Same thing in Minnesota. When I was a kid it wasn't unusual to see a van with a chimney for a wood stove to use while fishing. 😂 Now you ain't fishing unless you have at least 35k "invested" into a fancy fish house/camper. Most of those have an AC unit on the roof.
@@bobbyz1964 - My old man built collapsible fish houses on the side so I can’t think of ice fishing without remembering the sound of canvas flapping in the wind, the subtle whisper of a propane stove, and the sound of snowmobiles on the ice as they passed nearby - good memories…….👍
A used 1978 Bus was my first vehicle back in 1988. Drove it all over the U.S. and even went to a few Dead shows. 17 trips to Burning Man even. I'm 50 now and still driving it. Best $1200 I've ever spent.
Another great video, thanks Steve. One point on nomenclature though. All buses are Type 2, that was VW's reference for the platform. A beetle being a Type 1. Over in Europe the different generations are generally referred to by the front window. 67 and earlier are 'splitties' or 'split windows'. Later ones like these are 'bay windows'. Best wishes
In about 1994 I bought a rust free 1974 bus with the Westfalia camper package from a lady that moved to my hometown in Wisconsin from Seattle. It was super nice and even had factory AC that actually worked. At the time, Clark's Corvair Parts sold a kit to install a corvair engine into a bus. That conversion really transformed my old bus into a vehicle that would accelerate well, roll down the freeway effortlessly at or above posted speed limits, and got very respectable fuel milage. The conversion kit even had the adapters to allow the hot air heater to remain operational, and the corvair engine sent alot more heated air into the cabin than the VDub engine did. My bus had an optional gas heater, but I don't remember ever really needing it after the conversion. I really miss that old bus...good times
Hi Steve, great video on this bay window VW Bus. I owned a 67 split window. For the exact reason you mentioned to follow the Grateful Dead. You're right it never saw 70mph. Maybe downhill using the 'Goergia Overdrive', you might have seen 55mph. The darn thing handled like a covered wagon in a wind storm also. I had a clutch go out at a show right as we got into the parking lots. I borrowed a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, and a skateboard 🛹. I got everything loosened, and bear hugged the engine and sat it on the skateboard, and rolled it out. Had it all back together and made the show in time.🎉. Sold the van as soon as I got back home. I was working on my 73 orange Econoline nicknamed the 'Bastard Maker ' flame paint job with Thrush side pipes. Yeah, it didn't get the mpg the bus got, but I could peg the needle in 2nd. 302 4bl small cam C6 AT out of an later pickup. She was a sweet runnin' Ford. Y'all check out Steve's other videos over on High Octane Classics ch. Have a blessed day, everyone 🤙🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼
Hey, this is the second time I heard your bus story, still interesting. I don't go to many concerts, but I went to see The Who Farewell Tour (the first one,) I think they were doing three shows at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. Never seen so many VW buses in one location before or since. That was late summer 1989.
@Tom Wesley Hi Tom, you're right. I told this same story in an earlier video, Steve, done of a Karmann Ghia. I go to shows almost every weekend. I'm in NC and have traveled to the West Coast on several occasions. I had a scare in 06 that changed my life. I've stopped chasing 💰 and started enjoying life. I still flip cars because of the love I have for the business. I follow different groups when they come to the East Coast. I enjoy music festivals of all kinds. I see a lot of the same people at these shows. It's a group of people from RVers to Van life. We have simplified things and are enjoying life and the sights of this great country that so many take for granted. I no longer have a van but do have a diesel pushed and a smaller E450 version for the shorter trips. If it's long distance I'll take a plane. Last September, I was in Buena Vista, CO, at Renewal. It's a bluegrass folk festival. I flew out and was supposed to fly back on Mon, but instead, I rented a Toyota Camery and drove back through Wyoming (Devil's Tower), South Dakota (Crazyhorse monument) (badlands) (Mt Rushmore) Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, on into NC. Got home that Fri and went right back on the road to Jersey. Last month was in Nashville and also Winston-Salem for Doc Watson 100th birthday. I met a lot of great people along the way. People in general are good. We only hear about the bad ones. It's kinda like when you wash your car. The only thing anyone sees is the spot you missed. 😆🤣. I've given it great thought on tracing John Steinbeck "Travels with Charley: In Search of America" its a travelogue of Steinbeck's road trip across the U.S. in a hand-built camper with his dog Charley. You may know him for "The Grapes of Wrath" "East of Eden" and "Of Mice and Men" just to name a few. I've been busy of late spring is here and I only eat organic foods even before it was popular. I grow my own and eat my own. I also dont eat any sugar. Sugar is just legalized cocaine. Its killing millions and millions of Americans. Americans are addicted as if were the same as "booger sugar." There's foods in America that are banned in other countries. They know it causes many diseases that Americans face daily. For example Mt Dew and Fruity Pebbles aren't sold in the UK. Our foods are loaded with synthetic products, oh sorry I'm going overboard here. Thanks again, Tom, for commenting. You have a blessed day 🤙🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼
Mom & Dad removed the middle seat for the family business haulage so when the bus was tasked for family use we would put folding lawn chairs in to ride on 6 of us!! Safety first in the 70’s
As a kid growing up in the '60s my dad had a '57 Transporter with a raging 36 HP engine. We kids would tease him about it being a sewing machine motor. He loved that thing. He also had a '53 small window bug for a few years.
family down the street had a 1959 engine died in 1977 and was parked, to bad it was not put away in garage then one day. it was gone they replaced it with a 1973
@@Daniel-fd3wp that's how I was able to afford my solid, running, and stopping '67 splitwindow bus. I paid $2k for it back in college during the late 90's. No way could I afford one these days. The VW hobby get pretty pricey these days!
I had a 1971 Transporter, there are a couple of points that make them a bit special. Besides being the first year for disc brakes on any VW, this was the last year they shared the 1600cc engine with the Beetle. Rebuild and performance parts are ridiculously cheap. As with other type two VWs they are rated for 1000kg carrying capacity, that's 2200lbs. in America, or about 17 unwashed hippies. Thanks Steve, this is the first time I've seen an episode featuring the same make, model, and year as a vehicle that I've owned.
The first Volkswagen to get disc brakes was the Karmann Ghia in '67. The Square Back received front discs in '68. Also, the 1600 dual port, as in the '71 bus, is rated at 50 HP.
I worked at a custom shop in Florida in the 70's. The owner was a vw fanatic. He had a few bugs he hopped up and a couple of high performance dune buggies made from shortened bus frames. Both did wheelies in 1st and 2nd gear, a real blast to drive. Lol Get well soon Mags, we miss you!
My family travelled extensively through South America in one of these as missionaries during the early 70's. Mom, Dad four kids (3,5,8,10) and a Pekingese dog with a small pop-up camp trailer. Remember Dad saying how it was always over-heating and we creeped down to eventually end up in Benos Aries, Argentina.
These bay windows were everywhere when I was growing up. Hauled large items enclosed encouraging the owners to store the middle seat in the garage. I remember sitting on them not in the vans but resting on the garage floor. So many missing middle seats that these items have soared in price over the years. I know. I'm missing the middle seat on my '65 VW bus. I may be slow but I'm ahead of you!
