1984 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon GL Westfalia full Camper No Rust

Hello, you are bidding on a very nice and lovingly restored Vanagon that was one guys passion in life who worked on Nuclear Plants for a living.

The owner that restored her wrote this when he sold her on ebay about a year ago.

The van:

Vanagon Westfalia 1984 Wolfsberg, Automati, A/C 2.0 ABA inline 4 No Rust

This van has won awards at show, and yet it goes camping.

VIN# WV2ZB0256EH075239

Overview:

I will put this van up against any west coast van, or any GoWesty van. And would place good money on that bet. I spared no expense; anything that could be upgraded was upgraded. I went for reliability above anything else. I researched everything and only went with the best. This is better than a GoWesty van instead of just throwing money at it and selling it to a yuppie. It was slowly upgraded and I only went with what works in the real world. This was a rescue van when I got her and I went thru her bumper to bumper. I got her for her messed up mechanics and awesome not hurt interior. It’s time for her to go to a better home. The asking price of this van comes nowhere near what has been done to it. I performed a true restomod to this van to bring it into the modern world. She even has her own website.

Upgrades:

Transmission:

Professionally converted from the crappy 4 speed manual to an automatic. All factory VW parts were used,(we placed 2 vans side by side and swapped the parts over-all bolt up and factory fresh) it now will climb hills with gusto and unlike the 3/4thgear in the 4 speed stick, it won’t implode on you. Also if you live in the city and love grid lock your leg won’t explode using a clutch. This made the van more bullet proof also.

It has a Smallcar external transmission cooler; this cooler will not implode into the coolant system, like the factory cooler. It was professionally installed.

A drainplug was welded into the drain pan. It is using Ford F Transmission fluid, it shifts solid and firm.

There is a B&M Transmission Temp gauge on the dash to finish it all off.

Engine:

The original Wasserboxer was removed and used as a boat anchor and it professionally replaced with a VW in-line 2.0 ABA block with a 1.8 digifant head. It looks factory and if you didn’t know what I just told you, you wouldn’t know.

The fuel management system is basically the same as what came from the factory, meaning a VW mechanic with his brains knocked out can work on it.

It’s the same lay out as the factory diesel engines. Meaning it’s basically stock, so stock; it’s what VW should have done. And was going to do, but the Rabbit at the time was using all the inline motors, so VW stuck with a boxer design. Big mistake, now it’s fixed. There isn’t a Ford, or Subaru motor in the back. The van still has VW blood in it. Like it should. Das Dub. Mechanics that have seen it have made me offers on the spot for the van, because the motor is so close to stock.

Good luck getting someone to work on your Bostig or Subaru conversion when out on the road. If it has a Wasserboxer you will be working on it, on the side of the road. It has a reliable solid motor in the back and is all VW.

There is a Darrell Bohler digitool installed to the ECU, these were pre OBII motors now that is taken care of. You can see what is happening to the motor, at the dash. Darrell quit making these and I have hoarded another one for you. (And no I will not just sell it unless you want the whole van with it)

The engine lid fits flush; did I mention it was professionally installed? You can set a glass of water on the engine lid it runs so smooth.

There is a brand new cat on the exhaust so it will always pass emissions. Some Subies and Ford conversions won’t pass emissions, this will. It has a free flowing exhaust, yet doesn’t sound like a rice burner and its quiet. It purrs.

Only German filters are used on it. And I only use the Vanagon Diesel oil filters on it. No cheap Chinese stuff.

Cooling:

Brand new German Behr radiator, with forced air pre-cooler and forced air oil cooler in the back. All are automatically cooled and also have a bypass switch on the dash also. It will climb any mountain pass and not break a sweat. It never ran hot, and it will never run hot. I run a cold thermostat also, cause that’s how I roll. There is also an oil temp gauge and water temp gauge on the dash. The coolant has been flush every 2 years. I only use the green stuff too. Redline water wetter is added also. Overkill you say? I agree and that’s how I roll too.

