Date:         Mon, 1 Apr 1996 09:30:59 -0500 (EST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Your what hurts? <bbach@cnct.com>
Subject:      Report on '74 Safare (longish)


Hello Volks,

Well, I saw the '74 Safare Custom Camper this
weekend, and everything checked out as the 
owner said!  The bus was a California car up
until 1991, which explains why the body is so
clean.  Poking around underneath with a screw-
driver proved that the body is, in fact, as solid
as can be.  Minor spots of surface rust here and
there (around headlights, bottom side of passenger
door).  Wheel wells clean, no rust even where the
pedals go through the floor.  The heat ducts are 
even solid, so there may actually be a chance of 
coercing heat out of this thing!  All in all, I'd
say there is less rust on the bus than there is
on my '93 VW Fox.  Only things rusted were non-VW
items, the straps holding up the grey water holding 
tank and the propane tank.  The original paint looks
pretty good, too.  It's orange and white, and looks
like a creamsicle on steriods!

Engine is strong with good, even compression across 
all cylinders.  After driving the bus for about 15
minutes, the dipstick was cool to the touch - actually
the engine was almost cool to the touch.  Needs a muffler 
and brakes; brakes are being done as you read this.  It 
drove beautifully, front end and suspension are all solid 
and tight.  Differential, tranny and clutch all
in excellent shape as well.  Tires have good tread,
but are dried and cracked from sitting, so they'll
need replacing.

The interior is in good shape for a 20+ year old interior.
All camping goodies are still there; stove and sink
work, though I didn't have a chance to check out the 
fridge (which looks to be in pretty good shape).  The
original tables are there, all yellow as David Schwarze
predicted (thanks for all the details, Dave!).  The dash
had been replaced because the old one was dried and cracked.
The new dash is gorgeous, but all the knobs don't match (ie.
there's a wiper control on the steering stalk, and a wiper
control knob on the new dash).  There is no radio in the
dash.  It'll need some work on the interior electrical wiring
for the camping goodies (for the AC hookup), but all dashboard 
stuff is fine.  No accessory battery in the engine compartment,
and I didn't see hookups for it either, so that'll be an
early project.  Benches and beds all in fine shape, too.

Owner is throwing in (!) an extra engine, two extra doors, 
and (bonus!) a set of louvered windows from another bus that
he stripped.  I'm not sure if I want to swap out the louvred
windows - the existing ones give the bus a nice clean profile,
but the others would be nice for camping ventilation.

After poking around underneath I started her up, and the
engine just sang.  I just sat on the ground with my head in
the engine compartment for a few minutes and savored it.  We
took her out for a spin, and I had a severe postal-worker
drooling grin emblazoned on my face.  Within about two blocks
I knew that I had to have this bus.  Owner was happy to sell
it to me, because he knew that she was going to a good home.

I hope to pick her up this week after all the paperwork's 
done and the new brakes are in.  When I get her home and
have more of a chance to go over her with a fine toothed
comb, I'll post more details, maybe even some pictures on
a web site.  

I'd really like to thank all the people on this list who were
so helpful in giving me advice on this bus.  Special thanks
to Dave who provided so many Safare-specific details.  The 
owner had a *number* of offers on this bus - people stopped 
by while I was looking at it and were making offers.  I had
printed out a bunch of pages from Dave's web page, including
copies of the original Safare owner's manual.  I believe that
these were probably the deal closer for me - when the owner
saw them, he flipped.  He asked to keep the copies, so I, of
course, obliged him.

Oooh, Joel!  You can add another '74 Safare Custom Camper to the
list of statz. (Do we get a separate Safare classification now?)
Hope to see y'all on the road soon...

John Breitenbach           (bbach@cnct.com)
'74 Safare Custom Camper
(as yet unnamed, though I'm leaning towards "Greta" - suggestions?)