1972 VW Microbus Deluxe

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

Seeing as I've mentioned it a couple of times I thought I'd make a thread about it. I'm a regular on a UK based VW owners forum and I was tempted to just put a link up to my thread on there, but you guys deserve better .

It's a 1972 Microbus deluxe in pastel white over elm green. It was built in Germany and shipped to USA where it spent it's life in sunny California. It was imported by the previous owner in November 2008. Completely rust free with a repair to the front panel and some dodgy repaint.

One of the first things he did was get it rust proofed with underseal to the chassis and waxoil all the bodywork cavities. He also took out the 2 rear bench seats and sourced a Westfalia camping interior from a wrecked 1970 van found in a scrapyard.

It did have a 1700 type4 engine, but that was seized. It now has a single carb 1641cc fitted to the original gearbox.

It's been lowered on an adjustable beam up front & 1 spline at the rear, so about 4 inches lower than standard. The wheels are an acquired taste, I've never been too keen on them, but they're forged alloy and incredibly light for the size. (they're from a Vauxhall Carlton GSi - non UK people may want to google that!)

I bought it in September 2009 and had plans to put my own stamp on it, but never really did.

A couple of pics from when I first bought it.

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

We (ex wife & I) used it lots for weekend camping trips and days out to the beach for picnic/surfing regularly.

Anyway. We had a bit of a mishap during the summer of 2011. We were on our way to a festival and unfortunately 40 miles up the road we broke down. Turned out to be the carburettor was silted up blocking fuel - something I could have fixed on the roadside if I'd looked. 

After getting recovered back home the bus was parked up on the drive whilst we unloaded our gear and into the car ready to start the journey again. 

The day got a whole lot worse when the handbrake decided to release and off the bus went down the garden and into the tree hedge 
Causing this damage;

Bit of a bugger to say the least!

I managed to tow it back up the slope with my work van and a climbing rope.

As you can see, the bumper has had it and the indicator lenses. Fortunately it was just the front panel damaged - no cracked windscreen or bent a-posts.
The other issue is the amount of filler (Bondo, as it was repaired in the US) in there. I knew there was some around the headlamp, but I didn't realise it was so thick and covered such a large area - it has been hiding a rather large amount of accident damage.

Well, I phoned the insurance company straight away and put a claim in. After a couple of weeks they sent a vehicle assessor round and he asked me to get a quote for the repairs.

I asked a local VW restoration specialist to put a quote together. I asked them to price it up using a rust-free front clip from a company in Swansea, Wales who import rust free/damage free body panels over from the USA - on a side note, there are a lot of old VW campers in the UK imported from dry States. This is due to the huge popularity over here - supply and demand. Dry State vehicles tend to be be pretty much rust free due to the lack of wet weather and no salt being put on the roads like what we l do over here.  Alot more expensive than using modern repair panels, but I wanted good quality steel to match the rest of the van. With all the parts, labour and paint it came to £3450ish 

After a couple of months I got a call from the brokers telling me they were sending me a cheque for the full amount (minus the excess). RESULT! 

Got it booked into the workshop where it went in for the repairs.

Well this is the result (Due to my ex wife's love of spending money, I didn't have enough cash to get the front panel top coated and the workshop couldn't get hold of the right colour either)

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

New front clip ready for prep

Prep'd and ready to go. It was taken back to the inner lower panel and had the roof section chopped off
 

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

Front striped ready for removal.

 

Front panel off!

 

No rust issues found.

 

 

 

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

New front panel measured up.

 

 

 

 

Windscreen/door frames matched and welded.

 

 

 

 

Welding pretty much done.

 

And finally a small dent pulled out.

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

So after being back on the road we carried on where we left off.

Then after the wife left and we got divorced leaving me with a lot of debt, I did what I could to not have to sell the van. On my first long trip the engine decided to eat itself!

I bought an engine off some bloke fairly close to me and did an engine swap by myself and with not a lot of tools!

Luckily it all seemed to be running again. Then summer of 2014 there were a few electrical issues occurring, so the beginning of last year I decided to sort things out once and for all. I've been saving up(ish) to get the van how I want it and last week it got picked up and taken into one of the best classic VW specialist workshops in the country. When it comes back it will have complete new electrics, new alloy wheels, lowered  suspension and the front repainted to original colour - it will also be 'aged' to match the rest of the van.

I've also got the parts to build a much bigger, stronger, more powerful engine. Again it will be built by one of the best specialists in the country.

Once thats all done I'll concentrate on the interior.

[BMSTANG 181]

Nice! Looking forward to seeing it when finished.

[no_snacks 3,345]

The poor old girl has been through some rough times.  Can't wait to see how she looks when you get her back.

Byron Bay and Nimbin (the alternative/hippy capitals of Australia) are only 40 minutes down the road from where I live.  Surfers Paradise, Kirra and Coolangatta (surfing capitals) are only 10-20 minutes up the road, so as you can imagine, there are lots and lots of Kombis (as we call them) in this area.  It's almost a status symbol to own one, more so than a Ferrari or Lamborghini. 

