Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1977 Volkswagen Bus (transporter) Type 2 - Champagne Edition I on 2040-cars

Year:1977 Mileage:88790 Color: The good
Location:

Kingsburg, California, United States

Kingsburg, California, United States

Introduction...

I am selling my daily driver bus. I have several VW buses, and I need to sell this one. So this will find a new home, and I can get on with other projects. This bus will pass the California Smog check prior to title transfer to a California resident Buyer at my expense, if so requested by the Buyer. Otherwise, any smog/pollution control inspections will be at Buyer's expense. Registration fees/title and export/import duties/penalties are the responsibility of the new owner. This bus is located FOB/FAS (Free on Board/ Free Alongside Ship) in Kingsburg, California, USA, postal Zip Code 93631 and if you want it shipped, you will please arrange so on your own.

You can read all about right here, this is the link to my story:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=543251&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Basic description...What are you buying?

A 1977 Volkswagen Transporter (Type 2/Bus) that is in very nice condition, is a daily driver and is virtually rust free. It is located in California, Zip Code 93631 and it was originally imported to San Francisco.

Background work done to the bus:

I have done a lot of work to this bus since I found it. This bus was last registered and parked in 1986 or '87 and stored in the dry climate of Gilroy, California. It likely spent its whole time near San Jose and Gilroy, as the original owner records seem to indicate. The original owner belonged to the local (San Francisco) Porsche Club.

The only major rust issues were the battery tray and the windshield frame. I have cut out both of those and welded in good replacement steel from parts bought from Bus Depot, Inc. The only body filler used was to smooth out the rough spots on the new welds. I have spent a lot of money in parts and hardware alone, and all the proofs of purchase and receipts are included with the bus.

Things that need attention to make it like new:

Exterior: The good...

Very solid body, with no major dents or wreck damage. Very nice front clip, no stone damage. No rust on the rocker panels, just a little bit of body filler to smooth out the welding from the battery tray and windshield frame work. Very dry undercarriage, with most of the original undercoating still in place. No rotted floor panels anywhere. Brand new windshield and rubber seal. Two speed windshield wipers.

...and some things that could be improved:

There are a few things the new owner might consider addressing: The paint is in fair condition. I planned on repainting it a different color, and didn't care about re-spraying some of the faded spots on the body when I repainted the engine compartment during the time I had the engine and transmission pulled for a refresh. The new owner will likely want to sand it down and repaint the bus. The roof has surface rust, and so does the bottom inside of the driver's door. I don't feel the rust is serious, but it needs to be addressed. Most of the window rubber is aged and needs replacing, except the windshield.

This bus is nearly 40 years old, and has various small dings and dents. One of the side window frames has a bottom frame that is rotted. All of the weather stripping (except windshield) is aged, but there is very little wind whistling as you go down the highway. I have applied some black RTV sealant in some places to keep moisture out.

Interior: The good:

Really dry, no cigarette smells or rot/fungus. Solid floor and seat frames. Lighting works, and the front seats slide and adjust as designed. Rear bench seat is a genuine Z Bed and folds up. Headliner and sunroof fabric panel are in good shape.

The bus did not come with the middle seat. The carpeting was pulled out due to its contamination and poor state. I found some old rubber mats so I could protect the floor paint, but the bus was originally furnished with brown carpeting. See the brochure that someone found on my internet link above. There is a square of good, un-faded original carpeting included as a sample.

...and some things that could be improved:

The rest of the upholstery and interior panel will all need re-working. This includes the driver's door panel, which I gave up on because I couldn't do it right. The headliner is in pretty good shape, but it is discolored. The seats all need re-upholstery work, as the mice pulled out a lot of the wadding and the fabric covering is threadbare. It has all the original seatbelts, except the middle ones.

The powertrain (engine and transmission):

This is where I spent most of my time and money, and it has made it very nice. Rather than type up the things I did, you should check the internet link I provided above. If you have any questions, please ask!

Here are a few things that should be looked after soon...

The oil pressure bleeds down when it has been sitting overnight, so when it first starts after parked for a long time, the oil pressure light stays on longer than usual, about three seconds after starting. Running around town with many stops and starts, the oil pressure stays up where it should. Oil light never comes on when stopped, idling or coming off the freeway, or any other time. It just stays on a little longer than it should when it hasn't been driven in awhile. I am thinking the oil pressure check valve spring is getting weak. There is a small oil leak that I think is coming from one of the pushrod tube seals, and it drips right onto the driver's side heater box. So when you use the cabin heater (that works just fine), you can smell a little burned oil.

There is a rattle on the rear passenger side, it might be the CV joints. They were cleaned, re-greased and installed with new CV joint boots, but they showed high mileage when I re-greased them...they are likely the original CV joints.

Not all of the engine parts were replaced when I had it pulled. All of the fuel injection parts were tested per the Bentley service manual, Chapter 10 - Fuel Injection. I have taken this bus on several road trips, but a lot of these parts are very old and could fail at anytime. But I drive it about three to five times a week to work, that's about 23 miles at 70 MPH. We've taken this bus up into the mountains, over steep grades and many miles to the beach, and it's a great ride!

The engine and transmission were pulled out for inspection and seal replacements. I checked cylinder compression, crankshaft endplay and did a cylinder leak-down test using the Bentley service manual. Advice and techniques were also referenced using Richard Atwell VW pages (Ratwell) and The Samba online library. You can search those out, too. They are an excellent source of information and learning about these cool machines! The engine had good compression and crankshaft end play was less than .004", so I did not rebuild the engine. I replaced numerous seals, and swedged the oil gallery plugs.