Learned to drive on a '74 which was our family car at the time. My Dad was a VERY patient man as I learned the fine art of letting out that clutch. She was white over orange with all black interior. Unfortunately we missed the fuel injection motor by one model year so she was slow as "molasses in January" . It was also a rolling refrigerator in those cold winters but all in all I have really fond memories of this great ol' family wagon... Thanks Steve👍
In 2010 I worked for an outfit in Fairbanks Alaskan, one of my first assignments was flying to Phoenix to pickup a garbage truck. Shortly into the 4,000 mile trip I'm going up a good hill foot to the floor and I see a VW micro bus gaining on me! As it went by I saw it was full of hippies, there was smoke rolling out, most of it from the engine. (I think?) At that point I knew I was in for a long slow trip to Fairbanks. On the plus side the view of the Canadian Rockies in a slow garbage truck was fantastic. 😂
My folks had 5 VW buses over the years and I learned to drive in the last one, a 1977 with the fuel injected two liter. I don't know the horsepower but it could do 80 on the flat. I never got a ticket because no one would believe it. It was also amazingly agile and would go in the snow like nobody's business. It was the ultimate ski trip vehicle, especially after they equiped it with a propane heater. And if you put it in third it could chug up any hill in New England with two canoes on the roof, a full load of boy scouts and a labrador retreiver.
My parents were teachers and there were 5 of us kids, So the vw bus was a great fit for the family with extras to travel to grandma's house for the holidays
A fairly rare sight today, but back in the early 80’s there were still a LOT of these running around the streets of the Twin Cities as daily drivers! Every time I met someone who owned one I pretty much walked away with the impression of, “Yeah - he seems like a guy who would drive a VW bus!” They definitely attracted a particular clientele - early “greenies”, the guy who lived in a half-completed geodesic dome, perpetual college students, and your everyday average stoners…….😂
I worked with a guy that was into them and Vanagons. We'd be walking to lunch and he'd see one and we'd have to stop and have a look. This was the 1990s/early to mid-2000s, so yes, there were some beatniks driving/owning/living in them. You'll still see the occasional one with some hipster type living in it. LOL.
Correct, 1971 model year with the VIN for the win: 2 for Type 2 chassis, 3 for Kombi, 1 for 1971 model year, and the rest is the production sequence. They were assembled in either Hannover or Emden West Germany. No, that's not correct. The speed limit became national law in 1974, signed under Richard Nixon. Prior to that, some states adopted lower speed limits, but it was signed into law by Mr. Nixon on January 2, 1974 in response to the 1973 oil crisis. It was repealed in 1995. No, the International Experiment of Living is a cross-cultural program of homestays and learning/exchange for high school students. It's not a commune, LOL. Of course, Mr. Penn (aka Mr. Spicoli) and his friends came out of a similar bus very "tooted" in a scene in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in 1982. Yes, they are headquartered in Brattleboro, VT. No tag, can't brag, but should be code L90D Pastel White exterior paint.
While the '71's were being designed, the U.S. threatened to have a requirement for a front impact test that was about 35 mph (not sure of the speed). So, VW redesigned the buses for the '71 model year by adding something like 115 pounds of extra structure in front. In the end Ford, GM, and Chrysler lobbied the feds to lower the standard so their vans could pass. Still, all Microbuses from '71 on had the structure designed for the higher crash test. The pre-68's did not have a "live axle." They had a swing axle which was subject to "jacking" (making roll overs common). This second generation of buses had semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension. It really improved the handling. I think the stock '71's had 65 hp from 1600 cc. Ours (with a 4-into-1 exhaust) ran about 72 mph flat out. Later, I had it rebuilt with an 1850 cc kit and some other mods. In that form it produced about 85 hp and had no trouble cruising in the low 70's (without running wide-open throttle) and could reach 80 flat out (which was governed by the 4500 rev limiter). One "little" problem we had with our bus was that about every 20,000 miles the cylinder heads (the new twin-port ones) would crack. The dealer admitted that was very common for the twin-port engines. Another problem for us was that my lovely ex-wife would run out to the bus (running late for work) every morning, and the moment the engine cranked on the starter, she would floor the accelerator on the ice-cold engine. You could hear the engine bouncing off the rev limiter as she drove off like Shirley Muldowney, throwing max rpm shifts and keeping the engine pegged at 4500 rpm on the limiter. We had many long discussion about proper engine warm-up ... but to no avail. It was just her passive-aggressive way of saying I hate you and will divorce you as soon as I have someone better lined up. FYI, that took her about five years.
The beautiful thing about these vehicles is that the driver was always the first person to the scene of the accident. I drove one once but never again.
I grew up riding in ‘68 and’70 model VW transporters. I don’t remember them being slow because I knew of nothing else. When my family finally got American cars I was amazed how quiet, plush, and powerful they were.
I had a 1971, 1600cc fully-imported Kombi Kamper. As in, all the labels on my vehicle were in German. It was a great old bus but yeah, 60mph, downhill with a tail wind... :)
Wow... You just showed me how messed up vw's been in the late 60s and the early 1970's.. I had a 1970 Volkswagen panel van here in Canada had the five small bolt pattern 14in vented rims with the 1800 CC engine pancake dual carb. And the rear end had the later 1974 75 lights already on it. In Canada what Volkswagen sold in vans was the van that looked like the one you just showed with the rear end and the 1600 cc engine in it was only sold in nineteen sixty-eight 1969 and still had the weird 5 bolt split window van wheel rims 15 in the one you showed I always thought was just sold in Europe😊 thank you you just talk me something new when I thought I knew everything about VW I appreciate it😊😊
I had a 71, pretty good machine and it always got a thumbs up. I always liked VW’s simple solution to windshield washers, using the air pressure from the spare tire! 😮
We had one of these vans , same year . Very versatile & handy . Definitely , not a power house . My Father had to have , massive metal fabrication repairs ( due to corrosion ) to the center floor pans , to help keep the right sliding door on its track .
I had a ‘71 and I miss it now. I took a month off to drive it from west coast to east coast and back. No hurry! No breakdowns either. This was the first year of disc brakes and the last year for the type 1 (bug) engine.
My parents bought a new 1973 model of this van. It was a basic vehicle and the engine noise noticeable from the interior. I took my driver’s licenses test in that van in 1975. Passing on the first try. Easy to parallel park.
The old man traded the 65 Bus on a new 71. Many engine problems especially with valves. He traded that off for a new 74 Mercury Comet based in the Maverick platform. Great video, memories
"Front passengers, 1st to the accident". Two co workers had the VW vans back in the day. One single cab truck and the other had the one with roof windows/sunroof. Both unique, windowed van would be sweet to have now.
In 1971 we had a '71 Westphalia Camper version. Had great vacations with our 4 kids. Loved the vehicle, but you are right about the performance. Our trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia was interesting. First gear and barely made the top of a mountain...45 at the bottom and "0" at the top.
Those were a real blast to make wheel stand! It only took two people... Better with three or four. One behind the wheel, the others on the floor above the engine bay. Driver would take it up to a screaming 600 or so RPM and sidestep the clutch... While the guys in the back stayed as still as possible... Wheelie time!
