1978 VW Westfalia Bus Campmobile, rare automatic trans, Champagne II, CA van

1978 VW Westfalia Camper, Champagne II Edition, rare automatic transmission, runs and drives great. Full camper version with stove, sink and refrigerator. From California - I shipped it here myself about a year ago. I will include the original CA plates and a copy of the CA title. Previous owner said that the engine was rebuilt approx 2,000-3,000 miles ago, but I have no paperwork to back that up - it does start right up and drives as it should, there are a lot of newer looking parts on the engine and it has no leaks, oil is clean. He also had a special extra engine oil cooler with an electric fan added at the time….you can see it in the 1 picture and there are also engine oil temperature and pressure gauges up front.

Mechanical:

AS I said above, it runs and drives like a 78 bus does!

Goes into all gears and shifts properly

Originally had factory AC, but the compressor and parts under the dash were removed. All the front to back lines/hoses are still there.

New drag link

Tires have 90% tread

All gauges and lights work

Shocks are performance type

Battery is new

Body:

Very solid, rot-free body from CA. This sat ocean-side in a parking lot for a few months before I got it at Redondo Beac, CA and the sea spray caused some surface rust on the gutter and other edges (lower edge of engine hatch, bottom edge of doors, left side rear air intake vent, edge of front air grille), but there is no rot or rust holes anywhere. You can see this in the pictures. Some of it was treated with rust-stop and touched up with some matching white paint.

Van looks to have been repainted at some point and was well done - it appears window and door weatherstripping was replaced, as they are pliable and not all hardened and there is no overspray on them,

Floors and all cross-members are solid with only old, peeling undercoating and some surface rust…you can see in the pics.

Rear quarters, from wheel arches and inner wheel wells are all solid with no evidence of bondo

Windshield perimeter is clean with no rust

Both battery trays are solid

Has a Yakima roof rack

Both side jalousie windows function properly and the screens are in good shape

Outside sink vent cover is missing

Interior and Camper Items:

Top bed is original and like new

Pop up tent is excellent with no holes or rips

Both front and rear tables are there but front table is missing the leg but we just propped it with that other piece as shown in the picture

Rear seat and hatch cushions were custom made with extra thick memory foam and in excellent condition

All curtains are there, including the one for the windshield and front door windows and the rear hatch bug screen that snaps in

Water pump for the sink works

Stove works, but needs to be refilled

This has the factory refrigerator but it does not function at this time…not sure why. It can just be used as an icebox

AC outlets work when plugged into city power

Inside lights work on both battery and when plugged inti city power

Front passenger seat swivels to face the back

The original spare tire slot in the cabinet was converted to 3 additional storage drawers – spare is mounted to the front as seen in the pics.

Front seats are original and not ripped but are faded.

Original center jump seat is there.

A section of the corner of the front edge of the rear bed (about 10” x 10”) was cut off to accommodate a wheelchair lift, but I still have the piece and it just needs to be reattached with some brackets. I can do that if you are the winning bidder.

There are some small holes that were drilled into the floor to accommodate the aforementioned wheelchair lift. They didn’t affect anything so I didn’t bother doing anything but they could be easily plugged with plastic inserts.

This is a 40 year old Westy, and although it is in great shape, expect the normal wear and tear of a vehicle of that age and used as a camper. I tried to think of everything but am sure I forgot some things, so please ask any questions you may have and I will reply. If you want any close ups of anything, please let me know and I will send you the pictures.

I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s with my hippie parents with these Westy’s and love them. Even though these are slow and clunky, there is something about the feeling of driving and camping in these that I can’t explain….if you are reading this, you probably know exactly what I talking about! Get in and start traveling the country! Good luck and thank you for looking.