The Taies of a Type II

[johnl]

Yesterday in the mail was the June 2009 copy of Hot VWs and a bus on the front.  Got me to thinking about the one that we owned.  So if you are up for it here is yet another useless account of my past times in the VW world.   

It was about 1974 or possibly early 1975.  My ’63 sedan had gone away and I was driving a ’72 BMW Bavaria.  I’d had Leonard Becker (Becker’s Bug House) repaint the car, did wheels, upgraded the sound system and was just really enjoying the car.  But alas……………..I needed a VW fix.  Somehow I’d developed an interest in acquiring a Type III Squareback.  Always being a fan of station wagons I thought this would be perfect for me to travel between the Auto Haus stores and actually deliver parts on my journeys.  Immediately I started looking and just couldn’t come up with one.  Christie and I even started driving the main streets looking at all of the used car dealers, but I guess it was not to be.

During this time my fellow employee and buddy Ed Craig had purchased a very nice yellow and white ’71 bus with a sunroof.  As soon as I took a closer inspection of his latest find I knew this is what I needed.  I only wanted a ’71 as it was the last year of the upright engine with dual port heads, dog house cooler and front disc brakes, but then you all already knew that.  There was no interest in the later examples as that 411 engine was just to “foreign” for my taste.   

On a Sunday afternoon Christie and I were out cursing by local dealers and on the front line at Circle Motors in Long Beach was a blue and white ’71 bus.  It didn’t have a sunroof and wasn’t as nice as the Craig mobile, but it was clean and relative low mileage as I recall.  There was a nifty fold down third seat that converted into a bed when the center seat was removed.  After some negotiations we got the price down around $1600 as I remember.  The deal was we took it as is with no warranty and thus saved a few hundred.

Monday morning I arrived at the Auto Haus warehouse and immediately started looking to change things.  In the parking lot I installed a Deano Shifter and I think put some floor mats in it.  Not to long after that I put an S&S header system on and tried to purchase a set of Kadron’s.  Lynn (the Weasel) Rosevear tore the bill up and said just take them and be quiet.  I think he and his brother Ron were having one of their moments.  Anyway I was most appreciative and soon they were on.   

I drove it that way for sometime and one cool afternoon I left the Auto Haus Costa Mesa store heading back to the warehouse.  Just on the 55 freeway about at Baker she coughed and belched smoke.  I pulled over and checked it out.  Couldn’t see any visible damage, but the engine would not crank.   

When it came apart the old girl had dropped # 2 exhaust valve through the top of the piston.  Well, this was a fine mess, but what a great opportunity to build a BIG MOTOR.  I didn’t want anything radical, so I purchased my second 78.4 Okrasa and a set of 88’s.  Ollie Morris Machine shop in Santa Ana did the machining which later turned out to be a bad choice.  At one time Ollie had been associated with Offy and the shop came highly recommended.

The motor went back together with an Engle 100 cam and stock VW rods clearanced for the stroker.  Remember, this was no quarter mile ride, but just something that didn’t work so hard at speed.  One concern was cooling, so with the full flow setup off the oil pump I installed an external cooler as well.  Along with that were two oil temp senders, one before and the other after the cooler controlled by the “click, click” switch  up front.  You’ll learn more about the “click, click” later.   

She ran pretty well and I surprised a few people at stop lights.    I enjoyed driving it much more now, but immediately started taking the heat from my bride and others when I would watch the oil temp and “click, click”.  To this day when this bus subject comes up with Christie or others that were around then they all hold there hand up and make the motion while verbally expressing “click, click”.

The bus lived in the garage at our first home, but when we moved it was relegated to the side spot in the driveway.  On a very cold morning I came out and cranked her up and she fired almost immediately, but just as fast stopped and wouldn’t crank.  Frozen up, but why??  I pulled the engine and took it apart to find that the mains had attached themselves to the journals.  Back to Ollie’s where a simple polish of the crank cleaned it up.  I purchased a new set of aligned bore bearings and back together she went.  Guess what, a few days later it was a repeat performance.

This time arriving at Ollie’s I wasn’t Mr. Happy.  Turns out that the boring bar was slightly off and it was just enough to make it lock up with 40w Valvoline Racing Oil.  Of course they didn’t charge me to make the repairs, but I was really getting tired of the labor aspects imposed.  I do remember the last time the engine went in it was pouring rain on a Sunday afternoon and I sat under the decklid buttoning things up.  Actually by this time I’d become pretty proficient at pulls and installs.

