(first posted 6/27/2015. Hannah and her bus are still in town, as I see it regularly. It’s her rolling retirement account)
Ideally, I’d get to meet every driver of all the old Curbside Classics I shoot; well, maybe with some exceptions. Our logo says Every Car Has A Story, but what do we really know about any specific car’s story? When I saw this old VW bus parked on the side of West 13th the other day, I almost kept going, since I’ve shot a number of them already. Eugene has been a Mecca for old VW buses ever since the first of many original hippies left San Francisco in 1967 and headed up I-5 to Eugene, and made it the hippie capital of the world – The second Oregon Trail. And how many of them blew their engines on that trek?
But then I noticed all the stuff strapped up on top, and a sudden pang for that way of life—which I partook of myself to some degree in my youth—welled up, and I had to pull over and check it out. Good thing, because its owner Hannah was on the other side of it, re-arranging her belongings, and I got to hear the story of her covered (Volks)wagon road trip, a re-enactment of sorts. The original Oregon Trail with its slow covered wagons is still being re-enacted. Will young people be re-enacting the VW hippie-bus version in a hundred years?
I’ve already written my long and in-depth paean to the VW bus here, so I’m going to mostly stick to Hannah’s bus, if I can stay on tack. The VW bus is the kind of vehicle that tends to take you new and unexpected places, even if just in one’s mind and imagination, like I did in that article. Time to stick to the facts, and the sewing machine.
Hanna obviously likes to sew, as in addition to the electric machine there’s a full-sized Singer (update: White) treadle machine in there. Is that a first? Probably not, if I had to guess. But it doesn’t leave a lot of space except for a bed and the basics, all rather efficiently organized.
I asked Hannah if she was making the trip alone, other than her dog, which was snoozing in the shade underneath the bus. She told me she had a partner for some of the trip, but was currently solo. I can imagine that two in that bus would be a true test of compatibility.
My iPhone, which I’ve been very happy with, flubbed this shot of the driver’s compartment. But it’s pretty iconic, like the rest of this vehicle, so no great loss.
In the interests of improving the less-than stellar safety of this bus, a set of modern seat/shoulder belts has been installed.
Hannah and her dad spent five years rebuilding this ’60 Kombi, so she’s come by it the hard way. And she’s learned some lessons the hard way, like blowing up two engines so far. Both were apparently heat-stress related, a common malady in these old buses, which were designed in cool northern Germany. There was a reason so many of them had side scoops mounted over the side air vents, to force more air into the engine compartment at speed, as well as auxiliary oil coolers mounted out in the breeze too. Keeping an air-cooled VW engine cool in the hot American summer when pushing a big box down the road can be a challenge.
One of those engine failures was due to a mechanic not making sure the thermostatically-controlled bellows was working properly in the fan; a critical component.
The current mill is a 1600cc dual-port engine, and seems to be holding up so far. Assuming the original very low gearing of a 1960 bus, with its little 1200cc 36 hp engine, this one must be not be too terribly stressed on a level highway, with a top speed undoubtedly no more than 60. But climbing the mountains is a different story.
I noticed the oil marks on the rear wheel, and asked reduction gears leaking? Yes they are…another thing to attend to, but in the meantime, Hannah’s making sure the oil level is monitored regularly.
I noticed the Indiana plates, and asked her if that’s where she was from, and thinking about how that’s a somewhat unlikely place for Hannah to be from. No; that’s just where the van is licensed to. I forgot to ask her where she was actually from. The planet earth.
But she’s in Eugene for a while…how long is unknown, as her three-year trip so far has not really ended. And she proudly showed me the 1966 vintage Oregon plates she bought at a bus-fest, and she’s going to use them to register her bus as a Special Interest Vehicle, which means no more annual registration fees. Of course, vehicles with these tags have some restrictions, such as: Maintain the vehicle of special interest as a collector’s item, and use the vehicle only for exhibitions, parades, club activities and similar uses, and not use the vehicle primarily for the transportation of persons or property. Well, Hanna’s endless road trip is an exhibition of sort, with historical value. And her bus is certainly a collector’s item, one whose prices are going through the roof lately. Oregon plates are rather fitting for an old bus.
But although she and her bus have found their way to Eugene and may stay for a while, there are more trips to be made. The next one is back to the Bay Area, down I5, for the Grateful dead Fare Thee Well concerts, this very weekend in Santa Clara. But she’s not taking her bus, because of that leaking reduction gear housing. The trip will be made…in a friend’s VW bus; but a newer second generation T2. Sometimes expediency just has to trump historical reenactment. And Hanna’s bus will be roadworthy again soon.
