Hello you lot. Having lurked for far too long reading the adventures on this site, I'm proud to say I now qualify to join in!

I've been derailed by a million reasons (well, 5 actually) since my first beetle back in 1986 but, I've finally bought this 1965 Westy subhatch, through Clifton Campers - importing in from Ohio this Summer (All went smoothly as promised by Ryan and Zoe, delivered more or less on time). I've had a couple of beetles over the years, but this is my first bus so it's going to be a lot of learning for me, not to mention wailing, gnashing, weeping and roaring drunkardly....

I could do with some advice on working out the Westy code - I think it's an SO33?

Mcodes say:

025 US-spec bumpers and 6 pop-out windows
025 Mounting for safety belts
056 Steering/ignition lock
119 Eberspacher BN4 gas heater
191 Sub floor - belly pan
430 North American export package including M20, M24, M25, M90, M175, M620, M621
620 12v system (standard from August, 1966)
621 12v warning light relay

So it's missing the petrol heater, the steering lock is there but currently non functioning and keyless, loom is junk, hazard warning switch and relays gone, westy interior gone.

What's left is all really solid from what I have poked around with so far. Welding needed so far all seems pretty lightweight - a few window frames, half a cab floor and some patching. Factory Bellypans are mint and have hopefully helped to hold the rot at bay. Paint is a mixture of OG SWR and BG, and loads of really nasty hand painted gloss , so I'm going to repaint. Despite a few nice patina areas, there's just too much goop (hiding too much bondo perhaps, or at least around one rear corner)...
Brakes are refurbed and upgraded with dual master cylinder, new lines, flexis, wheel cylinders etc. 1600 single port runs and pulls well, shifts well, although needs all new shift rod bushings etc.

Anyway I suppose the picture will become clearer as it comes apart, but I think I'm going down the completely rock stock route, seeing as what's there is fairly un-messed with...

What do you reckon? I have to say I'm super chuffed, and probably a bit blinded to any obvious potential nightmares, but do feel free to point them out to me!! In fact I'm really hoping I can share any major problems I have along the way with the collective minds in this club to stop me making a massive ballsup of it

Sorry the pictures are so rubbish - I've got a couple of weeks off now, and besides Busfest will be spending most of it on the van so I'll update with a load more I hope...

Cheers

Lawrence

1st let me say welcome

2nd nice project you have there

I'll be looking forward to some more progress and of course pics

J

Thanks Jay it's good to finally own the bus after wanting one for so long. I have a long way to go with my mechanical skills, but I'm not afraid to give it a go - I've access to a ramp, a Bentley manual and a sense of humour...

I'm more than a little in awe of the wealth of knowledge and skill on display on the pages of this site and hopefully I won't fall too far without being prodded back in line. It's like VWikipedia!!

I'll do my best to post pics whenever I have em.

L

Welcome and Hi
The bus looks like a sound project to start from , Is the paint original paint ?, if so i would look at doing the repairs and having them blended in because its only orginal once.

It's got some original paint, but it's less original that some of the pics suggest. A fair bit has been hand painted at some point. I say painted, more sort of smeared with a yard brush... So I'm fairly certain I'm repainting depending on what we find....

Nice westy I can remember seeing this on the samba for sale not many late sub hatch westys around.
Brushed on paint is fairly easy to remove the paint looks really nice on the roof

Cheers Ben, I know - most of the roof is where the best paint is, gutters, hatch and hatch cover have heavy surface rust that's about it....

My head is spinning at the moment, too many decisions... Really I first want to figure out what Westy options would have been on it originally. All the rest can come in time...

Busfest for inspiration/hangover first

I would say so33 depends how late the chassis number is I had a early so42 which was swr beige grey yours has a sub hatch though but that could have been ordered ?
Having a factory steering lock and eberspacer heater it sounds like a tourist delivery package so might not have a westy code.

I think you're right about the tourist options - it could be a bit of a mongrel. Do you think it's possible there's a typo on the mcode. I have 523309 for the paint code - Westy's code for SWR/BG is 523308 I think?

Every westy I have seen is based on a Kombi yours looks like it was a standard judging By the front badge being swr if it was a Kombi it would be slver white.
Does it have standard interior panels and a headliner or is it westy ply?

Could have been a Standard, although it definitely once had a westy ply interior, I'm sure of that. I have the bows and most of the structure around the Sub hatch - even small remnants of the ply roof still attached to them... Has the grooves in the front to accept a board/ply cab headliner too. Started to identify the drilled holes dotted around the cab. It had brackets for a cab hammock, press studs for curtains around the front of the cab (all of which are going back in) and mounting holes for the curtain rail across the cab divider. I'm going to poke around the cabin tomorrow, I'll take some pics of the hole patterns (rock and roll ...ahem).

It only had one Jalousie window, and that was a 2 panel one (possibly non-original??). Anyhow I have that stored but it's fairly knackered and would prefer a plain glass to go back in - want to use this as my regular driver. Weren't original Westy windows 3 panel?

Thanks for the help Ben, top man!

I thought I'd post up some progress.
I decided I'm going to paint the van - a load of bad paint and bondo made my mind up for me and as much as love OG paint, this one is for the whole family and I'm badly outnumbered over this topic . I have a question for the Westy experts here. Are these vertical mount holes there for wall lights? There is another set of similar holes just behind the B pillar I presume the other holes are curtail rail and retainer mounts?



Also, a firm of soda blasters has just set up a unit near me (in case anyone in Swansea area was keen - Crofty Ind Estate). Really amazed how good a job they've done on the doors. Soda has just gently removed paint leaving all the witness marks in the metal from VW body shop - leadloading and braising all intact!



Doors had almost no filler, some welding to do on inner skins on the bottom of the cargo doors, and window frames on a couple. Overall couldn't be happier...



Van seems solid in most places. Arches...



Sides are nice and straight. Nice couple of kilos of filler in the rear corner mind - going to try to get the profile back as best as we can - all the metal is intact ...



Planning to blast with soda or glass beads the majority of the shell, fingers crossed it's as solid as the doors were - I know there's more to uncover on the right front corner where there's evidence of a previous crash. @rse!! More pics on that one later, I think I'm going to need expert opinion....

Going to put a full week in after Busfest, so should make some good progress. I'll bore you more pics then .

Over and out

Lawrence

Hello and welcome

That's one solid looking bus you got there ...... Weld one for living your dream dude.

As normal us pic'y Perv's love to see what's going on

just remember the rules ...... No pic ! It didn't happen So keep clicking away and due leave me when I say .... When ya down and feeling you are not getting anywhere just pop a few pages back into your thread and Booooom ..... You see how fare you've come and it just gives you the boost ya need at keep going ....... The feeling you get when you finish your bus is just amazing ...... So crack on and good luck mate

Laters
Mark

Solid looking bus you have , it looks great.
Those doors have come out good , The holes or for the lights and curtain rail , keep up the good work fella..

I'm really liking this thread, great updates. Keep the pics coming

Jason