69 'Old Blue' Microbus

[streetboy]

Well thought it was about time to get me bus on the gallery. Its a LHD US import found in a Barn in Glendale Oregan back in 2007. It had laid undiscovered here for 5 years previous to that, slowley gathering dust after its owner a 'Lois.A.Kimple' had passed away. I assume her husband had put it there.
'Old Blue' as we have called was built on the 18th October 1968 and registered as a 69. It was shipped out to San Fransisco and spent most of its life in that area. Untill it was brought by a Lois A Kimple who moved to Oregan!
I discovered the bus while 'Sambering' one night some 30 odd pages back in the classifieds. A chance email revealed it was still for sale, and the rest is history.

When she finaly arrived in the UK I have done no more than to give it a good clean up inside and out, and get it up to Uk spec for the mot. Considering all the years off the road then to fail on just the two front lower shock absorber bushes was amazing, and very pleasing
Finally registered and on the road on the 25th Sept, as CYY 488G ready for the Breeze and the early bay line up :mrgreen:

Have just done the Breeze I will use it for another few weeks before stripping and taking into work for painting over the winter.
At present I am trying to get all the parts I need (and don't really need yet...Clock :roll so I can start refitting staright away.
I have a few little teething problems at present, the lack of fuel gauge for one, thought I had it sussed but the sender has given up. Tried a secondhand replacement, that don't work either. Deffo not the gauge as been tested, so a new sender goes onto the increasing list.

I will try to keep up to date with the buses progress as I go along. A diary if you like. One things for sure, I love this old bus, and this time this one is here to stay
Apologies if you have seen these pic before, but thought it best to lump them all in here.
As found in barn in Oregan

Loaded up ready to leave the sellers house.

Having a 1600 tp fitted at Averys VW 20 miles from the sellers

nearly in Seattle heading to Tacoma for shipping, thanks to a very nice man called Jason

On my driveway first day in the uk 10th August

And on the Breeze yesterday.

I will add some more detailed pic as soon as.

 

[flynster]

streetboy i was right behind ya when you filled with juice on way out of brighton....sounded cool , looked good too fella

 

[AxlFoley]

nice bus dude, love the white walls, what are your plans for it ?

 

[Weby]

Nice bus!
Which color is it?

 

[streetboy]

Thanks for the replies guys

ooro wrote:
streetboy i was right behind ya when you filled with juice on way out of brighton....sounded cool , looked good too fella

Another face to a name how about that T*t in front of me in the golf, how long before she came back to the motor :evil: no bl**dy idea some people, when I asked the old dear in the passenger seat where she was, and pointed out that people were waiting to get out, she wound the window up!! :shock: :evil: :roll:

Weby, it is brilliant blue, I love the colour
I am leaving it as a microbus and as an originalist I am keeping the stock hieght. I'll paint it but want to keep the 41 year olf feel inside, just finding original parts to improve on what I have. Thats the plan anyway.

 

[streetboy]

Finally registered and on the road on the 25th Sept, as CYY 488G ready for the Breeze and the early bay line up

Errr, that'll be CYY 448 G then well, still getting used to it :lol:

 

[streetboy]

Well this is what I got up to today. I thought I had sorted my fuel gauge problem in that the feed wire from the sender was broken. Rewire and off it went. Reading about right I'd say. I had fitted an access panel to get to the sender unit, and could never have rewired it without one. Its a very worthwhile mod. Any way, it worked for two days and on the day of the Breeze? became very erratic and eventually gave up on the way home. Tried a secondhand sender today, no good either so I need to buy a new one. The gauge and all connections are good so must be this.
And I did this for two reasons :shock:

I found the reason the glass in both speedo and fuel gauges had slipped, the locking rings had nothing to do just that! so a new LHD binacle I'm afraid

Oh, and the second reason

Yeah I know, I have more important things to spend my money on than a tick-tock, but the voices in my head said 'av it'

 

[gninnam]

Nice looking van mate and glad you are keeping at as original as poss

 

[streetboy]

Hi gninnam, and thanks its pretty good inside and does not warrant ripping to bits and going for all new. I like the smell and the character it has inside. It's got that looked after but used feel and I want to keep it.
More pressing is the fuel gauge or lack of it. Right now it's not making sense. :?
I picked up a good secondhand rear kick panel at the Breeze an improvement on the original. Thats what I am striving to do.

Oh, and the seatbelt tensioners gninnam, I was not sure if I had been dumb or something :? There easy enough to fit from what I can see, you just undo the floor mount and thread the belt into them in the slots, while holding the the philips set screw in the fully unwound position. Then I assume when you let go it gathers the belt back on itself. Well that's what I can make of it

 

[gninnam]

Oh, and the seatbelt tensioners gninnam, I was not sure if I had been dumb or something :? There easy enough to fit from what I can see, you just undo the floor mount and thread the belt into them in the slots, while holding the the philips set screw in the fully unwound position. Then I assume when you let go it gathers the belt back on itself. Well that's what I can make of it

Think I get it - for belts which are not inertia reel already
Now I understand - think it was me being dumb :lol:

Cheers for the feedback

 

[streetboy]

No probs fella I have another pair winging their way to me

 

[CHILDSEY]

Hi Streetboy,
Nice bus you got there.
I was parked next to you at Brighton Breeze
in the white Westy.
Cheers Paul.

 

[streetboy]

Hi Paul, nice bus fella
Next time we will get together and chew the fat
I was on a mission looking for parts and trawling through countless boxes most of the time. Next time I will get round to tracking eb'ers down

 

[baron]

what happened to the deluxe trim, did you have it taken off and leave it off?!

 

[Djoul]

yeah, a really good find

 

[streetboy]

Hi Baron, the guy in the states took it off and sanded back the paint as he did here and there elsewhere on the bus, wish he hadn't :roll: hense the primer to keep the weather out.
I have the Deluxe trim but will be replacing it so the old stuff will be eventually for sale at some point.
Still need to sort the fuel gauge issue so hope to do that this weekend. I also need to sort the little bit of grot under front screen and get a new screen rubber in it to get it water tight, until I take her in for paint. Not pouring in but needs doing sooner than later.

 

[baron]

heh, i thought it was the first instance of a deluxe being dechromed, in an old school cal look style

 

[streetboy]

Hi djoul,
Its the best £1700 I've spent that's for sure I have not kept to much of an eye on what it's cost me, I was having it and that was that! but around £4500 ish with the replacement engine, all the brakes done and parts (£800), shipping (£1650), and a pallet for the parts I could not ship in the bus :roll: (£300) and some odds and sods. With what I have had to do this end to get it mot'd and registered I'm the right side of 5k.
I would be hard pushed to have found one like this here in the uk for that money on the road

Despite the grief and the time it took to get it here it was worth it

 

[streetboy]

Baron, nah :lol: I love the Deluxe trim, it just sets the whole bus off. The old trim has a few nicks, dings and scratches so want to replace it. It would clean up a bit though. Having a fresh coat of paint it would defeat the object to put it back on, so going for the new.

 

[baron]

Baron, nah :lol: I love the Deluxe trim, it just sets the whole bus off. The old trim has a few nicks, dings and scratches so want to replace it. It would clean up a bit though. Having a fresh coat of paint it would defeat the object to put it back on, so going for the new.

you know i gave my van a blowover when it arrived in the uk, but stuck with the original trim, dings nicks and all. i like it that way

can you get new trim in the alloy finish, or can you just get the shiny shiny stuff?

deluxe trim on a (dove?) blue bus looks a treat, either way I'm sure it will look cracking :mrgreen: