BEFORE
just another old Bus
AFTER
Vincent lives!!!

The hippie bus was purchased in April of 2007. It's a 1973 Volkswagen 8-passenger Microbus Transporter. The bus was wasting away in somebody's backyard in Dover, Ohio. Miraculously, the bus--now named Vincent--has no rust. Yeah, it's dented and dinged and needs some TLC, but the body and undercarriage are rock solid thanks to its early life in the California sunshine.

September updates

  • Vanity plates of 'MY VN GO' becoming more ironic by the weekend. Vincent will run again some day... bi-polar bastard's just being difficult right now is all.

August updates

  • Carb back in and installed.

  • All windows back in with brand new seals.

  • Decided to go slow and rewire things properly under the dash.

  • Had Jess Haney out to pimp out the driver's side of the bus. Check my MySpace page for those pics.

  • Drawing up some plans for interior panels and cabinetry. It's gonna be groovy.

July updates

  • Decided to be safe instead of sorry and sent the carb to a VW guru for a complete rebuild.

  • Picked up a nice jalousie (crank out vent) window for the center side of the bus.

  • Popped all the windows out, and stripped the paint in preparation for the painting party.

  • Painted the bus with the help of the best alcohol-fueled artists I know.

June updates

  • Van up and running! Clogged carb jet was the culprit. No big deal, dudes.

  • Found a rear bumper! Bolted it on and need to have a welder tack the one side in place.

  • Installed proper front turn signal lenses and front grill (between the lenses). This replaced the hideous diamond plate that was on the front.

  • Also scored some new interior door handles/latches and popped those in.

  • Did an oil change and could hear the old Bus sigh in gratitude.

May updates

  • Jason's been busy with art show planning so has had to backburner the Bus. Still... managed to replace the back glass seal so the window doesn't rattle around so much (and leak like a sieve.

  • Rebuilt the carb. Also rebuilt the distributor, replaced the coil, spark plugs, all that jazz. Van won't start. No time to figure it out.

  • Got 'new' high-back seats from a Vanagon.

  • Replaced ignition switch.

  • Replaced shift coupler and installed a quick-shift kit... now this Bus shifts really nicely.

  • Pulled the windshield. Need to re-bow the top of the frame for a good fit. An oxy/acetylene rig will come in handy for this.

April updates:

  • The Bus is alive! It wasn't running when Jason got it. Supposedly a few mechanics had scratched their heads and couldn't figure it out. Turns out they had the coil wired backwards. Jason spent ten seconds flipping the wires around and the Bus fired right up.

  • The engine is a 1600cc from a 1972 Super Beetle, by the by. This is a good thing... great engine.

  • Interior gutted because it smelled like mildew, pot and patchouli. Go figure.

  • That god awful diamond plate (picture above) is gone.

  • Replaced all the under hood wiring for peace of mind.

  • Shifter was sloppy; discovered a nylon bushing missing on the front of the shift shaft. $1.98 bought a new one and the thing shifts great.

  • Removed hideous trailer lights from back end and installed correct tail/turn/backup lights. Seriously, what do these kids think when they do this crap?

  • Re-bowed the roof 'trusses' with a floor jack and piece of 2x4.

  • Spent half a day removing ridiculous, cliched stickers from windows, as well as ridiculous, hideously gummy window tint film from same windows.

  • Had vehicle appraised. The Hyper Hippie is VERY happy because he scored one helluva deal here.

 
Look out... no watercolor barns here, Jane Ooh.... subversive shadowboxes!!!!
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The story of the money pit
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You can see more of the Hippie's work on these great sites.
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