With the bumper off and a cut off wheel we strip away the old rusted out panels and show the typical new replacement panels we used. EarlyBay to later Bays had slight changes to the front of the Vans – early bays have low indicators, larger badge sitting on a flat panel, wider air intake and a flat non ribbed front valence. Add to this no-one makes a complete early front panel and you see why some restorations have later noses on earlier Buses. Read the rest of this entry »

A pair of quite unusual places to rust and a challenge to repair as no normal panels are made for these areas, here we discover some corrosion inside the door track and inside the rear quarter below the air intake. How did that happen and how can we stop that happening again in another 40 years. Read the rest of this entry »

After a little digging around we realised the right side rear quarter panel on our Volkswagen Westfalia Camper had been repaired at some point but not only that there was more rust and corrosion than previously thought in the whole area. Read the rest of this entry »

So we bought a Westy over the internet, we thought the Bus looked ok in the 6 or so internet pictures, however, as always the truth up close was a little different. Here we start to go through what we’ve bought and there were some surprises in store for us. Read the rest of this entry »

Another new project – this is Easley, leaving the factory on 15th January 1970 as a Pearl White model 231 021 VW Camper. Of interest is the original delivery country of Belgium, which would suggest it being a US military delivery programme, where servicemen would be able to order a vehicle new and then have it transported back home, maybe after a quick tour of Europe – and why not. Read the rest of this entry »