Memories of paradise pour out of Sixties bus

Walking out into the sun, Tom Kravcar squinted and was taken aback with his new, paradise-like surroundings. The year was 1969 and the young man had just arrived in Oahu, en route to his new post at Radio Station Lualualei, on the southwest side of the Hawaiian island.

After breathing in the aroma of tropical flowers and cool ocean breezes, the seaman was quickly overwhelmed with the sheer prevalence of Volkswagens. “They were all over,” Kravcar said, reminiscing. “Beetles and buses strapped with surfboards were on every street.”

The Winfield resident was a die-hard Chevy man at the time, having just relinquished a rumbling 1955 Chevy back home in Riverside. But he decided when in Rome, or the Aloha state, do what the natives do.

A stroll to the local rental car agency revealed a bunch of VWs readily available. He snagged a Beetle and buzzed all over the island, taking in the sights and learning about his new temporary home. Those two years in the service passed quickly and, after getting out of the Navy, he returned to his motoring roots, snagging a 1972 Chevelle. Still, VWs were close at hand.

His brother purchased a 1961 Beetle the same year. After that, this German brand didn't crop up on Kravcar's four-wheeled radar until 2000. He was seeking a father-son project to work on with his 15-year-old son, Matt, and wanted something cheap and reliable.

The pair scored a rust-free 1975 Beetle from a seller in Naperville. The duo made short work of the restoration but Kravcar found the bug stirred something inside him.

“It renewed my interest in VWs,” Kravcar said. He joined NIVA (the Northeast Illinois Volkswagen Association) car club and found a place where he belonged. Being in the group, even serving as vice president, reintroduced him to those iconic VW buses.

In 2011, his wife located their 1965 Westfalia Camper bus. It was being sold in Litchfield, where it had been sitting for 15 years, cast off and forlorn under a lonely carport. Kravcar purchased the vehicle and with the help of Chicago Street Autobody in Elgin, embarked on a full overhaul.

The body, which was painted in white house paint, was stripped and gutted back to bare metal, exposing many years of shoddy repair work. “In some places the Bondo was globbed on 2 inches thick,” Kravcar said. New rocker panels were installed and a fizzy fun Coca-Cola red and white paint scheme applied.

Inside, the camper cabinets were refurbished. The seat frames were retained but the factory horsehair cushioning was swapped for new foam padding. The petite, but capable, 1,600-cubic-centimeter engine was removed and properly gone through. Kravcar has made it his mission to track down as many of the factory and dealer options as possible, which are numerous, given the lifestyle nature of the vehicle.

He certainly remembers vehicles like his being abundant, but now Kravcar knows the bus is a special sight.

“Driving it is so exhilarating because it's different. People stop and stare and almost always have a story about one from their past.”

• Share your car's story with Matt Avery at auto@dailyherald.com.