1984 VW Vanagon SVX Conversion

Please READ CAREFULLY, s I like to be very thorough in describing a car:

These Vanagons are hard to find in good condition, nd this one's sharp and clean. My time with the bus has been fun and it will be very hard to part with. I bought this bus to go camping, ut with a growing family we are not using it as often anymore.

If you're reading this ad, ou already know that the Vanagons are some of the most versatile and fun camping vehicles that you can own. Unfortunately most of them with a stock motor cannot get out of their own way. Plus as the original motors age they are prone to head gasket failure and are expensive to repair. I wanted the fun of a VW bus and the reliability and power of a Japanese engine. I found a Subaru SVX with just under a 100K on the Odometer and that was where I started. The conversion was professionally done (Google what it costs for a Subaru SVX swap). The rest of the bus was also thoroughly gone through for reliability.

If you're looking at other Vanagons make sure that the fuel lines and fuel tank have been addressed. The fuel tank was removed and a fuel line kit was installed and all new fuel lines have been run through the bus. Many of these buses have been lost to this "over-looked" maintenance item. Along with the fuel lines a brand new Walbro 255 fuel pump was installed to support the 3.3L engine.

This bus is truly amazing out on the road. It can more than keep up with traffic on the freeway. Since the engine produces more than twice the power that the stock engine had (230hp), wanted the transmission to be up to the task. I had the transmission rebuilt with a higher third and fourth gear. It will cruise all day at 70 mph with the engine turning a little over 3k rpm. Along with all new bearings and syncros the transmission also had a South African oiling plate installed. It has a ton of power for the hills. It has absolutely no problem passing going up a hill.

The paint is in good shape, specially for its age. The color is alpine white and shines up very well. The paint is not perfect and there is a dent at the rear of the bus. The pictures show the state of the paint which is overall decent (you won't get kicked out of a VW show) but it is not perfect. There are scratches and dents but I really didn't want a perfect bus. I wanted a bus that I could take camping and not care if it came home with another scratch. One of the best things about this bus is the fact that it is not rusty. Too many buses out there have succumbed to rust but this is a good rust free example that has been in Arizona and California all of its life.

The car has all of its manuals as well as the manual for the Alpine Radio. I have also included all the conversion info such as wiring diagrams and Subaru info. The stereo has an iPod connection and I have new speakers throughout the bus. It also has a powered sub and the stereo sounds great.

The bus originally had AC but the system has been taken out of the bus. My thought was if I was in the bus I was heading to somewhere cooler anyway and I have never really missed it.

Tires are Pirelli P6 plus on powder coated Audi 16 inch wheels. The rubber shows a little weather but they are only about 3 years old.

When building this bus I wanted to be able to go off the beaten path so it has an 80W solar panel and a 2nd gel battery. This complete system is separate from the vehicle battery and you can run lights, un laptops and charge cell phones with no problem. There is a 500w converter behind the driver's seat with (2) 110 plugs and (1) USB power outlet.

The fiberglass top was removed and painted. While the top was off new canvas was installed and pop top shocks were also installed to help with raising the top with the solar panel installed.

The lighting in these old buses was definitely not up to the task so I installed a South African grill and light set. This thing lights up the night! The proper relays were also installed to handle the power the lights need.

The propane tank was completely refurbished and powder coated with all brand new brass fittings / valves. The tank was also recently filled and is ready to go! The stove and the fridge can be run off of this system.

The following work was ALL done between 2012 and 2014:

*New gel 2nd battery

*80w solar panel, olar controller, 00w converter

*New alternator

*New water pump

*New timing belt

*All New seals and hoses for the SVX motor

*New engine / transmission mounts

*Custom headers into Magnaflow muffler...Sounds awesome!

*New Radiator

*New Radiator Hoses

*New clutch and Small Car bell housing

*New spark plugs

*New wipers

*New fuel filter

*New Walbro 255 fuel pump

*Rebuilt CV joints

*Rebuilt Transmission with longer 3rd and 4th gear

*Small car tachometer

*New oil pressure gauge / sender

*Recent engine oil, ransmission oil change

*New Brakes front and rear

*New front and rear wheel bearings

*Recovered front seats

*New front windshield

*New sky light window

*New South African grill and lights

*New rubber seal kit for pop top

All new in 2015:

*New Galley area flooring (including subfloor and insulation)

*New Go Westy exterior hookups

*Go Westy flue cover (removed old refrigerator for more storage)

*New electric faucet and submergable water pump (inside reserve tank)

*New water line from tank to faucet

*New sink drainage line

*New 3 point harness seat belts (passenger side, ront, nd back seat)

*Complete vehicle signal lenses and exterior LED bulb kit

Buyer will also get a Go Westy high top van cover and busdepot.com EZ awning (see photos)