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

Restored Vw Westfalia Camper Bus, 1973 on 2040-cars

Year:1973 Mileage:65000
Location:

Forest Grove, Oregon, United States

Forest Grove, Oregon, United States

You are bidding on a restored, 1973, Bay Window, Westfalia VW Camper bus. Life circumstances require a lifestyle adjustment and it's time we said goodbye to the VW bus we called Nikita. We thought we would own this bus for a long time and invested a lot of time and money into it. This restoration is in excellent condition and includes a complete engine rebuild, bodywork/paint, and an interior cabinet rebuild. We designed the bus so that it could be used for what it does best for another 20 years, while minimizing maintenance. That means this bus is ready to roll in current condition. If you are interested in a show-vehicle restored to completely original condition, then Nikita could do that too, but you would need a couple extra projects completed. In general, we spared no expense and used quality craftsmen for the engine and bodywork, while my wife and I handled the interior upgrades. This bus would be ideal for someone wanting to take it on the road, wanting a custom show vehicle, or someone looking for a solid base to create an original restoration. Nikita's next adventure is up to you!

Engine:

The engine has under 1000 miles on it and the rebuild was completed in 2011 by a very respected mechanic in Longview, WA with over 20 years of experience specializing in VWs. The 1973 engine was replaced with a 1978 engine to improve performance and reduce maintenance. The engine compartment was modified to accept the air intake assembly for the 1978 and a new ECU. The engine itself was completely overhauled, including splitting the case, with every piece being inspected, and replaced as needed. The heads were also replaced with quality set of heads that my mechanic felt lucky to have found available. This (wizard) mechanic also installed a new wiring harness and completed the electrical because we wanted to take advantage of his expertise and ensure compatibility with the new engine. 

I removed the factory-installed heater because the fumes are terrible, they brake all the time, and from what I hear they love to cause buses to burn to the ground. There is now extra space for a house-bank battery.

Bodywork:

Eagle Street Automotive in Vancouver, WA completed the body work over many months. This shop regularly does high-end restorations and only does quality work. They prepped the bus for the new engine by altering the engine compartment. After the engine was installed, they stripped the bus down to bare metal. They reinforced the nose section with a steel plate in order to prevent he metal from wrinkling over time. They removed all rust and repaired metal as needed. They painted the bus using the original paint codes for factory Neptune blue color. 

We installed a new windshield and replaced all of the seals for it and the other windows with OEM German seals. I think the jalousie windows are the only ones with the original seals. 

Interior:

Finally, my wife and I tackled the interior. The dashboard is repainted and a new CD player and speaker is installed. What you don't see in the pictures is that Dynamat was strategically placed throughout the vehicle. I wasn't skimpy with it and you can tap along the walls and hear the difference. This greatly reduces road noise.The walls were insulated with Reflectix insulation. Then, the side and roof paneling was reconstructed using 1/8" Baltic Birch sheets. New carpet is installed and new seat covers were placed on the front seats. These were provided by SewFine out of Texas. A new floor was installed using Marmoleum. All the cabinets were remade using 3/4" Baltic Birch. All of the cushions were remade using new, high quality foam, and new material. New curtains were made. A new tent from Bus Depot has been installed. 

We upholstered all the interior door panels with burlap from reclaimed coffee bags, giving this bus a very unique look. 

I did not install the factory-installed camping items like the stove and refrigerator on purpose. I feel that modern camping stoves and coolers offer a better and hassle-free alternative and there is now more storage space in the bus. 

Items that would need to be completed in order to be in "perfect" condition as a show-quality car:

  • There are a few small paint dings that need to be touched up. I can get touch-up paint from Eagle Street but they've been really busy the last few weeks. 
  • I couldn't figure out an elegant way to create door seals for the interior cabinets. I've done my best with 1/4"x1/4" weatherstripping and glue, but a more permanent solution is needed. 
  • The passenger side door mechanism needs a little work and currently only opens from the outside.
  • The interior door pulls are attached using really tight zip-ties (picture included). I couldn't find the appropriate screws and backing to re-insert them. This shouldn't be too difficult for a VW interior specialist.
  • I'm pretty sure this bus is not currently California legal because I haven't installed the catalytic converter. I have it though and a potential buyer from California is welcome to the part. 
  • Upon installing the tent I had a nervous breakdown. Have you ever tried installing one of those? There are a couple small tears that occurred during installation that are visible. I repaired them with clear tent repair tape. I think that a very small sewing job could also do the trick.
  • There is a section of the floor trim that needs to be re-glue so that the corner fits tightly together (picture included).


