Vanagon people!

[speeder]

I know that we've covered these before here but I'm about to go deep down the rabbit hole of Vanagons. I've wanted a mid-late '80s Vanagon Wolfsburg since they were new and I just snagged one. It's fairly clean and straight, all original inside and an automatic with probably a shot motor.

Skipping the long story, it's been sitting and runs but smokes. It's an '87 and these vans are of course notorious for head gasket and other engine issues. I'm not afraid to rebuild the engine and make whatever engineering improvements that have come down the pike for these in the last 25 years. A Subie or other swap might come later but for now I'm just going to deal with what's there as long as rebuilding or repair is not too expensive.

Any web sites I should be getting addicted to about now? Any first-hand experience on board here? Thanks in advance.

[speeder]

Pictures soon, they are on my phone and I don't have a cord to transfer right now.

[67R69S]

Congrats on the new van! The Samba has a good vanagon forum. I've owned my '84 since 1986 and have never had the engine open; just routine maintenance so far.

[Racerbvd]

Paint it like this..

[Nostril Cheese]

Well, there's The Samba..

What color smoke?

I just put a Waterboxer back together. Not too hard, but it's clear these things need a bit of massaging here and there.

[RWebb]

Congrats! What is the intended use?

TheSamba.com :: View Forum - Vanagon/Eurovan

1987 is a pretty good year. It has the 2.1L motor with an improved cooling system and the black plastic which does not crumble to dust like the brown plastic used up to 1986.

Change all the fuel hoses, the fuel pressure regulator; repl. the old brake hoses with new rubber, and then change all fluids.

Examine the service history and get it back on it's long term maintenance schedule.

Email me if you want an Excel spreadsheet that I use to keep track of things.

[BeyGon]

put a Subaru in it now, anything else will be a waste of money, now and later. you will get power, more reliability, better milage, get the kit from KennyBell.

[jyl]

Definitely replace fuel hoses before anything else. Otherwise, risk of watching your new van go up in flames. If you break the plastic fittings, you can buy metal replacements.

[Shuie]

Will emissions testing/state inspections be an issue with an engine swap in an '87 there?

[ckissick]

You will learn a lot on the samba.

TheSamba.com :: View Forum - Vanagon/Eurovan

You should also know about Gowesty in Los Osos and Van Cafe in Santa Cruz. The Gowesty website has dozens of good tech articles.

Van Cafe Vanagon Parts Store for Volkswagen

Home - GoWesty Camper Products - parts supplier for VW Vanagon, Eurovan, and Bus

More tech articles on a site called "been there done that". - Been There Done That - Vanagon Tips and Tricks from the Vanagon Mailing List

While Subaru engines are a good way to go, many purists like going with a VW engine from a Jetta or similar. Or a suped up water boxer from Gowesty or a guy called tencentlife.

VanisTaN vw t3 power

We want pics!

[speeder]

Thanks all. I'll be examining all engine options, is a VW TDi motor from early 2000s a viable option or major PIA?

I'm a pretty good engine builder so if there is a way to make the stock motor stronger, (both in output and reliability), I'd love to learn about it.

Subie power is also possible depending on cost/hassle. For now, I just want to get the stock motor sorted-out. Glad to hear about the 1987 improvements. Keep it coming!

[porwolf]

Quite some time ago I met somebodey with a Vanagon, must have been around 1981, or so. He had a Corvair engine installed. Worked out pretty good and those engines were quite a bit cheaper then compared to Porsche engines. I don't know whether they can still be had.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by speeder

Thanks all. I'll be examining all engine options, is a VW TDi motor from early 2000s a viable option or major PIA?

I'm a pretty good engine builder so if there is a way to make the stock motor stronger, (both in output and reliability), I'd love to learn about it.

Subie power is also possible depending on cost/hassle. For now, I just want to get the stock motor sorted-out. Glad to hear about the 1987 improvements. Keep it coming!

Denis, I think I remember reading about TDi swaps into Vanagons, but don't recall the level of difficulty. There's at least a few threads on Samba about that. One thing good about the diesel swap, you'll no longer be subject to smog testing in CA.

