South Hill Customs

VW bus LED headlights

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Mon, 25 May 2026 13:50:14 +0000

The last electrical upgrade that I did to the bus was to convert the sealed beam headlights to LEDs for better visibility and less draw on the electrical system. I detailed everything in the conversion on my YouTube video below.

New VW bus starter

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Mon, 25 May 2026 13:46:59 +0000

I have upgraded the bus with a new yellow Optima battery this past winter, and since the new starter and hot-start relay were installed, I have not had any issues with cranking and starting the '67 VW.

Interior VW bus upgrades

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Mon, 25 May 2026 13:37:39 +0000

Over the past few years, I have been upgrading and customizing the interion of the VW camper bus... after all it is a homebrew camper that started life as a panel bus. I purchased some of the blue Westy plaid material, and used it to create door card inserts, and a small document holder which hangs on the roof via magnets.

My friend Steve also provided me with a spice rack for the cargo door from his Sundial camper, and with a little modification it fits perfectly with my bus.

I also recently added a personal touch with some LOTR art work on the roof and back side of the rear cabinet, but most people will not ever see it unless they are inside the bus.

Ikea provided a few sets of small LED interior lights for those camping nights.

The steering wheel needed a restoration, so after using JB weld on the cracks, I gave it a few coats of primer and paint to freshen it up.

A bit of catching up

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Mon, 25 May 2026 13:14:13 +0000

I added a few LED lights to the engine compartment for those late night oil checks by modifying a couple of old fog lights. I replaced the bulbs with LEDs, and them mounted them with some magnetic base clamps to the roof of the engine compartment. They work great, and are adjustable to light up anything that I need. I also have covered the bus with 1,800 Christmas lights during December to brighten up the neighborhood as well!

Oh Blogger!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Mon, 25 May 2026 13:04:58 +0000

Where have you been Blogger? It has been so long since I've posted... I do not even know where to begin catching up. My children were married, grandchildren born, Camaro sold, motorcycles sold, VW bus in full use, retirement... aghhhh.

I have been posting a lot of my exploits online on my dedicated VW Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/wilsonthevwbus and also on my website at https://www.wilsonthevwbus.com/

I have been busy creating the past 5 seasons of my podcast "Wilson the VW bus", which is available on all major platforms (check here). If you read this blog and are interested in Volkswagens and have not visited the podcast, you are missing out. The summer of 2026 is starting, and I will try to keep up on my Blogger.. maybe even backup a few pics here too.

Custom Stickers

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 04:43:00 +0000

I recently got acquainted with a digital artist who created some renderings of Wilson the '67 VW bus for T-shirts and stickers, and then got a few stickers made up for the kids at the cruise nights and car shows from Sticker Mule.

VW Bus Fog Lights

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 13:05:00 +0000

Over the past few weeks, I've been looking for a set of amber fog lights for the bus. Some were just not the right size/shape, and others just way too expensive. I finally found a pair that I liked, so I started the project by heading out to the marine hardware store to pick up some wire, ends and a nice little fuse block. I ran a new 6 GA wire from the battery up to the front and mounted the fuse block under the dash. I created a new switch panel from some scrap steel and painted it the bus color. I also added switches for the fuel pump, new electric defroster and also the fog lights. I ran a Bosch relay for the fog lights, so it required two separate feeds from the new fuse block; one for the switch and one for the heavier load for the relay/fog lights. I also picked up some glow-in-the-dark labels for the new panel too.

VW Bus Tent

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 11:32:00 +0000

I made some modifications to the frame of the side tent for the VW bus, because the original design was just too big at 8 foot wide. I decided to scale it back to a more stock size of about 6 1/2 feet wide. So after cutting the pole again, I laid out the Sunbrella material and started sewing it up. Some tassels and a bit of parachute cord, and then I had it all done.

Now I needed to make a duffle bag to store and transport the tent in, so I found this very big top-loading duffle bag and used beeswax to water-proof it. First, you melt the wax and then brush it on the material. Once it is covered with wax, you melt it into the material with the heat gun. It really works well!

Ready for the Summer!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 21:27:00 +0000

Now I am ready for a little bit of summer bus fun! I have the interior ready with my lantern, beach bag & tunes (even got a hidden Bluetooth speaker in my candle on the table). I started creating a side canopy too. I have the frame, and the material is stitched up, I just need to make the final pieces after I determine what size I want it to be.

Bus Brakes

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 21:25:00 +0000

The bus brakes were recently rebuilt, but they didn't work well. What would you expect from 55 year old manual drum brakes. I cut the front drums at the machine shop, and basically replaced all the shoes and rear drums. Thinking I had everything adjusted, I took the bus to the Hot Rods and Harleys show in Rahway exactly one year after I purchased the bus. I got there just fine, but lost the brakes on the way home, and ran through two red lights. The master cylinder was shot.

I purchased a new front disc brake conversion kit, and after the install I have awesome stopping power now (for a VW bus that is).

VW Bus Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 21:16:00 +0000

The radio was gone when I got the bus, and someone had opened up the dash a bit for a newer unit. I bought a radio delete plate, but could not install it correctly because the new hole was too big. I decided to flip the plate over and install it on the front, (it looks better than an ugly hole) and then create a new iPad dash holder from some scrap metal I had hanging around. This just hangs on to the dash vents, so you can remove it without any tools, and the iPad's magnet likes to cling to it nicely. I found a cool app for navigation and tunes, and now I have modern dash that isn't a permanent modification.

Vintage Weather Station

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 21:11:00 +0000

The bus came with this vintage Airguide thermometer and humidity gauge in the door panel, but I did not want to put it back there once I made new panels. I thought that I could make a gauge pod for it, and then add magnets to the back so that I could move it around. I found an old tin can, drilled some vent holes in it, JB welded the magnet to the back and painted it the interior pearl white. It currently lives above the passenger visor area, and works great.

