22nd blog – date: November, 22th 2025
What I didn’t mention in my last post about the restoration progress from early 2020: We did take the bus out of the garage for a nighttime photo shoot, but we had to push it through the garden. Back then, the T1 didn’t have an engine. At least its lighter weight made it easier to push. 😉
A workshop in the center of Vienna was working on an air-cooled H-engine that would fit our 1967 VW Bus. In March, the time had come, and we picked up our 1500cc engine with an output of about 50 hp.
We installed the engine with the code letter „H“ at the beginning of June 2020. You can also see a photo here of the interior of the driver’s cab – where we were still quite busy connecting the wiring harness to various instruments.
And of course, we then had to take the bus for a few laps around the garden. See video:
Since the roses in our garden were also blooming beautifully at that time and the weather was simply wonderful, I naturally had to take a few more photos.
Unfortunately, after the test drive, it turned out that the bus had immediately marked its territory. In the pictures, you can see an oil slick, which we promptly covered with sand. Diagnosis: the engine is leaking. This meant we had to remove the engine again and have it checked by a mechanic.
We used the time in between to mount the freshly painted rims – which already had new tires fitted – onto the T1.
On June 22nd – fittingly, International Beetle Day – the engine was sealed again, and we quickly picked it up and reinstalled it. By then, it went quite quickly, since we had practiced it – and besides, it’s only four bolts holding the engine in place. Since then, thankfully, there haven’t been any more unusual oil leaks.
At the end of June, it was finally laundry day. Not just for the T1, but also for the bedding. I took the opportunity to take some more photos – including some with the BMW E30 318i convertible – and compared to the bus, the 1992 convertible is still a real youngster.
Finally, here are two videos for comparison:
December 2017 – the still unrestored bus drives through the garden:
In comparison, the same sequence:
June 2020 – our T1 is running again after 2.5 years of partial restoration:
The next post will be all about the interior trim, so check back on our website soon! 🙂
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