Hey Steve got to mention something you left out about all V-dubs bus or Beetle. Yes they are very cool just one really big problem and that is since the engine is in back there’s nothing but thin sheet metal in front. This was known back in the day as a serious death trap if you were in a front end collision, there was nothing to prevent serious injuries or death. Many people mounted spare tires on front to help…some. A lot of people only used these vehicles in town at slow speeds and staying off highway’s afraid being involved in a frontal collision. Love your informative channel !
My mom loved these. She had a 1st gen i dont remember that one just stories her and dad told like even going down the interstate they almost had to get out and push it up hills. The next one she had was a later year gen two like the year b4 the square body one came out. It had if i remember my dad correctly a Porsche engine in it. I dont remember it having any trouble getting us down the road we took it on family vacations in the mountains and everything. I remember the day my mom test drove it and bought it. While on the test drive we went by the house to get some paperwork for the financing or something my dad wasnt with us as we were leaving she started to back out the car porch and couldnt find reverse, she had to go back inside and call the dealership. Turns out it had a button of sort in the center of the shift knob you had to push down on center of knob as you were going into reverse or it wouldnt go. She never did like the square ones. She loved that thing so much i remember her and dad went and traded both their vehicles in on brand new mazdas. She got a wagon and he got a truck. Two days later she missed her bus so bad she took the brand new car back and got her bus back.
All Volkswagen buses, station wagons, kombis, etc. are a Type II from 1950 to the present. From 1950 to 1967 it is a Type II T1. From 1968 to 1979 is a Type II T2 (T2a is 1968 to 1971 and T2b is 1972 to 1979). From 1980 to 1991 it is a Type II T3, Type 25 in the UK. From 1992 to 2004 it is a Type II T4. I'm not sure what the years are past that, but I know they are up to the T6, possibly T7, in Europe. I've had two T2bs, a 1973 Bus and a 1972 Westfalia Campmobile that I've had since 25 August 1988 and a T3, a 1987 Vanagon GL Syncro. The double cab is a three door, not a four door. The HP rating for a 1971 is 60hp. The 1972, 1700 cc engine instead of the 1600 in the 1971, is 70hp. I have a sticker on the back of my '72 that says, "0 to 60 Eventually". The engine set up is close to a 1971 Bug, Type 1, but it is exactly the same as a 1971 Karmann Ghia, Type 14. The oil bath air cleaner is off to the side like this Type II is.
When I moved from Colorado in the late 70s, I bought a 72 that a local shop had installed a Corvair 6 motor in. That thing could definitely climb the hills better than the VW engine could and could easily run down the highway with the rest of the traffic.
We had a '71, Type 2. It would do more than 55, easily. Although, on the !)! heading into San Francisco from the north, on the hill leading to the tunnel, you would be down to second gear pretty quickly. We took it into the Sierras a few times camping; it would go where Jeeps feared to tread; traction in mud and snow was really pretty good. Great video!
@@dougs55 Not really. We also had an older Beetle that my wife's parents sold us; it was, on a windy day, 'unstable.' But the bus was no worse than any van; the wind didn't seem to upset it much.
Grew up in the back of one of these. The most important part you forgot Steve... they are not very good heat-wise in an NH typical New England winter. Lots of blankets, heavy coats, mittens, scarves etc😂😂😂 Ours did make a lot of trips between Merrimack and Quincy MA. Dad quickly upgraded to a Chevy Van, which was eventually replaced with a 79 Ford F150 extended bed Super Cab.
My Dad has stories of his Dad driving the whole family across the state of Michigan in one of these, and the driver would be fed beers the entire way. It was a better time.
Wow ! Best of the bay windows 1971... ive had a few vans and one was an extremely original 71 i sold for double what i bought it for, but still should of kept it. Great investments
The saying commonly heard was “At the front of any traffic jam is a VW bus.” Although I’ve only owned a handful of Beetles, I always loved the Transporter and still think it would be a useful vehicle to own.
I had a 1972 Westfalia for a bit in (1990-91) that threw a rod and I then moved it along. I then had 1978 tin-top camper (1997-2000) but sold it when I had my first son as the bay floor and cross-members were completely rusted through on three of the four sides but for the engine! The van body actually twisted going into driveways! An old sign cut and fastened in between the front seats helped with the flexing. My last van was a rust free 1986 Transporter Syncro (AWD) wedgy that I made into a camper by adding a 'rock and roll' bed and curtains. I eventually sold that as I could no longer afford the prices of vintage WV parts. It was a fun ride, while it lasted.
In the mid 90's, while working at a car dealership. One of our customers said they were moving out of state and had a 68 VW bus for sale, asking if anyone was interested. They wouldn't say what they wanted, just make an offer. Finally, one day just before they were to move, again they asked. I said I'm interested, but only have $100.00. They said "SOLD". Fun vehicle till you had to drive up a mountain road. Guess a lot of people were friendly in the mountains, always blowing their horns behind me as I crawled along at about 40 mph. ;)
wearing my gd socks rn ... I just saw one of these stripped & dropped in acid.. can't imagine how much of this one would vanish haha.. that one I saw was definitely a good candidate for a rescue.. they're completely restoring it
My roommate had had one. We went all over in that van. As he always said, as long as your not in the hurry they are great. I built a couple of 1776 engines for them in about 78 and 79. Better but still a relaxed ride!
Yes sir, you covered the waterfront in this video. And like you said, those 23 window jobs are worth a bundle. Lord, help me find a warehouse full of them owned by an elderly widow with dementia.
These vans were popular in the Philippines and a lot of them are still running while I was growing up back in the late 80's. The Ford Aerostar in the background appears to be ready to launch into the stratosphere. 😂😂
Another great video! I've had several of the split Busses over the years and while they're fairly primitive compared to these they were just outstanding vehicles. The bay windows as these are usually called were much more refined. In 68 they went to a much smoother ball joint front end that replaced the old king and link pin setup. They also added the IRS rear end not much later so you had a nicer ride. This particular one doesn't look bad at all! Granted it's a New England vehicle so a generous amount of rust is expected, but it's a start. I'm tempted to go check this one out!
I sold cars at a VW / Subaru dealer and found out from my training from VW that if someone could prove they were born in a VW, Volkswagen would give you a Savings Bond. I can't remember what the amount was, but while I worked there, I actually did have someone come in and be able to prove he was born in a VW van before his parents could get to the hospital by showing his birth certificate and sure enough VW sent him a US savings bond issued by Volkswagen US.
Back in da day I was on a job near pine knob. I went to the supermarket for lunch . The was a bunch of VW micr busses in the parking lot. When I got out of my truck a guy came running up to me and tried to sell me a peanut butter sandwich for 10.00$ ! Grateful Dead was in town. My buddy told me there was more than peanut butter in that sandwich lol. Probably should have bought it ! Lol get better Steve at some point we are gonna run out of videos to watch.
Type 1, type 2, bugs , busses, squarebacks,whatever you called them, we had them all. They all sucked. No heat, no power, no defrost! My friend tried to pull a small camp trailer with his...BOOM went the engine! My dad and brother got into them in the 70's gas crunch. You could pull the engine in 45 minutes, which was good because you blew an engine every week!
I had a '70 for a couple years around 2010. Exactly like this bus (white, except for the disks and a single port) It was solely responsible for me turning sour on VW's. It was dangerous getting on a freeway. Your estimate of 70 HP is very generous, MAYBE 55. I couldn't sell it fast enough.
