1958 23 Window Deluxe Microbus For Sale

The Bus was taken in on trade for a running/driving 23 window by a good friend of mine.
The bus was diss-assembled and most of the metalwork was done, but it was basically in a box
(well several boxes...but you get the idea)
It was one of those projects that got started but never finished.
I always like those sorts of projects, so I took it on.

First step was to take the Bus to another friend of mine, Brent Kooiman who runs a bodyshop in La Habra
California called West Coast Collision. Brent and his crew had the Bus for probably a good 7 months
working out all the details and Ive gotta say it was well worth the wait.

From there the body went to Octavio and Kustom 1 Upholstery for the headliner and interior.
He and his crew worked their magic and then off the Bus went to the skilled folks at BFY Obsolete
in nearby Orange California, where the lead resto guy Bob worked his magic
with re-assembly and mechanicals. Then back to Brent at the body shop for some detailing
and then out to us for the final final assembly. I guess the reason it came out so incredibly nice
is that I played the lazy man and handed it off to the folks that are better at it than I am.
Ive built some beautiful cars over the years, sprayed my own paint, hung my own headliners
and wrenched on my own mechanicals and the walls of trophys and magazine features prove that
Im no slacker when it comes to restoration...but I gotta say honestly that the guys involved with this build
were much better than I dream to be. Oh well...enough of the story...lets look at the Bus.

The 1958 model was the final year for the body hugging "pressed bumpers"
and that in itself makes this year more desireable than the 59-up models to collectors.
Its a few years past the "Barndoor era" which at this point in time is the "holy grail"
for Bus collectors, but it is the next best thing.

The bullet turn signals continued on until 1961.
Check out the beautiful NOS euro Hella headlights... yummy.

The simple polished mirror on a painted arm.
You cant see a whole lot out of these but with all those windows behind you
there isnt much of a blind spot.

15" wheels were correct for 1958 and the Firestone wide whitewalls were a tire that was available
at the time. These great tires are made from the original molds by the Coker Tire company.
The trim rings are a stainless steel reproduction of the original aluminum rings.
While the purist might knock off a point for reproduction rings, Ive gotta say that
these are so much brighter and stronger than the originals that it's worth it.

The outward facing louvers continued on until 63 I believe,
and the Deluxe models had this great chrome trimming along the edges.

Very very smooth body panels and glassy paintwork on this Bus.
Hats off to Brent and his crew for a great job.

Like a mirror!

Here's a better photo of the wheel and tire combination.

Even the fender wells were painted and are clean and pretty.

Rear wheel and wheel arch.
These earlier models have no lip along the edge like the later models do...

The small taillights are correct for the year although I have been told that they might be a bit lower than
originally placed. Also the rear decklid is actually a 1957 model with the third brake light in the center.
This was a "cool factor" choice that presented itself during restoration. We could'nt find a good 58 lid
but this 57 lid popped up and it just looks so sweet on there I dont much care if anyone notices that
it isnt 100% correct.

The single tip exhaust... sounds so cool.

The 36 horse engine was taken apart and detailed to show level.
Its a good runner and it looks fantastic. It was a used running engine from another vehicle
and it was not rebuilt internally as it didnt seem neccessary.
The transmission was rebuilt, all the brakes are new, electricals all well sorted
and it seems to run and drive well. Ive only driven it less than 25 miles since completion
so its all really fresh.

Engine compartment was well detail painted in the corners and such.

Looks all factory pretty.
The rear decklid support arm is currently missing...that is one part I havent found just yet.
If anyone out there has a good one...let me know!

Very nice detailing underneath the engine.

Clean underside, belly pans sprayed in grey.

Very solid.

More underside details.
I cant say that it's perfect under here, but it sure is miles better than most Busses I see out there at the shows.

Nice clean rockers, very straight and well finished.
The little spot weld spots are all as they were from the factory.

The colors are Chestnut Brown on the top and Sealing Wax red on the bottom. These are the original colors for the Bus
by the way...and what a stunning combination it is.

Inside we see Octavio's handywork.
He sure does nice interiors.
Front bench seat in the proper color and grain vinyl.

Dashboard features the clock that was unique to Deluxe models as well as the early style aluminum grab handle.
No radio in the Bus so the proper radio block off plate is installed.
Chrome ashtray is also a Deluxe only item.

The clear needle speedometer was professionally rebuilt and set back to zero.
Mileage shown is the actual mileage since the restoration was completed (although I added another two miles
after the photos were taken...couldnt help myself!)

The door panels were done close to the original design.
The original center panel material had heat seamed lines in it.
We couldnt find that material so we had the lines stitched in to give it the proper look.
Its about as close as you can get.

Door jams are well detailed.

Nice and clean and proper under the dash.

Excellent fit to the headliner.
I have one proper sun visor that I am in the process of restoring that will be installed prior to delivery.

Look how tight and smooth that is under the sunroof...awesome!

A whole lotta windows.

Rear bench seat, all the interior is new and well done.

Floors are clean and painted.

Here's the front floor too...cant forget that!

The seats look great.
The only thing missing is the aluminum trim that goes at the very base of the side panel.
In 58 it has a wild snowflake pattern that we have been unable to find or reproduce.
So we left it off rather than to put on something incorrect.

Rear seat also looks great.

All the proper jailbars and luggage rail are in place.
Carpet in the rear luggage area is German square weave wool of course.

Early style grab bar.
For you guys with the eagle eyes...the restored steering wheel is on it's way from Koch's
The one on the Bus here in the photo is a little shabby, but the new one will be gorgeous.

More details in the door jams.

Coat hooks

This Bus was delivered with only one pop out window on each side.
This was verified by the build data from Germany, so rather than go with the fashion of multiple
pop outs we stuck with what was correct for this Bus.
They do have the long spoon latches so they open up nice and wide.

Door panel detail.

Correct middle seat with the aluminum grab handles.

The big long bumper trim sure looks cool.

So...there you have it.
Its done, Im happy, now it's time to find it a loving home.
These early 23 windows are really tough to find, and its even rarer to find one done to this level
that is available for sale. If there were any way I could keep this one for my own collection, I would do it,
but unfortunately I dont have the pocket change to make it happen.
But I can stare at it while it's here, be proud of the accomplishment and enjoy someone else enjoying it in the future
and that's good enough for me.

Asking
$57,500 obo
(reasonable offers and interesting VW trades always entertained)