Gauges:

Oil temp, water temp, vacuum, tach, Jetta tach installed in the dash, brand new factory rebuilt speedometer, voltage gauge, O2 Sensor, transmission temp and a digitool. Plus the entire factory gauges. They all work.

Note on the factory speedometer. I sent it off to be rebuilt, it had 134000 on it, and once mailed back it had 000000 on it. Not exactly the same if you ask me. So a calculator is needed to do the math if you need to know the exact miles. This has always bothered me. But hey what ya gonna do. I also bypassed the odometer counter with a straight pass odometer cable. No more stupid O2 sensor light, every 40000 miles going off. And the speedometer is more accurate. The van body has 146,326 miles on it. The motor and tranny about 20k by the time you read this, with a brand new timing belt just installed for you.

Transaxle:

Completely gone thru with brand new German CV axles also.

Suspension/brakes:

The whole front has been upgraded and replaced with the Van Café kit. Here is what you won’t get on other vans. Even the upper bushings have zerk fittings added. If you know these vans, you can install new ones and the will squeak, this is taken care. Upper and lower ball joints replaced. Brake drums and rotors are replaced and even the parking brake works. An upgraded bracket was made for the parking brake. If you know these vans, it doesn’t take long and you give up on having a parking brake. Power steering pump is new and not a rebuild. The front and rear wheel bearings are upgraded using on German bearings. You have to do your homework to find these. All the rubber suspension parts have been replaced. It steers like a brand new van. I even replaced the master cylinder for complete overkill. Slam the brakes and you better be wearing your seatbelt.

Lift Kit:

3 “ GoWesty lift kit with leveling blocks in the rear. I did this to upgrade the springs. I wanted fresh springs while I was fixing the front end, and also to have a Syncro without the Syncro headache. Also the 84-85 Vanagons had a factory lift anyway. The leveling blocks removed the lean the Westfalias have due to the camping equipment.

It’s been mistaken for a Syncro and now you can get to better camping spots and it’s easier to change the fluids now. It looks factory. They are progressive springs that mean you get the cool without getting beat up on the interstate.

Wheels and Tires and Shocks:

It has real D Load tires now. They are A/T off road Yokahawa Geolander, these tires are so great I have them on my pickup truck now, they are silent and now the van can go place, before it would get stuck in wet grass, I’ve now had it in some killer National Forest camping spots you just drive right up, no Chuck Norris stunts needed. You just putt along then park it. The rims are upgraded to Mercedes rims. I took all the guess work out for you upgrading your wheels and tires and its better than anyone else’s setup. These are real tires. They only have 5000 miles on them. The van does not see saw like other Vanagons, this one drives like it is on rails. It has German Bilstein shocks, I sold 2 gallons of blood to afford these.

Fuel:

Completely gone thru and upgraded. All fuel lines replaced, with a German fuel pump, and brand new pressure regulator and not a Chinese fuel pump. The tank was dropped and resealed. Only ethanol free gas is used in it. It can take E-15, but I don’t like it, so I won’t use it. She likes 91 octane. She has good taste. When on a blind drunk she will take 86 octane, but hates herself in the morning.

Starter:

It has a hot start starter now, not a rebuilt Chinese starter, (noticing a theme here) this is the same starter the hot rod guys use. It’s brand new and not a rebuild .This is one of the best upgrades I’ve done to the van. I dare you to find this one another van. And with today’s cheap rebuilt Chinese junk, this problem is taking care of. Rebuilt starters are asking for trouble, the windings break down and leave you stranded. This idea came from the rail buggy guys. Turn and the key and go.

Alternator:

I upgraded the alternator to a 130 amp alternator and the wiring harness was upgraded for the alternator circuit. Nothing fancy here, I just had a rebuild shop, beef it up.

Headlights/Tailights:

Upgraded to a South African grill, the auxiliary lights are wired to a foot switch on the floor. This means you get the factory high beams, and the auxiliary beams. They are driven on plug in play relays bypassing the factory wiring .And professionally wired. If you know these vans you know you need upgraded light wiring. (They must use night vision scopes in Europe)The seal beams were removed and been upgraded to Halogen 9004 lamps and lights. This van has modern lights. And they are BRIGHT. All the professional wiring is labeled so you won’t have a hacked van.