It may be the Grateful dead’s very last concert, but Hanna and her bus still have places to go. The trip never really ends.
My ode to the VW Bus: CC 1965 VW Samba – Tinnibus
The sheer number of split screen VW vans I see never ceases to amaze me there are plenty of them on the road restored around here including one a friend brought from England when he and his family emigrated, the value people put on them is far in excess of their worth as a vehicle given the built in restrictions like poor handling and limited cruising speed, pictured a local 58 model lowered.
I agree with you that these may have been good in the 60’s, there current value is not much to me. However, a lot of people have fond memories from the past when they owned one. A modern minivan would probably be more reliable. I think it’s like the “Jeep thing” which only Jeep owners understand.
Great story. Hopefully one of the still-alive Dead will read this article and dedicate New Speedway Boogie to Hanna and her bus.
Very fine. The sewing machines are the most important point. The hippies of my generation didn’t make things, we just consumed things. Modern youngsters, hippie or not, are serious about making things. There’s hope.
Agreed on the sewing machine. My daughter has her own treadle sewing machine and she has been making garments for the last several years.
Nice Bus, cool story. Great that her father helped her prepare her bus.
With the reliability of modern hardware, I am a little surpised the young aren’t doing this more often with a current low floor FWD modern minivan, get rid if the seats, keep the A/C. Still get the aux coolers for oil/trans.
A little strange to me the effort to recreate an earlier generations experience. As I write that though I immediately think that is what we all do to some extant with our love for old cars. Thanks for stopping Paul and getting her, her dog, and her bus’s story.
I find the whole retro-hippie thing a little far-fetched, as being a hippie was all about “being in the moment” and “being yourself.”
I don’t see how copying behaviour from 45 years ago qualifies as either of these, but to each her/his own.
It may be cyclical. There was a big back-to-nature movement in late-19th century England and also Weimar Germany (Lebensreform), similar to the 60s US hippie movement. Maybe it’s coming back.
Nice article, Paul. I like the paint job on her Bully! I moved to Iowa from California in one in 1979 and drove it there for some years. The heater, or practically lack thereof, was a major deficit in the Iowa winters. The wall behind the front seats is also a nuisance in a camper. I sold it to a friend who was convinced by his mechanic that the auxiliary oil cooler was not desirable, so he paid to have it taken out. The 1500 engine promptly sucked the #3 exhaust valve the following summer. There are a few very nice specimen here in the Innsbruck area, the 21 window version is, of course, the coolest.
Hi Tom! Yes, I remember your bus well; brown and tan? Or something like that?
You should do a Cars Of A Lifetime (“COAL”) Series for us; you’ve had quite the collection of them over the decades.
Brilliant. When I saw the first sewing machine, I thought “You’re kidding me”. Then I saw the third picture and laughed out loud.
I lost my oil stained copy of “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive”, and although I haven’t owned an aircooled VW (or any VW now that I think about it) for years, this makes me want to buy another copy just for bedtime reading.
Wonderful story! I’m glad you stopped and chronicled it. These vans do get some competition from older Toyota pickups, Volvo wagons and even Astro vans, but it’s still an amazing phenomenon that people will happily travel in a slow, unreliable vehicle built 20+ years before they were born.
I’m amazed by the sewing machine. Those old treadle machines with cast-iron bases don’t just take up space. They are also quite HEAVY. It’ a whimsical choice, to say the least! BTW, you know all about cars, but you really need to study up on sewing machines… That’s not a Singer, that’s a White.
Oops; I didn’t really look; I just assumed, which is always a no-no.
I could very easily bore you all to death on the subject of sewing machines. Both of my parents could sew, so I guess it runs in the family. I guess that makes us a family of thimble heads.
My mother always liked the old Singers best. However, the non-computerized Bernina I got my wife ca. 1990 looks like a mechanical work of art inside.
This just made me think about how my 20s were all about ambition and getting out of college to start making a career and money and a life.
However I am glad the Hannah’s of the world exist – some of those pictures look like they could be circa 1970.
More like this, as we used to say on the internet. Another great post Paul!
Just finished reading “Blue Highways” by William Least-Heat Moon, your subject
here was evocative of his trip around the lower 48.
Happy trails Hannah.
