68 Seattle Import | 10 years and counting

[A5H]

So, whilst sorting out some photographs recently, I found a couple from Vanfest 2005, which was pretty much the first thing we did after buying our '68 Early. And then I realised that 2005 meant I have now owned my 1968 US import for 10 years. 10 years! Where did that go?

I decided to start a thread to help me remember the ups and downs of early bay ownership!


Before the bay I owned a 1303 beetle, but when it came to getting some welding done on the front end, back in 2004, it became clear it was going to be a massive undertaking. We'd always been into camping (in tents back then), so replacing the rusty old 1303 with a camper seemed the obvious choice.

The guy who had sized up the rusty 1303, knew someone who had just imported a tatty but very solid 1968 bay window from Washington. Being local, a quick trip was in order to check it over. It was as described, quite tatty around the edges, but importantly completely rust free (bar the usual battery tray) so shortly after that the deposit was paid.

It took a few months for the seller to get an engine in the '68 and get it MOT'd, but, come the middle of 2005, the balance was paid and the '68 was sat on my drive. My first journey in a left hand drive bay went fine, but then it was only a couple of miles home!

So, those pics from Vanfest 2005:

The only things I had done then were a good clean, new flooring (the old one was a bit rotted due to leaking window seals) and a set of home-made curtains

 

[A5H]

I have never been sure of the origins of the conversion, there are none of the usual plaques to show who had carried it out, details like the copper hinges on the cupboards look like a Sundial, but there are also similarities with a Riviera, such as the little turret-top and this window:

Maybe one day I will find out for sure :lol:

 

[A5H]

Apart from a slipping fan belt during the journey to Vanfest in 2005, there were no mechanical hiccups, which was probably just as well, because I knew nothing about Air-cooled engines then, despite having removed and replaced the beetle engine.

2006 saw the repair of the front panel which was rotting a little bit underneath the crusty windscreen seal and also had some damage from being shipped over from the US.

A slight colour mis-match, but this was always planned as a stop gap and a rear bumper now added:

And the 1600 it came with:

There were a few camping trips in 2006, mainly weekends, and a few local shows.

 

[A5H]

More camping weekends followed

But a trip to the Eden Project and a few days around Cornwall in 2007 proved to be the end of the 1600 that had come with the bus. It was salvageable (and was donated to be rebuilt and fitted into a friend's EB), but breaking down on a roundabout made me think a known engine would make me feel much better about future trips.

So, a new genuine Mexican 1600 with Weber progressive 32/36 carb and bluebird stainless single quiet pack were fitted:

 

[A5H]

Having always liked the look of over-riders I picked up a pair of used original ones, which I stripped:

They were then re-painted, new rubbers added and fitted:

 

[A5H]

Not much was done over 2008, just a few more camping trips, some at local-ish shows and some weekends away, but after a while I was bitten by the hankering for a bit more power

I try to limit myself to one big job per year, in the interest of finances but also to try and ensure she isn't off the road for any prolonged period of time. So for 2009, I decided that some engine enhancements were in order. After researching carb upgrades I picked up a pair of Del'lorto DRLA 36's from Italy. Also, a trip home on the back of an AA van which proved to be as simple as faulty condenser (and then a blown Pertronix unit I replaced the points with) convinced me a 123 Ignition distributor was in order, and finally an Alternator replacement for the generator, as I was planning a leisure battery install.

A quick pic of those goodies installed:

 

[jd]

I have never been sure of the origins of the conversion, there are none of the usual plaques to show who had carried it out, details like the copper hinges on the cupboards look like a Sundial, but there are also similarities with a Riviera, such as the little turret-top and this window:




Maybe one day I will find out for sure :lol:

Love the window I've not seen one like that before very quirky/cool.Always nice to read a about peoples buses. Glad you,ve taken the time to put up a thread looks an interesting bus.
What's the interior like is that original too?

 

[A5H]

I have never been sure of the origins of the conversion, there are none of the usual plaques to show who had carried it out, details like the copper hinges on the cupboards look like a Sundial, but there are also similarities with a Riviera, such as the little turret-top and this window:

Maybe one day I will find out for sure :lol:

Love the window I've not seen one like that before very quirky/cool.Always nice to read a about peoples buses. Glad you,ve taken the time to put up a thread looks an interesting bus.
What's the interior like is that original too?

Thanks

Yeah, I haven't seen one like it before either. There's also a storage space below for gas bottles, not sure if its original or not, but again never seen one before. The interior is pretty original as far as I know. Its very similar to a westy, with 3/4 R&R, wardrobe etc.

 

[jd]

I have never been sure of the origins of the conversion, there are none of the usual plaques to show who had carried it out, details like the copper hinges on the cupboards look like a Sundial, but there are also similarities with a Riviera, such as the little turret-top and this window:




Maybe one day I will find out for sure :lol:

Love the window I've not seen one like that before very quirky/cool.Always nice to read a about peoples buses. Glad you,ve taken the time to put up a thread looks an interesting bus.
What's the interior like is that original too?

Thanks

Yeah, I haven't seen one like it before either. There's also a storage space below for gas bottles, not sure if its original or not, but again never seen one before. The interior is pretty original as far as I know. Its very similar to a westy, with 3/4 R&R, wardrobe etc.

It's a campmobile conversion I think ,by looking at your photo .There was a 800 version and 860 version .
800 had a pull up door in the wardrobe over the engine (yours looks like you pull it open ?)

