1978 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon

Other

4 - Cyl.

Manual

2382108711

Gasoline

This auction is for a restorable 78 Volkswagon Westfalia Camper with 113000 miles. This is a complete vehicle that has been stored outside for almost twenty years. It was my parent's daily driver and weekend Vermont trip driver until they started buying larger more powerful 6 cylinder mini-vans. Exterior This vehicle looks worse than it is; it is very restorable and could be done rather easily with some sanding and a few patch panels. Photos were taken just after rain storm so body is not as shiny as in photo. I may have to take additional photos because it looks blotchy, but that is from reflection of my trailer, gas tank and other cars in yard. I'm in the luxury automotive business and recently removed this bus from under an oak tree and quickly washed it; the body panels are very straight and I noticed only two dents, one a quarter size on the sliding door and the other a dent just over the right rear tail light (see photo). The surface rust that it has scattered around the body luckily has not penetrated through in most places and can be sanded down to bare metal and primed. There are some pinholes and minor patches that will need to be made and I have tried to include these in photographs. The fiberglass top has some moss and oak residue and the rubber seal is falling down. I looked inside the van and there appears to be a new seal in a plastic bag. I scraped off a little of the moss and with a combination of dish soap and clorox brushed it with a vegetable brush and is seemed to clean up and whiten quite easily Interior The interior of van has been used over the years for storage which as interest in van increases, I will have my mom remove so present photos are not as detailed as I would like. I will update photos after cleaning, but a quick inspection reveals that beds are in great shape and all the curtains are there. The cabinets are in great shape and if needed dad had another almost complete interior but with green plaid instead of the brown plaid in this van which I would sell separately. If you are familiar with these vans I believe there is a propane stove, sink, and I believe a gas heater. The interior floors appear in good shape but once I have storage items removed I will give it a more detailed inspection. Dash is in good shape as well as seats which are covered with sheepskin style seat covers. Mechanical Engine and manual trans are in the car and remain original but not running. I have not tried to start and I wouldn't want to attempt until the fuel lines are inspected, oil is changed and a good battery. My younger brother who was home when this car was being used seems to remember that one of the pushrod tube seals on driver side was leaking. Muffler seems to have been recently replaced and heater boxes look good. My dad was an electronic engineer and I'm sure planned to fix this but other projects and new van put this one on back burner. I worked on VW's with him in my youth, and if there is interest I will put some Marvel Mystery Oil in cylinders , will put in gear, pull with my truck and see if engine turns over. I wouldn't want to try to start as I'm sure gas has no octane and I wouldn't want to clog injectors or carbs. Again I want to emphasize that although this van is very restorable it does need a good amount of work. I'm assuming that someone who has knowledge of these rare campers and can do their own body work would be the right new owner. The van is "complete" although the rear bumper and what appears to be a lightweight tow hitch have been removed but have been set aside. The rear tail light is also missing (although I'm sure I can find it later). I'm assuming it was removed to fix the dent just above it. The bumper was probably removed to start engine removal process. Sorry for long description, but I just wanted to be as thorough as possible. This is a van that has been outside for a very long time but is also complete and quite restorable but it's going to need a little elbow grease to clean upper fiberglass top and clean up musty smelling interior. I posted it locally instead of nationwide so interested buyers could view personally and am now listing with ebay auction. As previously stated I'm in the car business and could probably sell parts from this vehicle for more, but I think to the right party this is an invaluable find. I could take the time to clean up fiberglass top, buff out the body, and sanitize interior, but I'm trying to clean out mom's yard which houses a 1949 Franklin Sea Bee, two Silverline boats from the 1960's, and a 1967 BMW 2000cs and just can't take on all projects so please email or call with any questions or to schedule a viewing. Phone number is 860-777-5962. to request additional photos of this vehicle or email nicecar4sale@sbcglobal.net Please call with any questions, as although this van is very restorable, restorable is a objective term so I will gladly go over everthing in detail if you call. THANKS FOR LOOKING!!!! UPDATE 7/12/2010 In cleaning yard I found some various parts from a green 1978 camper that dad had dismantled. The green plaid interior that I mentioned above, the propane tank and valves that are below the sliding door, what I believe is an automatic transmission (unfortunately I threw away some axles before I found the trans), and some various wheels and tires.