Extreme Makeover: Mini Bus Edition

Four years ago, I was out doing some sevice for an old man from my church. Being at such an advanced age, the old man couldn't perform some of the work that required a young, strong back to do. I was told he needed help with some heavy chores around his house and some light yard work. When I arrived at his house, he took me around back to show me what to do for the day. As I turned the corner and caught sight of the back yard and the work that awaited me, the only thing there was to do was gawk in awe. The old man's back yard seemed to be a rare North American rainforest. Vegetation had taken over. Not only was his yard covered in a sea of overgrowth, it seemed to double as the owners personal landfill place. Trash was everywhere. Piles and piles of... stuff, covered every inch of his backyard jungle. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me. As I leaned against an old discarded refrigerator to recover from my shock, something caught my eye. I saw a large vehicle nestled in a patch of ivy near the back end of the yard beyond a mound used tires and leaves. I slowly and carefully made my way back to where it sat. As it came into view, I noticed that it was an old VW mini bus. I turned to ask Hud (yes, the old man's name was Hud) how long it has been sitting in his back yard. 15 years he said. I have to explain to you that I have this older brother who has always had a facination with old VWs. I grew up loving them because, well, he loved them (you know...the whole liking what your big brother liked thing.) To make a long story a little shorter, I bought the bus from him for $500. It was a good thing I was a motivated person because, as it turns out, the bus proved to be much more work than I originally thought. After a few rats' nest suprises , hours of water blasting, and having to put out engine fires (don't ask, just don't ask), Steven (my older brother) helped me get it off the old man's property. Here are some before pictures *Click on the thumb nail to see the larger picture*:

I worked on the bus all that summer. I put a lot of hours into making the interior looking nice. Come end of the summer, it was time for me to move to Utah and go to school. So, sadly, I left the bus and sold it to friends. Since I've been back in California, I've had the opprotunity to help work on it again. My friends put some money into getting it running, but all the interior was done from hard work and elbow grease. I came up with the color scheme and put in the hard wood floors. All the panels were hand made. Steven designed and welded the back bench seat himself. I'm kind proud of how it turned out. Take a look!

I really had a lot fun with this project. I wish to own my own bus some day. For now I'll just be content with visiting my old orange friend that I saved from the jungle. -Daniel