About the final adventure with Big Blue was a trip to San Diego with our neighbors following in a separate vehicle.  Once there we all decided to go over the BIG BRIDGE to Coronado Island.  All eleven of us piled into the bus and away we went.  Oh, did I forget to tell you that bridges and high places scare the Hell out of me!!    Anyway, we made it over and then back again, but I’m sure my eyes were closed for most of the bridge part and I’m sure my hand prints are still in the steering wheel.

Once back on the mainland I started north on the freeway with all eleven still contained.  As I came around a blind corner there it was, a four foot tall metal file cabinet directly in front of us.  I had no place to go and could only mutter out “HANG ON”.  We hit it head on and it went directly under the bus.  On the way out the other end it managed to slice the rear two tires pretty well and ripped the header from the right heater box.   

After pulling over and cleaning out my shorts the other car followed me home at about 45mph as our support vehicle.  A couple of replacement tires, new header system and she was back on the road.  Ironically there was no front end damage, but it sure cleaned the underside!!

Shortly afterwards I developed a need for a Motorcycle so the bus went on the block.  It was purchased by the boy friend of a gal who worked at the Auto Haus warehouse.  I think her name was Joanne and you can see her chest in some of the photos in a vintage Auto Haus catalog with an oil cooler blocking the full view.   

I’ve attached a card that I’ve kept all of these years sent to me by long time friend Paul Opperman of DGVA fame when the original engine gave up the ghost.  To this day every time I see a Type II going down the road it puts a smile on my face……………..

[roland]

great story! Types II's are indeed special, they are the type of VW I enjoy driving the most and doing road trips with...

[Brandon Sinclair]

Thanks for sharing that story.

Anyone who has owned a Type II understands the memories, roadtrips, and funny stories of roadside repairs along the way.

[Rennsurfer]

Excellent story, John. Lilke Brandon posted, Type 2s are great for road trips. I have a few fond memories of those... but a more recent one was back in '97. Going to Baja for surf trips at Shipwrecks (an hour or more past Ensenada) in the middle of nowhere in a 1970 Class 11 Type 2 will always stick in my mind as very fun adventures. Getting it stuck in a cobblestone quarry, while leaving camp before dawn to check out another secluded surf spot, using the underside of the dash ashtray to open our cervezas on the road, piling way too many surfboards on the surf racks and overfilling the luggage rack out back with our camping gear, and the gigantic cooler to keep our food and refreshments chilled with dry ice.

In the picture below, we were in the dead of winter and it was cold down there. On our way back to the States in the middle of the gorgeous coastal desert. Nothing around us but Mother Ocean and emptiness. Sheer bliss. On that trip, we had brought down six or so Hefty bags full of childrens' clothing, shoes, and toys. We dropped that stuff off at a local ranchera (farm/ranch) to return a favor that we promised. When we left there, Billy and me spotted a bazaar/swap meet/flea mart/whatever. Basically, a bunch of unwanted stuff for sale. In U.S.A. my girlfriend and I call 'em garbage sales. Anyway, we both concur that we absolutely needed this beater Lay-Z-Boy recliner (see pic). So we both barter with what little Spanish that we speak and got the guy down to $20 U.S.D. STOKED! I finally have a proper place to sit in the back and stretch out for naps. Yes, it still reclined! So, on the way home, that's where I relaxed with my drinks and food.

The favor? On the previous trip during Christmas, a few months prior, we were beating up the poor Bus as usual in the sand, along the beach and above on the cliffs. When we weren't surfing, eating, or sleeping... we were off-roading. Because VWs RULE for that. Well, the transmission took a dump. Stranded, just a short ways away from our campsite, the local fishermen come in to shore during sunset. They drag their pangas (fishing boasts) up onto the cobblestone point where we surf, next to the giant shipwreck. They empty their fishing nets, gear, and lobster traps from the boat. Then, these vintage Datsun, To#¤ta, and Chevy Luv pick-ups come out of nowhere to haul the outboard boat engines away with the crew, as well. They drove past and saw us broken down. They towed us back to their ranchera. Swapped out a transmission out of another VW and the next day, we were mobile again. We promised them that we'd be back soon to pay them back. We were broke at the time with only enough money to get back home.

So, when we came back... gave their wives and the rest of the family the donations. They all started crying on the front porch. Then, they said that they were very grateful and that they had not seen anyone back up what they said, like that. There we were, walking away back to the Bus... Billy, his girlfriend, and me... all teary eyed, but feeling good. We made friends for life on that trip. We know that because they said if you're in Baja, to stop by and say hola.

