Hello all, I finally took the plunge and climbed out of the romantic notion of wanting one and into the reality of owning one ! My choice was a 75 RHD Westy for sale by Bob at Resto Haus in sunny north Devon, after a pleasant journey down in a modern turbo diesel car we arrived at Bob's fully fresh and excited about our purchase. Now I'm no stranger to the perils of ownership of older motors so I didn't give Bob any grief about the odd bubble hear or the gap of daylight there, we just enjoyed the guided tour of the finer points of the continental interior. Once the deal was done and paperwork exchanged we bid Bob farewell and headed out onto the open road. The first thing I managed to do was to miss second gear and shave some metal off of reverse gear the second thing was to get so excited about my new drive that I drove past the first available garage and headed off into the countryside because apparently my bus runs on magic and fairy dust ! luckily for me my 1600 lump had just had a tune up and used the last of the fuel wisely and got me to the next garage. We decided not to head back onto the M5 but instead head south over some beautiful hilly Devon countryside and join the A30 at Oakhampton. Once on the A30 I settled down to some laid back 55mph cruising and got used to the hand waiving of bus owners going the other way and the smiles of car occupants slowing down to get better look. Unfortunately for us we had chosen the Friday at the end of half term and the road was rammed so much that a journey that should have took about 4 hours in the end took seven hours, meaning that when we set off I was looking for ways to cool down whilst stuck to the vinyl seats and when we were nearing the end I was trying to work out if the heater worked better with the leavers up or with the leavers down. I would highly recommend a baptism of fire with a seven hour journey which gave the bus steep hills, fast dual carriageways and very heavy traffic jams, all of which it took in its stride and gave me great confidence. Yes, second gear is optional even with the Empi shifter and yes, the noise inside the bus can be deafening but I have to say I loved every minute of it and I can't wait to make the bus my own ( first to go are the flowered curtains - yuk )
Hi, enjoy your bus. Maintain it thoroughly and don't drive it above 60 mph. If not done already, get the fuel lines replaced and fuel breather rubber pieces replaced and if your fuel filter is in the engine bay, remove it and replace with a new filter under the fuel tank. Also do an oil change soon as possible. Your van looks very nice, but be prepared to spend time and cash keeping it running well. Pics are always welcome, perhaps engine bay and underneath would be good.
if you dvla check it it lists as a 71 and a 74........... these early westys were often built in late 72 and sat for ages in dealers as they were expensive, there's a few members on here with "m" reg ones that are 72...
I did wonder my mine had a front hinge roof ! I'm taking it to work tomorrow to get our guys to look for second gear, change the oil and to check the fuel lines. I done something the other night that I hav'nt done since I was a teenager and that was to go for drive just for the sake of it ! Love this bus.....
you can tell it's early 'cos it has a petrol flap - i'm not into scaring you but if you check the mot history online it doesn't look "great" i'd be getting a good check over it if i were you......
Just goes to show the different standard of MOT inspectors I reckon. I had a look at the MOT history before purchase so went in eyes wide open. The portfolio that came with the bus included pictures of the a nut and bolt resto 12 yrs ago with pictures of before and after so I know where the problems were. I didn't want a complete show winning van, so I decided to "get on" around mid table with the view to make the van better as I go. Original colour was L90D Pastel White over L61B Sumatra Green with Westy beige cloth seats in the rear and green curtains. Had a look at the log book Which says 20/04/74 but the vin plate says 73 built in week 06 on a Friday. Thanks all for the info....
####### predictive text ! I type beige it puts magnolia ? Anyhoo I have a sample of the original material and it's sort of a yellow sandy beige colour.....
I thought it would have mustard / golden yellow seat material and same curtains ? ... These early westfalias are the best conversion ......
Ha ha you'll soon get used to the little ways of the forum where bus colours and many other things are concerned.... my bus is er "orange" Hello and welcome. Looks nice, but we'd all love more photos. Mines an M reg too (a Devon conversion though) 1973 build, 74 model and registration. Yours looks like a 73 model though with its petrol filler flap. Enjoy the drive!
"I thought it would have mustard / golden yellow seat material and same curtains ? ... These early westfalias are the best conversion ......" Yes your right, mustard was the colour that eluded me, the curtains were a Westy green. The bus actually stayed original until 2004 when it was sprayed cream ? Then a couple of years later the pale green was added.
