1961 Westfalia SO23 , a new life

[ovalsplit56]

Great to see the old photos of the bus, kombis have so many stories to tell.
Bill, love the pic of yr son in the bus, here's a pic of my 8 yr old and 10yr old enjoying the bus, the next generation

[ovalsplit56]

The suspension is twin wishbone coil over shocks with rack and pinion steering., my aim with the bus was to make it handle , stop and go well but retain the original character , everything is bolt on so one day the bus can go back to stock no problem, unfortunately I couldn't run the stock OG wheels as they fouled the callipers on the disc brakes, so I opted for 17" smoothies from airkewld which retain the original look.

The suspension is 28point fully adjustable for stiffness on the shocks and retains full suspension travel, even with the 17x7 rims there is no rubbing or bottoming out, I did have to roll the rear arch lip to clear though.

The bus runs a remote oil cooler and filter system with a thermostatically controlled fan (kicks in over 180 degrees) and a bypass valve to maintain oil temps.
Engine is a 1916cc with twin 44 webers, gearbox is Rancho pro street IRS
I installed dual circuit servo assisted brakes with new hard lines and 4pot disc brakes front and rear, vacuum line running from the inlet manifolds.
I managed to mostly utilise holes that were already there to run the lines as I didn't want to drill to many new ones.

Bus is converted to 12volt, runs LED headlights and rear lights/indicators from custom dynamics in New York.
I have installed a deep cycle battery and 12v 14ltr cooler /warmer under the rear seat.

Here's some photos from the build for anyone that's interested, we all love photos

Out with the old




Rear suspension complete






Front wishbone with bad series brakes n wilwood callipers



LED headlamps , straight replacement fit





POR15


OG sealing wax red


New shifter rod bushes




Front end with bay window brake booster ,dual circuit










Bay window fuel tank


I had my friend put a clear plastic over the stickers to preserve the Kelly's island and Mexico stickers, love the history
LED rear lights


With its shed companions


Made a friend at the morning coffee stop, Aussie flash trim beetle


Seatbelt install

[ovalsplit56]

Some more






























What the!!




Straightened the chassis rail, and ran new wiring loom




Found the bad earth




Sprayed on some new white


Blended in some blue







New panels

[Ken]

WOW. Awesome restomod. . That bus will be around for many,many years to come.

[TRL]

Huge props on that build! Wow! What speed does it like to cruise at in 4 gear?

[65Westy]

Very nice.