Still pissed off about Matt Keene's van!

[faux]

Hi Again

You will feel great if you do it yourself, this a link to my thread.....if you are (very) bored have a look through. http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2589" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Not as cool as Matts bus but has a similar stance. Me, the wife and 3 year old have had some great times in it so far and plan to keep enjoying the summer months camping....with the odd get out of jail free card when I manage to do shows on my own.

I know prices have changed and I did all of the work myself but I bought the bus from Simon Hall for £5.5k and the mods, wheels, heater, electrics etc were an extra £3.5k. Still loads to do but that is half the fun.

I have to put a pic up, the crap weather has meant my bus been tucked away and I wanted to see her again:

 

[windsurfer]

Hey Faux,
That looks amazing, i love it. I would be more than happy to own a bus that looks that cool. Just showed it to my wife and she agreed, she'd like a 69 (no rude comment! LOL) as it's her birth year. As I said earlier in this thread, I am now determined to have an EB. People like yourself have made the decision easy. I just hope to have it by Big Bang.
Thanks

Simon

 

[andewilson]

if you bought a bus that was already done then a year down the line you would end up wanting to change how it looked. buses are best when they evolve with time. i realy would buy the red one on here and see shere it takes you. run it stock for a while, drop it on its steels for a bit, then stick some rimage up it, then bang a set of disks on it. that way the initial outlay is a lot less and you do it up out of your own pocket.

 

[windsurfer]

Oh yeah, I'm starting to read. It's fascinating!

 

[pete nice]

Mines a '69...

 

[slammedresto]

mines a 69/70 :wink:

 

[faux]

Mines a '69...

Tis a nice bus.

 

[pete nice]

Yea, I am spunking loads of money at it lately. I spent £125 today on a gas bottle & fittings. It's not cheap building the right bus.

I have build a nice buddy seat too witch I will paint white soon. It's coming together very well now.

 

[andewilson]

now that is looking rude pete. i really dont see the passion for matt keenes bus. petes bus looks good and has non pourus (is that how you spell it) paint on it. i love patina, ratty, but i do think that they take work to keep. like one of those just got out of bed hair cuts, or a set of well worn jeans, this look is only temporary. my hair has one of those points were it looks great for a few days, it gets a bit too long and it wont do what you want it to. or my stubble looks cool and the gang one night, then i wake up the next day and its gotta go. in our climate i think ratty works for a few years but then you have to look at taking it back to metal and getting it sprayed, especially as said earlier that imports are now a bit weighty money wise, and the fact that they are beginning to get down to the more roapy ones. i would buy a good one now mate. pete's looks a good sprayed one and should see you and the family right for a while. the jubilance of securing a ratty bus will wear out in two years when the mot man comes knocking with his list. a good knowledge of all things car stands you in good stead when buying 40 year old metal.

 

[pete nice]

There is a full build up page on my website too. You can see how good it was to start with.

 

[the councillor]

now that is looking rude pete. i really dont see the passion for matt keenes bus. petes bus looks good and has non pourus (is that how you spell it) paint on it. i love patina, ratty, but i do think that they take work to keep. like one of those just got out of bed hair cuts, or a set of well worn jeans, this look is only temporary. my hair has one of those points were it looks great for a few days, it gets a bit too long and it wont do what you want it to. or my stubble looks cool and the gang one night, then i wake up the next day and its gotta go. in our climate i think ratty works for a few years but then you have to look at taking it back to metal and getting it sprayed, especially as said earlier that imports are now a bit weighty money wise, and the fact that they are beginning to get down to the more roapy ones. i would buy a good one now mate. pete's looks a good sprayed one and should see you and the family right for a while. the jubilance of securing a ratty bus will wear out in two years when the mot man comes knocking with his list. a good knowledge of all things car stands you in good stead when buying 40 year old metal.

very very good post 8)

 

