We all like to ponder how we’re going to spend our retirement, assuming we’re lucky enough to get one. Some folk buy a set of clubs and join their local golf club, others simply while away their time gardening or watching Bargain Hunt. VW Heritage customer Peter Edwards, however, had an altogether better idea – and that was to buy a ’74 Bay window camper, a retirement VW project! But instead of putting his feet up when he stopped work, he decided to embark on a restoration to return his newly acquired rust-free US import to its former glory before setting out on his travels…

Sixty-seven-year old retired CAD designer Peter and his wife Norma, from Caldicot in Gwent, had always hankered after a camper – and after a bit of research decided that touring around in a VW Bay window bus would be an ideal way to spend their retirement. Having made the life changing decision, it was simply a case of finding the right vehicle. “We did a lot of research and decided to look for one from the West coast of the USA to avoid getting one with rust. They’re generally much cheaper, too, and it’s easier to find campers with bigger 1800cc and 2000cc engines. There ain’t no substitute for cubes, as they say!”

Peter’s a long time Harley-Davison fan and was riding one until a year ago, so cleverly used his biker contacts in the States to track down the perfect bus – a rust free 1974 Westfalia Campmobile. “Lots of Harley people know American car people and I was able to track down a camper in Nevada. Some guy knew another guy, who knew someone who’s nextdoor neighbour had one… that’s how I found out about it! It’s always easier if you know the right people and can trust their judgment.”

The total cost, delivered to Peter’s front door in Wales, was just £6,400. The vehicle was a runner, but Peter had already decided to plough time and money into a full restoration. “We needed total reliability in order to use it as we intended – this wasn’t to be a show vehicle, it was to take us away for weeks at a time.”

Fortunately, having worked on motorbikes and cars as a hobby, and being retired, Peter was in the perfect position to carry out most of the work himself – including a complete rebuild of the original 2000cc engine along with the transmission. “I enjoy that type of work and once again wanted the peace of mind afforded by doing the work myself. Obviously, I now had plenty of time on my hands! Fortunately, because there was no rust, the only bodywork issues were various dents, dings and a multitude of drilled holes.” Peter sprayed many of the smaller panels, bumpers, wheels, engine tinwork and dash himself, while a retired friend welded up the holes, knocked out the dents and carried out the exterior respray.

Inside, Peter refurbished virtually the entire interior – including fitting new cabinets and paneling. Apparently, the paintwork inside was so bleached by the Nevada sun, it had turned white! The only work that was farmed out was re-trimming the seats, which was carried out by a friend in his spare time, although Peter did all the stripping and repainting of the frames. “I also sourced PVC to replace the plaid fabric used by Westfalia. Grandchildren, ice cream and chocolate do not go well with cotton!”

Peter admits the only real hurdle along the way was his experience of inferior quality parts – not from us, we hasten to add! “When I first got the bus I immediately started ordering parts to give me some leeway, just in case they went out of stock. Unfortunately, I let my head rule my heart and ordered a whole load of rubbish parts from other suppliers. It was a stupid mistake, especially considering my engineering background. Most of the parts either didn’t fit, needed modifying – or in some cases had to be consigned to the rubbish bin. It’s the old adage with parts – you always get what you pay for. Basically I ended up buying everything again from you guys, none of which ever let me down. Every part fitted first time, without any problems. It was literally out of the box and onto the camper.”

So what’s left to do? Being a typical Nevada vehicle, it was fitted with the 1600cc gearbox for low ratios to cope with the mountain/desert roads and it may not have been modified correctly for the 2000cc engine, so that’s Peter’s next job! Also, the door seals need replacing. Again! “I fitted new ones, but they have already cracked, split and have begun to leak. Yes, you guessed it, I bought those from another supplier – and needless to say the replacements will come from you!”

Since being put back on the road last May, the camper’s already made several trips throughout the UK, and to the occasional show. “Some journeys were in excess of 100 miles along pretty crappy roads, but it never let us down once,” smiled Peter.

Travelling the country in a Westy that you’ve restored yourself? Hell, that’s gotta beat Homes under the Hammer any day!

Ian