VW Bus Curtains

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 21:04:00 +0000

I needed to make curtain rods for the bus, because there was no way I was paying the prices people were asking for original ones. I found a photo of one, and then used that to make a template/buck so that I could bend up some aluminum flat bars. Other than burning my hands a bit, I was pretty pleased. Remember kids, just because it isn't red anymore, doesn't' man it isn't still hot.

I also bought a new Singer sewing machine and re-learned how to sew. I hadn't touched one since 8th grade... and was like "what is a bobbin or a presser foot". It didn't take too long to make some curtains for the new rods, and some ties to hold them back.

One-Eyed Duck

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 23:56:00 +0000

Got the one-eyed duck installed with new wiper arms and blades with the new safari wiper shaft disconnectors so that I can open the windows.

VW Bus Dining Table

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 20:08:00 +0000

The dining table came with the bus, but I needed to c lean it up, restore the hardware, and figure out how to mount it to the wall. The hinges were the easy part, and with the help of Mr. King and his new saw, we ripped a nice piece of poplar for the mounting flange, gave it some round-over/router work, sanded it and then a couple coats of poly. I spent most of today fabricating a little bracket our of some scrap metal to clip the table to the wall when it is folded down.

Jalousie Windows

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 14:19:00 +0000

The side jalousie windows needed some attention, and a few replacement pieces of glass. Unfortunately, the glass is a special order item, and not easily obtained. My local glass guy screwed up the order twice, and I am still waiting on the last 4 pieces for the final window. As for the rest of the materials, I followed some good instructions on this YouTube video here

and then bought the weather-stripping from Vintage Trailer Gaskets. I realized after I received the box that I over-ordered ( I bought FEET when I need Inches), but they graciously let me return what I didn't need.

I also couldn't find the original screens, so I built my own with Home Depot parts.

Bus Front Seats

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 14:10:00 +0000

I special ordered the new foam and front seat covers from Sewfine a few moths ago, because they needed to source the Westy blue plaid material from Germany and then make the covers for the '67 buckets. I also asked for the side to be done in blue instead of the stock avocado-green.

The seats were stripped down and frames cleaned up, and I even needed to rebuild a spring on the driver's side. A quick coat of black paint and new burlap wrap under the new foam, and then I pulled the new covers on to the seats (my hands are still sore a week later).

Bus Rear Seats

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 13:59:00 +0000

The rear seats were already covered in the nice blue/green Westy plaid, but I needed to pull the old Formica panels off that were chipping and looks pretty crappy. The heat gun made the removal of the Formica a lot easier. I then sourced a Mohawk Sawyer Blonde vinyl floor material that I special ordered Home Depot to recover the seat bases, but first I needed to fill the hole from the electric box in the jump seat. I feel the floor matches pretty well. The wood on the back and bottom side got 3 coats of poly, and the hardware and badge got a cleanup and reinstalled as well.

Bus Flooring and Paneling

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 13:45:00 +0000

I decided that he floor was going to be a vinyl plank floor for comfort and easy cleanup. I also elected to replace all the wall paneling, because some of it was really beat up. After using the old pieces for templates, I cut all new wood and gave it 3 coats of satin poly to protect it. I didn't clean up the old screws, as I thought they added character too.

The doors were especially fun to make with their nice bend, which I was able to do with a hot, wet towel and some pressure, and then screwed it to the bus.

Sound Deadening & Insulation

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 13:38:00 +0000

The new panels needed to be quiet and insulated, so I used some butyl-based foil matt and insulation to quiet everything. I can barely hear it running now from the inside!

Bus Nose

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 13:31:00 +0000

I didn't realize how much of the bus nose was rusted until I started poking around, and so I cut off most of the lower nose and support area, and got to work.

I even welded up the holes from the old spare tire carrier that was removed a long time ago, but tried not to take away the dents, dings and small imperfections that the nose had which I feel give it such character.

Bus Floors

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 13:21:00 +0000

It's been a while since I updated the blog, but I've been so busy with work and some bus progress. The rust is all gone (except for the patina-surface.. which is staying). I replaced all the rusty floor sections, side panels and even some extensive nose work.

The front floor area also needed repair, along with the driver's side dog-leg.

The final result was worth all the work... although it is a shame I am coving it all up with flooring.

That dog-leg is probably the nicest paint on the entire vehicle LOL.

Left Side

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 22:58:00 +0000

The left side of the bus was in the same condition, needing floor braces, outriggers, inner and outer rockers and the floor replaced. Here is the rough weld of the outside without any grinding yet. There was a lot of braces and patches that needed to be done on this side too.

Right Side Done

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 22:58:00 +0000

After a bit more grinding and bodywork, the right side of the bus is rust-free. I am trying to remove the rust and leave as much character to the body as I can... which means dents and paint chips are not being removed. I sprayed the paint for now just to prevent the rust from attacking the bare metal, but I want to blend it in better once I get the other side done.

The bottom of the cargo doors were replaced both inner and outer. I'm not going to go crazy grinding up the welds, it will be all covered up with door panels.

One Floor Done

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Masperi) — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 01:41:00 +0000

It may not look like much, but it was a lot of work to get that right side floor done. The hardest part was figuring out where it once was before it rusted away and left me very little to work with. New floor braces, new outriggers, new jack points, new quarter panel, new inner rocker, new outer rocker and of course a new floor patch panel. I forgot to mention the dozen small patches that had to be made up to connect them all together. My wife asked if I was having fun yet... I think that I am!