Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

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I once had a 1967 VW bus just like the one in the middle photo on the left. First of the 12 volt models, last of the split windshield double side door type. Had an aftermarket camper install from Freedom Camper in it and I pretty much lived in it for a number of years back when I was a climbing bum. Travelled for years all over the Western US and a bit of Canada & Mexico too, trying to find where I really wanted to live. Kept on coming back to where I ended up and still am half a century later! Really loved that ol' van and had some amazing times in it. Sold it half a dozen years ago to a fellow who promised to "fix it up". I'm sure he spent $25K+ doing so, and now has it over on the coast and takes it to rallys and shows it regularly. Actually, still has mostly original paint, and he hasn't done anything to the engine, which I had rebuilt twice, and made it a 1600cc with accessory oil cooling, instead of the original 1500cc and tower cooler in the shroud on the block.

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Looks like a fabulous time Daniel, I bet your often think fondly of those days.

Did you go through many windscreens with your kombi? Every surfing trip we went on someone's kombi would get a shattered windscreen.

Just to be clear, all of these photos above are by the new owner, taken recently, after the restoration.

But yes, my memories of those times and places shared with my old bus, are priceless!!!

To answer your question Jim, only broke the windshields once, both at the same time, as the spare tire I had mounted on the front came back into my lap or tried too anyway. Which is, in part, why the new owner's restoration costs were so high. He had to cut off and replace the whole front end, including the dash and under dash tray!

Here is a rather poor pic of when I still owned her, January 1988 I believe, copied from a slide of my Ol' Bus, the morning I left on an extended trip down Baja Mexico to the southern tip at Cabo San Lucas.

This is many years after totaling the front end, as you will note here that the front bumper is just the remains of an old Redwood 2x8 that had been on there for many years.


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Sorry Jim, not intending to hijack your thread here, such that if anyone would be interested in seeing or reading any more of the "Life & Times of Bess Bus" this all should be transferred to a new thread and carried on from there.

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