The VW Bus Custom Handbook is a really fun ride through the history of V-dub buses and features plenty of color photography of some truly wicked customized buses.

How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive is a classic reference manual that should be on the bookshelf of all Westy owners. The book walks you through a plethora of common repair tasks, and features incredible hand drawn illustrations.

First, Sean at Glenn's called today to let me know the brake job was going to take a little longer than expected because upon further inspection, they discovered that Lucy's front brakes are actually from 1972. They don't stock '72 calipers since they were unique that one year. He suggested that I keep a journal to distinguish between the '77 parts and everything else.

Next, I received an email from the author of Viva Westfalia! that suggested that the front parking/signal lights looked pre '73. I have to agree. Compare for yourself: 1977 | 1972 | Lucy

Piecing together the puzzles of Lucy's "checkered" history is part of the fun of having a v-dub!

I scanned the AutoTrader and Buy & Sell papers for a few weeks but came up with very little. The local VW dealership had two early 80s Westfalias on the lot, so I went to take a closer look. I test drove the '82 and '84–both in sky blue and in mint condition. I loved the ride, but in the back of my mind I wasn't sure about the boxier 80s styling. It was a Friday night and the staff really wanted to get these off the lot, so they fed on my excitement and convinced me to put a down payment on the '82. That was an exciting evening, but I awoke the next day in a panic: with taxes the cost would come to about $15,000, far more than I wanted to spend on a recreational vehicle. I called the dealership in the morning to let them know I was backing out. My search would continue, but not for long…

It was less than a week later that a nice fellow stopped by and said he'd heard I was looking for a Westfalia. He had one, but didn't really want to sell it. However, the truth was that his beloved "Juicy Lucy Matilda" was no longer a perfect fit with his lifestyle and he was ready to part with it–provided he could find the right owner. If I'd ever had any doubts about the Universe providing you with what you need, they evaporated that day. After all, I had put out a call to the Universe for a Westy to love, and here was a bus looking for for a new loving owner. I knew in that moment that this bus would be mine.

A week later, that little red bus drove up my driveway and put on her best behavior for me. I was immediately smitten, and so was she. So much so in fact, that when the owner tried tried to drive her home, Lucy ran out of gas in my driveway, as if to say that she didn't want to leave me.

We negotiated the sale the following week. I purchased the van for $2200. She's a 1977 model, but not unlike other 70s buses she's got quite a history. In fact, she's now an aggregate of several Westy's, many nuts and bolts removed from her original '77 condition. She no longer has a pop top, for example. The whole roof panel was from another bus. The inside has also been modified, such as the removal of the camper sink. She still has an icebox though. Amazingly, the original plaid covered foam is in great condition. The bucket seats look like they've seen better days though. The upholstery is in rough shape, and you can feel springs in your back. Obviously, I'll need to upgrade the seats for ultimate comfort. There's no heater, but I'm OK with that (hey, they were known as "hippie killers"!) I'm planning to purchase a solar panel and battery that I can use to power a space heater.

It's been a few weeks since I bought Lucy, but I haven't had her home yet. She needed some minor repairs first: a new speedometer and gas gauge, and the passenger seat belt needed to be fixed. I had these repairs done here on Denman Island by the local mechanic. Next, she's getting a new paint job! I went to a local Lordco Auto Parts and picked up some body fill, sandpaper, paper paint filters, reducer and paint: "Torrid Red" for the body and "Performance White" for the bumpers and features. The paint job will be complete in a week or so, also being done at the local mechanics'.

What's in store for Lucy next? As soon as she comes home, she's getting a royal clean up that only a woman can give her! Then I have to take her in to Glenn's Import & Domestic Parts & Repair in Courtenay to get the parking brake fixed, as well as the leaks in the rear brakes. After that, it's the installation of a stereo. I definitely will need a tape deck (I know, who uses tapes anymore? But I have quite a large collection that I've never had the time to digitize.) I'm also thinking of getting an iPod which would be an affordable upgrade that I could use in any of my vehicles.

So, this is the beginning of my Westfalia adventures! I know that Lucy will give me great pleasure, along with a healthy dose of headaches no doubt, but I'm looking forward to becoming great friends with her and hitting the open road together, with my faithful pooch riding shotgun.