Backstory/Vanagon Origins

I have long wanted to get my hands on a Volkswagon Bus or Vanagon. I preferred to get a later model one, I think because those are the ones I saw the most during my younger days. I am talking about the newer, boxier version which came out I think in 1980. You can tell that I am not a Volkswagon genius, at least not yet anyway. I also began to figure out that many of the Vans on Ebay and whatnot were going anywhere from $3,000-8,000, and I didn't have that kind of money to spend.

After a long search, lots of research and patience I was super lucky to come across a 1980 Volkswagon Vanagon Camper on Craigslist for $1000.00. I immediately emailed the sellers that I was interested and to call me. They waited four days to call me, I was sweating bullets they already sold it. It turns out that I was the first to contact them and they would offer me the first chance to come look at it. It had been sitting for three years.

I went out there on a Saturday evening in January with my special lady friend Julie, and my cousin Brian, another Westy owner. I figured it would be in pretty rough shape, but if I could get it to start and find some stuff to haggle on, I could pick it up. When we got there it looked pretty good. It was the original Assuan Brown, the exterior had some rust, mainly around the windows. We got the keys and tried to start her up with a jump but she wouldn't go. We ran down to the local auto parts store and picked up a new battery, put that in, and she started right up!! That made me really exited. There was three significant fuel leaks, that was to be expected with what I had read about the fuel lines. There was(is) still a significant oil leak, a big hole in the muffler, and hornets nests all over the underbody, but otherwise she looked great!

My New-to-Me 1980 Air Cooled Westfalia Camper

1980 Volkswagon Air-Cooled Engine

Well, I was gonna have to get it towed, had to do fuel lines, etc... So SHE offered me $500 for it!! I was jacked and trying to keep my best poker face. I calmly accepted and said I would take it! Finally I had my Westy. In retrospect, I probably could have offered $250 and she woulda taken it, but I figure I was gettin a good deal anyway.

I went and got the cash, paid the lady, and called a tow truck. Now my Westy is parked in my driveway and I've got to fix her. This is a log of those repair jobs. I've been having some difficulty finding tutorials on the web of how to do these fixes, and it is my intention to pass along any knowledge I can to other novice Westy owners like myself.

Caveat: I am not an auto mechanic. I may not do some things in the same way as a certified mechanic will do them and I am not instructing anyone to do what I do. This is mainly because I will surely do something stupid. I am going to try and do the majority of these repairs myself, those I cannot do I will take to my local shop(s).

Bad News: Before I had the bright Idea to create this blog I went ahead and installed all new fuel lines, fuel filter, spark plugs, and air filter. So those will not be reported on yet, but I'm sure there will be some discussion of it from time to time, as it is such a crucial repair for the novice Vanagon owner. There is a great video on you tube for this. I did not produce this video, for the record, but it helped me.

Enjoy The Blog!