1965 21-Window VW Bus

Here's the latest progress on Jesse's Girl, a 21-Window 1965 VW Bus we are restoring for a client. Rough metal work is done (and boy did she need a lot of it!) and now it's time to tune the metal. Spook will use a long block and a lot of elbow grease to get this body dead-nut straight.

This pre-paint prep work is one of the most time-consuming phases of a VW restoration. If you cut corners here, it will show. Some folks might figure that the paint will cover any imperfections, but it actually seems to be the opposite - and the only way to make sure your finished body work looks good up-close is to make sure the underlying metal is straight. Otherwise, you get what we call a 50/50, meaning your car looks good to someone who's traveling at 50 m.p.h., from 50 feet away.

You can follow the build for this 21-Window 1965 VW Bus on the build page - and there's a link at the bottom of that page where you can check out hundreds of pictures of the restoration process.

This VW restoration project is especially kool for a couple of reasons. First, a 21-Window 1965 VW bus is a rare breed now. As the older buses become harder to find, their value, of course, goes up. Bay window buses, which used to be sort of poo-pooed by many, are now becoming more desirable as their numbers drop. So, to get to work on the resurrection of a 21-window is a rare and exciting opportunity for the shop.

Also, check this out. Jesse's girl is owned by (surprise, surprise) a client named Jesse. Jesse happens to be far, far away somewhere hot and sandy. He found the shop online, and has never even set foot in the compound. He had his girl shipped to us by transport and we update him by video (like this one) as the work progresses. We've had long distance clients before, lots of them. But this is the furthest so far!

So, if you're getting ready to do a resto and are worried about being out of state, don't worry about that. We have ways of getting your Dub to the shop - and ways of keeping you up to date on the progress of your project.