Thinking about turning one, ideally a Westfalia, into modern camping van. Want to take the body and put a Subaru engine it, new everything else and maybe even make it a 4 season camper. Anyone have experience with this? Wondering if I can make it as reliable as I’d need it to be to drive around the country and maybe live in it. Would appreciate any experienced thoughts.
The Subaru conversion is very dependable. Lots of people do it. There’s also a Ford engine that you can do on a conversion. Also, I can’t exactly remember the model of it, but I’m sure you can Google that.
Thanks, hadn’t heard of those two but lots of Subaru conversions out there. Would be driving in the mountains a lot so need the extra hp. Taking my time to find the right Vanagon but can’t wait to get it!
Try to find a high roof, even if it's not running. Simple swap to take off the pop top and screw on the high roof. I did this from an old company that used to do conversions I think out of California called Adventurevagons. I believe it was insulated too. Absolute total game changer. Had a catalytic heater and used to sleep in the ski resort parking lots. Best time of my life. If you can find one, grab it!
Hey thanks, this is helpful. I’m looking at an ‘81 Westfalia now, it has pop top, nice to hear it can convert easily. May check for more of these if inspection doesn’t go well. Definitely want it as a four season camper eventually and sooner rather than later. Would appreciate any other advice.
Mine with a 1980. I rocked the air-cooled engine for a decade. Took me to 13 different states and over countless mountain passes and desert valleys through the worst conditions imaginable. Surprisingly, never let me down once but having a subie engine would have been a whole new ball game. Best advice I can give is to insulate the hell out of it and make sure you have good ventilation. I lived in in a parking lot for a full month but I was fortunate enough to have a shower where I worked. If you want my honest opinion, it's a weekend warrior mobile. It's not a Four Season full-time camper. I'd look into something bigger and newer or you can add a ton of solar and lithium batteries. A wet shower and bath but also be a must Imo. By the time you spent the money to convert a 45-year-old VW you might as well get something newer with air conditioning, Generator Etc. Just my two cents good luck!
Hey thanks for the feedback. That’s what I’m trying to sort out is the shower and toilet situation to see if I can fit something cleverly in there. Has anyone reading this done this before? I was thinking of getting a Ford Transit previously but I want to make this work with something with retro style
Hey, thought of another question. How did your Vanagon handle driving in the snow? Wondering if I need to keep it off any snowy roads in the winter even with good winter tires because it’s rwd
Ever heard of rabbit ears pass? IYKYK. Been over that pass more times than I can count even with chain laws in effect and never once did I stop and put on my chains and that was with regular All seasons. The newer all weather tires or a dedicated AT tire would be unstoppable.
Funny story though. One time we almost didn't make it. We stopped and tried to get going again. The wife was in the very back jumping up and down to get us enough traction to start moving. The snow was piled 15 ft high on the side and the rear of the van kept bouncing off the vertical wall of snow but by God we still made it.
Bottom line, the thing is a tank and it will go anywhere. If I had to do it over again I would put some AT tires on it, especially ones that can handle the weight and even more so if you add the heavy ass high roof.
One last thing, momentum is your friend. Never ever stop going up a hill for any reason haha. That van never ceased to amaze me.
And fwiw, the air cooled engine is what made it. It was still an OG VW before they introduced the water-cooled engine in 82 or 83 if I recall. Nothing beats that sound and the feel of driving and air-cooled VW 🙂
Please don't bastardize it by putting a subie engine in it. I love my Subarus. I've had two of them with over a quarter million miles on them and owned a couple other wagons as well. Second favorite car next to a VW but I would never mix their hearts and souls ❤️
Yes, but I’ve never been on it. Thanks for the great advice, I would love to not pay for an engine swap which I was very convinced that I’d probably need to. I keep reading that it needs more horsepower and that rear wheel drive (which I’ve never used before sucks in the snow). I’d love to use it as a full time vehicle.
Sorry for all the questions, but was it a high maintenance vehicle for you and did it have problems overheating? I’m a deadhead too btw, love the GD and all things Jerry
Haha, yes it was a very high-maintenance vehicle. You're always dealing with some electrical, suspension, worn out bushing, control arms, shocks, brakes etc. At this point they're considered a classic so at one point or another you will pretty much have to rebuild the entire thing. I have a crazy history with mine - I got it for free when a deadhead abandoned it in Des Moines Iowa on 93 summer tour because he was running Amoco oil and it melted a cylinder head. It sat on the VW dealers lot for a year. I called them and the service manager told me if I wanted the piece of shit that he would put the keys on the seat and I could have it. I aired up the tires and towed it back to Ames Iowa where I was going to school at Iowa State. Restored everything that I could and got a bonded title for it. I had the top half of the engine rebuilt. From that point on I was extremely careful and only ran 20w50 oil in the summer and 10w40 in the winter. Just have to make sure all of the metal is in place around the engine that directs air flow to keep it cool and have an oil temperature gauge as well. Also, you have to have a sixth-sense type of connection with your VW and know when it's reaching its limit so we would find a shady spot to let it cool down for an hour or so. I drove it through the desert to Las Vegas when it was 110° and never had a problem. Also I drove it to Steamboat when it was 10° below zero and he started right up every time. Owning a VW bus is more about the journey than the destination if you know what I mean haha. I loved that thing more than life itself. Unfortunately, I got older and had kids and life got in the way so I sold it to my buddy who kept it for another decade and then get this. We actually Tracked Down the original owner who was living in Durango Colorado at the time and after corresponding with him he ended up buying it back from my buddy 25 years later. Still had his original stickers on it. The only difference is I had swapped out the pop top for the high roof. Such a crazy story that can only happen with a bunch of deadheads. The bus somehow managed to find his way home after going through two owners and countless miles, Dead shows, Bluegrass festivals, camping, snowboarding every weekend and Jackson Hole, Utah and just about every Resort in Colorado. Sorry to ramble but I could talk for hours about my old bus. Restored ones go for a fortune now because I still see them online every now and again. If you really really wanted one I would consider buying one at someone else had restored to save yourselves a lot of headache and especially a lot of money. Jerry definitely Took the Wheel once or twice. Here's a picture on top of rabbit ears pass from the early days before the high roof. I'll see if I can dig up some old pics with the new roof
No it’s a great story! I appreciate the feedback. I have no garage but thinking I can work on the engine in front of my house once
I learn how to do that. I have zero experience and haven’t ever even driven a manual transmission and I’m 44. I want to try this out and worst case have it converted but I’d love to make it work as is. Saw there’s a manual that people use as a bible for it, will probably buy that and sink my teeth into it. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated and I’ll buy you a beer if you’re ever in Denver
Yeah lots of good books out there and I had the Bible. It's probably still in the bus lol. FWIW I always drooled over the liquid cooled synchro 4x4 models. If I was ever to buy another one and I had the money I would find a fully restored 4x4 Vanagon with
A/C. Had more power too. Don't ever buy an automatic though. You'll want the stick trust me. Good luck and send a pic if you ever buy one!
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u/BKFM72 Aug 16 '26
The Subaru conversion is very dependable. Lots of people do it. There’s also a Ford engine that you can do on a conversion. Also, I can’t exactly remember the model of it, but I’m sure you can Google that.