VW Camper/Mircrobus Goes to the Great Hippie Commune in the Sky

[N2NH]

The VW Microbus (same as in Alice's Restaurant) is going the way of payphones and analog TV. The last of the Vee Dubs will roll off the assembly line in Brazil later this month.


Originally conceived to transport goods, the Combi was refitted as a minibus to transport people in 1951.

And then it went on to conquer the world as a cultural icon of the hippie generation in the '60s and '70s, adorning the album covers of the likes of Bob Dylan.

The camper van's robustness, its low price and the ease of its repair has won it a loyal fan base despite its lack of comfort and relatively slow speed.

But just as the free spirits of the hippie era have settled down and grown paunches, so too the camper van's star has been waning for many years.
End of road for VW's iconic camper vans (http://news.yahoo.com/end-road-vw-39-iconic-camper-vans-050456818.html)

http://i44.tinypic.com/2vijvoj.jpg

[K7SGJ]

I had one of those. What a great little vehicle. They were a hoot to drive, and engine rebuilds were quick.

[W9JEF]

A friend in Milwaukee had one of those.

Owing to the salt they used to de-ice the roads,

its bottom was rusted out so bad,

it was a wonder it didn't crumble into the ground.

[PA5COR]

Slow? a Porsche engine will solve that ;)

[kb2vxa]

What I miss is those great paint jobs and the wonderful smell inside. Electronic parts aren't the only things where you don't want to let the magic smoke out.

[NQ6U]

Just to cement my old hippie credentials: I once had a really great, highly stoned, make-out session in a VW bus with a woman I met at a Grateful Dead Concert in Eugene, OR.

[KG4CGC]

The Porsche motor conversion is probably a more practical thing in the UK than here unless you're a good Porsche mechanic. A lot of people around here figured that out in the 80s and ended up going with 2600cc jugs and American carbs. Though the Dellortos were popular for a while, they kept getting pricier and pricier.
Saw a couple of RX3 conversions. Don't ask. V8 conversions abound on Youtube. Rail buggies with a VW pan and transaxle are still seen but the best one I saw had a Pinto 4 banger motor. Simple maintenance and half the hassles.

[K7SGJ]

The Porsche motor conversion is probably a more practical thing in the UK than here unless you're a good Porsche mechanic. A lot of people around here figured that out in the 80s and ended up going with 2600cc jugs and American carbs. Though the Dellortos were popular for a while, they kept getting pricier and pricier.
Saw a couple of RX3 conversions. Don't ask. V8 conversions abound on Youtube. Rail buggies with a VW pan and transaxle are still seen but the best one I saw had a Pinto 4 banger motor. Simple maintenance and half the hassles.


Heh, heh, heh, he said jugs. :bbh:

[HUGH]

The Porsche motor conversion is probably a more practical thing in the UK than here unless you're a good Porsche mechanic. A lot of people around here figured that out in the 80s and ended up going with 2600cc jugs and American carbs. Though the Dellortos were popular for a while, they kept getting pricier and pricier.
Saw a couple of RX3 conversions. Don't ask. V8 conversions abound on Youtube. Rail buggies with a VW pan and transaxle are still seen but the best one I saw had a Pinto 4 banger motor. Simple maintenance and half the hassles.

What was seen as practical was a Subaru flat-4, 2 or 2.5 litre, the whole construction, with a bit of rust, must be liable to shake apart with a big engine. The Subaru would fit the space nicely.

Anyway, I understand they were still being made in Brazil and sold for a high price to VW afficionados round the world.

[n2ize]

Several of my non-hippie friends had them. They were great for fishing. We'd load them up with surf rods and tackle. My friends forbid me to become a hippie. At one point while I was in high school I was letting me hair grow long and my friend Deikus said "what are you up to ? Are you going to become a hippie". A few daays later my friend Charles grabbed me and pinned me up against the wal and asked me, "what are you a hippie freak ??" Then he warned me, "You had better not be !!". It was tough having conservative friends in the early 70's.

[PA5COR]

You should have picked better friends that would not try to dictate your way of life.
Like i did, i led my life the way i saw fit, not as being told i should, freedom and all of that stuff you know? ;)
Peace man....

[n2ize]

You should have picked better friends that would not try to dictate your way of life.
Like i did, i led my life the way i saw fit, not as being told i should, freedom and all of that stuff you know? ;)
Peace man....

You are right. But in those days I just happened to fall in with a group of peers who was like that. In those days i was pretty conservative myself. Then I went liberal during my college years. Today I try to gather facts and make decisions on a per issue basis rather than follow any given ideology or agenda.

[W9JEF]

Several of my non-hippie friends had them. They were great for fishing. We'd load them up with surf rods and tackle. My friends forbid me to become a hippie. At one point while I was in high school I was letting me hair grow long and my friend Deikus said "what are you up to ? Are you going to become a hippie". A few daays later my friend Charles grabbed me and pinned me up against the wal and asked me, "what are you a hippie freak ??" Then he warned me, "You had better not be !!". It was tough having conservative friends in the early 70's.