I read that 20 years ago, great book. What has Least-Heat been up to lately?
I just re-read it too, probably my favorite book. He has written a number of gems in the same vein since then.
“River Horse” it is “Blue Highways” by boat.
She is missing the rubber cowling seal, keeps the heat from rising up into the engine compartment.
My thoughts exactly. That will kill it fast, especially stuck in traffic.
Is this the seal that goes along the apron? ~Hannah
First 3 show the part.
http://www.mtmfg.com/vw/1515/Volkswagen-Beetle-Engine-Compartment-Seals-2
Had a 56 model that I wouldn’t have trusted to go across town without major surgery. She had far better luck than I would have but preparation is the business end of luck. Good find.
Most interesting one was a later model called the “road cow”. Toyota four banger transplant and it was all over the internet. Couldn’t find it last time I looked.
This post just went Dead Head, Paul. It brought to mind a friend of mine who is a tie dyed fan, and, if not for being a proud mother of two youngsters, might be living a life like Hannah’s.
Next thing I knew, it got picked up by the Grateful Dead – On the Bus Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grateful-Dead-On-The-Bus/243934755663554?fref=photo
VW bus:
Most overrated vehicle ever?
I like the styling, apart from that? Not a damn thing! Zero mechanical integrity is a deal-breaker to me.
And yes, I’ve owned a couple….
Yes, the maintenance and unreliability finally exceeded the ambience for me.
Had a ’71 camper-van with fiberglass raised-roof. Most memorable experience was crossing the Fremont Bridge, highest bridge in Portland, on a windy day.
Wanted to change lanes, glanced in my mirror, and looked back forward to discover I already had!
It was like driving a big sail.
The color of this bus identifies it as one of the very rare Creamsickle editions and that would explain why it keeps melting engines. Glad to see Hannah living her dream. Rock on girl!
My father had a 1960 VW bus – it was all the same color though, the brick-red color on the bottom part of Hannah’s bus. It was set up as a camper, with nice hardwood plywood for the interior cabinets that was much thinner than the typical stuff. It had double doors on both sides – when my younger brother took it to WSU in eastern Washington it became quite the party vehicle, as he could park it in a wheat field and have flow-through ventilation.
It had some kind of a Porsche industrial engine, which unfortunately stood tall enough that there was no room to put an air filter on it. This was not conducive to engine longevity, leading to the sale of the bus not long after its year in eastern Washington.
Friendly looking hippy girl. Wouldn’t mind traveling with her. You gotta drive those old busses correctly and shift down on even the slightest hills and head winds. My dad’s 61 failed during a strong head wind in the Arizona desert, because he didn’t do that. He learned that the hard way. But when he had his 67, it was trouble free because he knew how to drive and maintain it.
The most interesting thing about VW vans is while their owners extol their greatness, said greatness seems to be measured in the number of replacement engines.
Friends of mine ran a 66 in Aussie for 8 years 7 engines, mechanical longevity is NOT a VW trait in Kombis even the warranty is halved by engine reconditioners for use in a van, and the twin port like this girl runs cracks engine casings behind the flywheel, the only known cure is Brazillian engine casings apparently superior to the German originals.
How fitting; the Pre-Dead show was in my hometown last night. I was amused by all the hippie vans. The VW in the shot below was inhabited by several young hippie dudes making music; the truck was labeled a “Bengal 4×4,” some kind of conversion Dodge pickup; and the Vibe (from South Carolina) and the 4Runner (from Illinois) were both filled to the brim with bedding and other living supplies.
We had a ’59 Westfalia camper growing up in the ’60s/early 70s. My dad built a box with a tent on top, accessed through the roof top hatch. It slept the six of us quite handily. Pushing the bus with box on top using 36 HP(?) and my moms lead foot we blew engines from Montana to Illinois. At least throwing a new/rebuilt engine in seldom took more then a day or two. Mostly it sat in the driveway, loaded with everything but food, waiting for impromptu weekend trips all around Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Ours was Cream over olive with the safari windshields, but dad wouldn’t let us drive with them open.
