VW Bus

Here is 1967 Standard Model Microbus. This bus seems to have the original paint. The body is very straight. Notice the jailbars in the back. The standard model Microbus did not have the top skylight windows or the sliding sunroof.

The 1957 VW Bus I bought when I was 19 was not a good looking car. It was primer black, full of rust holes, and had not interior other than the front seat. A sheet of plywood covered the sliding sunroof hole. It was a 23 window deluxe microbus, but for a naive teenager, it was way too much project to restore (this was 1987).

The closest I have come to getting killed in a VW was in this bus. I had the steering go out on the freeway, while I was going around a curve. I turned the wheel, but the bus kept going straight. It was the transition road from the 605 south to 91 east in southern California. The wheels glanced off of the curb dividing the transition road from four lanes of traffic. This turned the bus toward the shoulder, but I had two lanes to cross to get there. I had brakes and used them, but I almost hit a black Mercedes sedan.

The bus stopped perpendicular to the shoulder, and the Mercedes driver stopped like he wanted to fight. He cooled down when I explained the situation. What had happened is the "L" shaped arm that connects the steering box to the tie rods had snapped in two. I still have one of the pieces in my garage. It is the only part of that bus that I still own. To add insult to injury, someone broke into the car, and stole a cooler full of steaks (I was on my way to a BBQ).

I sold the 1965 VW bus to use as part of the down payment on the house
we own. It was hard to part with, but it was necessary. I sold this bus
along with all of my VW bus parts over the Internet, to a guy in Florida. This was the summer of 1999. I
put up a small web-site with a description of the bus and some photos.
It took almost a year, but I finally found a willing buyer.

After speaking over the phone a couple of times, we made arrangements for
the test drive. The guy loved the car, and gave me a money order
for $4000.00 on the spot. We signed the paperwork, and he was on
his way. The new owner and his wife drove the bus to Florida, and
then had it restored.



Here is a Link to the site I used.