We were off on the right track and Adam promised he would start in two weeks.

By July, he was still promising to start in two weeks, and said I had a place in line with a good restoration body shop -- P.A.B. Collision Repair Center of Kenosha, Wis. (which turned out to not be true). "Next week we should be throwing sparks on your beauty!" he wrote on July 14, 2023. And he wrote that it would be finished and ready for paint in October.

Over the next weeks and months, Adam had me order $5K in new metal and updated me with his evaluation of the condition of the bus. He said the media blasting by Das Kaferhaus (Randy Sheridan in Woodstock, IL, who damaged multiple panels significantly.) "Wavy gravy," Adam said, time and again. He reinforced this when I visited in person again in September and we again talked about the scope of the project. I told him I heard him loud and clear and that I would follow up with Randy about this damage that both he and his partner told me so much about.

Well, on Sept. 21, I got a "Dear John" email from Adam, stating that he was quitting the job.

"The fact that you are still trying to get money back from Randy because of the warped panels (knowing that the blasting had nothing to do with the warping) gives me very cold feet. I am not comfortable moving forward with this project. I am quite sure I will not be able to please you or meet up to your expectations and I do not want to be held liable for any adverse issues this bus may encounter years after its completion."

I reached out to him by phone, email and text. He never responded. I even signed and sent him a hold-harmless agreement. I told him I trusted his work and that I wanted the job done. I know for a fact that racers trust him with their lives. No response. My expectations, which we had discussed in person twice, were that he would start the job and do his best.

Adam prides himself on an unusual "I never take photos of anything" way of doing business. I think this is emblematic of how he doesn't hold himself accountable for his work. And, I don't understand how he is so wishy-washy when it comes to evaluating a job. It seems as though he just repeats the last thing he heard from the last guy he talked to. I don't know how talking about panels warped by media blasting for months turns into the exact opposite thing a few days later. It seems flippant and unprofessional to me.

While he may still be good as a supplier of parts, and routine maintenance, his reliability for bigger projects has clearly diminished. It hurts to write this because I did trust him and I did lose another year to yet another BS'er. I was not able to finish or enjoy my bus because Adam strung me along, two weeks at a time and then quit without doing a single thing to move the project forward.

I wanted to believe that there was this great guy, a VW mechanical genius with a hoard of parts who was friendly, reliable and trustworthy. It turns out that it is just talk and ego more than anything else.

During my last visit with him, he was servicing the Vanagon of a deep-pocketed client. Adam said he hated doing that kind of work but would still do it for loyal customers. He said he preferred building motors and bigger projects. After sitting on my project for six months and then turning it away, I am not sure what he wants or what he will actually take on and finish.

I share this as a warning. If you are going to do a bigger project with Adam, get it in writing somehow and don't fall for the "two weeks" trap.

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon

[volksbus]

Much progress this week as body work continued and primer was applied!

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon

[volksbus]

Re-found a larger piece of the original floor covering today and cleaned it. I'll get a high resolution image of it this week and begin the process to have it reproduced.

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon

[JonnySO42]

No shame, just curious. Why did you not have it media blasted or acid dipped during the first go at a restoration?

[volksbus]

[volksbus]

Work continues at a brisk pace! It is inspiring to see what one honest person can do when he clocks many hours, puts in the work and takes pride in his craft.

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon

[volksbus]

Work continues at a good pace. This week, the passenger side panel was placed!

_________________
"Get in the bus!"
1967 SO-42 "Klaus"
1964 DC Truck
1967 Dodge A-108 CampWagon