Looks like she has an oil pressure/temperature gauge setup to tell her when it’s getting hot.. And the dual port engine does have the improved offset oil cooler which allows more air to #3 cylinder. Hopefully she has a deep sump on it, they are a big help. Needs to get the gaskets around the engine sheetmetal replaced to help keep the exhaust heat out. Its been upgraded to 12 volts with an alternator as well. I’ve heard conflicting stories on side scoops. Some say they actually block airflow, especially at slow speeds. All the extra weight and the drag of the roof carrier are no help. A nice thing about the full bench front is the spare tire is stored behind the seat, keeping it out of the way and adding a little more weight to the front. A properly rebuilt engine should last about 60k miles on one of these. The gear oil leaking over the brake shoes needs to be fixed right away, not good. The long hot hill climbs should be done at night. Nice looking bus, nice looking owner. Great find.
Nice Van , nice article .
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The proper initial build , maintenance and especially the operation of air cooled VW engines is and has always been , critical to their longevity ~ I see the basic build errors others have mentioned on this one plus one more that’s deadly serious .
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I’ve criss crossed America in old Typ II’s and never blew an engine yet , not even when I was towing a ’57 Canadian Standard Beetle and a full load of tools , my wife and best bud , going over the Continental Divide via the old steep assed road .
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Nice to see this young lady out and about .
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FWIW , I was there in the original hippie stampede and yes , most of them did in fact make their own duds just like this .
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Me , I never liked hippies (too dirty) although I liked their verve .
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-Nate
While I am not trying to relive a hippie lifestyle, I too have a nostalgia for times in which I never lived, specifically the 1960s-1970s. I also understand the appeal of a VW Bus, being a 29 year old owner of a 1963 Standard Microbus. I shouldn’t say I understand the appeal, I should say that I share it. I don’t understand why I like them so much I just do. I never feel more at home than when I am behind the wheel of my ’59 Beetle or my ’63 Bus with the sounds of the Doobie Brothers combined with the drone of that air-cooled engine clattering away behind me. Why? I don’t know. I don’t question it, I just go with it.\
If I have somewhere I have to be, I will probably be in my Mazda but if I’m going on a trip for my own leisure, I’d rather be in my Bus.
What an amazing find indeed and I love this article. notice that come Summertime more vagabond show up in Portland which are cool sights. Hannah is a person I would love to shoot the breeze with. Last night I watched a live feed of Grateful Dead’s Fare Thee Well at the Crystal Ballroom which I do not know if it has AC because the place was a roasting Pot reaking affair of sweaty humans totally loving the moment. I will never be able to see the Grateful Dead in person, but I am glad I was able to watch their final concerts.
I wonder how many times the Kombie has been washed since it looks clean for having driven across the country. By the way, that is a 2014 New York State Safety/ Emissions Inspection Sticker on the windshield and the outline of a New York State Registration Sticker next to it. Having driven an 18 year old 95 Voyager across country with probably 300 pounds or so of gear I cannot imagine doing it a less predictable vehicle especially without AC. Course I could not use AC while accelerating with gusto, climbing hills/mountains, and a few other scenarios.
I saw a rather well loved VW bus today parked at a local microbrew. Pretty rough but it had some fishing rod poles in the back so whoever owns it must enjoy life!
I spotted one of similar age on US 1 in Lexington, SC at the end of June & had to stop to take pictures with my cellphone (had no camera & owner was nowhere in sight). These would be from the 1973-79 model year range (if made in Mexico could even be up to 1994) b/c the turn signal indicators were moved from below the headlights to either side of the front grille which first appeared on the late 1967 models. The front bumpers look similar as well. Funny how on both vans the VW logo is missing from between the headlights. No back seats either so it was obviously being used as a cargo van. Glad I stopped b/c it was gone the very next day. Yes, that is my Ford Aerostar in the foreground (I wanted to include both vans in the picture below but there wasn’t enough room).
Another view (from the other end). Pure coincidence that both vehicles have amber rear turn signals.
what model of volkswagen is this because it looks a lot smaller then the buses?
(paraphrased) “As you said,driving them properly was a big part of longevity,but American drivers generally don’t figure that out.Joe.” .
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Just so Joe ;
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I just got back from a nice Desert trip in my old 1982 Mercedes 240D W/ slushbox .
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We’re in a heat wave right now , 107 ~ 114° F , we drove the Desert and Mountains , to Morro Bay etc. , etc. always with the AC on full tilt boogie , on the hills I tucked in between the Big Rigs , selected third gear and eased up on the throttle , some hills were crested @ 38 ~ 40 MPH in 61° comfort….
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Obviously not one of my regular Road Rally cars but then neither is a VW Typ II .
