VW Camper parts restoration – map pockets to 1963
VW Camper door panel restoration – new map pockets
Early VW Campers from 55 or so through to 1963 had front door trim panels with pockets – small packets for maps and other necessary VW related equipment – big enough for a torch or a map etc. In 1964 the pockets were deleted in favour of a door detent arm arrangement – the two interfering with each other meant the pockets were no more – or that they were a cost saving. These pockets were, like the original panels, made from fibreboard, and over time they absorbed moisture and will gradually deteriorate until they cease to function. Read the rest of this entry »
Old metal Coolboxes – Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper Cooler
Perhaps the most popular cooler in its day – an iconic old coke cooler;
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How the factory masked and painted the body of a VW Bus
Painting a VW Campervan – how the factory painted both colours
Painting a VW split screen bus sounds easy enough, only when the painter starts asking where the mask lines go for the two tone paint is we start to think about it in the level of detail necessary. So after we removed all the paint from the bus we scratched our heads for where the paint goes. We chose L555 titian red and L472 beige grey – which is a classic colour combo from the later years of a split screen production.
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Want to remove old paint ready for new – compare these methods.
Stripping paint – sand, soda and by hand methods compared
When the time comes to remove paint there are a number of different methods and techniques – all with varying results and costs. In a rough order of effectiveness the following can be employed / used / tried.
Sand blasting
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VW Camper hinge pin removal made easy – special tool for VW bus and VW Beetles
VW Door hinge pin removal tool and tips
Ever tried to remove a hinge pin from VW bus door? After several hours with a punch and a steadily bigger and bigger hammer there is definitely a trick to this pin removal idea. Joey Cogdill makes these superb tools which make taking the pin out of a door infinitely more achievable than plain hand tools.
But why remove the pins anyway? Read the rest of this entry »
Want to remove those rusted out doors but the screws are not coming out?
VW Camper Repair Guide – Rusty screw and bolt removal
Rusted doors and decklids can sometimes present some incredible challenges to get the screws out – especially in the more damp countries such as the UK. A simple screwdriver is not going to budge the big screws and will damage the screwhead quicker than you think, so before that happens read about some of the methods we’ve come across all with varying levels of success. In order of least successful. Read the rest of this entry »
Getting a title for a vehicle in the state of North Carolina is not quite as straightforward as it used to be. Way back I suppose the rule of possession was king, but evidentally this got abused and so the DMV and lawmakers set about introducing legislation to stop the abuse. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the more popular colour combinations for a VW Camper
L555 Titian Red Beige Grey VW Campervans
A deep red in colour – L555 titian red lower with L472 beige grey upper – this was a VW Camper colour scheme for model years 1966 and 1967 split screen buses (interestingly titan red was also used for 1968 bay window buses). The VW museum would call it tiziano rot – the German version of the name. Read the rest of this entry »
What we did to rewire the US spec rear lights to be Euro spec
Rewiring Lights on our VW Camper Vans for UK use
This is a guide on how to modify the wiring on a US spec bus such that we have seperate flashing indicators of orange or amber colour – UK and Europe legal.
US spec rear lights are a little different to european spec – in the US it was and still is common to see the brake light used as the indicator – thus you will see a set of brake lights come on as the driver slows and then one brake light will flash as the driver uses his indicator. The bulb is a normal 1157 dual filament bulb (5W / 25W) BA15s bayonet arrangement. Read the rest of this entry »