Mate of mine had a few of these and as a group we would do outdoorsy stuff most long weekends and it did quiet well travelling about in the group with a 2 lt twin carb setup, Years later he engine swapped it with a Subaru boxer engine which woke it up nicely and as far as I know he still dailies the thing, A true believer :-)
Steve, your knowlege is phenominal until it came to this T2, it more than capable of 70 mph on flat level ground. Fun fact totally misunderstood by my fellow American drivers is that the top speed is the recommended cruising speed. At top speed, these air colled engines ran about 3800-4200 rpm, depending upon T1, T2, T3, T4. Just like your air cooled lawn mower which are designed to run at 3600 rpm, at the recommended RPM, the cooling fan is most effective. Many times on my 1971 Westy I ran up mountains in third gear at maximum RPM, while some would climb the hills in fourth with lower engine RPM, thinking they were taking it easier on the engine, which was totally wrong due to misunderstanding or ignorance. Never overheated nor damaged a air cooled VW from heat damage. And I have had a lot over the years, mainly T2's, but also T1's including a Thing, and one T3 Squareback
Great video Steve. Those circular vents at each side were only for fresh air from the grille in the front. The amount and side to side was controlled by the blue levers(up or down) found in the dash to the right of the steering wheel. The red levers right next to the blue ones controlled the amount of heat from each heater box coming thru a common tube along the center line underneath. The lever in the footwell's center controlled whether the "warm" air went to the windshield or the feet. Unless you were driving a Single Cab the heat didn't ever seem to amount to much.The Buses and Double Cabs did have a pull knob that diverted some of that heat to the rear. I have owned Single and Double Cabs plus Buses both passenger and Westfalias. Bay Window Buses are way more comfortable than Splits IMHO, but the iconic image still seems to be the Splitty. Bays are catching up though. I have driven Bays since 1987 and from Vancouver BC I have taken them South to Cabo, North to near the Yukon, West to Haida Gwaii, and East to Saskatchewan. Not as much as some, but always in comfort as long as I didn't pay too much attention to the clock!
Over here in Mexico these were HUGE in the commercial and public transportation business, in the late 80s VW ditched the air cooled engine for a 1.8 8v directly out of the MK2 Jetta
WOW gotta love the Semperit tire on the front. I havent thought of those since the 80's! Great German tires. Its all I used to run on my 1969 Mercedes 220D back then until I couldnt find them anymore. Then for a minute went with Klebers until those vanished and I switched to Michelin XZX tires until the Benz left and I bought a new 1983 Mazda B2200 diesel truck and went with Bridgestone then B F Goodrich for decades. Also gotta love the " Sabaru " misspelling in the magazine LOL
2 things one of my favorite memories as a little kid was going to pick out a pumpkin to carve in my parent's friend's orange vw westfalia camper version and also I consider the vw buses the 1st minivans
Hi. Any time soon also the blue Volvo 240 from the other side? Great video as always, and for us over the sea, European models' are also highly appreciated. Thanks and keep up your excellent work.
Nice to see another old VW on here, Steve. A few points to make here, one is that the first generation of buses started in 1950, and by mid 55 they had undergone a major change up front to incorporate fresh air venting and in-dash heating/defrost vents. Second, the double cab only had three doors, all the way into vanagon era production. No door on the rear driver's side. I've been building and driving VW buses and trucks since the late 80's. Hard to count how many I've had. They are so much fun, and simple to repair and maintain. I drive a 68 single cab now (summer only) but still tinker with other stuff. But I will say this hobby has gotten way too pricey for me at this point. Time to find another OBS Chevy to build.
DoKas (short for the German Doppelkabine (double cabin for us English folk) actually did have one model later in the Vanagon era that had 4 doors. It was called a TriStar.........................but I know you knew that!😊
same here 71 72 would be my first choice liked the panel vans, rode in a lot of 1968-73 bay windows was 12 rode in front seat for the first time, thought my cousin was going to run into the car in front of us
Both my '69 and '71 had no trouble doing 65 mph on the flats with their stock 1600- single port in the '69 and dual port in the '71 (even along the Front Range of Colo.) but did struggle on the climbs.. The front drums worked fine on the '69 but did need periodic adjustment I sure wish I'd kept that '71!
Back in 1971 before there was a gas crisis myself and a friend acquired more than 20 VW's, both vans and beetles one summer. We would find them parked in peoples backyards, knock on the door of the house and many times people would just give them away because that had stopped running for whatever reason. Had a ton of fun fixing up a beetle and driving it for a while and then swapping the engine into a bus and then driving it for a while too. A 40hp engine in a beetle would get you 70 mph on level ground but the exact same engine in a bus would do 55 -60 mph because of the gear reduction boxes.
On Canadian lakes they would cut the floor out and use them as mobile ice fishing huts.
🤔 wonder how many captains went down with the hut? 😝 ✌️
Same thing in Minnesota. When I was a kid it wasn't unusual to see a van with a chimney for a wood stove to use while fishing. 😂
Now you ain't fishing unless you have at least 35k "invested" into a fancy fish house/camper. Most of those have an AC unit on the roof.
Take off ah
In the U.S they would cut the floor out to make the escape hatch for draft dodgers when transporting them to Canada .
@@bobbyz1964 - My old man built collapsible fish houses on the side so I can’t think of ice fishing without remembering the sound of canvas flapping in the wind, the subtle whisper of a propane stove, and the sound of snowmobiles on the ice as they passed nearby - good memories…….👍
A used 1978 Bus was my first vehicle back in 1988.
Drove it all over the U.S. and even went to a few Dead shows.
17 trips to Burning Man even.
I'm 50 now and still driving it.
Best $1200 I've ever spent.
😮
Breaks my heart to see this ol’ girl rotting away.🥺
Another great video, thanks Steve. One point on nomenclature though. All buses are Type 2, that was VW's reference for the platform. A beetle being a Type 1. Over in Europe the different generations are generally referred to by the front window. 67 and earlier are 'splitties' or 'split windows'. Later ones like these are 'bay windows'. Best wishes
In about 1994 I bought a rust free 1974 bus with the Westfalia camper package from a lady that moved to my hometown in Wisconsin from Seattle. It was super nice and even had factory AC that actually worked. At the time, Clark's Corvair Parts sold a kit to install a corvair engine into a bus. That conversion really transformed my old bus into a vehicle that would accelerate well, roll down the freeway effortlessly at or above posted speed limits, and got very respectable fuel milage. The conversion kit even had the adapters to allow the hot air heater to remain operational, and the corvair engine sent alot more heated air into the cabin than the VDub engine did. My bus had an optional gas heater, but I don't remember ever really needing it after the conversion. I really miss that old bus...good times
People don’t proofread their replies. Do they? 😂
Conversation?
@@nathanbarden9709 or atuo correction
*auto
Do "conversation kits" come with suggested phrases/sentences to start conversations, or just methods of how to continue the diatribe?
Wasn't a Subaru boxer engine a popular replacement kit??
Btw,it was spelled at the magazine ad "Sabaru".😅😅😅😅
We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon
Morning Steve.....gotta love the love bus.
