OK roughly just over 30 busses later (yeah, let some go we shouldn't have....thanks for bringing up the Barndoor Geoff....actually was a 53 double door panel...I saw Mark Merz advertising one on Big Bulli awhile back saying his was one of three known to still exist....It didn't get cut up though, and is still around in Oregon....saw a picture of it not too long ago.... yeah and Hans K and I ponder that 55 23 window every once in awhile which we both had owned at different times...what ever happened to???.....). Gina really compliments me as she doesn't let me sell stuff, and I used to sell everything. Back to the story, We were looking for a bus to make a DORMOBILE out of (MW's Dormobile's are my ultimate, but very tough to find...I've only owned 4 in varying states....Oh yeah Geoff remember that one we cut up at Scott's? That bus was pretty decent but I couldn't live with all that flat sheet metal the guy welded in, and the cut bulkhead (paid $200 for it). Remember he had that panel full of NOS engine stuff..cases..heads...he said I could grab whatever I needed to build an engine for the bus but I didn't know what I was doing so I left all of it). Anyhow over the years Ron Groom (whom I met through Bwaz) had refered to a guy he worked with or something that had a 65 pop-top camper. This actually took a couple of years of conversations, but at the great Canadian a couple of years ago I asked Ron if the guy still had that 65. Ron said he did, and that the guy had bought a motor home and the 65 was kind of out of the picture for this guy now. Ron said he would probably even let it go pretty cheap. After getting his name there was something that felt kind of familiar about it, and I mentioned to Ron that this sounds like it might be my old bus. Ron kept saying it had a pop top which really threw me off because I knew mine was definately a solid roof westy. To shorten the story when I finally went to look at the bus, sure enough it turned out to be my old sweetheart. It was still owned by the same guy I sold it too (Henry Ross), and had basically sat in his carport all these years. It did have a pop-top, but it turned out it was just sitting on top (Henry bought it but never installed it). Then Henry mentioned that he still had all the stuff I gave to him with the bus, and asked me if I would like to see it? I was so stoked that he kept everything and it brought back so many memories. I ended up buying this bus back for $900. It came with the most complete Westy kit I've ever come across, and although rough in spots...pretty unmolested. Anyways, we have a complete MW's interior and top that we have been saving for the right bus, and I guess it's gonna be this one. We are just starting out and don't have lots of $$ so progress may be slow but you'll at least get to see the body paint process over the next couple of months. For all that took the time to read this many thanks.
Chris & Gina B)