Another trip down there, we were pretty much on the same mission... to surf everything possible, eat as much Mexican seafood as our guts would allow, and blast James Brown, Frank Sinatra, and Jimmy Buffett while watching the campfire till the wee hours of the morning. We always took Billy's giant dog, which was half German Shepard and Rottweiler. Her name was Rufus and she was a full on sweetheart. Dangerous looking but harmless unless you took her food away. HAHA!! We pulled into a lonely mercado (market) to restock the cervezas and pistachio supplies. We gave a few of the local kids some Harbour Surfboards (where Billy and I worked and whose boards we rode for years) t-shirts and stickers. The owners even let us paste some stickers on the front window. I walked up to the front counter and plopped down two cases of my Negra Modelo and two cases of Billy's Pacificos. I walked back to the Bus to retrieve the empty cases and bottles for deposit. (something I wish the U.S. would BRING BACK) One of the owner's kids beat me to it and grabbed all of the boxes. Then, I asked in Spanish, if we could have some dry or regular ice. They said no problem. After that, while we were paying for the goods, the kids had filled up the cooler with ice and drinks and the ice was on the house. Why? At first, they were all scared of Rufus when she jumped out of the raised Bus. We laughed and told them, "Perro no problemo... no peligro." My broken method of telling 'em that the dog's not dangerous. We called Ru or Ruuf. So Billy told them that she can say her name. He held up some food and asked her, "Rufus... what's your name?" She barked, "RUUF!" Billy goes, "Lower." While laying down on her front paws, in a low grumbled tone, she replied, "Ruuuuf." They all went nuts and started laughing and petting her. Of course, Rufus dug on all of the attention.

After settling up, they invited us in the back to partake in a game of cards being played on a makeshift table made from a vintage Pepsi metal sign. We watched for a short while and told them that I didn't know any card games besides Blackjack/21 and we had to get back on the road, being Sunday. Again, the owners and family told us that we were welcome back any time.

I really miss Baja and all of the fun road trips that I've had down there since I was 14 years young. But the most fun we had was in that Bus. That thing just ran forever. It had a mild engine, Kadrons, .009, and a single FourTuned quiet pack. A set of Centerlines and 33" Norseman tires. GOOD TIMES!

[vwcab]

So cool stories boys. 

[johnl]

Excellent story, John. Lilke Brandon posted, Type 2s are great for road trips. I have a few fond memories of those... but a more recent one was back in '97. Going to Baja for surf trips at Shipwrecks (an hour or more past Ensenada) in the middle of nowhere in a 1970 Class 11 Type 2 will always stick in my mind as very fun adventures. Getting it stuck in a cobblestone quarry, while leaving camp before dawn to check out another secluded surf spot, using the underside of the dash ashtray to open our cervezas on the road, piling way too many surfboards on the surf racks and overfilling the luggage rack out back with our camping gear, and the gigantic cooler to keep our food and refreshments chilled with dry ice.

In the picture below, we were in the dead of winter and it was cold down there. On our way back to the States in the middle of the gorgeous coastal desert. Nothing around us but Mother Ocean and emptiness. Sheer bliss. On that trip, we had brought down six or so Hefty bags full of childrens' clothing, shoes, and toys. We dropped that stuff off at a local ranchera (farm/ranch) to return a favor that we promised. When we left there, Billy and me spotted a bazaar/swap meet/flea mart/whatever. Basically, a bunch of unwanted stuff for sale. In U.S.A. my girlfriend and I call 'em garbage sales. Anyway, we both concur that we absolutely needed this beater Lay-Z-Boy recliner (see pic). So we both barter with what little Spanish that we speak and got the guy down to $20 U.S.D. STOKED! I finally have a proper place to sit in the back and stretch out for naps. Yes, it still reclined! So, on the way home, that's where I relaxed with my drinks and food.

The favor? On the previous trip during Christmas, a few months prior, we were beating up the poor Bus as usual in the sand, along the beach and above on the cliffs. When we weren't surfing, eating, or sleeping... we were off-roading. Because VWs RULE for that. Well, the transmission took a dump. Stranded, just a short ways away from our campsite, the local fishermen come in to shore during sunset. They drag their pangas (fishing boasts) up onto the cobblestone point where we surf, next to the giant shipwreck. They empty their fishing nets, gear, and lobster traps from the boat. Then, these vintage Datsun, To#¤ta, and Chevy Luv pick-ups come out of nowhere to haul the outboard boat engines away with the crew, as well. They drove past and saw us broken down. They towed us back to their ranchera. Swapped out a transmission out of another VW and the next day, we were mobile again. We promised them that we'd be back soon to pay them back. We were broke at the time with only enough money to get back home.

