78 Vw Bus With Classic Westy Features on 2040-cars

At auction is a 78 VW bus that turns heads wherever it goes with its beautiful red and white color combination.  You’ll love the attention you get and you’ll have no problems keeping up with traffic with the newly rebuilt 2.0L engine.  On the inside, “Rojo” has been fitted a Westfalia Z bed / bench seat and many of the OM cabinets that come original with the earlier (and preferable) Westy transporters.  I’ve gone through this bus mechanically from top to bottom and it pains me greatly that I can’t be the one who totally completes this restoration.   

The bus is running like a champ, will cruise at 70 or higher with no problem whatsoever.  I was forced into replacing the Fuel Injection (FI) with a carburetor and now that I’ve installed the correct distributor, this thing flies.  The engine has less than 2,000 miles on it, the bus steers and brakes perfect, the transmission is solid, and I had almost all of the electronics working until very recently, the fuel gauge has begun to behave erratically. 

The cab dome lights, dash lights, parking lights, the horn, reverse lights, oil temperature gauge, brights and bright indicator - they all work.   There’s an electric fan installed to move heated air into the cabin with a 3 stage variable flow switch placed in the dash, but still needs heater boxes added to complete the heater restoration.  The inside looks very good with interior panels less than a year old, reupholstered seats and rear bench, extra touches like a hand sewn Wheelskin steering wheel cover, newer 4 speaker stereo with Pandora capability and more.  It’s got a center console for storage, arm rest, cup holder and serves the overall need for somewhere to put your “stuff”.  The bus has had all new door seals and just had all of the window seals replaced along with new vent wing window assemblies (all 5) to complete the overall sealing of the vehicle. Beyond all that, here’s (a partial) list of additional work completed on the bus in November, 2012:

• New shocks front / back

• New CV axles front/back

• New rear/inner and outer wheel bearings

• Front/rear rubber brake lines installed

• Replaced engine mounts

• Replaced transmission mounts

• Transaxle service

• Resealed transmission / final drive cap / final drive seal

• Shifter coupler replacement

• Driver side lower ball joint

• Steering gear box service

• New clutch kit / clutch cable

• Shift rod seal

• New oil cooler

• New Axle pin

• New oil temp sending unit

Additional Info and Disclosure: There’s some rust here and there on the vehicle but really not that much at all.  While I had everything resealed (windows and doors), it’s still not completely water tight (but very close) and there’s just a lot to be said for new rubber.  The passenger side window is “sticky” and difficult to roll up and/or down and could potentially break the crank if not resolved.  Also be aware, these vehicles tend to be fairly loud when getting to cruising speed and there are a couple of hums and vibrations that I just haven’t been able to eliminate (because I haven’t tried!).  The transmission shifts fine and holds all the gears but it takes a little for the uninitiated to get the feel; finding reverse might take a bit for those who didn’t drive VW’s back in the day – but it works fine.  The paint is OK and looks great from a distance but there are some pretty clear imperfections when getting up close.  Also, the center console has not been “permanently” mounted (currently wedged with foam) but it’s VERY useful and shouldn’t take anything to mount.   It’s very convenient to remove the console when working in the bus and moving from cab to cabin.  All in all, Rojo is a blast to drive and you’ll love how you feel when you drive it.

I’m happy to provide additional info upon request and will assist with coordination of shipping, but buyer covers all shipping costs.   This is the first thing I’ve ever sold on e-Bay but I’m typically responsive and very honest.  Happy bidding and season’s greetings!