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1970 Californian Import Walkthrough Camper

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phoebe1970

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Hi Guys,

Here are the details of the ebay listing for my van: Clicky

OK, so I got in a bit of trouble on Volkszone for not putting any details on the listing other than a link to the eBay, so here is a copy and paste of the eBay listing:

1970 Bay Window Volkswagen Campervan

General

This is an auction for my 1970 VW Type 2 Campervan “Phoebe”. She is a LHD Californian import “walkthrough” model (you don’t have to get out of the van to get into the back which is a bonus when it's raining!). She is a solid bus in very good condition. Extremely reliable and usable but currently without MOT as I have not had the time to put it through one due to a change in circumstances and family commitments, which is also the reason I am selling. I am sure that it will pass MOT easily with very little, if any work, and will give the new owner many years of hassle free enjoyment, as it has me. The tax runs out in July, but it is tax exempt, so no giving your money to whichever clowns are running the country then! This is NOT a shabby half finished project bus, this is a well loved and cared for van and I believe the best bus you will get for your money.

Engine

The engine is a twin carb 1776cc unit which was recently fully reconditioned and rebuilt little over a year ago by Type 2 Detectives (these guys are the leading name in VW buses, check them out). It has plenty of grunt thanks to the twin carbs and the big valve heads but was built for effortless cruising and reliability. Many of the parts were new at the time of rebuild including the exhaust, 009 mechanical distributer and HT leads. It has been serviced regularly consisting of new filters, fresh oil and plugs, valve clearances and a tune up and runs extremely well indeed. Being a 1776cc unit you will not grind to a halt up the hills, no matter how much camping gear you have onboard. The engine only has approximately 2500 miles on it since rebuild and pulls strong and will go on forever i’m sure.

However, do not expect to be driving along at 70mph though, thats not what these buses are for. She’ll do it for sure, but is much happier to go along at 55mph, who wants to travel faster than that anyway?! It is also fitted with an external oil cooler to keep things cool in the summer, so no fear of overheating whilst sat in traffic. An oil temperature gauge is fitted so you can monitor the temperature from the driver’s seat. In addition, she had a new clutch fitted when the engine was rebuilt.

Bodywork

The chassis and underneath are in excellent condition and totally solid; I stripped them back to bare metal myself to check them and when happy applied a liberal amount of POR 15 rust preventative paint (google it). This stuff is the last word in rust proofing, 10 times better than waxoyl or hammerite and made to last without having to be continually reapplied like Waxoyl.

The bodywork is in very good condition. This bus is covered up all winter long and not left exposed to the elements. The previous owner had all panels replaced that needed replacing 2 years ago. The main areas of rust since then are where the corners of the front bumper meet the body on both sides and also the driver’s side wheel arch. This is a common place for these buses to rust out and is purely cosmetic and not structural, happily it is an easy fix as the panels are cheap enough to get hold of. The footwells in front are solid as I had these welded up a year ago, meaning that there is no worry of the rust spreading there. There are a few very minor areas of bubbling around the bus, but these imperfections are to be expected of a vehicle that is 40years old and have not got any worse during my ownership. They’ve never bothered me and in no way take away from the overall condition of the van.

The paintjob is a bit of a one off. The previous owner had the bus resprayed silver and purple 2 years ago after having the panel work sorted. Since then I have added the hibiscus flowers myself, which were stencilled and then sprayed onto the van. Although this was an amateur job i think that the result is very professional (my Mrs is a bit of an artist) and certainly makes this van stand out from the crowd of crap looking “rat” buses and usual pastel shade vans. She gets compliments at every event we go to and always turns heads and gets smiles!

Interior

When I bought the bus the interior was stripped bare and hammerited white. I then fitted a full width rock and roll bed. The mattress is 4inch memory foam and only just over a year old, in total the bus has been used for camping 5 times since this was carried out, so everything is like new. The foam has been professionally covered in extremely hard wearing upholstery fabric. The curtains were also custom made at the same time in matching material. I lined the bus in an equally hardwearing carpet. The result is something clean and professional which will last a long time. I also had the windows limo tinted black for privacy and security purposes. Another security precaution is that the bus is fitted with a battery kill switch. The ignition barrel broke a few months back with the key in it so I took the opportunity to fit a battery kill switch and push button start located out of sight in the bus. This works in exactly the same way as a normal ignition key, only is a lot more secure (you can’t start the bus with a screwdriver in the ignition like most other VW campers).

There is a full length pop top fitted which is in good condition and does not leak water. Although there is currently not a bed fitted up there it would be easy to fit one. At the moment it serves as a place to stash bags etc when the bed is folded out for camping meaning that there is loads of space inside the van for when it is raining outside!

Stereo is currently not working, as I disconnected it when doing some wiring, but it is in perfect working condition and just needs re-connecting. Unfortunately the driver’s side window winder mechanism is broken, but the window stays up and can be moved up and down manually. Again, an easy fix.

Extras

The extras that will be included in the sale of this bus are as follows:

Roof rack.

3 bike cycle rack.

Full Just Kampers weather proof cover.

Nearly new drive away awning (which needs a little repair as one of the poles is broken – an easy fix).

JVC 12 CD changer, Boss sub-woofer, two 6x9 inch JVC speakers and a Rockford Fosgate amp. (I took these out and have not had the chance to re-fit them yet. The stereo will work without them, but they can be easily fitted to improve the system if you so wish.)

Full set of rubber door/tailgate seals.

Haynes manual.

“How to keep your VW alive” book by John Muir.

Summary

This is a reliable, solid, well cared for and maintained bus that I will be sad to see go. She is not in show condition and has her imperfections, as any woman of 40years old does, but she is honest, hard working and fun and will deliver smiles per mile that nothing else on the road can. I hope that she goes to a good home with someone who can enjoy her.

Additional Info


Forgot to mention when I listed the van yesterday that I have a stack of history for her including a pile of invoices for work done, lots of old MOT certificates and Tax discs and I even have the original owner instruction manual for the van! I also have a print out giving the exact details of when the bus was made in Germany (21 April 1970) and the specification/colour/destination of her when she came from the factory. Although she has changed a bit over the years (don't we all!) the information gives a nice insight into the history and origins of the van.

Hope this helps, happy bidding and do get in contact for further information!


Please get in touch via PM or via eBay if you want any further details or to arrange a viewing, the auction runs until sunday evening. Many thanks.
 
we need a solid price to buy, not a bid start.? location and a picture would be of benefit.

i feel like i have to do everything these days :roll:

location; huntingdon

Picture1.png


its getting tedious..... :(
 
Sorry man,

It's an auction and it will run until it ends on sunday, currently £3,300. I anticipate it will reach £4k or around about there, who knows?
 
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