vw bus

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by AvsJerk

I'll post some pics tomorrow, I don't have any on this computer. I bought all of the replacement metal to fix the rust on my bus, but haven't done the body work yet. I got my '67 for $800 five years ago, so there are some good deals out there if you look around long enough.

problem is i have no experience with body work or the time to do it. everything is pending the sale of my house here in calgary, so until it moves, all this is dreaming. but i have hopes it will move sooner than later.

anybody looking for an up/down duplex on an r-2 lot, 3kms from downtown?

[CrunchBite]

have you tried www.clubveedub.ca ?

[T@T]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

damn, i want to see that picture T@T!

The hotlink keeps failing

here the link
http://web420.com/blog/media/blogs/psychedelic/bus.jpg

[TimSJ]

Good Luck with your search. I had a 72 when i was younger and we had a great time taking it around to Phish, Blues Traveller and all sorts of different shows.

It was the coldest slowest vehicle i have ever owned but i wouldn't trade the times we had in it for anything. Funny though we always seemed to have a hard time at the boarder.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by TimSJ

It was the coldest slowest vehicle i have ever owned

this is what i love about them. i'm getting sick of the big city, traffic, hurry up lifestyle. time to move to a small town and do some farming.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by T@T

The hotlink keeps failing

here the link
http://web420.com/blog/media/blogs/psychedelic/bus.jpg

now that is a paint job!

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by CrunchBite

have you tried www.clubveedub.ca ?

ya, i checked there already as it was recommended on page 1. nothing of note so far. i'll keep checking though.

[pope04]

Now, why did this thread make me think of Convoy?

There's armoured cars and tanks and jeeps
And rigs of every size
Yeah them chicken coops was full of bears
And choppers filled the skies
Well we shot the line
We went for broke
With a thousand screaming trucks
And eleven longhaired friends of Jesus
In a chartreuse microbus

[Sliver]

I hate to be the voice of reason here, but travelling across country in a 1960s anything sounds like a bad idea, and a VW bus in particular is not going to work out well unless you're going to be content with a cross country Calgary to Chestemere jaunt. Hell, I'd be hesitant to do a cross country trip in a 2008 VW, let alone one 40 years older.

I can see the appeal, but I'd be afraid after you commit your energy, time and hopes to making a cross-country trek that you'll end up disappointed and frustrated broken down on the side of the road. Couldn't you get the same experience driving something more reliable like a Toyota Sienna? Sure it may not be as romantic, but you'll still be experiencing the road, but doing so in something safe, reliable and comfortable.

Buy your VW after your trip and use it for day trips to banff or something, but it's not the right vehicle for driving across the country IMO.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I hate to be the voice of reason here, but travelling across country in a 1960s anything sounds like a bad idea, and a VW bus in particular is not going to work out well unless you're going to be content with a cross country Calgary to Chestemere jaunt. Hell, I'd be hesitant to do a cross country trip in a 2008 VW, let alone one 40 years older.

I can see the appeal, but I'd be afraid after you commit your energy, time and hopes to making a cross-country trek that you'll end up disappointed and frustrated broken down on the side of the road. Couldn't you get the same experience driving something more reliable like a Toyota Sienna? Sure it may not be as romantic, but you'll still be experiencing the road, but doing so in something safe, reliable and comfortable.

Buy your VW after your trip and use it for day trips to banff or something, but it's not the right vehicle for driving across the country IMO.

i hear what you are saying, and understand completely. but your 'reason' and my 'reason are most likely very different. maybe i should give a little insight to this trip....

my girlfriend was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last january 6. she has gone thru her chemo treatments, and so far is in the clear. she still needs monthly blood tests and there is never a guarantee that cancer is gone for good.

the whole experience has changed our lives in ways you wouldn't understand unless you've gone thru something similar, which many have.

with our new found perspective on life, we are choosing to live day by day, not for tomorrow, not for retirement 20-30 years from now.

we have cancelled our cable and no longer have a tv or dvd player. we eat much better, organics when possible and our food slogan is "eat food, not too much, mostly plants". i have my house for sale, and when it sells, we have big plans. we are participating in 'the ride to conquer cancer' next june. i did it last year to honour her, and this year we are doing it together, with her being a survivor. after the ride, we will drive to tofino, then back east to st johns, and finally to moncton to leave our dog with my parents. the vw bus has been something we have both wanted for a while, and we see no point to waiting any longer. we plan on taking a few months to drive cross country, and staying off the trans canada as much as possible. after we spend a few weeks in moncton with my family, we are leaving to travel asia for 10-12 months. from japan to india, mongolia to new zealand....we're going to have fun and enjoy life. upon our return to canada, we will find a place to setlle down, maybe some place we found on our cross canada drive, and start our own life where we will homestead. growing as much of our own food as possible, raising a few animals and being as self-sustaining as possible. it's something we both want, and i couldn't think of a better person to share my dreams with.

i hope that gives a little insight to our motives. we are in no hurry, and if the bus breaks down, so be it. we'll get it fixed and start driving again.

i believe life is too short to worry about 'what ifs', i want to look back on my life moments before i die and say i have no regrets, i did all i could to enjoy my time on this beautiful planet with the ones i love.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

story....

Thats cute.

I kid...seriously though, good luck and have fun!

Back to the van...Another buddy of mine did a similar thing in buying a van after selling his house a few years ago. He did a great job cleaning it up, adding a hardwood floor, and all kinds of other jazz. Had it ready to go for Shambhala just to have it break down on him in Nelson. $5,000 later he got it home just to have it break down again in Calgary. $5,000 later he got it back just to have it break down a week later. It now sits, and has for the last few months, in a shop not running with no one having any clue how to fix it. The moral of my story, that "VW charm" alludes my simple mine.

