Raible Designs

When is the bus gonna be done?

When I meet up with friends these days, the most common question I'm asked is "when is the bus gonna be done?" I've often replied "in a few months" and I've been wrong every single time. However, this time, I really do believe it's gonna happen.

... says the guy who thought his kitchen would take 1 month to remodel (it's going on 4 months) and his deck a couple weeks to build (it took around 6 months).

The difference this time is that the last part we're waiting on has shipped. The part is the custom-built rear suspension from Franklin's VW Werks. You can see some pictures of them building it here. When this arrives, Motorworks Restorations can finally start putting all the pieces together.

Even with this good news, history has taught me that in a few months is not gonna happen. Here's a timeline of events since I bought the bus back in 2004 (4 months before Jack was born).

• April 10, 2004 - [VW Bus] Could this be the one?: "Hmmm, if I could buy my dream car today and DU wins the National Championship tonight..."
• June 09, 2004 - Pictures from "Bus Rescue" Road Trip: "1500 Miles, 4 days, 4 quarts of oil used. Pretty damn good for a Volkswagen."
• October 15, 2005 - The Bus Project Begins: "With any luck, I'll have the bus in Mike's shop by December. Estimated time to complete body work and paint: 6 months to a year."
• April 17, 2006 - Off to The Shop!: "Estimated time at the shop: 6 months to a year."
• November 11, 2006 - Bus Project Update: "I'd like to be driving it around next summer, hopefully it'll be done by then."
• June 08, 2007 Bus Project Update: "I doubt it'll be done this summer, but I'm still hopeful."

Project Reset: first guy went out of business and ended up costing me 5K for his work and 10K to fix his work at the next shop.

• January 19, 2008 - Bus Project Update: "To start with, I'm going to have Motorworks do paint and body, and possibly suspension. Jeremy said they could probably take it out of my hands in March and have it back to me 2-3 months later."
• July 07, 2008 - Bus Project Update: "With any luck, I'll have it completely restored sometime in 2010."
• May 17, 2010 - Volkswagens On The Green 2010 and The Bus Project: "I don't know if we'll finish it this year, but there's a really good chance we'll be driving it to a lot of Colorado VW Shows next year."
• April 30, 2012 - Bus Project Update: "With any luck, I'll have a kick-ass new ride arriving sometime in June. In July, I hope to drive it in the Swan Valley 4th of July parade."

So yeah, I have no idea when it's gonna be done. I'm hopeful it'll be in a few months.

Bus Project Update

I bought my '66 21-window VW Bus way back in April of 2004. I purchased it on eBay minutes after DU Won the National Championship in NCAA Hockey. It was a day I still remember very well. Several weeks later, my Dad and I flew to San Diego to pick it up and drive it back to Denver. It was a great adventure. I remember fondly 2-year old Abbie calling it "Daddy Bus". Jack was still a couple months away from his birthday.

Fast forward 8 years and The Bus is still in the shop. It's been there since July 2008. However, it's closer than ever to being finish. In fact, I drove to Colorado Springs last Thursday and met with Jeremy and Ben to finalize what it'll take to get 'er done. In other words, the end is in sight! It's been a long time coming, but this isn't your normal bus project. Not only are we restoring every nut and bolt, but we're converting it to have have a Porsche infrastructure so it can really get up and go. 911 engine (3.0 SC), Weber 46 IDA carbs, 5-speed 915 transmission, custom air-bag suspension (by Franklin's VW Werks), Porsche wheels, iPads for TVs, Porsche gauges and a sweet sound system.

Looking at the pictures below, it might not look like it's close to being done, but we've got most of the parts and now it's just a matter of time.

All the used parts have been found and I'm negotiating with sellers now. The rear suspension has been paid for and it should be done in a few weeks. The interior has been picked out and ordered. With any luck, I'll have a kick-ass new ride arriving sometime in June. In July, I hope to drive it in the Swan Valley 4th of July parade.

If you live in Colorado and would like to see it at a local event, I plan on showing (and racing!) it at the Colorado Bug-In at Bandimere Speedway. That's on Sunday, July 29th. In the meantime, it's gonna be pretty cool watching it come alive!

Volkswagens On The Green 2010 and The Bus Project

This weekend, I took Abbie and Jack to the 16th Annual Volkswagens on the Green. I was especially inspired to take them because we've been playing a lot of "Slug Bug" lately and I figured the number of opportunities for points would surely overload their senses. Not only was I right, but this was one of the best VW shows I've been to in Colorado. The venue was great, there were lots of cars and everything was easily accessible.

Personally, the highlight of the show for me was stumbling upon my bus in the midst of the parking lot. Motorworks Restorations hauled it up from the Springs to highlight it as one of their project vehicles. The kids loved seeing it and climbed all over it while I had a conversation with Jeremy (owner of Motorworks) about adding a Porsche suspension and brakes to the mix.

