This page is dedicated to my '73 Safare Custom Camper, Bluto. The identification tag above is from a Safare camper similar to mine that I found in a junkyard recently - mine is still firmly attached to the side of the bus by two rounded out phillips-head screws.
Go to the A/C drive pulley repair page
Go to the dyno page and see how much horsepower my bus makes.
Go to the 1999 cylinder head swap page (this job is in progress)
I bought this camper in 1988 for $200 with a basket-case motor (burnt piston) and have been trying to keep it roadworthy ever since. The paint is horrible and the interior needs work, but on the plus side it has almost no rust and sports a refrigerator and stove. The engine had a 1.9 liter piston kit (96 mm!) on it when I got it, but I rebuilt it as an 1800 (the 1.9 liners were too thin). The 1800 served me well for 30k miles, until December 1995 when I installed a 2-liter hydraulic engine that I rebuilt myself. I have also done some work on the floorplan and the dashboard to make it a little more user-friendly (I think). Bluto had the typical rust at the base of the windshield which I have repaired three times now. I'm hoping this last time will be for good. Recently I installed an Overhead console above the windshield to house the stereo, CB radio and some gauges.
Take a look at the Safare Custom Camper owners manual , which must be rare as hens teeth (but nobody has ever asked me about it).
Bluto in the Laguna mountains outside of San Diego.
Bluto wearing his 1998 Christmas light arrangement consisting of the standard wreath on the spare tire and approximately 675 lights. The lights are the standard 110v lights that you find at Wal Mart. Some are white, some are colored, some blink, some dance. They are driven by a voltage inverter that is powered by the spare deep-cycle go lf-cart batteries. This many lights draw about 350 watts, which equates to abou t a constant 30 amp drain on the batteries. I turn them on while driving at nig ht - I'm told it's quite a sight going down the freeway. I also usually leave them on in parking lots while I go shopping or out to eat. I get a great reaction from most people - lots of smiles, waves, and honks. Although it's kind of tacky, it seems to bring out the best in people and I have a lot of fun driving it. This is the third year I have done the lights - in 1996 I just wrapped the wreath with lights, then added a 100-string around the rain gutter. Last year I went up to about 450 lights all over the front and sides, with white lights in the drivers side windows. This year I was shooting for 1,000 lights but I ran into problems with fuses blowing from chaining too many strings together. The rear bumper is decorated like the front, and lights are strung across the back rather crudely in the shape of the VW emblem. I probably won't do that again since it didn't look that great and I can't open the rear hatch or engine compartment hatch. I'm bound to be low on oil by now.