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My first retirement vacation , all four Teenaged boys off to Summer Camp ~ wahoo ! ALL ALONE no need for quiet SEX FREAKOUT !! =8-) .
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-Nate
Enjoying curbside classics. Found while searching information the other day for my Ford Maverick. As for the VW bus, I think that some patience is what’s required when driving. I’ve had a 1964 for over 25 years and only had one engine casualty. My preference is a stock 1600 dual port, with a 12 volt alternator. I use the standard bus starter and flywheel, and only convert the starter solenoid to 12 volts. As others mention, the apron to engine seal is important to keep exhaust heat below the engine compartment. Keeping them from overheating is most important.
My ’66 Bus Clothilde (See “The Short Reign of Pippin The Fourth” By John Steinbeck for the name reference.)has 323,000 miles on it. I bought her 45 years ago for $750.00 in 1974. She had ~ 100,000 miles on her and I put the next 220,000 miles on. She has cost me about $3500-4000 in engine and transmission rebuilds over the years. I bought her without knowing she had a 1200cc 40 Hp sedan engine instead of the single port 1500cc she came with. I ran the engine until it needed a rebuild and installed an 83mm kit to bring her to 1300CC. I finally replaced the 1300cc engine 3/21/1995 with a dead stock 1600cc Dual Port engine at about 285,000 miles. First, with a Junkyard engine, which seized at 295,000 miles, and then with a short block, using my heads and accessories. She is 53 years old, I have driven her for 45 years. I turned 75 in Feb. 2019, and I retired in July 2019. I am going to drop $10,000 in her to fix front end damage done to the right front about 30 years ago when a drunk hit her in an AMC Gremlin. This will also replace any rusted or damaged body panels (Including the front end and passenger side door post, floor, and dogleg under the door.) and bring her into clear-coated primer. I have painted her from spray cans, Hunter Green three times over the years, so she deserves to look decent later in life. I don’t know what people are talking about when they complain about VW Bus handling. As long as you feed her gas she never jacks up in the back. I run Koni shocks with Michelin Defender tires and she holds the road in all weather. I have had people riding get out so I could drive her over jumps (broke the battery once.) and bumps (broke a rear torsion bar once) and then they get back aboard and we go on. She drove home across town, (Tempe, AZ) with the broken Torsion bar setting down on the left rear bump stop with no problem. I have better ground clearance than most modern cars and run back forestry trails (35-45 MPH) and untraveled Desert (At 15 MPH) with no damage as long as I pay attention to the bumps and Cacti. I have had her over Wolf Creek pass in Colorado (about 45 MPH in 3rd gear) and that was before I had the 1600cc engine. She made it over a River-Rock road that summits at just under 12.000’ between Durango and Telluride, Co. That’s probably why so many are still on the road.
My ’66 Bus Clothilde
I came of age after the age of ̶A̶q̶u̶a̶r̶i̶u̶s̶ ̶ erm… air cooled Volkwagens, and while I do get their iconic status, I’m still scratching my head at exactly how and why they got there. I definitely do remember them tweeting and ripping around (depending on the exhaust system in place), but they seemed so inadequate for our roads- especially the buses.
It’s interesting that VW’s have a lot of the same inadequacies as say, a Renault of the same area, yet most people will take on the Volks as a labor of love while cracking jokes about what a pile of crap the Renault is. Was it the dealer network, parts availability and pricing, orr…?
Either way, this definitely would be a cool life adventure… You crossed paths with this woman and her bus 6 years ago, when she was three years in on it. One wonders where she’s at now?
They got there because they were practical and useful around town and poking down two lane country roads. Terrible on interstates but roomy and fairly reliable and decent gas mileage compared to 60s or 70s domestic vans. I had a ’67 Kombi with a 1600 dual port that was a fine short commuter in temperate weather. I ended selling it to a band that used it to transport their equipment to and from local gigs.
One wonders where she’s at now?
She settled down in Eugene and doesn’t drive it much anymore.
And if I’da paid a bit more attention when reading the first time through, I would have seen the answer to that question in the first sentence of this post. Derp.
I absolutely love that color combo. It has weathered into a chillax vibe. Anyone wondering why these VW busses have a perpetual following around the world its not anything to do with hippie nostalgia. Its simply the fact they are the perfect size for one or two people and their necessities. They are fuel efficient, fairly easy to fix and easily maneuverable. The only downside is having your knees a part of the crumple zone. I’ve said this many times but the day an automaker launches a very basic electric micro bus between 25-30k new is when young people will start walking onto dealer lots to get a closer look.