This video brought back some blurry memories of traveling around the country in the early 90s. ✌️
Good morning.
Hi Steve, great video on this bay window VW Bus. I owned a 67 split window. For the exact reason you mentioned to follow the Grateful Dead. You're right it never saw 70mph. Maybe downhill using the 'Goergia Overdrive', you might have seen 55mph. The darn thing handled like a covered wagon in a wind storm also. I had a clutch go out at a show right as we got into the parking lots. I borrowed a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, and a skateboard 🛹. I got everything loosened, and bear hugged the engine and sat it on the skateboard, and rolled it out. Had it all back together and made the show in time.🎉. Sold the van as soon as I got back home. I was working on my 73 orange Econoline nicknamed the 'Bastard Maker ' flame paint job with Thrush side pipes. Yeah, it didn't get the mpg the bus got, but I could peg the needle in 2nd. 302 4bl small cam C6 AT out of an later pickup. She was a sweet runnin' Ford. Y'all check out Steve's other videos over on High Octane Classics ch. Have a blessed day, everyone 🤙🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼
Hey, this is the second time I heard your bus story, still interesting. I don't go to many concerts, but I went to see The Who Farewell Tour (the first one,) I think they were doing three shows at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. Never seen so many VW buses in one location before or since. That was late summer 1989.
@Tom Wesley Hi Tom, you're right. I told this same story in an earlier video, Steve, done of a Karmann Ghia. I go to shows almost every weekend. I'm in NC and have traveled to the West Coast on several occasions. I had a scare in 06 that changed my life. I've stopped chasing 💰 and started enjoying life. I still flip cars because of the love I have for the business. I follow different groups when they come to the East Coast. I enjoy music festivals of all kinds. I see a lot of the same people at these shows. It's a group of people from RVers to Van life. We have simplified things and are enjoying life and the sights of this great country that so many take for granted. I no longer have a van but do have a diesel pushed and a smaller E450 version for the shorter trips. If it's long distance I'll take a plane. Last September, I was in Buena Vista, CO, at Renewal. It's a bluegrass folk festival. I flew out and was supposed to fly back on Mon, but instead, I rented a Toyota Camery and drove back through Wyoming (Devil's Tower), South Dakota (Crazyhorse monument) (badlands) (Mt Rushmore) Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, on into NC. Got home that Fri and went right back on the road to Jersey. Last month was in Nashville and also Winston-Salem for Doc Watson 100th birthday. I met a lot of great people along the way. People in general are good. We only hear about the bad ones. It's kinda like when you wash your car. The only thing anyone sees is the spot you missed. 😆🤣. I've given it great thought on tracing John Steinbeck "Travels with Charley: In Search of America" its a travelogue of Steinbeck's road trip across the U.S. in a hand-built camper with his dog Charley. You may know him for "The Grapes of Wrath" "East of Eden" and "Of Mice and Men" just to name a few. I've been busy of late spring is here and I only eat organic foods even before it was popular. I grow my own and eat my own. I also dont eat any sugar. Sugar is just legalized cocaine. Its killing millions and millions of Americans. Americans are addicted as if were the same as "booger sugar." There's foods in America that are banned in other countries. They know it causes many diseases that Americans face daily. For example Mt Dew and Fruity Pebbles aren't sold in the UK. Our foods are loaded with synthetic products, oh sorry I'm going overboard here. Thanks again, Tom, for commenting. You have a blessed day 🤙🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼
Clever engineering,unique method to adjust generator belt tension
Mom & Dad removed the middle seat for the family business haulage so when the bus was tasked for family use we would put folding lawn chairs in to ride on 6 of us!! Safety first in the 70’s
dude, i rode in the package tray over the engine in my folks bus
And we all made it to adulthood, too...
Anyone remember the infamous "mom seatbelt"?
Please watch as many of Steve’s videos as possible to support him through his recovery. Thanks.
As a kid growing up in the '60s my dad had a '57 Transporter with a raging 36 HP engine. We kids would tease him about it being a sewing machine motor. He loved that thing. He also had a '53 small window bug for a few years.
family down the street had a 1959 engine died in 1977 and was parked, to bad it was not put away in garage then one day. it was gone they replaced it with a 1973
@PasswordBosco it’s amazing in the mid 90’s nobody wanted them I had a 66 Bug and look how much they’re fetching now. 🤷♂️👍
@scott offord dad did a port job on mom's 71 while doing a valve job.
You could actually pass some cars with it after that!
@@Daniel-fd3wp that's how I was able to afford my solid, running, and stopping '67 splitwindow bus. I paid $2k for it back in college during the late 90's. No way could I afford one these days. The VW hobby get pretty pricey these days!
I had a 1971 Transporter, there are a couple of points that make them a bit special. Besides being the first year for disc brakes on any VW, this was the last year they shared the 1600cc engine with the Beetle. Rebuild and performance parts are ridiculously cheap.
As with other type two VWs they are rated for 1000kg carrying capacity, that's 2200lbs. in America, or about 17 unwashed hippies.
Thanks Steve, this is the first time I've seen an episode featuring the same make, model, and year as a vehicle that I've owned.
"I smell hippies" - Ronald Reagan.
@@wyattdean5658 "Looks like Tarzan, walks like Jane, and smells like Cheetah!!"
The New York State thruway is closed,man!!
The first Volkswagen to get disc brakes was the Karmann Ghia in '67. The Square Back received front discs in '68. Also, the 1600 dual port, as in the '71 bus, is rated at 50 HP.
@@1227jamesb Thank you James, I stand corrected.
Do the Aerostar in the background
I worked at a custom shop in Florida in the 70's. The owner was a vw fanatic. He had a few bugs he hopped up and a couple of high performance dune buggies made from shortened bus frames. Both did wheelies in 1st and 2nd gear, a real blast to drive. Lol Get well soon Mags, we miss you!
Steve, you are the best! Get well soon! Best wishes!
My family travelled extensively through South America in one of these as missionaries during the early 70's. Mom, Dad four kids (3,5,8,10) and a Pekingese dog with a small pop-up camp trailer. Remember Dad saying how it was always over-heating and we creeped down to eventually end up in Benos Aries, Argentina.
I guess you never rode in my 71 Bay window Bus. lol. It will do 70. Stock 1600. Love your Channel. We just were at Dale's today. Our favorite yard.
Mr. B. Here ! Morning Mags ! 😊😊😊😊
Morning
These bay windows were everywhere when I was growing up. Hauled large items enclosed encouraging the owners to store the middle seat in the garage. I remember sitting on them not in the vans but resting on the garage floor. So many missing middle seats that these items have soared in price over the years. I know. I'm missing the middle seat on my '65 VW bus. I may be slow but I'm ahead of you!
Man those are becoming very collectible! That one still in good shape!
Learned to drive on a '74 which was our family car at the time.
My Dad was a VERY patient man as I learned the fine art of letting out that clutch.
She was white over orange with all black interior. Unfortunately we missed the fuel injection motor by one model year so she was slow as
"molasses in January" .
It was also a rolling refrigerator in those cold winters but all in all I have really fond memories of this great ol' family wagon...
Thanks Steve👍
Love the title. I appreciate a realist.
