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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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 Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2024 4:48 pm Post subject: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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I’ve decided to document the work I’ve done to my first car i got back when i was 16. That was in 2000! It was a rolling shell that came out of a VW shop in El Centro California, Edge VW i think. My dad paid $800 at the time and sent the next 3 years slowly working on it. We built an 1800cc single port with ICTs and all the interior and finished it my junior year of high school. I made trips all over the west coast going to shows and camping during my college years.
College really didn’t work for and me so i enlisted in the Air Force with the plan of only doing 4 years. Well, 4 years turned into almost 18 years this year and the bus has been to New Mexico, Wyoming, Washington, and Texas with not much use. Now my 2 boys are at an age where they want to go camping and help with all thing VWs, so the old bus is getting a revival.
I’ll try to keep this post as up to date as i can with the progress and will try to hunt down some old photos to show what it came from to now. The most recent addition was the Poptop. The metal work was done in Phoenix by Roy Jonas who has done a few Westy Poptops. My was number 7.
Here is the progress so far.
Had to move the other toys to make room to work.
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calo1956
Samba Member
Joined: April 18, 2011
Posts: 706
Location: long Island new york
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2024 4:57 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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Great story and conversion!
_________________
Enjoy the ride....
72 bug
80 westfalia |
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steven wardlaw
Samba Member
Joined: January 13, 2012
Posts: 142
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| Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2024 7:09 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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| Looking forward to seeing this story. Love that the bus started out as a panel. Great looking old bus. |
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notchboy
Samba Member
Joined: April 27, 2002
Posts: 22476
Location: Escondido CA
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BarryL 
Samba Member
Joined: November 01, 2004
Posts: 14297
Location: Casa de Oro, California
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| Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2024 6:47 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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Is all the 90 degree bend formed by just bending up? |
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2024 9:02 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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| BarryL wrote: |
Is all the 90 degree bend formed by just bending up? |
Yup. A form is clamped down after the hole is cut and an air hammer is used to make the lip and stretch the corners. |
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2024 9:36 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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One of the early shows after the bus was painted. BBB back in 2006. |
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2024 5:55 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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Small update. I got a few things done over the weekend. Painted the top but ran out of Pearl White. Hopefully this weekend I get more paint to finish the top and get clear on it. The wood frame is done and all glued in. Next is the canvas and mounting the top. Close!
Last edited by burnite2 on Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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BulliBill
Samba Member
Joined: July 09, 2004
Posts: 4579
Location: St Charles, MO
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| Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:03 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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I know who did that roof modification for you, and he is very skilled, and a great fabricator. He's a close friend too. I recognized his unique clamping jig and his garage. Tell us more about that experience with Roy. He installed my Westfalia pop-top onto my "tin-top" Camper back in 2019. I provided an original roof section of a SO-42 pop-top, so my Fiberglas top is an original German one refreshed for the install including a tent from Helmut. Roy does great work...
Enjoy your Campmobile!
Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton
Thanks for any help! |
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ddutch
Samba Member
Joined: June 17, 2020
Posts: 128
Location: Nederland
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| Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:33 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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| burnite2 wrote: |
Had to move the other toys to make room to work.
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And what a nice toys you have, besides your split! A BMW boxer for sure and I guess a Honda 450 Black Bomber, A Honda S90 and maybe a Honda CB72? That's hard to see from the rear. Love the classic Honda's, the early 50cc models are all icons and are very populair as mopeds here in Holland.
Great story of your bus and holding on to it, even when life changes. Now it's becoming part of your family. Nice work on the roof, it looks like it has been there al the time. |
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2024 8:29 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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| BulliBill wrote: |
I know who did that roof modification for you, and he is very skilled, and a great fabricator. He's a close friend too. I recognized his unique clamping jig and his garage. Tell us more about that experience with Roy. He installed my Westfalia pop-top onto my "tin-top" Camper back in 2019. I provided an original roof section of a SO-42 pop-top, so my Fiberglas top is an original German one refreshed for the install including a tent from Helmut. Roy does great work...
Enjoy your Campmobile!
Bill |
Roy was great! I drove down from Albuquerque before Christmas and picked it up a week later after Christmas with my folks in Yuma, AZ. He had it done in one day and sent pics of the before, during, and after. I couldn’t be more happy with the results! I had planned on cutting the hole myself but thankfully i let a pro do it.
Last edited by burnite2 on Thu Feb 01, 2024 8:35 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2024 8:33 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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| ddutch wrote: |
| burnite2 wrote: |
Had to move the other toys to make room to work.
