Recent rains in the area had damaged the roads, so the going was tough with the faithful old Merc. But we arrived there eventually. The bus was owned by Margarieta, bought new in Cape Town in 1960, it was the family car for many years and towards the end of it's life it also appeared to be the plaas bakkie.
Thankfully the rear seats were removed and stored in a garage, the rear floor and chassis area is pretty rotten due to sheep having being kept inside the bus.
The front suspension was also partially stripped, so I brought a complete one up with me, we ended up just using the drums (later year model, so we battled a bit).
The engine, rear bumper and valence were removed, tail light lenses, wiring loom, wiper motor and blades were removed, but for the rest, she is pretty complete
The body is remarkably straight, with only a dent on the nose, the colour is sealing wax red, still original paint !
The bus has apparently been sitting on blocks for the last 21 years. Two rims were given to someone who needed them for a trailer, the other 2 were in the bus with the hubcaps, in good shape .
Here are a few pics of the trip .......
Spot the bus - first sighting
The owner Margarieta - bus is surrounded by 21 years of Karoo bossies and other "farm stuff"
Mr and Mrs Maritz putting on brave smiles, obviously an emotional moment for them, this bus transported them and their seven children all those years ago, these memories cannot just be deleted, this bus will always be hers, I assured her it will be back to the farm one day for a visit and she is always welcome to stay at my place and check out the bus when they are in the area .................
Precious times .........
The long trek back begins. We ended up removing the front wheels and letting the bus rest on some old tyres for safety reasons. The bad road conditions made for a long trip back to Sutherland. At the first "river" we jumped into the water to wash and revive ourselves, absolute bliss
The old Merc battled a bit with the soft sand and very steep sections, so we knew we were going to have to overnight somewhere, we were pretty tired from the long day and getting the bus onto the trailer. Ended up at the Sutherland Hotel.
We left Sutherland after 11am, because the petrol station guy was at church, there was a long queue waiting for him ...............
The drive back was long, slow and hot - but the Merc never skipped a beat. The next day, my friend Pieter Hammersma, the backsmith and I
removed the front suspension and replaced it with a complete spare. "Margerieta" is now moveable and is under a roof.
Plans ? Keep her as she is, original paint, sort out the chassis, find an engine, and get her back on the road. It's going to take a while
as I still have to get the "plaas Bakkie" through roadworthy.
Special thanks to Errol, Quinton, Ilka, Boetie Maritz, Margerieta and Oom Gert Maritz and of course Sean and the Merc, Pieter, Ruby (sorry I missed your birthday party) and of course Wendy for "understanding" this madness
, but if you think that is bad I towed with my Land Rover this weekend and ran out of fuel on the way back home, it did 2.5km/l 
.
