Looking for a 1971 Westfalia for my brother

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

My brother has had a really tough time coping with the loss of his beloved 1971 VW Westfalia camper. He bought it 1973 and does not remember if it had 400,000 or 500,000 plus miles as the odometer has rolled over so many times. He is a VW mechanic and has built many engines and done 98% of the work on it himself.

He was towing it behind his motorhome and the steel pin that the tow bar uses to secure it to the motorhome snapped, and the bus rolled away on its own. It rolled to the side of the road, and hit a berm, went airborne slammed back down, and kept rolling until it came to ditch that stopped it. The only good news is no one was injured, and it did no property damage.

The van is a twisted box, and has crushed front end and likely beyond any possible hope of repair.

In the many years he owned it several couples used it as a background for weddings.

Of course anything can be fixed with enough money, but this is not a 356 Speedster or a long hood 911S.

He really wants another blue 1971 Westfalia camper that he can drive, it is not a show car to sit in the garage museum. His won many prizes at VW shows over the years, and it was a two owner VW that is 50 years old.

So I am hitting up he Pelican brain trust to help me find him a replacement Westfalia. He wants a 71 because it has the upgraded transmission not in the 70 model, and it is the last of the upright VW style engines, and does not use the type 4 engine. In his words the type 4 just stands for 4 times more expensive for parts. He has a storage shed full of VW parts, but no type 4 parts. His daily driver is a 1954 VW bug.

Unless you know of a shop that has the experience to straighten the shape back to square, and replace a lot of doors and other parts. I can PM his contact information to you if you have any suggestions so you can talk to him directly. His insurance company is still looking to determine the repair cost, and the salvage value of the vehicle. It was indeed insured, but only for "fair market value" and that is not easy to determine. To him it was not something he would sell for any reasonable price, much like me and my 911.

Any idea? Shops to contact. The van is currently in Alabama.

island911 · 03-14-2021, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

...

Of course anything can be fixed with enough money, but this is not a 356 Speedster or a long hood 911S. ...

IDK... it kind of sounds like it does carry that kind of value.

1990C4S · 03-14-2021, 07:05 AM

They are pretty popular now, prices will be high for anything in decent shape.

If it were me I would fix the old one, it's got sentimental value, and you know it can be a good car again.

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

They are pretty popular now, prices will be high for anything in decent shape.

If it were me I would fix the old one, it's got sentimental value, and you know it can be a good car again.

He would love to have it fixed, but not many places can do that, and fix it properly.

The right front corner is pushed up 3/4 of an inch and the door will not close. The door is bent as well, the roof is bent and just image a shoe box that is torsionally twisted.

No doubt a high end shop that has the right equipment can do it, but just who is that?

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

He would settle for a 1971 factory sunroof van. His Westfallia parts can be transferred over with a lot of work.

Baz · Baz's Garage

He can get one from the same place I got my Volvo.

eBay....

1971 Volkswagen Westfalia Camper Vanagon Bus

NEW ARRIVAL!! LOCALLY OWNED WESTFALIA CAMPER VAN LEGALLY IMPORTED FROM SOUTH AFRICA!! WELL PRESERVED VAN RUNS AND DRIVES VERY NICELY. POP UP CAMPER FUNCTIONS NICELY WITH NO RIPS OR TEARS IN THE ORANGE TENT. EXTERIOR IS FINISHED IN BLUE WITH TAN INTERIOR.FACTORY OPTIONS AND FEATURES INCLUDE:1.6L 4 CYLINDER ENGINE MANUAL TRANSMISSION SLIDING REAR DOOR RIGHT HAND DRIVE WOOD CABINETS REAR BENCH SEATING POP UP TENT WITH A ROLLING OUT COT AND MUCH MORE.

Located in Marietta, Georgia. Only $29,979.00!

1990C4S · 03-14-2021, 08:19 AM

My 89 911 was in a similar state, I fixed it myself. Any shop with a frame straightener can get that back to factory specs in a day or two.

Any car you buy might have been through the same process some time in the last 50 years.

