Not at all...
Body/paint The body work has only been partially done at this point. I just wanted the bus on road so I handled the areas that were in most need of attention and which would be difficult to handle without parking the bus till done. The area around the bottom of the windscreen seal was rusted thru so it was a must as I planned to fit new seals and a new wind screen. At the same time I got the complete nose panel beaten for it would need taking out the dash and removing the door /doors to gain access. The doors were panel beaten too and a bit of rust at the bottom edges taken care of as they not only contribute to the looks department but also functionality. The front two doors would be used most frequently so we chose to get those opening and closing properly. I paid 15k for this work. There were other jobs like the fitting of flue vent and city power hook-up plus the camper windows, the Z-bed etc. There was an area on the rear left inside that was cut open at some point to gain access and then left without being welded. it too was straightened and welded.
Interior. The major job on the interior was the fitting of the headliner by Ustaad Zaheer. he charged Rs. 16,000 for the material and labour. The Z bed woodwork cost me 8,000 and Ustaad Zaheer charged an additional Rs. 4,000 for the foam padding and covering them in the Westfalia plaid fabric that i had provided. New sun visors and clips were purchased from WCM
Engine. The engine was brought in from the US, rebuilt and ready to go. This cost me about $850 excluding shipping. The wiring job was done locally for Rs. 7,500 labour and another about 3,000 for wiring materials. The main wiring loom is still original which was removed, washed and cleaned in a bucket of hot water and detergent, then dried and re-covered in plastic tubing. Any wires that were cut and jointed were replaced with new wires of equal or better rating. NOS switches were used from my stash so I don't have prices for those. Headlamps are NOS too but I don't remember how much i paid for those. A complete windshield wiper machine was brought from the US (bought for $55) and the wiper arms for another $20 There are other bits that were bought new from WCM that I am forgetting but they may be another $100 or so
Front end The front end was restored using new parts the cost of which was around $500
Brakes NOS brake callipers were installed from my stash, all four new German brake hoses were used which cost me $23 each. The master cylinder was rebuilt using NOS brake kit. Rear brake (slave) cylinders were replaced with new TRW units of Swiss make bought off the samba
There are other bits like the vent windows on the doors that were fitted in place of fixed windows that came originally with the bus, the pair of OG side view mirrors,
The list in long and yet incomplete. There is a ton of parts that have gone on the bus already and another lot that would go on later. The project is far from complete but I am happy that I have a reliable and roadworthy family vehicle for my personal use.