The taillights have been converted to euro taillights, this means they are brighter so you can be seen, and a 3rdbrake light has been added.

The interior:

Camping Stuff

The interior was completely removed and POR-15 installed on the interior seams and all the battery boxes which means NO RUST. The refrigerator was upgraded; it works and loves to run on propane. (By the way the tank is full and ready to use) The propane regulator was upgraded. The water tan, resealed and has a new pump. The stove works. Installed an extra cooling fan for the frig, now it will work when its 100 degrees outside when parked. Also you can camp on 110volts or 12volt on the lights and camping equipment unlike a factory van. Now you can fully use a camp ground electrical plug. The frig will work on 110v or 12volt. The GoWesty upgrade kit was installed on the frig. This was professionally done also.

The pop-top, have lift shocks installed, it’s a one man operation now. All the tables come with the van; yes it has all the tables. No I will not sell them separately to you.

A/C Cooling. The van comes with an A/C window unit that is not ghetto, and hangs in the passenger window. I’ve had the van in the 60’s during 100 degree weather. Let the peasants sweat while you get hypothermic.

I have installed a rear shower at the back hatch and uses water from the water tank. This is a God-Sent after a dusty day on the trails. It looks factory.

The canvas has been replaced with a 3 sided vented top; also the moonroof has been replaced and upgraded.

I have aftermarket magnetic bug screens for the siding door and front and driver’s passenger door, even the rear hatch has the factory bug screen.

It comes with an auxiliary battery and all the camping devices are wired to this battery even the radio. This means only the starter circuits are wired to the starter battery .It evens have a VW solar charger with it. The starter battery has a tow truck plug wired to it. If the battery does die, you don’t have to remove the seat for a jump off. Just plug the jumper cables up and restart the van. All the wiring was professionally done. An extra fuse box was added behind the driver’s seat. All the circuits and wiring are labeled. Now you can camp off grid, and not worry about the van not starting in the morning. Play Freebird all night with no regrets.

The batteries are also wired to separate trickle chargers for each battery and wired to the factory outside 110v plug, this means park the van, plug it up and forget about it. It’s a camper you might not use it for a while. Next camping trip just unplug it, and it just starts right up and you drive off.

VW factory interior stuff.

The rear bed and front seats have been redone with factory VW cloth.(Another rare fin, that took a year to track down) It comes with the VERY RARE single middle seat, with a factory headrest. All others if you can find them do not have a headrest. This also means you can put a child in a car seat and not worry about them being in the front or all the way in the back. Also you can still open the frig with the seat unlike a full bench. This was only offered in 85-86 . The van can seat 6, all with seat belts. Great for kids. If you have adults, they can easily get to the beer in the frig.

The doors and side panels have been dynomatted it’s a noiseless van, as much as big box can be, try that in another van. The doors shut with a thu, not a tink sound.

The A/C has been completely gone thru and upgraded. I replaced the compressor with a brand new 134, the dryer is a Parker 134a dryer and it’s using Redtek refrigeran, (no license needed and it cools way better) you can hang meat in the back. The factory evaporator drain lines have been extended. The factory setup drained onto the body seams and might cause rust. This is taken care of.

The Pioneer stereo has been completely brought up to today’s specs, and has a remote for when camping, with 6 speakers, amp driven with sub-woofers. A XM unit is installed in the dash with a USB port and an aux port. There is nothing to do here.

The Seatbelts have been upgraded, I installed rear GoWesty seats in the rear because I love my kids, I also installed a MKII Jetta lap belt in the middle, I even like the mother in law, now someone sitting in the middle won’t fly out the window. You can remove this if you hate your mother in law.

I installed a hot foot valve kit for the front dash; this means no more hot feet in the summertime.

The front has German rubber in the front flooring area, for camping, underneath is the factory carpet and is in excellent condition.