911boost · 911boost's Garage

Bummer he does not want a newer one. I’m going to put my 78 Westy up for sale in the spring. It’s a stock 2.0 type 4 with the factory FI and even past CO smog, it does have 74 stock exhaust with a VS stainless muffler though. It’s a driver and not a show car.

Good luck! Prices have been creeping up on these too.

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911boost

I’m going to put my 78 Westy up for sale in the spring. It’s a stock 2.0 type 4 with the factory FI.............

Bought a 78 in Anchorage in 1989. $2500. Cleaned it all up then another kid came along in 1990 and I did the smartest thing ever and sold the Westy in 1991 and bought a Plymouth Voyager.

I loved that bus. It could actually accelerate going uphill.

rcooled · 03-14-2021, 03:20 PM

Here's several from TheSamba website. No blue ones though...

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2431832

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2402024

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2393170

This one's a 1970

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2454656

Another 1970

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2448344

GH85Carrera · GH85Carrera's Garage

He only paid $1,200 for his current one. That is $7,100 in today's dollars.

He is having a hard time with the 30 grand prices asked for the ones on the market. I told him to show all that to the insurance company.

Any ideas on a really good shop that knows how to do the repair properly?

Two years ago a large Buck deer ran into his door on the 1954 bug. He had to find a new door for that, and it was rust free Arizona door. The body shop he took it to locally was supposed to be a expert top notch place. When he got the car back the vent windows would not open at all and the regular window would only move with difficulty. They were unable to do any better. He had to take the door apart and put it together himself to get the vent windows to move. That is the only "air conditioning" for the car and vital in a bug.

So finding a true expert body shop is step one of getting it fixed if possible at all.

island911 · 03-15-2021, 07:39 AM

A frame shop is what to look for.

it is amazing what can be pulled back to the right shape. Steel is malleable stuff.

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

His insurance company is still looking to determine the repair cost, and the salvage value of the vehicle. It was indeed insured, but only for "fair market value" and that is not easy to determine.

Interested in hearing their numbers. Hoping for favorable so the $20-30k number does not seem so unpalatable.

Not sure of his life situation but big resto-projects can wear on families. Would like to see this be relatively struggle free and have him driving one like the spiffy ones posted.

911boost · 911boost's Garage

The cost of them now is crazy for what you get. For my Westy I would take probably $14k based on how well it runs and drives. It is a dry bus and only has a little rust in the doors and on one of the dog legs.

911boost · 911boost's Garage

There are some very good VW specific shops but he would need to ship it, like Painters Grinding in Denver.

Painters Grinding

Bob Kontak · Bob Kontak's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911boost

There are some very good VW specific shops but he would need to ship it, like Painters Grinding in Denver.

He's got to have big sentimental value for it as insurance will likely total it and it will have a rebuilt title. My gut feel is he can buy it back from insurance and have enough to have it repaired by professionals.

I'm not so big on the super-duper high dollar shop. If the assumption is you have to be a VW bus specific "puller" I think that is overkill. It think you need to find "the guy" not the shop.

rcooled · 03-15-2021, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

He only paid $1,200 for his current one. That is $7,100 in today's dollars.

He must've bought it a loooong time ago, or got one hell of a deal on it.

These things have gotten crazy expensive in recent years. Nowadays, fully-restored examples are priced north of $50K, and people are asking almost $4K for a clapped-out POS like this ↓

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2457430

If he's willing to be a bit more flexible on the year, this '73 is 'only' $19.5K.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2204815

deanp · 03-15-2021, 11:49 AM

He should talk to these guys to see if they think it can be saved:

https://skinnerclassics.com/

https://skinnerclassics.com/

RWebb · RWebb's Garage

rcooled · 03-15-2021, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deanp

He should talk to these guys to see if they think it can be saved:
https://skinnerclassics.com/

They're a top-notch shop specializing in Type 2 VWs, but aren't taking on any new projects right now. They might be willing to just advise him about the feasibility of repairing his damaged camper though.

Here's a '71 that's a bit rough for $9.9K

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2454534