My Bus Restoration Project has been on hold for a couple years and I'm happy to report I'll be starting it again in the next few months. I don't know if we'll finish it this year, but there's a really good chance we'll be driving it to a lot of Colorado VW Shows next year.

For more pictures, click on the images below or see my VWs on the Green set on Flickr.

Abbie gets her first tooth and The Bus looks great!

Today was quite the day. First of all, Jack and I took Abbie to A Wild Smile to get a couple front teeth yanked. She has her first adult tooth coming in and her baby teeth weren't getting out of the way. Before and after pictures are below:

This afternoon, I drove to Colorado Springs to see The Bus and speak at the Colorado Springs Open Source User Group. The Bus looked great. Motorworks Restorations has done a lot of very detailed work (i.e. replacing corners, stretching the frame, replacing window and door drains) in the last couple of months.

We talked for a good hour about the possibilities in wheels, transmission, engine, suspension, gauges and interior. My favorite topics were the air bags, 6-cylinder 911 engine and safari windows. Click here to see the full set of pictures I took. Quote of the night: "It's going to be better than it was when it was brand new."

After leaving the bus, I delivered my Web Frameworks of the Future Presentation to a bunch of guys (and gals) at a nearby library. It was a fun presentation because I got to meet a lot of folks I had name recognition for, but had never met. All in all, a very good day.

Tomorrow marks my last day of work before I head out on a week's vacation in Munich for Oktoberfest. I have a feeling the days are going to get a lot better from here on out.

Pictures of the Bus at MotorWorks Restorations

Jeremy from MotorWorks restorations sent me an e-mail this morning to let me know there's pictures of my bus available on their site. Apparently, they're quite a bit further along than these pictures show. When I talked to Jeremy last week, the bus was at the sandblasters.

This Thursday, I'll be traveling down to The Springs to checkout the bus, as well as speak at The Colorado Springs Open Source Meetup. Should be a fun evening.

Bus Project Update

This evening, Jeremy from MotorWorks Restorations stopped by and picked up the bus. It'll be in the shop for around 6 months. It's scheduled to be returned in January of next year with a straight body and a slick yellow and white paint job. The engine, interior and suspension will be up to me at that point.

It's hard to believe I bought it 4 years ago. With any luck, I'll have it completely restored sometime in 2010. You can read more about its history in The Bus category.

Release Your Inner Hippie With The VW Bus PC

I wonder if I can get one of these in yellow?

Thanks to Jim Head for sending me a link to this.

Bus Project Update

This afternoon, Jeremy Vreeman from Motorworks Restorations stopped by to take a look at my bus. I first e-mailed Jeremy way back in June of last year, so this meeting has been a long time coming. He took lots of pictures and we talked at length about the things I wanted as part of this restoration project. To start with, I'm going to have Motorworks do paint and body, and possibly suspension. Jeremy said they could probably take it out of my hands in March and have it back to me 2-3 months later.

I'm pretty pumped - for a number of reasons. The first is Motorworks seems to be best company on the Front Range to help me make "Daddy's Bus" into my dream car. I realize it's going to cost quite a bit of cash (a full restoration to pristine condition is 50K), but it's something I've always wanted to do. Furthermore, it's not a bad investment (most car restorations are). Jeremy told me about a deal he just saw where a guy sold his restored '59 for 70K. I'm certainly not planning on spending that kind of money this year, but with 15K already into the project, it's likely I'll spend another 30K over the next 5-10 years. The last reason I'm excited is because anything is possible with this bus at Motorworks. Jeremy was telling me about a project they have right now that closely resembles a "Pimp My Ride" episode: flat screens, A/C and even Wi-Fi (I didn't ask why an EVDO card wouldn't work).

I don't plan on selling the bus when I'm done. I hope to drive it during the summer and possibly show it. I think it'd be pretty cool for the kids and I to cruise around town in one of the coolest cars ever. It should be a great childhood memory for them. Hopefully it's not too painful when one of them totals it in high school.

The Perfect Day for a Homecoming

Today was a great day and a terrific start to a fun-filled weekend. The morning, I delivered my last talk at the Colorado Software Summit then drove home on a beautiful Colorado day. See proof below:

I got home just in time to meet the tow truck who was hauling my bus home. The shop were it was at was too slow. I've been talking to MotorWorks Restorations (in the Springs) and I hope to get it into their shop w/in the next couple of weeks. After they've completed the body and paint (and possibly electrical), I hope to rebuild the engine, finish the interior and have it on the road by next summer.

I missed my delivery of Leopard this morning, but I can still get it before Monday if I can make it to the Fedex store before 7PM tonight. With happy hour starting at 5:30 and the Homecoming DU Hockey game at 7, this day just keeps getting better.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Bus Project Update

Not much has changed on my bus since the last time I visited it in the shop. However, this time it is out of the corner and the guy (Mike Lopez of Twins Auto Body) is actively working on it. He's in the midst of replacing the floor pan and doing all of the welding it needs before prepping for paint. I doubt it'll be done this summer, but I'm still hopeful. We snapped a few pics to record its progress.