There's quite a few driving around in various stages of repair/disrepair, while a lot of them are fitted out as mobile cafes and food vans or being used as advertising attractions outside of surf shops etc.  Everytime one drives past, I can't help but stop and look.  There's just something so cool about them.

I would love to buy an old one and fix it up, but even though I love and appreciate cars, I know very little about them, especially the mechanical side of things.  I will just have to live my dream through you, mate.  Keep us posted. 

Edited June 14, 2016 by no_snacks

[JustHatched 12,103]

Very cool, some of those are worth quite a bit in some markets if they have certain factory options (I dunno which ones though)

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

@no_snacks yep, she's had a bit of bad luck! Once I get all the new bits on and work done, hopefully no more issues. 

Mechanically wise they are pretty basic. The engine was designed with easy maintenance in mind. Get one! They're probably a lot cheaper over there than here! I know of a couple of guys who make a business out of importing them here from Australia and make a good profit ?

 

@Hatch Yep, you're right. General rule is the older, the higher value. The one that everyone wants the most is the 23 window Samba Deluxe Splitscreen. You'd have to sell your house to buy one! Anything from £15,000 for a rusty heap to well over £100,000 for a fully restored one.

Once mine is done it'll be worth around £15,000. I paid £7800 for it in 2009 and definitely spent the same amount on parts and labour over the years!

[Team_Bub_8487 194]

Looks very cool; Bry and the Art of Campervan Maintenance 

[DavidCore89 7,402]

Very nice.

I can easily tell that you love this van

Hope to see it completed one day.

I wanted to get a Beetle for a project, maybe next year.

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

On 14 June 2016 at 2:23 PM, DavidCore89 said:

Very nice.

I can easily tell that you love this van

Hope to see it completed one day.

I wanted to get a Beetle for a project, maybe next year.

I've had a range of feelings towards this lump of metal! I really enjoy driving it - puts a huge grin on my face every time, but I also have moments of anxiety that it's about to breakdown! 

I've also wasted so many months over the years of it being sat in the garage when I should have been fixing it! I'm more determined now than ever to get it all together and enjoy it as much as i can.

Beetle prices have been steadily rising over the last few years. If you know what you want and feel capable of fixing one up, then now is the time to seek out a well priced project. Parts are cheap and plentiful, and Beetles are an easy car to work on. Do it! 

 

Edited June 15, 2016 by TheBoyBry

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

Well 3 months have past and I've not got my van back yet. It should be back with me next week hopefully. Just in time for Autumn and Winter!  It's taken a while due to various little issues that have cropped up during the work, plus because the guys doing the work are enthusiasts themselves they tend to take long weekends going to various VW shows & events through the Summer.

I'm still undecided on what wheels to put on it. I was going to go with slot mags, but I've changed my mind.

I'm trying to decide between

Cosmics

Gas Burners

 

These are both modern reproductions of wheels used on some Porsches in the '70s. I think the mainly black of them will suit the dark green of the van better.

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

NB: the guy doing the work has this

Mine won't be this low though! His mates have all got equally as low vans too.

[Squirrel 5,180]

Guessing they're more showpieces rather than road going vans unless they have some clever hydraulics.

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

3 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Guessing they're more showpieces rather than road going vans unless they have some clever hydraulics.

Vans that low tend to have air suspension or hydraulics, although there are plenty that drive around with static suspension that low! Not a good idea though. Vans like that one above will have had the chassis and the wheel tubs modified plus the engine and gearbox raised to allow a good amount of suspension travel.

[DavidCore89 7,402]

Almost every road in my residential area has speed bumps to slow down car thieves and general idiots, a van that low wouldn't even get to the shop!

Looks great though, aren't they restored in Swansea? Thought I saw a post about that a while ago.

Edited September 14, 2016 by DavidCore89

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

1 minute ago, DavidCore89 said:

Almost every road in my residential area has speed bumps to slow down car thieves and general idiots, a van that low wouldn't even get to the shop!

Looks great though, aren't they restored in Swansea? Thought I saw a post about that a while ago.

There's a company that import campers and beetles and thousands of body parts based in Swansea - FBI VW. They're the people I got my whole front panel from a few years ago.

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

It was pay day yesterday, so I spunked my overtime money on a set of the Gas Burners 

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

Popped into the workshop yesterday as I was close by and had a spare few minutes. They're taking their time! The front had just been painted and now matches the rest of the van, albeit a lot shinier! 

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

Wheels turned up today! Shiny!!!

[Beez 5,091]

Great thread Bry. I love build/restoration threads. Good luck on the build.

[Fido_le_muet 5,197]

The wheels looks awesome ! Great taste, they're gonna look very good on your Combi.

[BryannosaurusRex 1,173]

Babys back!