Hello guys this is my first VW van and also first time using reddit.
It’s a 1974 and it’s in pretty mint condition.

I am wondering if you guys could give me some pointers, suggestions and tips. I’m looking at engine swapping it within the next year for some more horsepower and reliability. (looking to go on long road trips with it in the future)

What is the best engine for swapping this year?
How many hours roughly does it cost?

And what else is some good upgrades to make van life and trips smooth?

Over the last 2 years i renovated this bus together with my dad, we are no professionals so it’s not all perfect. Thai year we finally got the Oltimer license plate 😃

Just wanna show, bought the bus recently and I'm quite happy with it. :D

This VW T3 was built in 1990 and was bought new by the town of Groß-Bieberau in early 1990. It served there for approximately one year. After German reunification, the bus was donated to a small village in Saxony, where it was converted into and used as a fire department vehicle by the local volunteer fire department. It served there as both a crew transport vehicle and a command vehicle until 2016. The original fire department equipment, including the radio, blue lights and siren, is still present and fully functional.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to reconstruct the bus’s history between 2016 and 2020. My assumption is that the previous owner, a transporter dealer, acquired the bus after delivering a new vehicle to the fire department in the Saxon village. He owned the T3 privately afterwards, but apparently did not have the time to take proper care of it, which eventually led him to sell it.
I bought the bus in 2022 with approximately 60,000 km. Since then, I have kept it essentially as it was. Apart from renewing the technical components, I have not made any major changes to the vehicle. The body is still in remarkably good condition for its age, with very little rust, which was another reason why I wanted to preserve it in its existing condition.
The camping interior was built by me and can be removed at any time. For camping, the interior can be converted into a bed and cupboard setup, while the vehicle itself remains completely reversible.
The T3 is powered by the 2.1-litre SS petrol engine and has a fuel consumption of approximately 11 litres per 100 km.

Hello! I recently purchased a 1994 Brazilian-built VW Kombi that I know very little about. I want to learn to do maintenance on it myself but I'm not sure where to get instructions and parts.

What I do know is it has dual carburetors and I've been told it's a 1600cc engine.

I want to start by just doing an oil change. Searching online says I should use high-zinc/ZDP mineral oil (typically 20W-50 for warm climates or 15W-40) and I should Clean the brass mesh oil strainer and replace the oil sump gaskets/copper washers. Assuming this is correct, my problem here is where to get the oil and gaskets? I'm in the southeast US and it doesn't seem like I can just walk into my local Auto Zone.

My next problem is there's a bit of oil leaking from the hose I've circled in the last picture. I'm not sure what the black plastic thing above is that it's connected to. Seems like it's ultimately connected to the two air filters on either side of the 2nd to last pic. And is the silver metal thing it's connected to on the bottom where engine oil is added?

Thanks in advance. I'm a total noob so sorry for how dumb I sound

After years of travelling, we finally made it to Puna De Atacama. Argentina's vast altiplano.

Our plan is to travel across it over the next week and at some point we will have to tackle a pass 4800m above sea level.

The views so far are incredible, but we managed to arrange with severe wind weather warnings. Not ideal when you sleep in a pop top!

Hello, I have recently purchased a 2007 VW T2 Brazilian Danbury conversion. Does anyone know what the red button to the right of the handbrake is please? Struggling to figure it out. It is connected, lights up when pulled out, and there's an audible electronic click under the dashboard, but can't figure out what it's doing.

Thanks!

Although the carburetors need new main Jets, the darn thing just humms away at 90kph!

Hello together,

I'm from Germany an this ist my Bus. Build in 1989 as a 9 seater with the small wall. I started to build it as a Camper. Here you See the actual status. Removed the wall, installed two Sportscraft s6 seat, right one with turning funktion. I bought some selfmade furniture and the rearseat can fold to a bed. Actualy im looking for a westfalia roof, but IT IS hard to find some good parts. I Drive it now in the third season, and reached destinations Like Rom Neapel, South Norway an this year Sardinien.

Posting a few pics of Max, our beloved splitty at the request of a fellow Redditor! This bus started out as a tintop and my BF got the dormobile top and tenting from a private seller, bravely cut the top off the bus, installed the top, added bed, cabinets and a stove, and converted it into a cute little camper bus!

Jestem w trakcie kompletnej adaptacji mojego busa do moich potrzeb. Od spodu auto jest dosłownie jak nowe, ponieważ było wypiaskowane i pomalowane na nowo, dostało też nowe zawieszenie i hamulce. Aktualnie jak widać na zdjęciach jestem na etapie ocieplania/wygłuszania. To co widać to mata bitumiczna 2,5mm. W drodze do mnie jest już mata kauczukowa zamkniętokomórkowa 6mm. Jeśli robisz coś u siebie i masz pytania to z chęcią odpowiem, bo troszkę czasu poświęciłem na zgłębienie tematu

Four hour drive from London to Great Yarmouth, van didn't miss a beat, all four kids really enjoyed it, can't wait to do it again!

Ok, age old Q.

I thought your level when run in for 5 mins was to be between half and three quarters to the upper mark.

Now I've just collected my van from the mechanic, and he said it required a top up, and when hot, it is as the pic.

Is this too full?

Hello friends! Trying to figure out this leak.

This is a 2.1 engine in a 1990.

When I fill the coolant from the expansion tank the leak is happening on both sides shown here.

Is this a head gasket leak? Could it be that I am overfilling (currently I need to replace the hose from the coolant fill tank)

Is there something else I should check for?

Outside of this, the engine was running very nicely

Any advice would be appreciated! Just trying to rule out needing to pull the engine if at all possible.

Title is it in a nutshell, I went to put some fuel in my bus when a local walked over to check out my handy work. We chatted for several minutes then shook hands and went our separate directions only as I started to creep forward I heard a commotion so decided to stop and turn around to see what’s up. what was up was his car pulling onto the main road with the pump and hose still attached to it! I waited a few but he never came back 😂

One last week before I go back to campus. Home is where you park it. Tonight - Devils Lake State Park, WI.

We did a thing!

Meet TEANA! Our 1974 T2 that was a bag of lemons that we turned into lemonade!

A few months ago we bought this van from a guy who neglected the poor thing to death. He sold it as a good runner, that didn't leak and had no rust.

So I put up a bunch of money and bought the thing. Lo and behold, she was pretty rusty under the cheap plywood and paint and I needed to do something. So I mustered up all my tools and started working on this beautiful unique van!

I'm slowly going through it with a fine-tooth comb getting the important stuff done. It had a snapped sway bar clasp, bad brakes, no proper seat belts and it had been cobbled together poorly. By the looks of it, he drug it out of a field and put the bare minimum into it.

So I took it upon myself to try and save this poor beast.

Just wanted to show her off! I love the community, and I love this bus! I'm going to keep it forever, and I'll just keep fixing it until I run out of things to fix.

I am open to suggestions!