An American conversion,copy of the Westy campmobile that was out at the same time.

 

[Bluesnailman]

liking this, must update my storyline also

 

[A5H]

Can't believe how long it has been since I last put anything in this thread. Anyway, picking up from last time.....

By 2010 the cheap 1990's bright white respray was starting to look a bit shoddy. The gutters in particular were down to bare metal, and the repaired front panel had been painted in some spare Peugeot white, so it was all looking a bit sorry. Rather than patching up the bits that needed repair I decided to go for a full respray. This wasn't a full bare metal, showroom respray, just enough to make it look a bit more tidy and keep the rust at bay.

We thought about a few different colours, white over a '70's orange or savannah beige. But having obtained a copy of the birth certificate from VW, I knew the original colour was Lotus White, and we liked the idea of keeping it somewhat original, so Lotus White it was:

I was really happy with the results, but it was clear during the respray that the tailgate and engine lid were both a bit crusty underneath and would probably need repairing or replacing at some point.

 

[A5H]

So 2011 came around and after considering lowering for quite a while, I took the plunge. Nothing radical, just about a 3 inch drop with adjusters in the front beam and some lower profile tyres and adjustable spring plates on the rear.

And I love it like this, it’s a little bit harsh over bad bumps, but so much better around the bends and with crosswinds etc and still practical enough for camp sites. One day I might go for a Red 9 wishbone setup, particularly as my steering box gets worse, but I think that is still a long way off.

At the same sort of time I decided to remove the spare wheel from the front panel. I wasn't quite sure where it was going to go (and even today it just hangs about in the back until we park up the gets shoved under the van), but I prefer the look without it.

So, a couple of pics post-lowering:

 

[A5H]

The downside to the lowering was that the single SS quietpack exhaust now hung a little bit too close to the ground:

After a few scrapes over speed bumps I decided a change was needed. By this point I had fitted over riders to the rear bumper. This had actually been a bit of a pain as the rear bumper is a repro one and has a different profile to the original, which I didn't know until I tried to fit the over riders. A couple of evenings with the grinder to re-profile them and on they went. Anyway, this meant that my intended Vintage Speed exhaust may foul the over riders, so I contacted VS and they kindly made a custom version with a slightly lower exiting tailpipe.

A few camping trips and the now defunct 'Dubbing in Dorset' show were attended, followed by the first VDUB Island on the Isle of Wight. We loved this show, it was good fun catching the ferry and the bands, beer and food were great for a first-year show.

 

[matty74]

Great timeline thread ... lotus white is ace, just done my M-Plate and mine was originally Lotus White with Dark Beige Leatherette Interior ... would've loved to of seen that back in the day [emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ezcamper]

Nice bus, what camping interior has she got and do you know what company did it originally?

James

 

[A5H]

Great timeline thread ... lotus white is ace, just done my M-Plate and mine was originally Lotus White with Dark Beige Leatherette Interior ... would've loved to of seen that back in the day [emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mine came with the lighter beige originally, and the door cards are still the same colour. When I was replacing them I looked at the dark beige as an option, would have been a great combo I think. Gotta love the 60's

 

[A5H]

Nice bus, what camping interior has she got and do you know what company did it originally?

James

Thanks

I've never been able to work out what the conversion is. It's definitely some form of Westy copy, it has a 3/4 bed, wardrobe and folding table. I thought maybe Sundial or EZ, but a reply earlier in the thread suggests it is a Campmobile. The turret-top and louvre window are fairly unusual, though.

 

[A5H]

On to 2012, and a few more changes made. I still had a hankering for more power, so decided I should do something about the brakes first. I know a lot of people say well-adjusted drums are just as good, but for me going to disks was a better choice. After looking at various kits and options I decided changing to late bay disks would provide a suitable upgrade, but would still keep it 'VW' and allow for easy sourcing of replacements.

I picked up some used late spindles, brand new disks and callipers and some 112>205 adapters and handed it over to Simon at NOSVW. We had mocked it up previously and knew that the stock 14" wheels would need to go as well, so I had also got my hands on two split screen 15" wheels which fitted a treat (after a small amount of material removal from the callipers )

The plan was to run this as-is and add a servo and possibly a rear disk conversion if I thought it needed it, but 5 years on it is still running like this and is one of the best changes I have ever made

I don't have any pictures of the brakes themselves, but these are the 15's on the front after powdercoating at a local painting and coating company and fitted with some Continental Vanco 185/60/15s:

 

[kempy]

Looking forward to reading the rest..

 

[A5H]

The original seats had also gone beyond acceptably tatty, and even though I considered a full refurb of them I decided updating to something more comfortable was the way to go. I kept an eye out on ebay for some Porsche tombstones and managed to pick up a pair for a bargain £50. They weren't the most attractive visually, a combination of browns and blues, and the intention has always been to get them recovered in something that looks a bit more as VW might have intended some comfy seats to look, but that is still on the to-do list five years down the line. As is plumbing in the electrics to enable the electric adjustments. But they are still very comfy, especially with lowered suspension, and probably the best £50 I have spent on it

We had enjoyed VDUB Island so much the previous year we decided to go along again. We got there a little bit later than most, which meant we ended up in an overflow field. Although the grass was a bit long, it meant we had loads of space and a really quiet spot!