Restore Dylan's Dream

The Dream

When our brother Dylan was 14 he dreamed of buying, restoring and traveling the country in a VW bus. He did everything in his power to make that dream a reality.


Dylan and our dad searched the internet and found a 1974 VW Westfalia bus that had been stored in a barn in Wisconsin. A cold December day the two of them made the 5 hour round trip to Wisconsin to bring it home. The bus was gutted, rusted and had no heat but that did not matter; Dylan's dream was officially underway!
 
The bus was is such rough shape that 3 auto body shops declined the job because they saw it as too big of an undertaking. Dylan's dream was up to him to make it a reality.

                           
Every free moment Dylan had, every dollar Dylan earned, every gift Dylan received was put towards the restoration. The bus became a labor of love for friends and family alike and took two and  a half years to complete.

The bus was brought to a VW specialist who brought the engine up to par. After that the real work began. Friends, family and each of us brothers worked side by side with Dylan to bring his dream to life. We removed a portion of the bottom quarter panels, Dylan learned to weld from a friend’s dad, we ground, we sanded and we replaced part by part for over a year. Finally Dylan had it painted the signature VW Olympic blue.
 
The inside was the fun part. Curtains were made and hung, side interior panels covered, the bench seats were reupholstered, the inside was painted and carpeted, the ice box and sink were installed, a new canvas was put on the pop up camper and hardwood floors were installed. Through this transformation Dylan's identity was born. Our hippie brother had a vehicle to match his style and his dream became a reality. He with the help of family and friends had turned a rusted barn find into the bus he nicknamed, "Babe the Big Blue Bus."


The bus was the focal point and theme of his high school graduation party and center of his grad photos. It was fun for all of us and was even in our family Christmas card that year.


Devastation By Fire:

Friday, May 25th Dylan's Dream went up in flames. He stopped to get gas on his way to work at a local gas station. After he filled his tank the bus wouldn't start. He saw smoke coming from behind him in the engine compartment. He ran to open it and flames started shooting out. He yelled, "Fire" and the gas attendants called 911 and ran out with fire extinguishers. One of them asked Dylan to move the bus away from the pumps so he jumped in and rolled the bus forward as it was on fire, to prevent a possible explosion and keep everyone safe.


Dylan called our dad screaming, "The bus is on fire!" My dad and Gavin jumped in his truck and arrived at the gas station before the fire department only to see the beloved "Babe" was no longer blue. Black smoke was billowing into the sky and the entire bus was engulfed in flames.

It was devastating, each of us brothers found out at different times and hurt because we knew how broken Dylan's heart was. He had and continued to pour his heart and soul into this vehicle that had become a part of his identity.


Not only did Dylan's dream go up in flames but so too did his most loved possessions. Because he was heading to our Uncle's cabin after work the bus was loaded for the weekend with family belongings and his prize possessions including his record collection, his homemade tie dye shirts, all of his bandanas, his Cajon and 2 hammocks, his camera and laptop and even his T-shirt quilt from his graduation. He not only lost “Babe” to the fire but to him he lost everything in that fire.


GoFundMe Goal:

Our Goal is to raise $10,000 to offset the portion insurance will not cover to allow Dylan to purchase another VW bus.  As Dylan’s brothers we see how he treats friends and strangers alike and how he is the first one to help anyone at any time. Dylan is a modern day Hippie, he is kind and generous, and would be the first to step up to help anyone in need. He puts others needs and wants before his own. This fire destroyed him because the bus was something he loved with his whole being. Whenever he drove it people would stop and ask questions and he relished talking about the bus and the work put into the transformation. This bus was a part of him and his identity. As an 19 year old bartending college student he simply has no means to get back what he lost. The time, energy, blood, sweat and tears he put into the restoration simply isn’t something he can possibly replicate.

Why This Means So Much:

We are starting this GoFundMe for our brother Dylan because he deserves to have his dream restored. Dylan is the type of friend and brother anyone would be lucky to have. As his brothers we want to get his story out there in hopes that people will contribute to this cause and allow him to purchase another VW bus. He had his first road trip to Colorado planned for July and if we can raise funds fast enough we would love to see him make the road trip this yet summer. Please help, every cent counts and no donation is too small. If you are not comfortable donating online feel free to send directly to Dylan Rinehart @ 10637 Tanglewood Court N., Champlin, MN 55316. If we reach our fundraising goal, we will have the ability to Restore Dylan’s Dream and have him in another VW bus traveling to Colorado by the end of summer. 

Other Ways You Can Help:

Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated and for your kind outreach and support. We would not be able to Restore Dylan’s Dream without it!! We and especially Dylan are interested in collaboration. If you are a VW expert, if you have, work on or know about VW busses we would enjoy making the connection. Possibly you can help us locate the next VW bus for our brother.

Also, please share this fundraising page and #ResoreDylansDream with friends and family.

Peace and Love,

Dylan’s Brothers – Brennen - Weston - Gavin