London campervan hire company get a classic VW Camper restored
Belinda Bus is a beautiful 1973 poptop VW Camper. She was purchased by London campervan hire company, Buttercup Bus Vintage Campers, around 9 years ago – the second vehicle in their current fleet of seven.
Belinda Bus and her campervan and beetle sisters worked very hard over the 2019 season – and so it was time to treat them to a few winter restoration projects.
Belinda needed a new nearside front step repair, along with some fresh inner sills and a new sliding door rail cover. Whilst at it, there were a few superficial areas that just needed grinding back and preparing.
Steve @ J S Motor Repairs
Steve at J S Motor Repairs in Croydon, is more than just a mechanic, having in depth knowledge on historic vehicle restorations. He has been a great support to our business.
Through every step of the restoration, he kept us informed. He assisted with scoping out the work required, the parts we needed to purchase, and the work he would need to undertake.
Where new areas of work were identified during the restoration, he kept us updated, with photos or showing us in person.
Nothing was too much trouble – and he did a marvellous job. Thank you Steve!
Bill Gladwin – The Paint Shop
Bill always makes me smile. He has painted quite a few of our campervans this season – Belinda Bus being the most recent.
Bill has an eye for detail and likes to get things perfect. (Belinda Bus was in good hands). From the careful smoothing her down, to treating any repairs to carefully masking her up – everything was done so carefully. Once the paint went on, she started to really gleam…. but Bill did not stop there – he put in serious hours, and even painted the wheel steels and as a nice suprise, stripped back the wooden roof rack and varnished it. I’m blown away!
Welding talent - Steve @ J S Motor Repairs
Full credit to superb vehicle restoration services in Croydon, by J S Motor Repairs. He cut out areas that required attention and welded in new sections, including the the front inner step, front valence and side sill.
Paintshop skills - Lovely Bill Gladwin
What an absolute diamond – Brilliant Bill (base in Croydon) treated Belinda Bus to some loving care, as he stripped back the paint, smoothed her over, gave her a fresh new coat and even refreshed her wheels. The icing on the cake was new varnish treatment on her roofrack. She looks amazing!
London campervan hire company get a classic VW Camper restored
Belinda Bus is a beautiful 1973 poptop VW Camper. She was purchased by London campervan hire company, Buttercup Bus Vintage Campers, around 9 years ago – the second vehicle in their current fleet of seven.
Belinda Bus and her campervan and beetle sisters worked very hard over the 2019 season – and so it was time to treat them to a few winter restoration projects.
Belinda needed a new nearside front step repair, along with some fresh inner sills and a new sliding door rail cover. Whilst at it, there were a few superficial areas that just needed grinding back and preparing.
Steve @ J S Motor Repairs
Steve at J S Motor Repairs in Croydon, is more than just a mechanic, having in depth knowledge on historic vehicle restorations. He has been a great support to our business.
Through every step of the restoration, he kept us informed. He assisted with scoping out the work required, the parts we needed to purchase, and the work he would need to undertake.
Where new areas of work were identified during the restoration, he kept us updated, with photos or showing us in person.
Nothing was too much trouble – and he did a marvellous job. Thank you Steve!
Bill Gladwin – The Paint Shop
Bill always makes me smile. He has painted quite a few of our campervans this season – Belinda Bus being the most recent.
Bill has an eye for detail and likes to get things perfect. (Belinda Bus was in good hands). From the careful smoothing her down, to treating any repairs to carefully masking her up – everything was done so carefully. Once the paint went on, she started to really gleam…. but Bill did not stop there – he put in serious hours, and even painted the wheel steels and as a nice suprise, stripped back the wooden roof rack and varnished it. I’m blown away!
Paintcode matching - L E Went Ltd
The campervan paint match was done at our local car paint suppliers. Usually the paint specrtometer is able to read the code – but for Belinda Bus, the code was not a confident match – so we had to match by eye. I was nervous that I’d picked the right colour – but after Bill finished painting her, I could not be happier. It was perfect – that lovely duck egg blue shade that she is known for.
Belinda Bus – Buttercup Bus Vintage Campervan Hire
Belinda Bus is now being stored securely in her industrial unit, where her paint will remain preserved, ready for when she next graces the roads. Once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, her first hirers will have the benefit of a freshly painted campervan – she wil certainly turn a few heads!
Belinda Bus is available to hire as a wedding car, a campervan photobooth, a holiday self-drive hire vehicle, a glitter bar or as a branded promotional tour vehicle. If you would like to find out more about how you can hire a classic campervan from us, please do get in touch.
Photo credit: Header wedding picture: Photographer – Nicola Rowley Photography
About the author
Nathalie