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| This is my 1977 Westfalia Camper. This bus was assembled in 1977 from a new Transporter-body and an original Westfalia DIY-kit by VW-dealer and camper specialist Ackermann from Wageningen (The Netherlands). I bought this bus in 1996 from the original owner. Considering our wet climate the bus is in very good shape. When I bought it in 1996 it had only got about 77,000 miles (124.000 Km) on the odometer. Since then I have added another 13,000 miles. However at the time the engine was in need of some major repair as both heads were cracked. They were replaced by 'unleaded' heads. This is my 'fun' bus only driven during the warmer seasons. It spends the winters in storage while minor repairs are done on it. | ||||||||||
| Chores done and still to
be done In 1998 the passenger's side sill ('rocker panel') needed repair. I had never done any welding myself but have always wanted to learn it. So now was a good time to get started. Read all about it in this article. After I was finished and the bus was back on the road a minor disaster happened. The windshield got broken in a car-wash. That revealed a badly rusted window frame. The driver's side heat exchanger had been replaced by the dealer for a new one in 1997, in 1998 I replaced the other one myself. Both are NOS (New Original Stock). Also I temporarily patched up the battery tray, a new one has to be welded in at some later date (I already have a replacement tray, however it is not a job I look forward to). In 1999 I started on some small repair jobs concerning rust at various spots along the lower sides (quarter panels, cabin steps etc). First any rust is removed using a wire-brush in a drill. Badly corroded patches are grinded away and new metal welded in. After all this is done it could use a spray job. That may well happen but not sooner than the year 2000. The bus suffers from an occasional sticky starter solenoid after a long period of fast (well relatively speaking) driving. Many buses suffer from this problem. One day I'll have to do something about it. I'll start by doing the additional relays trick (see the www.type2.com archives.) At the moment (May 1999) I'm in the process of replacing the water-pump. The original one has rusted out as water made it to it's little electric motor. I have found a new pump which I am trying to fit in the housing of the old one.
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