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On the Road: 1964 VW Transporter

'Rocky' restored and back with the Calgary family after quarter century absence

Greg Williams
May 08, 2021  •  May 20, 2021  •  4 minute read  •  Join the conversation
Sandy Williamson bought this 1964 Volkswagen in 1979, sold it in 1986, found it and bought it back in 2020. He and his daughter Lisa Williamson have been working on it, turning it back into a camper van.
Sandy Williamson bought this 1964 Volkswagen in 1979, sold it in 1986, found it and bought it back in 2020. He and his daughter Lisa Williamson have been working on it, turning it back into a camper van. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson

After close to four decades apart, Rocky the 1964 Volkswagen bus has returned to the Williamson family. It’s now a father/daughter project.

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Sandy Williamson grew up in Ontario and attended Queen’s University in Kingston. In 1979, he and his fiancé Karen came to Calgary for summer jobs in the oil patch.

“I had a job with an oil and gas company,” Williamson says, “I got it in my head that I should get a vehicle while we were out here. A guy I worked with had a Volkswagen Transporter for sale, and a few of my mechanical engineering friends looked it over before I bought it for a thousand dollars.”

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Nicknamed ‘Rocky’ after the Rocky Mountains, the Volkswagen saw plenty of use that summer. When it was time to return to Ontario to finish their fourth year of university, Sandy and Karen drove the bus home to Sudbury. After graduating, and with jobs secured in Calgary, the couple shipped Rocky west in an Allied moving van with the rest of their possessions.

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“I camperized the interior with a sink, ice box and fold down bed,” Williamson says, “and added two windows, one on each side of the bus for extra visibility and light. Some of the rust was cut out and fresh panels welded in, and I had it painted two-tone in a Cadillac burgundy and Mustang cream. The bumpers were black.”

Rocky carried the Williamsons as far as California and on many other adventures. When their first child Andrea arrived in 1984, Rocky was deemed too small to carry the growing family on many more camping adventures.

“We sold him in 1986 to a nurse in Pincher Creek. She kept him for two or three years before she sold it to a cook, also in Pincher Creek,” Williamson says. “After that, I saw him once in Calgary in 1989 or 1990 – he was unique because of those side windows I’d installed.”

Two other recreational vehicles, Rocky 2, a 1975 Westfalia, and Rocky 3, a Leisure Travel Van, have followed. But stories were always told about the original Rocky, and Williamson wondered where the bus ended up.

“I’d scan farmer’s fields on the off chance he’d be there, and would also look online,” he says. “And one day last year, I saw it posted on TheSamba.com.”

TheSamba.com is a site dedicated to all things Volkswagen with classifieds, forums, and technical pages. Williamson instantly recognized the bus as Rocky because of the side windows he’d installed.

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  1. Father and daughter Sandy and Lisa Williamson have been working together to convert their 1964 Volkswagen into a functional camper.
    Father and daughter Sandy and Lisa Williamson have been working together to convert their 1964 Volkswagen into a functional camper. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson
  2. Sandy Williamson was working a summer job out west in the oil patch in 1979 when he bought his 1964 Volkswagen Transporter, and nicknamed it Rocky. After selling the bus in 1986, he found him again, for sale in Ontario, and bought it back in 2020.
    Sandy Williamson was working a summer job out west in the oil patch in 1979 when he bought his 1964 Volkswagen Transporter, and nicknamed it Rocky. After selling the bus in 1986, he found him again, for sale in Ontario, and bought it back in 2020. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson
  3. : Sandy Williamson and Rocky the 1964 Volkswagen, photographed together in 1979 in the Rocky Mountains.
    : Sandy Williamson and Rocky the 1964 Volkswagen, photographed together in 1979 in the Rocky Mountains. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson
  4. Pausing at Lake Superior on their way home to Calgary from Ontario with Rocky, Lisa Williamson takes in the view.
    Pausing at Lake Superior on their way home to Calgary from Ontario with Rocky, Lisa Williamson takes in the view. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson
  5. On the road home, Sandy Williamson and his 1964 Volkswagen bus.
    On the road home, Sandy Williamson and his 1964 Volkswagen bus. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson
  6. As purchased in 2020, Rocky the Volkswagen was a bare shell from the front seats back. Sandy Williamson and his daughter, Lisa, have worked to prepare the bus for camping adventures. Here, the insulation and moisture barrier has been installed.
    As purchased in 2020, Rocky the Volkswagen was a bare shell from the front seats back. Sandy Williamson and his daughter, Lisa, have worked to prepare the bus for camping adventures. Here, the insulation and moisture barrier has been installed. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson
  7. To turn the Volkswagen into a camper, Sandy and Lisa Williamson primed the bare metal, and added sound deadening material followed by insulation and panelling and the installation of a bed platform.
    To turn the Volkswagen into a camper, Sandy and Lisa Williamson primed the bare metal, and added sound deadening material followed by insulation and panelling and the installation of a bed platform. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson
  8. Panelling and a bed installed in the Williamson’s 1964 Volkswagen bus.
    Panelling and a bed installed in the Williamson’s 1964 Volkswagen bus. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson

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“The bus was in Orangeville, Ontario. I told the seller who I was and quoted him the serial number from memory,” Williamson says. “The number matched, I asked where he’d got it from. It came from Pincher Creek in 1999. He said it had been in rough shape then, but he’d driven it from Alberta to Ontario. He cleaned it up and painted it the two-tone red and white.”

A price was discussed, and Williamson agreed. As restrictions during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic began to ease, he booked a one-way ticket to Toronto. The seller picked him up at the airport, and Williamson spent the next day going over Rocky to ensure the Volkswagen was mechanically sound and ready for another cross-country adventure.

“My dad always talked about Rocky,” Williamson’s second daughter Lisa explains, and adds, “he had been trying to find Rocky for years.”

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To share the adventure with her dad, Lisa followed him east the next day, flying from Calgary to Toronto. Rocky and Williamson picked her up at the airport.

“Getting Rocky and driving him home was too cool (an opportunity) to pass up,” she says. “It gave me lots of quality time with my dad, hearing stories about his childhood and Rocky. I got to see my dad’s childhood home, where he used to be a fishing guide in Ontario and hear all sorts of stories about his life. It was an invaluable, and priceless experience and I got to make so many amazing memories with my dad.”

It took father and daughter four-and-a-half days to drive Rocky home.

“Top end is about 90 km/h,” Williamson says, “and you’ve always got your ear out listening for anything amiss.”

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On the road home, Sandy Williamson and his 1964 Volkswagen bus.
On the road home, Sandy Williamson and his 1964 Volkswagen bus. Photo by Sandy and Lisa Williamson

Nothing happened, and with Rocky back in the family, Sandy and Lisa have been working together to turn the bus into a camper – again. As purchased, Rocky was essentially an empty shell from the front seats back. They primed the interior and wired it for a refrigerator, lights, and USB outlets. After that, they installed sound deadening material, insulation and a moisture barrier in preparation for paneling.

“We’ve installed a bed and I’m building a few cabinets and will add a sink,” Sandy says, “it’ll be pretty basic. We’re not going to change the outside at all, but we did install a roof rack.”

Lisa admits she’s not mechanically inclined but is happy to be learning more about vehicles and general renovation skills while working with her dad. Follow their progress and adventures on Instagram at rocky_the_vw.

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I’m over the moon to have him back.

“This has made for a lot more quality time with my dad and I’m learning so much from him,” she adds. “We are hoping to have Rocky ready by late spring so we can do some camping and exploring around Alberta and the Rocky Mountains. My parents are onto Rocky 3 now, so the plan is to camp a bit with them, and my dog and I can use Rocky 1. I think it would be amazing to eventually make a West Coast trip with Rocky.”

Sandy concludes, “Did we need another vehicle? No, but Lisa’s really excited about it and there are so many memories in this Volkswagen; I’m over the moon to have him back.”

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca

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