In 2010 I worked for an outfit in Fairbanks Alaskan, one of my first assignments was flying to Phoenix to pickup a garbage truck. Shortly into the 4,000 mile trip I'm going up a good hill foot to the floor and I see a VW micro bus gaining on me! As it went by I saw it was full of hippies, there was smoke rolling out, most of it from the engine. (I think?) At that point I knew I was in for a long slow trip to Fairbanks.
On the plus side the view of the Canadian Rockies in a slow garbage truck was fantastic. 😂
My folks had 5 VW buses over the years and I learned to drive in the last one, a 1977 with the fuel injected two liter. I don't know the horsepower but it could do 80 on the flat. I never got a ticket because no one would believe it. It was also amazingly agile and would go in the snow like nobody's business. It was the ultimate ski trip vehicle, especially after they equiped it with a propane heater. And if you put it in third it could chug up any hill in New England with two canoes on the roof, a full load of boy scouts and a labrador retreiver.
My parents were teachers and there were 5 of us kids,
So the vw bus was a great fit for the family with extras to travel to grandma's house for the holidays
Reefer wagon.
A fairly rare sight today, but back in the early 80’s there were still a LOT of these running around the streets of the Twin Cities as daily drivers! Every time I met someone who owned one I pretty much walked away with the impression of, “Yeah - he seems like a guy who would drive a VW bus!” They definitely attracted a particular clientele - early “greenies”, the guy who lived in a half-completed geodesic dome, perpetual college students, and your everyday average stoners…….😂
I worked with a guy that was into them and Vanagons. We'd be walking to lunch and he'd see one and we'd have to stop and have a look. This was the 1990s/early to mid-2000s, so yes, there were some beatniks driving/owning/living in them. You'll still see the occasional one with some hipster type living in it. LOL.
I still drive my ‘70 around the Twin Cities
Lol! I was one of those college students! So glad I kept her 24 years later.
I dam near died laughing at the half completed Geodesic Dome part.....spot on😉👍
Also known as tree huggers/losers
Correct, 1971 model year with the VIN for the win: 2 for Type 2 chassis, 3 for Kombi, 1 for 1971 model year, and the rest is the production sequence. They were assembled in either Hannover or Emden West Germany. No, that's not correct. The speed limit became national law in 1974, signed under Richard Nixon. Prior to that, some states adopted lower speed limits, but it was signed into law by Mr. Nixon on January 2, 1974 in response to the 1973 oil crisis. It was repealed in 1995.
No, the International Experiment of Living is a cross-cultural program of homestays and learning/exchange for high school students. It's not a commune, LOL. Of course, Mr. Penn (aka Mr. Spicoli) and his friends came out of a similar bus very "tooted" in a scene in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" in 1982. Yes, they are headquartered in Brattleboro, VT. No tag, can't brag, but should be code L90D Pastel White exterior paint.
While the '71's were being designed, the U.S. threatened to have a requirement for a front impact test that was about 35 mph (not sure of the speed). So, VW redesigned the buses for the '71 model year by adding something like 115 pounds of extra structure in front. In the end Ford, GM, and Chrysler lobbied the feds to lower the standard so their vans could pass. Still, all Microbuses from '71 on had the structure designed for the higher crash test. The pre-68's did not have a "live axle." They had a swing axle which was subject to "jacking" (making roll overs common). This second generation of buses had semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension. It really improved the handling. I think the stock '71's had 65 hp from 1600 cc. Ours (with a 4-into-1 exhaust) ran about 72 mph flat out. Later, I had it rebuilt with an 1850 cc kit and some other mods. In that form it produced about 85 hp and had no trouble cruising in the low 70's (without running wide-open throttle) and could reach 80 flat out (which was governed by the 4500 rev limiter). One "little" problem we had with our bus was that about every 20,000 miles the cylinder heads (the new twin-port ones) would crack. The dealer admitted that was very common for the twin-port engines. Another problem for us was that my lovely ex-wife would run out to the bus (running late for work) every morning, and the moment the engine cranked on the starter, she would floor the accelerator on the ice-cold engine. You could hear the engine bouncing off the rev limiter as she drove off like Shirley Muldowney, throwing max rpm shifts and keeping the engine pegged at 4500 rpm on the limiter. We had many long discussion about proper engine warm-up ... but to no avail. It was just her passive-aggressive way of saying I hate you and will divorce you as soon as I have someone better lined up. FYI, that took her about five years.
The beautiful thing about these vehicles is that the driver was always the first person to the scene of the accident. I drove one once but never again.
I had a 81 Westfalia, 67 hp....it was at its best sitting still....great vehicle !
I grew up riding in ‘68 and’70 model VW transporters. I don’t remember them being slow because I knew of nothing else. When my family finally got American cars I was amazed how quiet, plush, and powerful they were.
I had a 1971, 1600cc fully-imported Kombi Kamper. As in, all the labels on my vehicle were in German. It was a great old bus but yeah, 60mph, downhill with a tail wind... :)
Wow... You just showed me how messed up vw's been in the late 60s and the early 1970's.. I had a 1970 Volkswagen panel van here in Canada had the five small bolt pattern 14in vented rims with the 1800 CC engine pancake dual carb. And the rear end had the later 1974 75 lights already on it. In Canada what Volkswagen sold in vans was the van that looked like the one you just showed with the rear end and the 1600 cc engine in it was only sold in nineteen sixty-eight 1969 and still had the weird 5 bolt split window van wheel rims 15 in the one you showed I always thought was just sold in Europe😊 thank you you just talk me something new when I thought I knew everything about VW I appreciate it😊😊
These were fun to ride in when we were kids. We were too young to fathom crash-worthiness.
I had a 71, pretty good machine and it always got a thumbs up. I always liked VW’s simple solution to windshield washers, using the air pressure from the spare tire! 😮
My 73 Super Beetle was the same way. My 69 Dodge van used a foot pump.
Yeah, you could see all the traffic pass you by clearly, as you sat there with a flat! 😂
One of the best driving, maneuvering vehicles I ever owned.
We had one of these vans , same year .
Very versatile & handy .
Definitely , not a power house .
My Father had to have , massive metal fabrication repairs ( due to corrosion )
to the center floor pans , to help keep
the right sliding door on its track .
They had the same problem here in Michigan. Too cold in winter!! Probably good down south or California 👍
I had a ‘71 and I miss it now. I took a month off to drive it from west coast to east coast and back. No hurry! No breakdowns either. This was the first year of disc brakes and the last year for the type 1 (bug) engine.
My parents bought a new 1973 model of this van. It was a basic vehicle and the engine noise noticeable from the interior. I took my driver’s licenses test in that van in 1975. Passing on the first try. Easy to parallel park.
The old man traded the 65 Bus on a new 71. Many engine problems especially with valves. He traded that off for a new 74 Mercury Comet based in the Maverick platform. Great video, memories
What a ride.
"Front passengers, 1st to the accident". Two co workers had the VW vans back in the day. One single cab truck and the other had the one with roof windows/sunroof. Both unique, windowed van would be sweet to have now.
In 1971 we had a '71 Westphalia Camper version. Had great vacations with our 4 kids. Loved the vehicle, but you are right about the performance. Our trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia was interesting. First gear and barely made the top of a mountain...45 at the bottom and "0" at the top.
