65 Westy

[Howie]

A good story to tell around the fire... "I was driving along, then this big darn Buck jumped out in front of me!...".

[vwrick69]

What a pisser!!!!! I've been afraid something like that would happen to my DC. I'm glad no one was hurtand the bus is still drivable.

[65Westy]

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement. After letting it sink in for a day, I'm not as down about it, it could have been much worse. I called my buddy who did the paint & he thinks he will be able to fix it. I meet with the insurance adjuster from Hagerty on Wednesday.

I've got a lot to be thankful for and, as my wife pointed out, we would not even have the bus running without the help & generosity of a couple of Leakoilers...... (thanks again Josh & Sean & Dan). We will have the bus at Pataskala in 2 weeks at Volksfest.

[Howie]

we would not even have the bus running without the help & generosity of a couple of Leakoilers

AMEN to that!
Let us know how Hagerty treats you. I am insured by them as well. Never had to file a claim yet though.

[65Westy]

Hagerty has been easy to work with. I initiated the claim last Sunday afternoon and today when I got home, there was a message that a check was on the way. They didn't even have me get any estimates. They apparently based the damage estimate on the report from the adjuster they sent out to look at the bus. Now here is my dilemma. Do I find a body shop who can pound out all the dents or do I have the old nose skin cut out and a different one welded in? I located a front nose which I hope to get picked up this week. The guy who painted my bus is an old high school friend. He looked at it and said it was more than what he could tackle. I can take it to a couple of body shops here in town, but I don't know what kind of work they do when it comes to the level of craftsmanship that I am looking for. The bus is not ever going to be a Barrett Jackson $198,000 sale, but I've put a ton of work into it and I just want it to look right. Any thoughts from you guys?

[Six Volt]

Was the "A" pillar damaged?

If your plan is to try to fix it before Volksfest, find the best body shop in your area based on reputation/work history and see if they can handle it. Ask around. Any other collector car nuts in your area that have had work done?

Your other option is to wait 'till Volksfest and bring it there. I'm sure there will be plenty of knowledgable and skilled VW folks that can look it over and give you meaningful advice.

[65Westy]

Sean, The A pillar didn't get touched. I'm not going to rush into choosing a shop, so we'll be at Volksfest. My biggest concern on having all the dents pounded out is the area around the headlight and the way it flares out around the headlight. I bought a complete headlight assembly, but after I started taking things apart, the only thing that needs replaced is the chrome ring and the lens. The rest of it is ok, just got pushed back about 3 inches and is intact. See everyone in Pataskala!

[westy uk]

Hey Craig, ive just read your bad news damn that sucks why cant people be more careful ! Glad you and the wife are fine tho thats the main thing
Greetings from across the pond
Phil

[65Westy]

We found a nice nose clip at OCTO yesterday so now I have the option of having a new nose skin welded in if I can't find somebody to pull out the headlight bucket. New location in Long Beach. The old location at Huntington Beach High School is no longer available, they made a baseball field out of the parking lot! I will post up some pics as soon as we get home.
Good thing we drove the Transit Connect, had plenty of room to bring back some goodies from the swap meet.

[65Westy]

I spent a couple hours yesterday with my buddy who painted my bus and a porta power. What an amazing tool. We got the headlight bucket pushed out to where it needs to be. He says that he can pound out the rest of the dents and once the nose is repainted I'll never be able to tell it was hit. So it looks like I'll be trying to peddle the nose clip I brought back from California.