VW bus LED headlights

 

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

 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

 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

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!

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.