Front tire made in Ireland, on a German bus in Massachusetts. That explains the Experiment in International Living window sticker!
Now, it's a Micro Bust
Those were a real blast to make wheel stand!
It only took two people... Better with three or four.
One behind the wheel, the others on the floor above the engine bay.
Driver would take it up to a screaming 600 or so RPM and sidestep the clutch... While the guys in the back stayed as still as possible... Wheelie time!
Hey Steve got to mention something you left out about all V-dubs bus or Beetle. Yes they are very cool just one really big problem and that is since the engine is in back there’s nothing but thin sheet metal in front. This was known back in the day as a serious death trap if you were in a front end collision, there was nothing to prevent serious injuries or death. Many people mounted spare tires on front to help…some. A lot of people only used these vehicles in town at slow speeds and staying off highway’s afraid being involved in a frontal collision. Love your informative channel !
Still worth a lot and still worth doing it! This thing would be gone in minutes over here in Germany.
My mom loved these. She had a 1st gen i dont remember that one just stories her and dad told like even going down the interstate they almost had to get out and push it up hills. The next one she had was a later year gen two like the year b4 the square body one came out. It had if i remember my dad correctly a Porsche engine in it. I dont remember it having any trouble getting us down the road we took it on family vacations in the mountains and everything. I remember the day my mom test drove it and bought it. While on the test drive we went by the house to get some paperwork for the financing or something my dad wasnt with us as we were leaving she started to back out the car porch and couldnt find reverse, she had to go back inside and call the dealership. Turns out it had a button of sort in the center of the shift knob you had to push down on center of knob as you were going into reverse or it wouldnt go. She never did like the square ones. She loved that thing so much i remember her and dad went and traded both their vehicles in on brand new mazdas. She got a wagon and he got a truck. Two days later she missed her bus so bad she took the brand new car back and got her bus back.
All Volkswagen buses, station wagons, kombis, etc. are a Type II from 1950 to the present. From 1950 to 1967 it is a Type II T1. From 1968 to 1979 is a Type II T2 (T2a is 1968 to 1971 and T2b is 1972 to 1979). From 1980 to 1991 it is a Type II T3, Type 25 in the UK. From 1992 to 2004 it is a Type II T4. I'm not sure what the years are past that, but I know they are up to the T6, possibly T7, in Europe.
I've had two T2bs, a 1973 Bus and a 1972 Westfalia Campmobile that I've had since 25 August 1988 and a T3, a 1987 Vanagon GL Syncro.
The double cab is a three door, not a four door. The HP rating for a 1971 is 60hp. The 1972, 1700 cc engine instead of the 1600 in the 1971, is 70hp. I have a sticker on the back of my '72 that says, "0 to 60 Eventually".
The engine set up is close to a 1971 Bug, Type 1, but it is exactly the same as a 1971 Karmann Ghia, Type 14. The oil bath air cleaner is off to the side like this Type II is.
When I moved from Colorado in the late 70s, I bought a 72 that a local shop had installed a Corvair 6 motor in. That thing could definitely climb the hills better than the VW engine could and could easily run down the highway with the rest of the traffic.
We had a '71, Type 2.
It would do more than 55, easily. Although, on the !)! heading into San Francisco from the north, on the hill leading to the tunnel, you would be down to second gear pretty quickly.
We took it into the Sierras a few times camping; it would go where Jeeps feared to tread; traction in mud and snow was really pretty good.
Great video!
I’ll bet crossing the golden gate bridge on a windy day got scary sometimes. :)
@@dougs55 Not really.
We also had an older Beetle that my wife's parents sold us; it was, on a windy day, 'unstable.'
But the bus was no worse than any van; the wind didn't seem to upset it much.
Grew up in the back of one of these. The most important part you forgot Steve... they are not very good heat-wise in an NH typical New England winter. Lots of blankets, heavy coats, mittens, scarves etc😂😂😂 Ours did make a lot of trips between Merrimack and Quincy MA. Dad quickly upgraded to a Chevy Van, which was eventually replaced with a 79 Ford F150 extended bed Super Cab.
0-70 in never! Hahaha 🤣 love the titles 👍 don’t ever think they’re not appreciated 😎 ✌️🤙
An affordable, practical van, with great mileage. Sad, we have no real equivalent today.
Awesome good in the snow. Had a neighbor. They had all kinds of bugs and buses. Sitting in there driveway.
Just imagine a crash in one of those... whooh
My Dad has stories of his Dad driving the whole family across the state of Michigan in one of these, and the driver would be fed beers the entire way. It was a better time.
my dream van
Wow ! Best of the bay windows 1971... ive had a few vans and one was an extremely original 71 i sold for double what i bought it for, but still should of kept it. Great investments
The saying commonly heard was “At the front of any traffic jam is a VW bus.” Although I’ve only owned a handful of Beetles, I always loved the Transporter and still think it would be a useful vehicle to own.
I had a 1972 Westfalia for a bit in (1990-91) that threw a rod and I then moved it along. I then had 1978 tin-top camper (1997-2000) but sold it when I had my first son as the bay floor and cross-members were completely rusted through on three of the four sides but for the engine! The van body actually twisted going into driveways! An old sign cut and fastened in between the front seats helped with the flexing. My last van was a rust free 1986 Transporter Syncro (AWD) wedgy that I made into a camper by adding a 'rock and roll' bed and curtains. I eventually sold that as I could no longer afford the prices of vintage WV parts. It was a fun ride, while it lasted.
Great video Steve! 👍👍💯🇺🇸
I had a '72 Westfalia Caravanette back home in Scotland. Instant vacation on wheels, my girls loved it!❤
In the mid 90's, while working at a car dealership. One of our customers said they were moving out of state and had a 68 VW bus for sale, asking if anyone was interested. They wouldn't say what they wanted, just make an offer. Finally, one day just before they were to move, again they asked. I said I'm interested, but only have $100.00. They said "SOLD". Fun vehicle till you had to drive up a mountain road. Guess a lot of people were friendly in the mountains, always blowing their horns behind me as I crawled along at about 40 mph. ;)
My best friend had a VW camper van. Fun to cruise around in. But in traffic it was a pain. 4 speed manual, would barely go 55 downhill. But still cool
wearing my gd socks rn ... I just saw one of these stripped & dropped in acid.. can't imagine how much of this one would vanish haha.. that one I saw was definitely a good candidate for a rescue.. they're completely restoring it
My roommate had had one. We went all over in that van. As he always said, as long as your not in the hurry they are great. I built a couple of 1776 engines for them in about 78 and 79. Better but still a relaxed ride!
My parents had a 1965 with five kids. My Dad turned it into a camper. Great times.
Yes sir, you covered the waterfront in this video. And like you said, those 23 window jobs are worth a bundle. Lord, help me find a warehouse full of them owned by an elderly widow with dementia.
maybe there is a mint panel van with double doors on the street side for me
These vans were popular in the Philippines and a lot of them are still running while I was growing up back in the late 80's. The Ford Aerostar in the background appears to be ready to launch into the stratosphere. 😂😂
Another great video! I've had several of the split Busses over the years and while they're fairly primitive compared to these they were just outstanding vehicles. The bay windows as these are usually called were much more refined. In 68 they went to a much smoother ball joint front end that replaced the old king and link pin setup. They also added the IRS rear end not much later so you had a nicer ride. This particular one doesn't look bad at all! Granted it's a New England vehicle so a generous amount of rust is expected, but it's a start. I'm tempted to go check this one out!