[Loxy]

now that is looking rude pete. i really dont see the passion for matt keenes bus. petes bus looks good and has non pourus (is that how you spell it) paint on it. i love patina, ratty, but i do think that they take work to keep. like one of those just got out of bed hair cuts, or a set of well worn jeans, this look is only temporary. my hair has one of those points were it looks great for a few days, it gets a bit too long and it wont do what you want it to. or my stubble looks cool and the gang one night, then i wake up the next day and its gotta go. in our climate i think ratty works for a few years but then you have to look at taking it back to metal and getting it sprayed, especially as said earlier that imports are now a bit weighty money wise, and the fact that they are beginning to get down to the more roapy ones. i would buy a good one now mate. pete's looks a good sprayed one and should see you and the family right for a while. the jubilance of securing a ratty bus will wear out in two years when the mot man comes knocking with his list. a good knowledge of all things car stands you in good stead when buying 40 year old metal.

I have to agree with this, also was discussing this with haveacamper the other week - ratters/patina buses do to me look pretty cool but there will come a time when they are no longer fashionable and its going to cost a fair bit of money to get them into good condition again (some more than others). However good condition buses are always going to be "in fashion" and can be made to look quite different by the addition of a few accessories or a change of height/wheels. The one exception to this is if you are the "first owner" of one of these buses i.e. you are the one that found it, dragged it out of the hedge etc and got it back on the road - because hopefully you got it for a very good price before the cool factor quadrupled its value.

 

[pete nice]

My van came from Retro Steve at Eastfalia, he knows how to buy a good van. It needed a battery tray but not a lot else. That's not to say there hasn't been a shed load of work done to it, far from it. Hopefully it will be at the VolksWorld show in the EB line up & you can all see for yourselves.

 

[Clem]

Im not sure that genuine Patina buses are a fashion as they are desirable across the classic car market (and antiques, and furniture, and clothing etc etc) in general and will always be desired.
I do take the point about being a realist though, and if you only have street parking, or a driveway and need the car in daily use then a patina van will soon be a rat look!

 

[the councillor]

there are two sides to this.

they are DEFINITELY fashionable, just like narrowed beams and smart car tyres and empi 8s and pastel colours and so on and so on back to the beginning of time (well, the 80s :roll: ) and there are DEFINITELY people who roll things because volksworld or 'the internet' *told* them to... one of the problems of living your life in the public domain means that all your past horrors are on display for all to see and for all time... i know of one very reputable engine builder who was rolling a beautiful patinated split beetle when i first heard of him (johnny come lately style) yet you can go back through the magazines to beetles with pink graphics on them :?

same person ? same personality ? fashion ? i dunno.

the flip side of it is that there are always gonna be people who roll sheds, fashionable or otherwise. my next door neighbour had a lovely patinated BX, simply because he's a maverick quasi-anarchic (what ?) genius who's got better things to do than wash his car. used to sit there and look well smart, indeed he'd be the kind of guy who'd suit one of the more extreme examples of *patina* that's come into the country in the last few years, but as he so rightly pointed out to me... cars like that 'evolve' and they have to 'evolve' with their owners to be anything like genuine don't they ? having one imported for you, and turning up to a show in one wearing your brand new hoodride top and matching trucker cap, but then going home, having a shave and driving to work in your company laguna spoils the illusion a bit

*power to the people*

 

[windsurfer]

' having one imported for you, and turning up to a show in one wearing your brand new hoodride top and matching trucker cap, but then going home, having a shave and driving to work in your company laguna spoils the illusion a bit

*power to the people*

[/quote]

Being a newbie to the whole VW scene I cannot comment with any great knowledge based upon years of enthusiasm (although I have always loved them). What I can speak about is why I have this love affair.

Councillor. I agree with your point (ish) but also think that there is NO illusion. Most people love VW's because they do give you a feeling of freedom and community that's perhaps lacking in other areas of life today. I wear a suit to work (although I don't shave and have long hair) and have to be professional (I'm a Music Teacher). I don't really share my passions in any great detail with the students/staff but they all know how wacky I am. This doesn't mean that I have conformed to a capitalist ideal, I am just dressing/acting in an appropriate manner for my surroundings. A soon as I leave work, my scruffy clothes are on. It's funny though, outside work some people judge me because I have tattoos. They assume me to be a thick, uneducated ruffian just because of my appearance but these same people are the ones who come to work and plead for me to help them deal with their children's problems (I'm a Head of Community).

