2 Buses

[ruckman101]

Not nearly as iconic.


neal

[glasseye]

Twins! How impossibly cool!
Loved your train ride story, too.

[hambone]

Engine and trans now out, thanks Gypsie for your invaluable help!
EVERYTHING a greasy godawful mess...poor bus. Hell of a couple days...

[tristessa]

Start scrubbing...

[ruckman101]

Congrats!

neal

[asiab3]

Do you happen to know the VW production date on these? My Westy plates are so beat the numbers are gone, but my Pearl White (originally..) '69 hardtop Westy might be close in age too!

[hambone]

Feb 1969. Hey check the chassis # (just BEHIND the air cleaner stand), I'd be very curious! We need to start the most obscure club possible. You can also run the m-codes online, that tells you a ton.
http://www.vw-mplate.com/mcode.php
Both of mine came to L.A.
Mamabus1 grew up in L.A. and came to Portland in the 80s. #2 must have lived in S. Oregon, more crusty in the pans but otherwise extremely solid and original underneath. Lots of sand inside and evidence of recent beachfront living that took its short toll here and there.
Took me all day today to clean the filth from the engine compartment. Funny the same crap I bitch about in the woods "NO one has cleared this trail since 1945????", black goop of 15 failed former engines....but underneath the shiny original paint still amazing.

[asiab3]

Feb 1969.

My M-Plate born-on date is Feb 26. Think we're far off? The original owners picked it up in Pennsylvania, and drove it to central California where it lived mostly in their garage for a few decades. Sort of like a tourist delivery program, but more domesticated and less expensive.

What interests me is the Pearl White color not being listed as a standard option that model year. I wonder if our buses were part of a short special run of that color??

[hambone]

Wow...they are within mere DAYS of each other. Now that too is pretty freaky. The big difference is California delivery though.
I think that was a standard color for Westfalias, it seems pretty common.

[asiab3]

I think that was a standard color for Westfalias, it seems pretty common.

It was a standard color until '68. I usually see Lotus White early bay Westies, or Pastel White on '71s.

This thread and connection definitely made me think twice about my color choice I'm going to have to make soon.

Now we just have to track down 'ol Albrecht and Jürgen and see what the real scoop is behind this color in the middle of the '69 model run.

[tristessa]

Now we just have to track down 'ol Albrecht and Jürgen and see what the real scoop is behind this color in the middle of the '69 model run.

..they found some barrels of leftover paint in the back of the warehouse and decided to use them up?

[hambone]

They are pretty different:
Pearl White


lotus white


Both my buses seem to be lotus white....what gives?
(thanks to Samba for the colors)

[asiab3]

Both my buses seem to be lotus white....what gives?
(thanks to Samba for the colors)

I can't find your longer blog post, but your shorter blog post says "pearl white" and they definitely look like pearl white. Are you saying your buses look more like lotus white in person? Or the M-Plate says lotus white?

[hambone]

They look more yellow inside, but the exterior is more gray thanks to years of Maaco. It is hard to tell after 45 years of fading etc.

[hambone]

Engine ready to go back in tomorrow! It's been a lot of work since last June...
P.S. both of the buses are actually Perl White. So there.
Please say some prayers to Nordhoff and Porsche for me.
Anyone wandering around NE Portland tomorrow AM is welcome to stop by.