So, when we came back... gave their wives and the rest of the family the donations. They all started crying on the front porch. Then, they said that they were very grateful and that they had not seen anyone back up what they said, like that. There we were, walking away back to the Bus... Billy, his girlfriend, and me... all teary eyed, but feeling good. We made friends for life on that trip. We know that because they said if you're in Baja, to stop by and say hola.

Another trip down there, we were pretty much on the same mission... to surf everything possible, eat as much Mexican seafood as our guts would allow, and blast James Brown, Frank Sinatra, and Jimmy Buffett while watching the campfire till the wee hours of the morning. We always took Billy's giant dog, which was half German Shepard and Rottweiler. Her name was Rufus and she was a full on sweetheart. Dangerous looking but harmless unless you took her food away. HAHA!! We pulled into a lonely mercado (market) to restock the cervezas and pistachio supplies. We gave a few of the local kids some Harbour Surfboards (where Billy and I worked and whose boards we rode for years) t-shirts and stickers. The owners even let us paste some stickers on the front window. I walked up to the front counter and plopped down two cases of my Negra Modelo and two cases of Billy's Pacificos. I walked back to the Bus to retrieve the empty cases and bottles for deposit. (something I wish the U.S. would BRING BACK) One of the owner's kids beat me to it and grabbed all of the boxes. Then, I asked in Spanish, if we could have some dry or regular ice. They said no problem. After that, while we were paying for the goods, the kids had filled up the cooler with ice and drinks and the ice was on the house. Why? At first, they were all scared of Rufus when she jumped out of the raised Bus. We laughed and told them, "Perro no problemo... no peligro." My broken method of telling 'em that the dog's not dangerous. We called Ru or Ruuf. So Billy told them that she can say her name. He held up some food and asked her, "Rufus... what's your name?" She barked, "RUUF!" Billy goes, "Lower." While laying down on her front paws, in a low grumbled tone, she replied, "Ruuuuf." They all went nuts and started laughing and petting her. Of course, Rufus dug on all of the attention.

After settling up, they invited us in the back to partake in a game of cards being played on a makeshift table made from a vintage Pepsi metal sign. We watched for a short while and told them that I didn't know any card games besides Blackjack/21 and we had to get back on the road, being Sunday. Again, the owners and family told us that we were welcome back any time.

I really miss Baja and all of the fun road trips that I've had down there since I was 14 years young. But the most fun we had was in that Bus. That thing just ran forever. It had a mild engine, Kadrons, .009, and a single FourTuned quiet pack. A set of Centerlines and 33" Norseman tires. GOOD TIMES!

What I've discovered over my many years in the car hobby is that the people become the focal point.  The cars (or buses) are just the tool to reach the people.  Doesn't matter what mark your involved with it will work the same coming back to the people.

Twice a year I attend Chrysler 300 Club International Meets.  These are held all over the country and most of the time I fly due to distance and available time.  I get very little sleep, but always return home richer for the experience.  Once again it comes back to the people.

I'll be flying to Harrisburg, PA and then driving to Lancaster, PA for the next meet in the mddle of this month.  This means taking a red-eye, changing aircraft, waiting in airports, etc., but the bottom line is all of this effort pays off due to the people I spend time with for those few precious hours.

[javabug]

I'll be flying to Harrisburg, PA and then driving to Lancaster, PA for the next meet in the mddle of this month.  This means taking a red-eye, changing aircraft, waiting in airports, etc., but the bottom line is all of this effort pays off due to the people I spend time with for those few precious hours.[/i]

Ya don't say...Harrisburg Int'l Airport is maybe 15 minutes from my house John.  Perhaps a meeting if your schedule allows?

[johnl]

I'll be flying to Harrisburg, PA and then driving to Lancaster, PA for the next meet in the mddle of this month.  This means taking a red-eye, changing aircraft, waiting in airports, etc., but the bottom line is all of this effort pays off due to the people I spend time with for those few precious hours.[/i]

Ya don't say...Harrisburg Int'l Airport is maybe 15 minutes from my house John.  Perhaps a meeting if your schedule allows?