My point is, the VW community embraces differences and actually values them. Some love OG paint, stock height etc. Others want a super slammed, pimped sound system ratty effort. These differences are great though and make the 'scene' what it is. I love the fact that I can be one thing at work, safe in the knowledge that I will later go to a show and embrace the 'Bohemian' aspects of my personality.

Does that mean that my style is an illusion or just diluted as appropriate?

Lastly, I completely agree, a patina bus is lots of work and not to be taken lightly as a doddle to maintain. Fashions do change (and then resurface, or is that just rust LOL) but I'm sure that the VW community will just get stronger because of these changes!



Simon

 

[Simon Hall]

The smart money is on nice restored or close to standard original paint buses, don't get me wrong i have been rolling lowered buses forever, i imported the mercury bus to this shore before the rat scene took off but!
I could be wrong but look at the split market, in the USA an original unplayed with westfalia commands as much money or even more as a 23 deluxe (not so42 but sub hatch buses).
Us Brits love the lowered look but if you have a clean original correct bus the world is your market place if you need to sell.
Do you know the Brock Radio 15 window that was brought here 2 years ago, now bought back into a USA collection and for a lot more money than it was exported (from the usa)for!
Not saying that an early bay westfalia will ever be as sought after as an SO23 as the numbers produced are huge but clean nice buses will always be sought after.

 

[dubdubz]

if I didn't have a x-over which has cost me loads I'd be buying this......

http://www.roadhouseretro.com/cars.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"1968 Deluxe Micro bus in original Delta green paint with original Wolken white roof from California. It has very little rust and apart from the L/H rear 1/4 is pretty straight for a 40 year old bus. It has a running 1600 single port engine(not fitted) and comes with a 1500 bug IRS gearbox and fitting kit so the ratio's will be excellent for motorway cruising. it has a 67 Split bus front beam with drop spindles and 15" split bus wheels with almost new 165/50 front and 185/55 rear tyres. it has a full with rear seat and 2 seater middle seat. the rear will go down at least another the engine and box are fitted and it rolls to settle the suspension. also a straight front bumper blade is included.

It needs brake work, electrics, engine and box fitting and some welding to be ready for the road really which includes one outer sill(under the sliding door) both cab floor outers and a battery tray

price is £4950 as is or £6950 on the road, MOT'd and UK registered. i can repair the rear L/H side panel for extra."

And yes I do know Tim and he is a good friend...I also know that cash talks and he may be up for a deal. He can repair the rear quarter and his bodywork skills I think [ and more importantly paying customers ] are excellent.

You could have a lot of change from the 13.5k budget even fixed/mot'd and on the road

as I say if the bay I had wasn't a millstone and in debt for 1000's I wouldn't be posting this here it'd be in the gallery under 'my ride' !!

 

[Araon]

That is a very nice van indeed if you do straighten the rear (looks cool as is) then Tim wont just lay new paint on but will preserve the look of the van and carry that lovely deep green through with the aged look....

seal the underneath wax the outer 8)

buy the westy roof off Scott and get that cut in then the worlds your lobster....

 

[pete nice]

I bet you wouldn't get much change from 13.5k if you went & paid someone to do the work at £35 per hour. By the time you have repaired, prepped & painted the van it would owe you nearly 10k, Then trim it with all the fittings & then sort the mechanics. It would be cheaper to buy one already done. It doesn't take into account any parts that are worn or damaged or need replacing. The parts bill can soon add up.

If you were going to do all the work yourself, or just drive it with that horrible dent in the side & pretend it's character then it may not be so bad. Personally I think it's expensive, but I am a tight bastard at best!