Towing:

Yep towing, this van can tow. I welded (I’m a certified welder) a Class III hitch using the rear tow hooks mounted inside the frame. Now you have a stronger rear end, unlike Vanagon’s from the factory, the rear end is solid as a rock if you get rear ended. You can carry a rear platform also. No more stinking trash or gas cans inside the van. If you see a Vanagon with a hitch that just attaches to the factory rear hooks via a clip setup, you can snicker at them, and they will have hitch envy.

So the towing. I installed the pre-cooler and oil cooler for mountain passes. And with extra power, the motor is 135hp unlike the factory with the 86hp Wasserboxer motor. I have towed my duck hunting boat. I’ve also towed 2 jet skis. Now you can take your toys with you. With the better brakes, tires and suspension, motor and the upgraded hitch. The van tows great. I also installed Euro LT mirrors ( I found them on line on a Polish website) for you can finally see out of the van This setup is not abusive . I wouldn’t tow a RV trailer. But if you want to take a toy or your lawn mower and trailer over to Granny’s house you can now.

Paint/Outside:

It was professionally repainted. I then installed bedliner to the bottom like Gowesty does their vans, I also covered the bottom seams with bedliner. Also the front seams were done in bedliner and matched to the factory brown. Now road rocks cannot cause seam rust. I doubt you find that done on many vans.

The windows are tinted 5% all the way around; this gives you privacy when camping without messing with curtains. The passenger /driver are done in 35%. The front windshield is done in 15%.

I also have a Rocky Mountain ladder on the side of the van so you can access stuff on the top. No more circus acts to get to something.

Attached to the camper top are 6 Yakima clips, you can install racks on the top and you have options due to the way I set it up. The scary part of drilling has been done for you. All you have to do is install the Yakima bar racks.

Other:

You get all the parts I’ve hoarded over the years. I’m ashamed to admit the money that is in those parts.

Things wrong with the van:

The front blower needs replaced, and I have the motor. I’ve put it off for a while. Due to the fact you can switch the controls to fresh air and heat and it blows just as hard as the blower. I have the blower motor and it comes with the van. If I wasn’t traveling so much, this weekend project would already be done. Its not a rocket surgeon job.

Crack in the front windshield. 4 inches –Passenger side –bottom .Eventually these all get a crack due to the size of the windshield and rocks from delta bravos. I’ve put it off too; due to the fact the front windshield is tinted. Yep tinted. The cops can’t tell, and it saves the interior. You can touch the steering wheel in the summer when parked. And the tint stops the spreading when you do get a crack. It took me 3 windshields to figure this gem of a tid-bit out.

The sliding door handle, really nothing iswrong, but I used a 1988 door handle and cut it down, and reversed the internals. This means you have to unlock it from the inside,(just stick you arm thru/around from the passenger door) the outside key will not work. I did this to make the van hard to break into. Before you could lean hard on the handle and you were in a free beer was to be had. Now, good luck. It gives me peace of mind when hiking. This gem was discovered on an internet board.

The real deal:

The last owner:

Installed a new gas tank, all new fuel lines, a new fuel filter and a newvacuumassiston the brakes.

The last owner owned her for about a year until her son was tragically diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer. I bought it from her in an effort to help her out and am now selling it myself.

All told, it is difficult to estimate how much has been invested on the van to bring it to this condition, however using simple math a conservative estimate of $25-30,000 would not be unreasonable. Thankfully the good ones do hold their value.

Payment:

Sold as is. If you bid and you win, you seriously won it. I expect a $500.00 dollar PayPal deposit and the rest in cash or a banker’s certified check. Seriously if you bid, you are bidding to win. If you win her, she is yours no backing out. She doesn’t like to be stood up. No one likes a tire kicker.

Shipping: Buyer is responsible for all shipping costs. I will be available for REASONABLE assistance in shipping within the USA only.

Honest truth is I hate to sell her but I have a daughter in Law School, a daughter doing a PhD and another daughter getting ready for College, and I am a single father...so it is not feasible. Hope you will enjoy her.