I was asked the other day what is better.... A late or an early bay window camper van ? Hmmmm now thats a question.
My opinion is i really like early bays, the nice rounded bumpers, low front indicators and smaller rear lights give it a much older and retro look. The late bay with the square bumper and more modern tail lights give the vw camper a much more convential look.
Restoration wise.... The late Bay is by defination going to be the easier one to restore with the parts more readily ( and cheaperly ) available. The Early Bay window camper do suffer a lot more with the front panel rotting especially at the bottom, which consists of 3 panels welded together. This is not hugely expensive to replace but is not the easiest job to do in the restoration of a VW Camper.
Money Wise.....
The Early Bay models now rarer than the late model campers command better prices on a like for like basis. The earlier versions when restored do fetch higher prices than there late model brothers. The cost of a restoration of an early vw camper bay window will usually cost slightly more than than a late version. But Personally an early bay looks better and will always fetch more monay and be more in demand.
Early VW Bay Window Camper Van 1968-1971/2
Late VW Bay Window Camper Van 1972-1979
Note some 1971/2 Models have a combination of early and late components and can be considered quite unique.