[BeeMaster]

My dad has a 82 turbo diesel vanagon, with basically a indirect tdi (tdi block rabbit head) it was a Jacobson engine. The best TDIs to use are the ahu 96-98 but the first thing you must get rid of if you are going to do a swap is that automatic. He gets 32mpg
But he played with his gears and put 15" tires on, a TDI probably does a little better.
Is there work involved yes, is the TDI swap worth it $&@? Yes!

[Rusty914s]

I saw one the other day that looked straight out of Mad Max...steel bumpers, big mudding tires...that thing was amazing looking.

I took pics but can't find them, good luck on your build!

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by speeder

Thanks all. I'll be examining all engine options, is a VW TDi motor from early 2000s a viable option or major PIA?

I'm a pretty good engine builder so if there is a way to make the stock motor stronger, (both in output and reliability), I'd love to learn about it.

Subie power is also possible depending on cost/hassle. For now, I just want to get the stock motor sorted-out. Glad to hear about the 1987 improvements. Keep it coming!

The TDI is a good option. And making your engine stronger is an easy option. You can by new heads, etc. from Gowesty or tencentlife. Your best answers will come from the samba.

[island911]

Vanagon (syncro) owner here for 20+ years.

Engine swaps: it's a BARN on wheels! Do you people really think that even doubling the HP is going to give you some sort of 911-like performance. Again - it is a BARN on wheels.

IMO, the stock motor is the way to go. Torquey, light and tough, and does not hang down to the ground and does not protrude up through the engine cover - like so many Diesel conversion$.

And I know that in my giving Denis advice, that he will do the opposite.

[356racing]

I changed the heads on my 84 Westy in the driveway(too tall to jack up in the garage) over the course of 2 or 3 nights. She's been singing along ever since. I went with the new heads from gowesty that they upgrade the valves in. Do the water pump and fuel hoses while you are in there and enjoy the van!

[speeder]

Well, that was the shortest (non) ownership on record for me. After agreeing on a price for the Vanagon yesterday afternoon and agreeing to come back with the $$ today, I just got a call from the seller stating that someone had "topped my offer" and bought the van.

Mind you, he did not tell me that he would, "consider my offer", yesterday. The rig had been for sale for some time and we agreed on a price, shook hands and agreed to close the transaction today. I told him to consider it sold.

This is also at a business that I've done god-knows-how-much biz with over a period of many years. I'm a little shocked right now. It's amazing how small a dollar amount will make some individuals sell-out their integrity.

I sold one of my cars on eBay last week. It did not quite reach the price I would have liked and of course I started getting higher offers the minute the auction ended. The buyer is in Canada and happened to be knocked out by the flu so he did not reply to my emails promptly. I was secretly hoping that he would flake so that I could sell it for more to someone else but in the end, (as of this am, actually), he came through. He's a good guy and he will get the car plus all assistance I can give him with shipping, etc.

A deal is a fking deal in my world. I've wanted a Vanagon Wolfsburg forever but this ain't the one, I guess.

This board is filled with amazing people and I appreciate all of the advice. All of it. As much as we bicker over politics and other stuff, I can't think of one long-time poster who I would not help or trust with sending $$ to, etc. I've done business with people here that involved sending many many thousands through the banks and you guys have integrity. This schmuck sold-out his integrity for a lousy $250, and I told him as much.

Sorry for the sharp detour but this subject means a lot to me. My life is taking off this year with business oportunities that will involve a lot of $$ and mutual trust. I'm blessed to have really good people in my life as friends and business associates. And I'm lucky to know you all. Thanks again.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by speeder

A deal is a fking deal in my world. I've wanted a Vanagon Wolfsburg forever but this ain't the one, I guess.

This schmuck sold-out his integrity for a lousy $250, and I told him as much.

I am so sorry to hear that...I was looking forward to the pics!

I had the exact opposite experience yesterday: 1972 2002Tii in Tempe, looked great in the ad and the price was reasonable.

Sidney went and looked at it for me, liked it, as advertised. I called Mike, the owner early the next morning.

He told me that the car sold last night. Guy in Oregon who's BIL lives in Tempe and looked at it after Sid. He said he's had at least five offers for more money but I was second since he would only sell to people who looked at the car, or had a proxy.

He also said if the guy backs out, the price is the same.

So, it is not all bad out there