1959 Bus Project (First Timer)

[Skimmer]

Hi I’m starting this as My Bus is with BlastingDiePast and he has put a few pictures on here and a few of you have shown an interest.
I’m new to the VW scene and am more use to land rovers and classic mini’s.

This is my first bus or VW of any type, although now have a VW Amarok to tow the bus around.

I got talked into buying a bus by an old friend, she has a bay window. For me if I was ever going to get one it was going to be splity. So after another drunken day I got on eBay and put in a bid on a bus that “just needed a weekends work” about a year ago, and won it unseen.
When I got it home it was horrible and looked like it had been done by a child, I make no apologies if the previous owner is on here it was terrible and a death trap.

It had hydraulic “suspension” ok so I could raise and lower like a Mexican gangster car but that was not for me, the hydraulic rams actually twisted the mounts when it was used, and the bolts holding the rams in did not even go through the nuts completely.
It also meant the ride was rock solid and very agricultural at best, this was not for me (Very sparkling Pump, rams, and hoses are in garage if anyone wants them!)

It came to me with a Subaru turbo engine and a Porsche dog leg box with conversion plate in.
Well I say in, it was in on an angle and sloping down! They had used the original Subaru engine bracket and just welded plates on the end and drilled through the chassis to mount it!
(By the way the welding looked like I had been done by a pigeon’s rear end)
Also to fit the turbo intake in meant the engine was very low and with a standard sump and exhaust meant it was nearly dragging on the floor.
The engine looked like it had been lifted straight out of a Subaru and put straight in to the bus with radiators and intakes all in the same place, so not very efficient, that’s being polite!

Brakes where massive and did work well at the front but drums behind that did nothing apart from drag.

The interior, oh my god!! Black and white PVC (not my taste) He had just screwed every thing to the sides with self tappers all over the place, used no nails to glue a couple of battens to the roof and screwed the roof lining to that.
I’ve ripped all that out and dumped it!

The wiring was actually very good, I think this had been done by a professional.

It actually looked pretty solid apart from a few patches underneath, but for some reason he had stripped the original paint that had protected it for over 50 years back to bare metal and attempted to spray it himself.

So that’s what I brought, this drunk thing on eBay is getting to be a habit!! And not a good or cheep one…

Cheer's

Stuart

[211vanman]

great intro , welcome to ssvc -now lets see the pics .

[nige1171]

Yay, new project thread!

You seem at least to be good spirited about it, considering what you found

Get some pics up when you can.

Nige

[jayvanman]

Welcome to the club, I'm looking forward to seeing some pics and how this progresses.

use the search button ( just above "newpost / view your posts " ) to look for posting up pics , you'll find it in the technical section i think

Jason

[BlastingDiePast]

Here's two to start ya

[type21f]

Well you are not too bad a making decisions...At least it is in good hands!

Keep up the thread...
In the words of Markp

if there aren't pictures it did not happen...or something like that...

[nige1171]

I believe it's



Nige

[type21f]

LOL...
YEP that's it...
Change your AVatar you fraud...

[type21f]

Oh Dave N me are watching...LOL

[nige1171]

LOL...
YEP that's it...
Change your AVatar you fraud...

Sheesh, get me eh, trying to still pass off having a 15 window

Always watching.... (bit like me then - addicted to this place)

Nige

[lee c]

Looks like an interesting project!!

[Skimmer]

OK so these are the pic's from the original eBay add.















And this is me picking it up.

[lee c]

You do some funny things when your Drunk eh?

[Coolerdub]

subscribed looking like it's gonna be a good thread this, and Will is it at BDP? always does good work so its in good hands .

[BlastingDiePast]

Will is it at BDP?.

Yes I'm Will (should put a pic of me up one day) cheers for the comments.


Work has started on the bus already as the last owner has stuck sound deading all over the rear load area and used a rubber spray (both a blasters worst nightmare) on the cargo floor, the only way to remove this stuff is by hand,scraper and a heat gun (what a sticky mess it makes) before we can start blasting.

The bus looks quite solid a few areas of rust (window frames) and its looks to of had a light skim all over of filler but soon we shall see all!