All of the engine management controls were checked per the service manual and a new clutch, throw-out bearing, pilot bearing and some transmission parts in the nose cone were replaced to repair worn shifting parts. The entire gear shift linkage was disassembled, with all bushings and grommets replaced with new. It now shifts very easy!

Electrical:

All lights, turn signals and horn work as designed. I previously replaced the voltage stabilizer for the gas gauge, but I think it is out again, so the gas gauge doesn't work right.

Wheels, Tires and Brakes:

I cleaned and repacked the front wheel bearings and also completely replaced all four (inner and outer) rear wheel bearings with brand new parts and seals. (N.O.S. Timken and F.A.G. bearings and seals).

This bus has four Hankook Radial RA08 195R14/8 tires purchased for my 1973 bus, but moved over to this bus earlier last year. They have about 2,500 miles on them.

The brake Master Cylinder was replaced with a remanufactured unit from O'Reilly's Auto Parts, and the Brake Servo booster unit was rebuilt by Karp's Brakes in Upland California, all work done within the past two months. All of the flexible brake hoses were replaced new. The brakes were inspected by me and lines flushed. Parking brake was adjusted, and the brakes work great and don't pull to either side when stopping. No squeal or drag.

Please ask questions early and often...I cannot look at this listing every day!

Warranty:

None, expressed or implied. As is where is condition, no cooling off period or grace. This is a nearly forty year old car that most automobile mechanics have little or no experience with. Please consider your intentions carefully. You are responsible for your bid, please do not do so if you cannot complete the sale.

Thanks for looking!



Auto Services in California

Z Best Body & Paint ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Automobile Restoration-Antique & Classic
Address: 18560 Pasadena St, Murrieta
Phone: (951) 471-5530

Woodman & Oxnard 76 ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Auto Oil & Lube
Address: 6003 Woodman Ave, Canoga-Park
Phone: (818) 908-0877

Windshield Repair Pro ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Windshield Repair
Address: Lathrop
Phone: (209) 505-5999

Wholesale Tube Bending ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Mufflers & Exhaust Systems
Address: 13510 Pomerado Rd, Cardiff
Phone: (858) 748-4300

Whitney Auto Service ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Auto Oil & Lube
Address: 14550 Delano St, Chatsworth
Phone: (818) 785-8678

Wheel Enhancement ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Wheels, Automobile Accessories
Address: 5901 Blackwelder St, South-Gate
Phone: (310) 836-8908

Auto blog

Help a couple drive their 1984 Vanagon around the world

Mon, 22 Apr 2013

Meet Brad, Sheena and Nacho
Driving through China is a pricey proposition. The couple will need to pony up a staggering $19,514 just to cover the fees.
Brad and Sheena Van Orden are in the midst of a life-defining campaign to travel around the world, and they're doing it in a 1984 Volkswagen Vanagon custom built for the occasion. The past 15 months have seen the couple quit their jobs with Gore-Tex and drive from Arizona to the very southern tip of Argentina after spending a full two years saving and preparing for the trek. Now they're in southern Asia gearing up for the next leg of their journey.

10 automakers sued over keyless ignitions

Thu, Aug 27 2015

Keyless ignition has rapidly proliferated throughout the auto industry to become a fairly normal feature on new cars. It's supposed to offer the convenience of keeping the fob in your pocket and just pressing a button to drive away. However, ten major automakers are now being sued in US District Court over claims that the system is dangerous, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that people are forgetting to shut off the engine, and the lack of an idle timer is the cause for 13 deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning and multiple injuries. The suit currently includes 28 plaintiffs, according to Reuters, but the lawyers are asking for class-action status to potentially add many more. The case goes after a major swath of the industry, including BMW, Daimler, FCA, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen, plus their related brands like Acura, Infiniti, Mini, and Lexus. In all, over five million vehicles are affected. The assertion here is that people walk away from their vehicle without shutting it off because they believe the engine shuts off automatically. If parked in a garage, carbon monoxide can build up, leading to poisoning. The lawyers claim automakers know this is a problem and also cite 27 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the issue, according to Reuters. The plaintiffs are asking for an automatic shut-off and damages from the companies. These concerns have come up before, though. Toyota previously faced a lawsuit over a carbon monoxide death after a woman accidentally left her Lexus running. Also earlier this year, GM recalled 64,186 examples of the 2011-2013 Chevrolet Volt because owners weren't shutting them off. The problem resulted in two injuries, and the company released a software update to limit the idling time.

Watch the VW E-Golf get made

Fri, Jun 13 2014

If you've ever been on a tour of an automotive factory, you know how mesmerizing it can be to see humans and robots work together to build our four-wheeled friends. The swift automation, the cleanliness, the trained hands deftly fitting pieces together and watchful eyes inspecting every piece of the car, it's all quite impressive, especially if the vehicle is one you, as an observer, are fond of. Even just seeing a fresh, gleaming badge being applied to immaculately painted sheet metal is enough to curl ones toes. Such is the case with this video from of the E-Golf being pieced together in the Volkswagen's Wolfsburg plant. There's no narration or music - just the sounds of production - so it's easy to follow the singular motions that go into the process without distraction, with a slight sense of actually being on the floor. This solo video is only seven minutes long, so it's not quite the epic that was the BMW i3 production series. Therefore, we miss a lot of the initial build, such as pressing the sheet metal, painting, and putting together a lot of the inner workings. What is refreshing to see is how much of the final touches of the electric Golf are done by hand using actual hand tools (and with typical German efficiency). There's even a person riding a bicycle through the factory at one point, which is common at Wolfsburg and also rather quaint. Enjoy the video below, and if you have a suggestion for a good soundtrack to go along with it, sound off in the comments. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.