I'm scheduled to arrive in Harrisburg about 8:45 am on Wednesday morning, May 13th.  I have no real time limit as I'll be driving to Lancaster which I think is about 100 miles??  Are you available to possibly meet for breakfast?  It will be my buy.

That would be about the only time I have as I fly home very early Sunday morning on the 17th.  Of course you could always drive to Lancaster and attend the show on Saturday.  These events are very small compared to a Bug-In, but once again I go for the people.

Hope we can hook up.

John

[Rennsurfer]

What I've discovered over my many years in the car hobby is that the people become the focal point.  The cars (or buses) are just the tool to reach the people.  Doesn't matter what mark your involved with it will work the same coming back to the people.

Amen to THAT, John. Couldn't agree more. I've felt that way for thirty years.

[jhicken]

Hey the bus on the cover of the June HotVW's belongs to a friend and fellow club member, Bob Cropsey. It's a nice ride and he did all the work himself.

Back in the day I had a '66 Westfalia Camper. It didn't have a pop top, but it did have this cool blue and white awning that attached to the roof. I completely restored this bus, new paint inside and out, color sanded and buffed, it was a peach. I recovered the seats with the original material as well as the door and kick panels. Most of the interior wood was good, but I needed to replace the door and rear hatch panels. Finding a matching veneer was a bitch but got lucky. Still having the Cal Look lifestyle pumping through my veins, I lowered it, and dropped a warmed over 1641 with dual kadrons in it. It was a fun little ride.

Around then I met a cat named Jeff Walters that was starting a bus club called SOTO [Society of Transporter Owners]. One morning I get a call from Jeff asking me if I wanted to have my bus in a TV commercial. I ended up picking up Jeff and driving all over LA and Orange County taking pictures of all our friends buses. The deal was he had a call form a "scout" that needed cars for a shoot. He needed pictures to give the advertising agency so they could choose. We ended up giving him a roll of film with maybe a dozen or so restored buses [including mine]. Unfortunately I didn't get a call back, but a few fellow DKK members did. Paul Chee and his '66 Sea Blue and White Kombi [it was also lowered with 14" alloys] and his neighbor Gordon who had a '66 21 window Samba in Titian Red and White. One thing they asked was that the cars be at stock height. So Gordon's bus was stock so it wasn't an issue, but Paul's needed to be raised. The night before I came over to raise his bus up and while we were at it, we raised mine to because I was planning on coming out to the shoot anyhow [just in case]. It turned out to be a good thing because at the last moment, they decided to include mine in the commercial as well.

This was for the '83 VW Vanagon.  '83 was the first year of the water cooled motor so the concept of the commercial showed a line of old type 2's slowly driving up a hill and the new Vanagon "with 40% more power" passing them all by. A funny thing happened though, on the first day of shooting the new Vanagon bent a valve and they couldn't get the timing down right so it couldn't pass the old buses! So we ended up coming out a second day to finish the shoot with another new Vanagon. I think  we were paid something like $400 per day so it wasn't so bad. I was a college kid and the extra cash came in handy.

I had the bus maybe a year and a half but I had a lifetime of memories in it. Lately my wife has been hinting around how nice it would be to have a bus so maybe I'll take her up on it 

Here are a couple pics of my bus and from the commercial shoot.







-jeffrey

[javabug]

I'm scheduled to arrive in Harrisburg about 8:45 am on Wednesday morning, May 13th.  I have no real time limit as I'll be driving to Lancaster which I think is about 100 miles??  Are you available to possibly meet for breakfast?  It will be my buy.

That would be about the only time I have as I fly home very early Sunday morning on the 17th.  Of course you could always drive to Lancaster and attend the show on Saturday.  These events are very small compared to a Bug-In, but once again I go for the people.

Hope we can hook up.

John

Hi John.  Wednesday morning MAY be doable, but let me check the schedule.  The Chrysler event on Saturday would be fun, however the same weekend is the Import & Kit Car show at Carlisle (actually starting Friday I think—if you wanted to exercise that rental car) and I might be meeting someone there for a photo shoot.  I'll send you a PM with some contact info.

Lancaster is only about 30 miles or so from Harrisburg.  Won't be as long a trip as you are expecting.

[jhicken]

Bruce Myers is also supposed to be at Carlisle too. I may be running out there as well.

-jeffrey

[javabug]

Now that you mention it, I remember hearing that.  I think he has been there before, also?  Dang, wish my weekend was open!  Its a busy one.

[jhicken]

I heard something about him speaking on both Friday and Saturday but not Sunday.

-jeffrey