Spies Hecker has helped to give a T-range VW camper van a new lease of life, restoring the iconic vehicle in gleaming red and white and putting it to work as a brand ambassador.

The restoration of the VW Bulli, built in 1979 and imported from Texas, was a project that presented the Spies Hecker experts with several challenges. Spies Hecker’s Classic Car paint guide was at hand to provide access to the right system information to help with the restoration.

David Kukies, of Spies Hecker technical service, Germany said, “The first step in the restoration consisted of sanding the old paintwork and the rust right down to the bare metal. We also carried out abrasive blasting on body parts that are particularly tricky on the T2, such as the sunroof box and the ventilation openings. It was critical to pre-treat the substrate very carefully and to make sure it was free of any residue. This helped to ensure the substrate would provide the basis for good corrosion protection and help us to achieve a durable finish, faithful to the original, in the historic Spies Hecker design.”  He added, “Before doing the putty work, the entire body was primed with Priomat Wash Primer 4075 and we filled all surfaces with Permasolid HS Performance Filler 5320 in two spray passes.”

The Bulli stands out largely because of its characteristic lines, in particular its rounded body shape. In order to reconstruct this accurately, after application of Raderal IR Premium Putty 2035 was used and dry sanding, small irregularities were coated with  Raderal primer filler 3508. After further dry sanding, another layer of Permasolid HS Performance Filler 5320 was applied. In order to achieve the best possible insulation, putty areas were coated with three layers of filler, which made it possible to achieve a dry coat thickness of at least 80µm after sanding.

The Spies Hecker team then applied Permahyd Hi-TEC 480 followed by Permasolid HS Clearcoat 8055. David says as an alternative for vintage cars, Permasolid HS Automotive Top Coat 275 can be applied in a single coat or Permahyd Basecoat 280/285 as two coats in combination with Permasolid HS Clearcoat. In order to give the Bulli an optimal surface finish and outstanding gloss, a second coat of Permasolid HS clearcoat was applied after the first clearcoat layer had fully hardened and been sanded down.

On this restoration of the T2 campervan, attention to detail, craftsmanship and specific product systems achieved impressive results. Spies Hecker’s logo appears on the Bulli in typical 1970s style. The VW T2 campervan will be used as brand ambassador at plant and trade fair visits in Germany and neighbouring countries.