West Coast Bays attendees
We Love Our Bay Windows
Many of the people who exhibit at the Pomona Swap meet have been coming here for some time – in some cases since the beginning of this event. While long-time attendees might not recognize the Volkswagen Camper group known as the West Coast Bays, they might recognize Rich Kimball or his son Andy as having the same space since the early days of the Swap Meet.
The Kimballs go back to the days when this event had a huge presence for Volkswagen and Porsche enthusiasts and while there is still a big draw for collectors of those vehicles, there is more diversity nowadays. But that hasn’t changed the focus for these folks who still pine over VW Beetles, Transporters, Type 3s, Karmann Ghias and the like. You still can find parts for early split window VWs at the Kimball’s booth space.
Orrin & Sherri Anderson's '70 Westfelia "Best in Class" winner at Irvine VW Classic
However, at the most recent Swap Meet there was something new – a lot of mid-1970s VW Campers and a display that read, West Coast Bays. Indeed, the Kimballs have kept with family tradition of starting things in the VW world and have undertaken the formation of a club for what insiders call bay window Buses. These are the VW Buses that were manufactured from 1968 all the way through 1979 when VW brought out the Vanagon.
These contrasted heavily with their predecessors by featuring things like roll-down windows on the front doors, larger engines and better brakes and a larger body for more interior space. But it’s that large, curved front window that earns them the moniker of bay window Bus.
Andy Kimball and his 1968 Panel
Like all VW vans, the bay window variety was manufactured as a passenger van, a camper, a pickup, a cargo van and several other derivations. When the Buses were reflecting light as new vehicles at the VW dealers, the passenger vans were the ones that left the lot first followed by the campers. Occasionally, a customer would order a pickup or cargo van, but import duties made those vehicles decidedly pricey, especially compared with their larger rivals from Detroit, so there weren’t a lot of pickups and vans imported here, but there definitely were a few of those still motoring around.
Ken Weis and his all-original '69 Campmobile
The West Coast Bays is a relatively new club having been formed only about a year ago, but there are already 100 members, half of which aren’t even here on the west coast but do call home places like New Zealand, Belgium and more.
This is the first outing for the club at the Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show, but they have already done some fun things together such as “Big Wednesday”. Essentially, the club rents out camping space at San Onofre and the Buses come in droves with members getting a chance to compete with one another in surfing contests and other events. “It’s a fun day, but it started out as a joke,” said Kimball.
Finding a good condition Bus from the 1970s is not too difficult, but there aren’t as many as there were before European and Japanese collectors rolled through California picking up these vehicles. While these collectors aren’t around as they were, they’ve definitely depleted a good deal of the supply thereby increasing the value of these Buses. Pickups, panel trucks and other more unusual (to we Americans) configurations of this vehicle can be pricier.
So what are they worth? Well, as with all collectible vehicles there are prices all over the boards, but you can figure a good camper can be from the mid teens up to about $20,000 or so. There are definitely barn find and rough models out there for just a very few thousand dollars, but like all old vehicles, these can often have rust. “20 years ago it was almost a joke how cheaply you could buy bay window campers – people bought them and they sat in the garage most of the time,” said Kimball.
Andy Buford hanging out in his '68 Camper
For Californians, a VW Bus is an easier thing to find and maintain than perhaps it might be if you lived elsewhere. These Buses were relatively popular here and our outstanding climate means they’ve stayed pretty solid. There are a few rust spots to keep an eye on, but a rust-free Bus isn’t horribly uncommon.
Tom Riis and his '70 bus that his dad owned
As long as the body is in good shape, you’ve got a great foundation for a project as the running gear parts are easy to find and aren’t horribly expensive. As with all Volkswagens, there are plenty of other enthusiasts which means there are plenty of people who can be sources for parts, many of which are right here at the Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show.
Gary & Debby Beadle restored their '69 Day Camper
While it might be surprising to some to find avid collectors and enthusiasts who are interested in something as new as a vehicle built in the 1970s, we’re all adding days to the calendar and people like to collect vehicles that they remember seeing on the streets when they were teenagers. Today’s middle-age collector remembers cars of the ’70s.
If you’re thinking of collecting a vehicle that has plenty of parts available, a large support network, is slightly unusual and makes a great companion for a weekend camping trip, a bay window Bus might be just the thing. They’re reliable, get relatively good fuel mileage and you can participate in the fun things the West Coast Bays do. And if you’re looking for more information, visit Andy or Rich in the same space the family’s had for decades – that would be Road 33 Spaces 9 & 11. (Map of Vendor Spaces - PDF)
And if you can’t wait for the next Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show, you can always stop by virtually at www.baywindowbus.org
-Curbside Publisher
www.curbside.tv
Whitewall Candy Store
A visit to this booth at the show is a must. Like all the vendors at the Pomona Swap Meet, these are great people, they know their stuff and they can work with you on whatever package you need. The Pomona Swap Meet appreciates our vendors and invite our customers to meet them and look at their quality products. Be sure to also check out their website at 
.jpg)
You might think that finding a fabric salesperson and a seamstress at an auto related swap meet is somewhat strange. That’s because you never met Kathy Karns of "Baggie Bags". Kathy is a special lady featuring the sales of unique car fabrics selling by the yard to Pomona Swap Meet customers. Kathy’s fabrics are also offered as finished products. Her specialties include aprons, shirts, tote bags and helmet bags..jpg)
Like so many of our folks, being a swap meet vendor is a second (or third career) for Kathy. She previously was a stage mother, raising four children who acted in movies and commercials. It was a busy time for her and after the children were living on their own, Kathy decided to go into business for herself. She had a friend who sold at the swap meet for years who convinced Kathy to come on out and give it a shot. We’re glad she did. She is a welcome addition to the Pomona Swap Meet family of vendors.
As usual, it looks as though we will have a bunch of happy campers at the December 4th Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show. One large group will be happily camping, showing their vehicles and sharing stories and information in the Volkswagen show/sale section. They are the West Coast Bays and they are our Featured Car Club at the December 4th Swap Meet. Many members are regular shoppers and/or vendors at the Pomona Swap Meet, but we are privileged to have them out as a group showing their vehicles. 
The purpose of the club is to unite Bay Window owners and enthusiasts, informing them of up-coming Bay Window related activities, as well as parts sources and service providers. The club website, 