Somehow missed this one when it originally ran. Both the van and the gal check off some of my fantasy boxes.
My wife has a taste for adventure and was understanding of my decision to buy and fix up a battered old Westy. Although she tried once or twice, she was never able to pick up rowing around in the old 4-speed. So kudos to Hannah for having the nerve to pilot that old bus all the way across the country.
Hanna wasn’t the only traveler to settle down at the end of the Oregon Trail. There is a whole renewal of the van life ethos. It sound like fun, I’ve seen a lot of relatively modern minvans set up as campers. I even camped out in my Town and Country once when I took my Son the a weekend paintball competition. Like the post on the Nash Airflyte detailed, you can save a lot of money staying away from motels. Most of my motorcycle trips made during my 20’s involved camping.
Back in the Day, the VW was a popular choice partly because it was also cheap, and could be cobbled together with parts from different years and models of VWs. The current prices seem too dear to me, but if I was young and wanted to travel I’d think about a late model minivan, they’re cheap, have got a/c, and are spacious without the rear seats.
I met a guy who had a Dodge Caravan set up for camping, he told me he’d head out to the coast before work, do some surfing, then head off to the office. He could also carry his surfboard and mountain bike securely inside when he parked at work. After work he would go up into the Santa Cruz mountains for some mountain biking. Seemed like a fun active lifestyle.
My ’71 Type 2 averaged 60,000 km per engine. Like clock work.
A good friend of mine helped his just-out-of-college daughter convert a van (not unlike Paul’s), which she then drove out from the DC area to CA, and then back east as far as CO…where she got a job at a company that caters to the van life ( https://dmvans.com/ ). It’s a thing, and it’s good to know that some folks are still able to live their dreams.
Fair play to Hannah! I can’t say I’m not a little envious.
I had a ‘72 pop-top Westfalia which I used for attending and camping out at fiddle contests and bluegrass festivals around the West. The ship cabin-like cabin was great for staying up off the dust and mud and the top was leak-proof, unlike my old Boy Scout tents.
Unfortunately, the getting there and getting back part could be an ordeal. Like Rob, the lack of reliability and tendency for the bus to change lanes in crosswinds made me decide to switch vehicles.
I babied the heck out of the 1600cc – downshifted to keep the RPMs up to keep that fan cooling things, changed the oil and filter often, took my time going up the passes. I rebuilt it twice, both times right at about 60,000 miles. I learned a lot about wrenching but decided that was just too often to be practical.
A major problem was getting parts or mechanical service in the remoter parts of the American West in the 70’s. How often I heard “We don’t work on foreign vehicles,” or “We’ll have to order that. The part will get here in 5-7 days.”
When I became a professional musician it suddenly became crucial to show up on time. I bought a ‘75 Ford F-100 with an insulated topper. I could drive faster (but with worse mph of course) while carrying a sound system. The reliability, though not great, was much better and I could get parts and service anywhere. I got about 165,000 miles out of the 302, but boy did I miss the fold out beds, pop-top, table and mini-kitchen.
Why doesn’t someone like Toyota or Subaru make a reasonably sized, reasonably priced, reasonably powered Westfalia style camper. With the current Vanlife and RV mania, there is certainly a market for it.
Regarding Toyota camper van, these are available, it only depends on where you live.
If only we could get them in Colorado without the hassle of importing them. Very fetching campmobile, Johannes!
One possible fix for the VW van engine problem. . .
Wife reliving her non-existent hippie past in Nelson NV. VW vans were never about the vehicle. They were always about the dream.
Speaking of dreaming, some ingenuous chap dreamed up a way to eliminate VW engine issues. . .
Others choose to lighten the load on the engine. This well done conversion noted on Duval Street in Key West, FL.
My parents bought a new 61 window van and Dad insulated and paneled the inside. Three little kids and Mom and Dad go camping..one sister and I sleep crosswise up on the back shelf…parents and baby sister on floor. We went all over BC, Alberta, and Washington iin it. The hills were graded by what gear you had to go up in….lots of second gear climbs! They did have camshaft and reduction gear problems with it so they didn’t keep it very long. Traded it in on a used 58 Pontiac Strato Chief sedan.
Nicely done story and photos. I still have a Corgi toy VW bus with a split screen in the house. It’s two tone, light green and olive green. One of my favourites.
Hahaha, That would be awesome