1973' Volkswagen Transporter

A car from 1973, manufactured in Germany for the American market. It was registered in California (American records show that it was first registered in 1974 and deregistered in '16), and in Poland since '18. We have a service book with entries from the 1970s.
The car as a Wild Westerner was originally two-tone (Apple Green - darker green and Ravenna Green - lighter); the original also had blue vinyl between the colors (it is listed). The car in '18 was covered with surface rust. The chassis was cleaned (there were no holes in it, apart from those made for attaching various things) and protected. This was also done with the floor in the interior. No major reperature was added during the renovation. The sheet metal was de-rusted several times, the paint was stripped to bare metal and at six-month intervals the car was painted with two layers of different primers and two/three layers of varnish from the number. These works lasted from '19 to '22. In '22, the car received new door and window seals. All side windows are original, the rear window - from the USA, the front - new Sekurit.
A car with an original 1679 cm3 petrol boxer engine. It is therefore much livelier than those of earlier models. The car started in '18, but some components of the original engine had to be replaced (we found them in the UK). The sheet metal covering the engine was sandblasted and powder-coated. Most of the mechanical work was done in '18-'19. The manual gearbox was and is functional.
In '19, the car underwent an inspection introducing it to traffic in Poland (this was before the bodywork and painting work, which also proves the good condition of the bodywork and chassis before our renovation). We registered the car with white plates so that it doesn't necessarily have to stay in Poland. The diagnostician stated that there are 5 seats in the car; nevertheless, there were and are four original VW seat belts (two at the front, two at the rear). The car is registered as a special camping car. The current inspection is valid until October '25, annual third party liability insurance - until August '25.
We have an expert's opinion from May '18, which allowed the car to be registered as a monument. This opinion shows that the originality and completeness of: structural assemblies and engine accessories was above 95%, suspensions and drive system - above 95%, and interior design and equipment - above 85% (the car included Mazda seats and some "home electrics" "). Thanks to the return to the seats from the VW T2 and the elimination of "home electrics", the last value should be higher. When renovating the car, we followed the principle of leaving what was functional and not falling apart in the original, in a few situations we replaced elements with original VW cars from that era, and in the case of finishing, we used new elements dedicated to VW T2, usually BBT.
The car has an original Safare Camper camper structure. The furniture was renovated in 1923. Original furniture plywood (4.5–5 mm thick), sanded and waxed. We decided to cover them in white in the upper part. Apart from the plywood, the cabinet doors have renovated plastic casings. The car also had plywood elements placed on some of the original VW side panels - due to the almost perfect condition of the latter, we left it like that. In the furniture, we replaced four countertops (there was chipboard with white veneer, now there is solid wood with white polyester glass) and the black imitation leather covering of the sleeping structure. We also replaced the elements in the interior above the engine (from chipboard to solid wood, new black veneer). New waterproof plywood on the floor between the cab and the engine, also new rubber on this plywood, new rubber inside above the engine and in the cab (only the rubber between the front seats survived of the original rubber). New upholstery around the front seat bases. We replaced the sunroof on the roof and it was covered with blue vinyl on the outside.
As for the camper items, we replaced the faucet (we added a water pump), the water tank and the compressor refrigerator (we have the old elements, the original refrigerator - just like today - was powered only by electricity). There is a new mattress. The original gas kitchen, under the car there is a gas cylinder serving both the kitchen and gas heating (there is a stove from the USA). There is a converter in the car of American owners for the entire 110/230V installation (they drove not only in the USA). There are cables with American terminals to connect the car to electricity. We kept the original sockets. We added adapters, a 12V to 230V converter and a camper battery charger (it charges when the car is plugged in; the car, as in the original, has two batteries: a starter battery and a camper battery). We rebuilt the electrical installation inside the car. We left a lot of artifacts in the car that were previously in it and related to the previous owners (from California and South American countries). We also managed to match details to the car's color, e.g. a new shower.
Bumpers renovated in '22, new rubber on them. Rims sandblasted and powder-coated in '23. Chrome-plated hubcaps on original VW rims, secured. Added chrome rims. All tires are new (from '23). There is also a hook in the car (also entered in the ID). Of the chrome elements, we had to replace the front door handles and mirrors. We used the original seats in the cab from a VW T2b, the steel structures were renovated and replaced with new horsehair mats. We did not decide on the original leatherette (if you like it, there is no big problem, because it is available as a kind of covers), but on natural leather in the colors of the interior of the car. The interior sofas are upholstered in the same way (also made of white and black natural leather). We added VW headrests to the seats. The sides, apart from those from the rear hatch, are original (those with perforation), in the remaining ones we changed the outer covering, the one from the rear hatch is new, with appropriate gluing. Since the car is in the Deluxe version, we have air vents and armrests in the front door panels.