June 1, 2009

Look What Neal Brought Home

...and no, it's not another pet! But it is a new pet project for him. He and his buddy, Helio, recently purchased a 1971 VW Micro Bus. The plan is to fix it up and sell it for some profit. Neal had to tow the bus from the house where it had been sitting idle for a year, but when he got it to our house, it cranked up and ran within no time. That made the boys very happy, indeed. Less engine work means less outlay of money and more profit!

The inside is pretty nasty looking and worn, and some seats are missing, but it does have some cool features like a drop-down table and a child cot that mounts above the front seats. Apparently someone used it as a trash dump because it was full of beer bottles, boxes, miscellaneous tools and junk. Neal and Helio spent a few hours yesterday cleaning everything out, vacuuming, hosing it inside and out and just tinkering. Then, they took the dogs for a ride in their new bus, which I call Blue Bayou, and came home for a celebratory shot of whiskey.

9 comments:

frugalmom said...

My grandpa had one of these when I was a kid. It was that burnt orange color. The main thing I remember was that really tall gear shift that began at the floor and seemed to go as high as the dash board. Does yours have that?

And wait. A cot above the front seats? Really? Do you think kids actually slept in there?

Anonymous said...

oh, wow - that will be quite a project! but how fun will it be to tootle around in when it is done!

well, before you resell it :)

Lilla said...

frugalmom, yep,the gear shift is pretty tall but not quite to the dashboard. The cot is a canvas type thing, somewhat like a hammock, that mounts over the seats. It's the perfect size for a kid or two, or even a small dog!

Daune, Neal loves taking on car projects that most people wouldn't have the patience for. I have no doubt he and his friend will transform Blue Bayou into a really nice bus for someone. Not sure how much tootling around I'll be doing in it, unless they get new seats. The seats that ARE there really creep me out!

LiveWorkDream said...

That is one sweet love machine!

And you are one really awesome woman for encouraging this hobby of his. I know a few couples who have fought over these "fixer-upper" projects taking up space in the garage.

Neal should take you to dinner for not telling him "get that thing out of here!"

Lilla said...

Rene, after 11 years of marriage, I'm pretty used to Neal's car projects. The good thing is he only works on one at a time and doesn't junk up our drive and garage with a bunch of cars in various stages of repair. I told him a long time ago I didn't want our house to look like a used car lot!

Hey, I like that dinner idea. I think I'll pass on that suggestion to Neal!

basicliving@backtobasicliving.com said...

How cool is THAT! And it sounds like a good buy since the thing actually runs! Thank goodness you have such a nice place to stay while on your homestead - I could see Neal trying to sell the idea of staying in that love machine while on your weekend visits ;-)

Lilla said...

Penny, HA! I don't mind roughing it, but the interior of the VW is a little too rough for me! Thank goodness we have our popup with two king sized beds - one for us and one for the dogs!

Jane Beavon said...

Joe and I had one of those many years ago. I loved it!! It was two tone brown and I drove it everyday until our son, Kevin, totalled it one evening coming home from King's Island in Ohio.
It was a sad day.

Lilla said...

Jane, neat that you had a VW bus like that. I never pegged you and Joe for the VW bus type folks. Guess that was during your hippie days, right?

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