Copy and paste by me from that other bay forum... My name's Tom and I live in Wales. It's been a bit of a dream of mine to own a T2 Camper Van to do a bit of traveling and it looks like I might be able to make it happen within the next year so I'll be keeping an eye out for some vans for sale + Ideas on any modifications I may like to try if/when I eventually find one. Looking forward to getting to know you.
I cease to be amazed our Bazza Did I mention my Scottish blood, our good old hero Rabbie Burns wife Jean Armour is my sixth great grandfather’s sister… BTW welcome aboard Tom
welcome the other forums are rubbish btw you did the right thing joining up before you buy something - post on here what you're looking at and you will get some helpful advice about the bus, things to ask, check, look at etc. there are often good busses on the for sale section here and if its a bus from a forum member with a known history that could be a bonus. my build thread documents my journey as a compleat idiot / novice / numpty buying my first t2, ups and downs of owership, learning how to fix things my advice, look at lots of options before you commit. work out in advance what you need, basic usable family vehicle, or show winner, tin top or pop top, camper or bus with seats, cooking / fridge/ sink fitted or one with more space? the earliest of the late bays still had 1600 engines like a beetle where the later busses have a type 4 1.7/1.8/2.0 which gives you a bit more torque. front hinged westies have a small bed for kids where a rear hinged later model has a full double bed in the top. working this stuff out in advance can save you a lot of time. if i didn't already have my bus i'd look at something like this: https://thelatebay.com/index.php?threads/1973-vw-baywindow-westfalia-subaru-engine.98879/ steering rack conversion is great mod, and a subaru motor gives you better performance and economy. i don't know the bus or its owner but it looks like a good option. good luck with your search.
Single carb 1600 was a UK option right until the end AFAIK. We weren't as fussy about emissions as the US. An amazing amount of changes to bays over the years (possibly most of them) were driven by the US market, otherwise I suspect late bays would never has existed at all and 2L FI ones definitely not!
Thanks for the informative post. Def the reason I signed up to learn more and have a better idea before I eventually buy. The bus you linked here is something I might very well go for. I signed for the prototype bay site too but this site appears to be a good bit more active. Thinking of going to volksfest Wales in Brecon next week. Not sure what to expect. Hopefully learn a thing or 2 and meet some people. Thanks for the warm welcome everybody also
Look up Techenders in the shows section. If you come along plenty of people will be happy to show you the areas to look at, before you spend a fortune on a nail!
