XOver rebuild.

Thanks guys. The pop top looks great tbh. Stripped back down to the basics and treated with loving care. Now it works amazingly. I got a Godsend at the price off eBay. Now I need a tailgate engine lid (late style) Godsend to complete the metal work need. Engine time Andy? Sounds like your on the homeward stretch. And tmcg, ebay throws some gems your ways sometimes.

graysummers said:

Engine time Andy? Sounds like your on the homeward stretch. And tmcg, ebay throws some gems your ways sometimes.

Click to expand...

Can but hope!!

Thanks both. The old pop top on it was unidentifiable. I reckon they found an old fibreglass boat, turned it upside down and stuck it up top with some vinyl underlay as a pretend roof bellow. I’ve seen the machinery/struts of the Devon pop top up close. Really held up (‘scuse the pun) with all the intensive clean up/renovating process needed. And the bellows are in great condition. Cleaned up a treat. All looks the biz. Good luck both.

Middle section. I was thinking about the dinks that happen in full panels. Also the misalignment of panels next to each other. Paul was talking to me about how difficult that middle section was to get level (took hours, and if he took hours, I’d take days/weeks !!) and also how darker colour choice would enhance the problems. So the need to get it right and once resprayed in dark green to avoid not looking like a dogs dinner was vital. Is that why the savannah beige colour is popular? Just asking. All I could remember when I looked at this was a huge metal tear under the filler cap that was there for a couple of years. Paul explained that it was a sh**e weld job that came apart. So...... I now appreciate the fact that you need to get the basics done to a standard that doesn’t come back and haunt your dreams and senses. Layers of thought through conversation with Paul have been an amazing insight. Information provided by this guy is priceless. Friend for life. OK..I haven’t given a full thread. But as a full time nurse I’m pretty much full on knackered. So...I’ll include more pics in the future courtesy of Mr. P. and some I’ll snap me self, but I’m gonna be best happy to have a bus I can drive everyday and everywhere and a bloke up the road that can educate me into keeping her safe from harm. I know she’s not an early....but she’s a special crossover who’s ours (me, wife, family and friends) to treasure. A few more updates...then I’m out there. Been a long haul. Now the final hurdle. Thanks fellow owners for looking in.

graysummers said:

.... Is that why the savannah beige colour is popular?

Click to expand...

:lol: probably

Coming on nicely now - excited for you!

Getting there. A few more of the inside. A pop top to be proud of....... And a beautifully repaired sliding door.

Spare tyre is going into the rear housing. Not on the front as was the case when I bought the bus. I have a three quarter rock and roll bed so will be removing it when sleeping. The flooring now is laminate from the 1970s. Strong and should be easy to clean. The old black and white tiles warped and lifted. Sink and fridge to go in and more photos to follow. I’m off to work. Long day shift, but much happier.

That is now looking very smart on the inside

I'll not be far behind you now. Moving to Paul soon

Hi Andy and Gareth. Paul has had many different projects whilst doing my bus. I’ve not been bothered about the other work coz it’s given him different motivations. My bus needed loads doing and if he took it as a start to finish project at one go it would have got stale for him I guess. His attention to detail is really tops. I spoke to quite a few people either in his workshop or in the local community. They all say the same thing. You may have to hang fire, but you know it’s going to turn out all right. Paul said you were going to be next on his list Gareth. I’ll look forward to seeing your bus. Shouldn’t be too far off finishing mine. I’ve got a holiday/time off from work in early March. So should all be ready then. After that, I’ll be looking at all the maintenances I have to do to keep everything top.

Two teaser photos. Got back after a long day shift and email attachment. Looks just as I imagined......that colour. Headliner will be left as wood. Got a price off my brother’s mate who covers door cards. Not as bad as I thought it would be. But would have to wait a long time. He’s very busy.

Not my dub, but very inspirational.

Beautifull............

