The email I got from the old owner.
Bugsy got her name when I got fed up with things at work and used her to "Bug out" hence Bugsy. I used Bugsy as my transportation to my scuba diving locations. Bugsy made 10 or 12 trips to Baja so I could dive in the Sea of Cortez as Steinbeck called it. Bugsy did very well running across dry lakes and open desert to get to the dive sites at places like Las Animas, San Francisquito, and El Barrillo. We also went on dive trips all along the California coast.
I bought Bugsy from a professor at San Jose State college. He went to Germany on a sabbatical to get Bugsy and then toured europe in her. The service records showed the various stopovers in europe for service. The professor used Bugsy for the family camping trips and told me that at least one of his sons was conceived in Bugsy. One of their frequent locations was Death Valley and the deserts around it. I am the second owner. The first owner went to Germany to pick up the car and the service records from his European odyssey are in the car. The original hammocks (one over the front seats and one in the rear area) are with the bus. All the original camping stuff and tools are there and in good condition. This was my daily driver for many years. This bus has not been restored but has been meticulously maintained and is in excellent condition. No rust, no dents, it was painted (matched to orig color) 5 years ago and has been garaged. The interior is excellent with colors and fabric that are like the original. The tent roof has been replaced. This was also my camping/scuba diving vehicle. It’s ready to go now anywhere.
Other points of interest:
New tires, 0 miles on them
A 1776 dual port motor with 20K miles on it
Full flow oil system with filter
Dual Kadron carburetors(I now have a set of webber 44's to go on it)
009 distributor
Counterweighted balanced crank
Mesa oil cooler with 10 inch fan mounted under the bus
New clutch (100 miles on it)
An 091 transmission with an early 4th gear (.82) overdrive
The brakes have been upgraded to disc brakes from a 1973 bus.
The bus has 475,000 miles on it and everything has been replaced at least once. I know of no problems at this time. With TLC it will be good for many years.
I realize this sounds like a hot rod but it is a great highway car. I towed my inflatable dive boat with it many times. The engine/transmission combination allows the bus to travel on the freeways at 60 MPH at reasonable RPMs so the motor does not suffer. The additional oil cooler and fan will keep the engine temp at safe levels even in the desert area of Baja.