I sold cars at a VW / Subaru dealer and found out from my training from VW that if someone could prove they were born in a VW, Volkswagen would give you a Savings Bond. I can't remember what the amount was, but while I worked there, I actually did have someone come in and be able to prove he was born in a VW van before his parents could get to the hospital by showing his birth certificate and sure enough VW sent him a US savings bond issued by Volkswagen US.
Back in da day I was on a job near pine knob. I went to the supermarket for lunch . The was a bunch of VW micr busses in the parking lot. When I got out of my truck a guy came running up to me and tried to sell me a peanut butter sandwich for 10.00$ ! Grateful Dead was in town. My buddy told me there was more than peanut butter in that sandwich lol. Probably should have bought it ! Lol get better Steve at some point we are gonna run out of videos to watch.
Type 1, type 2, bugs , busses, squarebacks,whatever you called them, we had them all. They all sucked. No heat, no power, no defrost! My friend tried to pull a small camp trailer with his...BOOM went the engine! My dad and brother got into them in the 70's gas crunch. You could pull the engine in 45 minutes, which was good because you blew an engine every week!
thats for sure infront of every slow traffic back up was a vw van me like golf /rabbit gti , and scirocco
I had a '70 for a couple years around 2010. Exactly like this bus (white, except for the disks and a single port) It was solely responsible for me turning sour on VW's. It was dangerous getting on a freeway. Your estimate of 70 HP is very generous, MAYBE 55. I couldn't sell it fast enough.
the Brochure is all I own of vws
above all, enjoyed the introduction to that popular Swedish/Japanese hybrid, the SABURU, at 5:52...
Checked out the window sticker. The Experiment is a high school summer abroad program provider. I would’ve guessed some sort of commune as well.
Steve, don't forget to montage Ford's Aero Van. It set the tone for Detroit's streamlining its cubes on wheels.
Mate of mine had a few of these and as a group we would do outdoorsy stuff most long weekends and it did quiet well travelling about in the group with a 2 lt twin carb setup, Years later he engine swapped it with a Subaru boxer engine which woke it up nicely and as far as I know he still dailies the thing, A true believer :-)
Good video Steve get well
Steve, your knowlege is phenominal until it came to this T2, it more than capable of 70 mph on flat level ground. Fun fact totally misunderstood by my fellow American drivers is that the top speed is the recommended cruising speed. At top speed, these air colled engines ran about 3800-4200 rpm, depending upon T1, T2, T3, T4. Just like your air cooled lawn mower which are designed to run at 3600 rpm, at the recommended RPM, the cooling fan is most effective. Many times on my 1971 Westy I ran up mountains in third gear at maximum RPM, while some would climb the hills in fourth with lower engine RPM, thinking they were taking it easier on the engine, which was totally wrong due to misunderstanding or ignorance. Never overheated nor damaged a air cooled VW from heat damage. And I have had a lot over the years, mainly T2's, but also T1's including a Thing, and one T3 Squareback
Great video Steve. Those circular vents at each side were only for fresh air from the grille in the front. The amount and side to side was controlled by the blue levers(up or down) found in the dash to the right of the steering wheel. The red levers right next to the blue ones controlled the amount of heat from each heater box coming thru a common tube along the center line underneath. The lever in the footwell's center controlled whether the "warm" air went to the windshield or the feet. Unless you were driving a Single Cab the heat didn't ever seem to amount to much.The Buses and Double Cabs did have a pull knob that diverted some of that heat to the rear. I have owned Single and Double Cabs plus Buses both passenger and Westfalias. Bay Window Buses are way more comfortable than Splits IMHO, but the iconic image still seems to be the Splitty. Bays are catching up though. I have driven Bays since 1987 and from Vancouver BC I have taken them South to Cabo, North to near the Yukon, West to Haida Gwaii, and East to Saskatchewan. Not as much as some, but always in comfort as long as I didn't pay too much attention to the clock!
Over here in Mexico these were HUGE in the commercial and public transportation business, in the late 80s VW ditched the air cooled engine for a 1.8 8v directly out of the MK2 Jetta
👉nice... I have VW kombi 74..🙏🤘🇮🇩
WOW gotta love the Semperit tire on the front. I havent thought of those since the 80's! Great German tires. Its all I used to run on my 1969 Mercedes 220D back then until I couldnt find them anymore. Then for a minute went with Klebers until those vanished and I switched to Michelin XZX tires until the Benz left and I bought a new 1983 Mazda B2200 diesel truck and went with Bridgestone then B F Goodrich for decades. Also gotta love the " Sabaru " misspelling in the magazine LOL
2 things one of my favorite memories as a little kid was going to pick out a pumpkin to carve in my parent's friend's orange vw westfalia camper version and also I consider the vw buses the 1st minivans
Another awesome video
I WATCH ALL OF YOUR VIDEOS
Every morning
Thank you 😊
$2974 is $22000 in today's monopoly money
And now they are well over twice that in price. sadly
Hi. Any time soon also the blue Volvo 240 from the other side? Great video as always, and for us over the sea, European models' are also highly appreciated. Thanks and keep up your excellent work.
Nice to see another old VW on here, Steve. A few points to make here, one is that the first generation of buses started in 1950, and by mid 55 they had undergone a major change up front to incorporate fresh air venting and in-dash heating/defrost vents. Second, the double cab only had three doors, all the way into vanagon era production. No door on the rear driver's side.
I've been building and driving VW buses and trucks since the late 80's. Hard to count how many I've had. They are so much fun, and simple to repair and maintain. I drive a 68 single cab now (summer only) but still tinker with other stuff. But I will say this hobby has gotten way too pricey for me at this point. Time to find another OBS Chevy to build.
DoKas (short for the German Doppelkabine (double cabin for us English folk) actually did have one model later in the Vanagon era that had 4 doors. It was called a TriStar.........................but I know you knew that!😊
71 best year...irs rear suspension...bay window..upright engine..small pattern wheels..
same here 71 72 would be my first choice liked the panel vans, rode in a lot of 1968-73 bay windows was 12 rode in front seat for the first time, thought my cousin was going to run into the car in front of us
Must be a Darma Van. From the TV show lost. My cousin used to have a few of those back in the nineties.
Both my '69 and '71 had no trouble doing 65 mph on the flats with their stock 1600- single port in the '69 and dual port in the '71 (even along the Front Range of Colo.) but did struggle on the climbs.. The front drums worked fine on the '69 but did need periodic adjustment I sure wish I'd kept that '71!
Back in 1971 before there was a gas crisis myself and a friend acquired more than 20 VW's, both vans and beetles one summer. We would find them parked in peoples backyards, knock on the door of the house and many times people would just give them away because that had stopped running for whatever reason. Had a ton of fun fixing up a beetle and driving it for a while and then swapping the engine into a bus and then driving it for a while too. A 40hp engine in a beetle would get you 70 mph on level ground but the exact same engine in a bus would do 55 -60 mph because of the gear reduction boxes.
I remember JC Whitney selling performance parts for VW😅