The pity.

The sorrow. :(

You needed to find new friends. :)

In 1967, I was a conservative broadcast engineer,

and member of the John Birch Society.

Until part-time radio announcer (may he RIP) turned me on. :)

[KG4NEL]

Would rather have a lowered Type 3 squareback...the bus never did anything for me :)

[NQ6U]

Would rather have a lowered Type 3 squareback...the bus never did anything for me :)

Try making out in a Type 3 then get back to us on that.

[PA5COR]

I had several vans in my life, space, diesel engines, cheap fuel, and relative fast ones, all would do 100 miles per hour easy.
Since i don't move stuff anymore or go on holliday after the wife and i split up with a shedload of stuff, the smaller car i have now is more then enough.

Though the newer T5 VW vans are quite nice, 2.5 TDI chipped will do 210 km/H easy ;)

[N2NH]

I had several vans in my life, space, diesel engines, cheap fuel, and relative fast ones, all would do 100 miles per hour easy.
Since i don't move stuff anymore or go on holliday after the wife and i split up with a shedload of stuff, the smaller car i have now is more then enough.

Though the newer T5 VW vans are quite nice, 2.5 TDI chipped will do 210 km/H easy ;)
Nice, but I can remember going upstate in one. It was very slow, but the air-cooled engine would start when other cars were frozen at -15°F. Between that and high mileage, I doubt if they'll improve on either.

I once saw where someone said VW invented the minivan with the microbus. Probably true.

[N7YA]

The pity.

The sorrow. :(

You needed to find new friends. :)

In 1967, I was a conservative broadcast engineer,

and member of the John Birch Society.

Until part-time radio announcer (may he RIP) turned me on. :)


In 1967, i was a 1 year old in the frozen woods of New England...my friends and i were bundled up like burritos. So we basically just ate food, screamed and pooped. But we did so without judgement...ah, those were the days.

[K7SGJ]

Nice, but I can remember going upstate in one. It was very slow, but the air-cooled engine would start when other cars were frozen at -15°F. Between that and high mileage, I doubt if they'll improve on either.

I once saw where someone said VW invented the minivan with the microbus. Probably true.

Microbus? Hey that belongs in the metric thread. How many nanobuses in a microbus?

[PA5COR]

My friends VW T5 2.5 TDI is chipped, has 300 HP and does 220 Km/H and is lightning quick...
1 liter diesel on 15 km on average and he is not a slow driver....

ing upstate in one. It was very slow, but the air-cooled engine would start when other cars were frozen at -15°F. Between that and high mileage, I doubt if they'll improve on either.

I once saw where someone said VW invented the minivan with the microbus. Probably true.[/QUOTE]

[N2NH]

Microbus? Hey that belongs in the metric thread. How many nanobuses in a microbus?

I think it belongs in the Not 'Mericun area. You know, Champagne, National Health and French speak.

[N2NH]

My friends VW T5 2.5 TDI is chipped, has 300 HP and does 220 Km/H and is lightning quick...
1 liter diesel on 15 km on average and he is not a slow driver....

I think that translates to about 36 MPG? That's amazing for an engine that can do 132 MPH (220Km/H). Problem is it looks like an old Dodge Van. Maybe because Dodge was owned by a certain German firm for awhile.

Dodge Van:
http://dodge-parts.uneedapart.com/images/dodge-ram-van-parts.jpg

VW T5:
http://companyvehicle.co.nz/sites/companyvehicle.co.nz/files/front-in-motion.jpg

[PA5COR]

I drove several US vans and the T 5 from my friend, there is a big difference in road handling, the T5 is as a rock on the rroad, good handling where the USA vans have a softer suspention and might be better for long trips in ease, a bit more sportive drive is better for the T5.
6 speed manual gearbox is the best choice, then it's very fun to drive.
Accelleration is good, from low revs to high revs the TDI ( chipped) engine delivers a lot of torque and you can be quite surprised how fast it gets fom 0 -60 Mp/H.
Not for nothing most vans here used for businesses and person transport are the VW T4 or T5 vans.
The engine is very sturdy his old van was sold with 800.000 km's on the meter... and still ran good.

I'm not advertising the van, but since i drove it a lot and several other vans i had eonough experience with them.
I don't care how a car looks i just go out from practical reasons and handling and economic reasons.
A car never was an show off object, it is a means of transport.

[WØTKX]

VW buses were cool, I really liked the pickup/service vehicle variant.

But I'd love to find another Toyota LE 4WD five speed, in excellent condition.
Had one, sold it still running just shy of 300K. Freaking awesome off road.

http://yotavans.org/img/yoyo/05.jpg

[KG4CGC]

Best off road vehicle in a passenger car form that I ever drove was my 72 VW 313. Snow, mud, trails, parks, paths, construction sites and it was great for flattening small trees and wild scrub.

[n2ize]

Frankly those VW buses were useful but ugly.