For me, you can’t really beat the look of a genuine age faded, battered, original paint ‘survivor’ bus! 🙂 Mine had the original paint combination of L472 (Beige Grey) over the bottom half of L53 (Sealing Wax Red) and I just loved its Californian aged look of authenticity, it makes me smile every time I see it! 🙂 It’s interesting seeing the faded and … Read more
Pop-out windows Whilst the bus was getting the broken clutch cable replaced, the guys at Resto Classics very kindly let me use some covered space to tackle a couple more outstanding jobs I had to do. With their previous help, I had managed to replace the front windscreen rubbers, rear tailgate window rubber, both sets of … Read more
Future protection So the good news was that most of the side window and tailgate window frames were OK underneath the old perished rubber seals. With just the one that needed looking at, but Phil at Resto Classics soon had that sorted and the glass with new rubber back in place again! Meanwhile, I cleaned … Read more
Hidden away One of the worries I had when contemplating getting new window rubbers fitted, was what unexpected surprises might be hiding underneath the old perished rubbers? That plus the quintessentially rainy English winter weather! I really did not fancy getting stuck outside with the glass out and the rain pouring in! So it really … Read more
Sometimes it’s about the details Sometimes I find it hard to concentrate on looking at the overall picture in front of me, as more often than not, my eye gets drawn to little details that make up the bigger picture. This is especially true when I was wandering around the various cars on display at … Read more
Got some pictures of the wheels back from A&C Blasting Services today and was amazed to see the total transformation of the original VW 15″ steel rims. The wheels were blasted back to bare metal and looked amazingly white in their natural clean original steel state! The back of the wheels before blasting… and what the backs of the … Read more
The original stock set-up for my 1965 camper would have run 14″ steel wheels (as it does now), but there are some nice benefits from running the earlier looking, stock sized 15″ VW steel rims. It may seem a bit of an odd swap just for the sake of a simple 1″ bigger wheel, especially as I try … Read more
One of my plans for a upgrade in 2015 was to try and increase the capacity of my VW campers original fuel tank. Although nothing is wrong with the original tank itself, the original capacity is fairly small (40 litres/8.8 gallons), so on a long run or road trip, you end up having to make … Read more
New exhaust Having spoken with Dan at Vintage Speed, the Vintage Speed exhaust has now been ordered, so it’s time to get things ready for fitting it! The weather has not been great of late, but with it looking a bit drier for the day, it’s the time to get the rear valence and old … Read more
A Vintage Volkswagens owners wishes for 2014… May your VW always start, and your oil never leak. May the heaters always work and your windscreen not mist up. May your battery remain fully charged and your indicators always flash. May your fuel gauge always work and your headlights shine bright. May our brakes always stop … Read more
Real world scenario testing/comparisons I came across this really helpful and detailed report by Classics Monthly who began the longest-running test (3 years!) of its kind in the UK. No gimmicks, just time. Their findings could help preserve your classic’s metal, quite possibly indefinitely. I thought this might be useful reading for anybody interested in keeping their vintage … Read more
I do have a penchant for patina, so my natural inclination when looking for a ‘new’ vintage Volkswagen camper, is to look for a nice original paint VW Split screen bus. Some of the earlier buses I have owned (often too briefly!) include this amazing 1967 13 Window deluxe still wearing its original White (Blauweis) … Read more