Above? Not mine.......but.......Mine is nearly done/finished. Not quite beautiful, but hoping to be. So, let’s get insight into this malarkey. Me? Nurse. Bus? Needs TLC? Me? Not the skills or time. My Patients? Need TLC too. Me? Has to focus on ethics, people who are vulnerable and.....what he’s paid for? So! ....Paul? Expert. Bus? Needs Paul for TLC. Bus? Looked after, treated, all ill’s reviewed and sorted. Then.....Discharged. Me? Able to provide Bus Rehabilitation. Similar to Me? Hand patients over to loved ones with watchful eye. The bus? Handed over to me for love and watchful eye. This.....? Is my philosophy and ethic. Put what/who you care for in the appropriate hands for the various stages of recovery. Then keep up the good work. We all have an appropriate role and I know my limits and therefore recognise mine. It’ll be nice tinkering with the challenging upkeep’s, learning the wholesale quirkiness of those moments when push comes to shove and it’ll be me becoming a type 2 detective (got that from Johnny Depp’s The Ninth Gate where he’s a book detective) and seeking answers whilst getting me hands dirty in looking after the old girl...because life up here is chasing the challenging salt sea air and rainy days in Wales. The bus don’t like those conditions too much, but it does like to be active everyday. And that’s what’ll happen.

Just took receipt of a VW badge in stainless steel. eBay at £47. Read about the modern front badges in comparison with originals, but this looks a treat. Just better not get it on wonkey donkey. Got a couple of lights, which arrived with broken lug housings for securing the bulbs. But, I want light that feels comfortable when you sit at night. Don’t want a harsh atmosphere. Probably firelight outside in the open air then. Looking at hubcaps at the moment. Mine were painted green and the paint probably hid the reality. Looked at them a couple of weeks back (lightweight retro’s) and they were rotten. So, on the hunt for more. The commercial companies seem to be out of stainless hubcaps and 72 to 75 engine lids. Been weeks now. Also just washed the curtains on a 60 degree in preparation for dying. Thought I could dye them in onion skins or some similar vegetable dye and be all eco friendly. But they came out of the 60 degree wash organically destroyed. And all that fading. Welsh sun for 2 months of the year can be pretty harsh.

Anyone know what type of speakers would suit this? I bought this to play the cassettes I have.....in their hundreds over the 40 years or so of collection. Can I have 2 or 4 speakers? I’m a complete technophobe. But....Wanted a cassette player and not a radio/CD. Basically for aesthetic 1970s value. An MP3 hooked up to it’s own internal battery will suffice the odd moment I want to listen to my new stuff. I’ll stick it on the table up back and shove it in a bag when I’ve finished listening to wave/whale/singing bowl/Gregorian chant/rain sounds. Joking. But......talking early stuff. I have an original Sony Walkman Atrac NW HD5 player (SonicStage please don’t go obsolete!! It’s the only way I can upload my new CDs onto it) that I still use from the first time the MP3 was introduced. Why is old stuff so good at kicking around forever? I’m a time warp. Cassettes? I want those memories from way back. But...just because I want to add to the atmosphere of travelling along in the 1970s doesn’t mean I would like to experience the slow/fast meltdown of cassette tape. Also. The noise in a bus drowns out the music experience I realise. So want speakers that can be heard a bit. Cheers.

4Watts per channel continuous with 4 Ohm impedance - stereo only.
In a noisy van, will struggle to get much sound out of it.

For me - look good in the hole but would use something in the glove box for sounds

Van is looking sweet. Well done.

Thanks both. I’ll look into the speaker situation now. Thanks for the numbers. Will definately be putting this cassette player into the dash. Good idea re: another system. The alternative glove box choice can hide further/future thoughts. The bus? A whisker away from being complete.

“Post image” is playing up. Can’t upload images and images have disappeared. So trying to upload again. Trouble is, I may repeat images. Sorry about this. With these photo upload companies there seems to be nothing but problems. I’m going to start a new renovation thread on Wordpress as well. See what happens when I have new photos later. I’m going to upload some images of an engine tailgate I bought off eBay. Took a gamble as I won it for £32. It’s really solid in the flesh so to speak. Uploading for experimental purposes to see if it works.