Question: Does anyone replace the actuall drive line in these things? It seems so simple to me. Everyone loves the look/idea but why are they so attached to the unreliability? Why not find the best condition body you can and drop it on a light truck frame? (Kind of like when a 4x4er drops a VW Bug or Firebird on to a 1 ton chasis with 44" tires...) Just, you know, a little more modest and practical. A 4 cylinder Ranger frame perhaps? It's a big job but for not much more, maybe even less, you could have all that VW charm with a reliable safe drive line that, in th event it does break down, can be fixed for near free at any domestic hole in the wall shop...

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

i hear what you are saying, and understand completely. but your 'reason' and my 'reason are most likely very different. maybe i should give a little insight to this trip....

my girlfriend was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last january 6. she has gone thru her chemo treatments, and so far is in the clear. she still needs monthly blood tests and there is never a guarantee that cancer is gone for good.

the whole experience has changed our lives in ways you wouldn't understand unless you've gone thru something similar, which many have.

with our new found perspective on life, we are choosing to live day by day, not for tomorrow, not for retirement 20-30 years from now.

we have cancelled our cable and no longer have a tv or dvd player. we eat much better, organics when possible and our food slogan is "eat food, not too much, mostly plants". i have my house for sale, and when it sells, we have big plans. we are participating in 'the ride to conquer cancer' next june. i did it last year to honour her, and this year we are doing it together, with her being a survivor. after the ride, we will drive to tofino, then back east to st johns, and finally to moncton to leave our dog with my parents. the vw bus has been something we have both wanted for a while, and we see no point to waiting any longer. we plan on taking a few months to drive cross country, and staying off the trans canada as much as possible. after we spend a few weeks in moncton with my family, we are leaving to travel asia for 10-12 months. from japan to india, mongolia to new zealand....we're going to have fun and enjoy life. upon our return to canada, we will find a place to setlle down, maybe some place we found on our cross canada drive, and start our own life where we will homestead. growing as much of our own food as possible, raising a few animals and being as self-sustaining as possible. it's something we both want, and i couldn't think of a better person to share my dreams with.

i hope that gives a little insight to our motives. we are in no hurry, and if the bus breaks down, so be it. we'll get it fixed and start driving again.

i believe life is too short to worry about 'what ifs', i want to look back on my life moments before i die and say i have no regrets, i did all i could to enjoy my time on this beautiful planet with the ones i love.

Wow dude. I can relate to what you're saying quite a bit. We've had a wholesale life change in my house over the past year as well after I went through a fairly serious and prolonged illness/recovery. We are eating healthier and primarily organic vegetables/fruits, cut out most sugars, I exercise six days a week, never eat fast food, etc. We also sold our big house on the outskirts to move to a smaller house closer to work and into a lake community where we have healthier, cheaper, more family-oriented recreational activities. Also spend way less time commuting and more time as a family.

We also aren't planning so much for a finish line (e.g. retirement) as we've learned there is no guarantee you'll make it to retirement, let alone to 85 years old so we are doing more to enjoy life day to day.

So anyway, what you're doing makes a ton of sense and I wish you all the best on your trip and life.

I still wouldn't do that trip in a VW bus, though lol. Maybe you could paint a Sienna with big flowers on the side or something and have the best of both worlds?

j/k good luck dude.

[habernac]

great story, moncton. I did the Tour of Courage a few years ago with Lance Armstrong, Eddy Merckx and Steve Bauer. I've done numerous headshaves for Cancer fundraisers, very worthwhile experiences. Best of luck in your endeavours! Sounds like quite an adventure.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by kevman

Why not find the best condition body you can and drop it on a light truck frame? (Kind of like when a 4x4er drops a VW Bug or Firebird on to a 1 ton chasis with 44" tires...) Just, you know, a little more modest and practical. A 4 cylinder Ranger frame perhaps? It's a big job but for not much more, maybe even less, you could have all that VW charm with a reliable safe drive line that, in th event it does break down, can be fixed for near free at any domestic hole in the wall shop...

That's an awesome idea. In fact, make it a 4x4 so that you can really go wherever you want to go!

[Art Vandelay]

Originally Posted by moncton golden flames

ya, i checked there already as it was recommended on page 1. nothing of note so far. i'll keep checking though.

You may want to put up a post in the Air Cooled Classifieds on clubveedub that you're looking for a bus. There are probably people on there who know how to track something down.

[AvsJerk]

Here's my '67 13 window deluxe.




Interior is not bad, I redid the seats myself with a kit from Wolfsburg West...pretty easy stuff. I got my windshield wiper motor from a guy in Toronto...it has two speeds: slow and slower...



1600 single port engine, I plan on making it a dual port in the spring. 1st thing you should do is add a serpintine belt (as you see in this pic), engine temp. gauge and oil pressure gauge. The original belt is skinny and if it breaks, you have about 3 minutes until your engine seizes.



If you plan on driving highways, throw in a "freeway flier' gear on your tranny. I'll attempt it in the spring.

[AvsJerk]

I agree with alot of what Sliver is saying and yet I say more power to you Moncton & I hope to see you on the road some day! Truth be told, this thread has renewed my spark to get going on my bus again. I spent most of my under grad years driving and sometimes living in VW buses and man did I ever have some great times...I also had alot of heart-aches broken down on the side of the rode (always carry spare clutch cables and accelerator cables!). Some of my best memories (the ones I remember...no pun!) involve VW buses.