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And what a nice toys you have, besides your split! A BMW boxer for sure and I guess a Honda 450 Black Bomber, A Honda S90 and maybe a Honda CB72? That's hard to see from the rear. Love the classic Honda's, the early 50cc models are all icons and are very populair as mopeds here in Holland.
Great story of your bus and holding on to it, even when life changes. Now it's becoming part of your family. Nice work on the roof, it looks like it has been there al the time. |
The two hobbies i got from my dad, Volkswagens and old motorcycles. The bikes are a 63’ CB77, 63’ Sport 50, 65’ CB450 bomber, and a 72’ R75. As you can see i have a soft spot for old black and chrome bikes, i just can help myself. Thanks for the kind words! |
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ddutch
Samba Member
Joined: June 17, 2020
Posts: 128
Location: Nederland
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| Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:19 am Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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| burnite2 wrote: |
| ddutch wrote: |
| burnite2 wrote: |
Had to move the other toys to make room to work.
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And what a nice toys you have, besides your split! A BMW boxer for sure and I guess a Honda 450 Black Bomber, A Honda S90 and maybe a Honda CB72? That's hard to see from the rear. Love the classic Honda's, the early 50cc models are all icons and are very populair as mopeds here in Holland.
Great story of your bus and holding on to it, even when life changes. Now it's becoming part of your family. Nice work on the roof, it looks like it has been there al the time. |
The two hobbies i got from my dad, Volkswagens and old motorcycles. The bikes are a 63’ CB77, 63’ Sport 50, 65’ CB450 bomber, and a 72’ R75. As you can see i have a soft spot for old black and chrome bikes, i just can help myself. Thanks for the kind words! |
Yes, I'm with you! The CB77 is a bigger 305cc version of the 250cc CB72, both are beautiful bikes! That little Honda Sport 50 is also known as a C110, a sportsbike version of the famous Supercup with a tuned pushrod engine. An early black S90 or Sport 90, with the grey (and short rear) fenders, would be a very nice adition to your collection. Here is a great story about the S90 in which 3 of the Honda's you own are mentioned as well; https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-japanes...z24jfzbro/
I think the early original S90 is one of the most beautiful motorbikes ever made and it has the famous OHC engine which gets you to over 60 mph and sounds great too. The design is so balanced, timeless and right in my opinion. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/1965_Honda_S90.jpg We had a very rare 50cc moped pushrod version of the S90 here in Holland, called the C320A or C320S, which was made in the first foreign Honda factory in Belgium; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Honda_C320.jpg Unfortunately it's a bit small for me, being almost 2 meters tall... |
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2024 6:24 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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I got the pop top on and canvas in after 3 coats of base and 3 coats of clear. I still need the hold downs, the handles, insulation, headliner, and the rubber trim that goes around the hole in the roof.
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notchboy
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Joined: April 27, 2002
Posts: 22476
Location: Escondido CA
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:38 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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I got some more work done this weekend and the Poptop install should be complete. I’m just waiting on the hold down brackets that are coming from NLA VW Parts. Hopefully Monday I’ll get them in. The rubber trim that goes around the hole in the roof as a pain to install by myself but in the end i got it.
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2024 8:50 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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I finally found a Mallory Unilite distributor! It was a little crusty but it cleaned up fairly well by soaking in evaporust. I just have to clean up the cap and it’s ready to install. It will be replacing a VJU4BR8 on my 76x88 single port.
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:35 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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I got the Unilite in the bus and got it adjusted to have 12 degrees at idle and 32 degrees at 3000 RPMs, along with 11 degrees of vacuum advance. This should give me 43 degrees of advance at 3000 RPMs and up with part throttle. I checked the air/fuel to make sure the timing change didnt mess with the jetting. Everything was good with off idle at 14:1, cruise at 16:1 to 16.8:1, and full throttle at 12.8:1 to 13.2:1. This is with all smooth transitions between the all the throttle positions. Not bad for a $25 distributor!
Nice idle at 800RPM with this a/f ratio.
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burnite2
Samba Member
Joined: September 08, 2010
Posts: 30
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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| Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2024 5:12 pm Post subject: Re: First Car Revival “66’ EZ Camper” |
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One small update since getting the Poptop installed. I did a quick recover of the back seats since the original yellow vinyl was getting pretty ratty. I patched the vinyl where i could and then covered the seats with a black and yellow plaid. Turned out well for a quick job.
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