I've owned this 1968 Early Bay since it was imported into the UK from the US in 2007. It started as a very solid, rust-free, and honest bus and is now a good-looking, practical camper, with choice updates to retain its period looks but able to be comfortably driven in today's modern traffic.
This has been a really useable van for camping over the last 15 years, with trips across Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, and after relocating to Scotland it made the 500+ mile trip comfortably. But it isn't being used as much as it was, or should be, so I've decided it would be better with a new owner who will use it more.
Interior:
This is an unusual camper, the conversion is based on early Westfalia models with a small turret poptop, louvre windows, 3/4 bed, side wardrobe and units to each side of the walkthrough. There is a sink and pump tap, and loads of storage for a coolbox etc. The interior is largely unchanged, and has worked for us over the years, but you may want to update it.
Mechanical Updates:
There have been quite a few mechanical updates over the years. All have been done by professionals to a high standard, to make the van more practical for modern day use, but always with a view to retaining an original look and feel.
• Front drums converted to disk brakes using late bay parts. This has proved to be a fantastic update, there is so much more feel to the brake pedal, and the use of late bay parts means any service items are cheap and freely available.
• Subtly lowered suspension. Slightly lowered to feel so much more stable when cornering and encountering cross-winds on the motorways, but still high enough to be practical when you arrive at the campsite. Using beam adjusters at the front and Creative adjustable spring plates on the rear.
• New 1903cc Type1 Engine built by Dan Simpson (http://www.dansimpsonvwengines.com/) in 2015. This was an all-new engine, and has done less than 5,000 miles. The full spec is provided at the end, but in summary this engine was built for a bus, with great torque and drivability, which is fantastic for motorway cruising and a little bit of extra 'go' for the hills.
Camping Updates:
• Large capacity leisure battery and split charge relay. Automatically charges from the alternator, without the engine battery going flat. Wired to a 12V fuse box and internal lights and power sockets allows charging of phones etc. On the camp site
• 240V Electric Hook Up. Complete with external socket, internal consumer unit and double mains socket.
• New pop-top canvas. Canvas replaced by Concept poptops (http://www.facebook.com/ConceptPoptopsUpholstery). Complete with zipped outer fly mesh and inner canvas, it now looks and performs better than new.
• Sun Canopy. Included is a matching retro-style sun canopy. Great for the campsite to add a bit of shelter from the sun (or showers in the UK!)
Other Updates:
• Respray in the original Lotus White. In 2017, after 10 years of living by the sea, a couple of rust repairs were carried out to the battery tray, cab floor and bottom of the front panel, and then a roof-down respray in the original Lotus White L282. This isn't a show van, its been a used camper, so there are a few very small dings, but the finish is still good and the van looks great.
• Full Waxoyl underside treatment. To keep the fantastic condition of the underside, it has been treated with a full coat of Waxoyl, where possible inside the box sections as well as the outside
• Porsche front seats. In the cab the front seats have been replaced with Porsche tombstone seats. Selected to not be too tall so the driving position is still good, these seats are so comfortable for long distances and provide great support. They are in good condition, but you may want to re-cover them to your taste.
• 15" Wheels and Continental Commercial Tyres. To accommodate the disk brakes, but retain the original looks, all of the wheels have been replaced with 15" steels from a Split Screen. The tyres are high quality Continental Vancos, correctly rated for commercial vehicles.
The less good bits:
There aren't any serious problems, but I want to be as honest as possible and point out the things I would sort out if I were keeping it:
• A couple of small bubbles in the paintwork which would need to be repainted to maintain the quality of the overall finish/appearance.
• Some of the interior panels are showing signs of age, particularly the veneer side panels
• There's a small oil leak to be investigated, I think between the engine and bell housing. Nothing major, just a few drops on the drive.
As you can see, no expense has been spared in making this camper both practical for camping and great to drive.
Full Engine Spec
• Autolinea SuperCase with full flow
• CB Performance 1.5L deep sump
• DPR Counterweighted 74mm Crank
• Std weight flywheel 8 dowelled
• Kennedy Stage 1 clutch
• All dynamically balanced
• Scat 5.4" H-Beam Rods
• Mahle 90.5 forged barrels and pistons
• Engle FK41 cam
• CB Performance straight cut cam gear
• Scat Pro Comp 1.4:1 rockers
• Jaycee sprung Pushrod tubes
• CB 044 Super Mag CNC ported heads (40x35.5)
• Gene Berg 26mm Oil pump and cover
• External oil filter and oil cooler
• Gene Berg breather tower
• Vintage Speed Sport Exhaust
• Dellorto DRLA 36 carbs
• CB Performance manifolds match ported
• 123 Ignition vacuum distributor
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