That is the story for this bus. The reserve price doesn't come close to the value of materials that I've put into the bus. This is a unique build and one that I think is very beautifully done. It will be a great addition to anyone looking to hit the road, or for those looking for a 95 percent completed show-quality project. 

Thanks for your interest! 





 

Auto Services in Oregon

Woodburn Automotive Repair Center ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service
Address: 555 N Pacific Hwy, Mount-Angel
Phone: (503) 981-8247

Wholesale Auto Connection ★★★★★

Used Car Dealers
Address: 61405 S Highway 97, Sunriver
Phone: (541) 323-1001

Vina Auto Care ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Gas Stations
Address: 8220 NE Fremont St, Gladstone
Phone: (503) 252-9630

Towne Center Tire Factory ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Tire Dealers, Brake Repair
Address: 402 SE 7th St, Rogue-River
Phone: (541) 479-2647

Tim Miller`s Rv Repair ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Recreational Vehicles & Campers-Repair & Service, Recreational Vehicles & Campers
Address: 19655 Meyers Rd, Clackamas
Phone: (503) 655-7967

Tietan Auto Body ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Automobile Parts & Supplies
Address: 435 W Tietan St, Milton-Freewater
Phone: (855) 542-9830

Auto blog

Automakers face reality of EVs' cost — to jobs, and their bottom line

Tue, Sep 12 2017

Related: We obsessively covered the Frankfurt Motor Show — here's our complete coverage FRANKFURT, Germany — European car bosses gathering for the Frankfurt auto show are beginning to address the realities of mass vehicle electrification, and its consequences for jobs and profit, their minds focused by government pledges to outlaw the combustion engine. As the latest such announcement by China added momentum to a push for zero-emissions motoring, Daimler, Volkswagen and PSA Group gave details about their electric programs that could give policymakers some pause. Planned electric Mercedes models will initially be just half as profitable as conventional alternatives, Daimler warned — forcing the group to find savings by outsourcing more component manufacturing, which may in turn threaten German jobs. "In-house production is almost irrelevant to the consumer," Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche told reporters on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show, in the midst of a German election campaign in which automotive jobs have loomed large. The company set a target of saving 4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) by 2025 to help fund the cost of its electric cars. "Daimler is the first company to state explicitly how much electric vehicles are going to hurt margins," said Bernstein analyst Max Warburton. "It was brave to go first — but of course it won't be the last." Volkswagen, for its part, said it was seeking new global supplier contracts to source 50 billion euros ($60 billion) of electric car content including batteries, which are not yet manufactured competitively in Europe. "A company like Volkswagen must lead, not follow," Chief Executive Matthias Mueller told reporters. VW diesel emissions-cheating exposed by U.S. regulators in 2015 triggered global public outrage, dozens more investigations into test-rigging by the wider industry and a push by some lawmakers to ban diesel and eventually all engines. TIGHTENING NOOSE Tesla shares jumped nearly 6 percent on Monday after a Chinese minister said it was a question of when, not if, Beijing bans fossil-fuel cars, tightening the noose around the combustion engine. France and Britain have promised its outright abolition by 2040. But PSA, the maker of Peugeots and Citroens, said it was concerned about the risks if consumers were left behind in the rush, and a new generation of battery cars does not sell.

Andretti Autosport partners with Volkswagen for Global Rallycross season

Tue, 14 Jan 2014

Michael Andretti and Volkswagen have both been involved in Global Rallycross for a couple of years, but not together. Andretti Motorsports Marketing organized the final round of the 2012 GRC series in Las Vegas, and there were rumors then that Andretti was going to get in. Around the same time there were news reports that Volkswagen was preparing a 600-hp Polo Mk5 to race in the SuperCar class; the photo above is racer Anton Marklund in his privateer Marklund Motorsports Polo at the 2013 X-Games round in Los Angeles.
Now it's official: Andretti Autosport will campaign the 2014 GRC season with VWs. That's all that's been said for now, Andretti being busy at the moment launching four entries for IndyCar, two for Indy Lights and two for Pro Mazda. We have a feeling we'll be seeing the MkVII Golf involved, but the cars and the driver lineup will be presented at the Chicago Auto Show on February 6.

VW midsize crossover production headed for Chattanooga

Fri, 10 Jan 2014

Potential labor woes aside, it looks like Volkswagen's Chattanooga, TN factory must have done something that impressed the bosses in Germany, because it sounds like the three-year-old factory is set to score a second model.
The factory currently builds the Passat, and has been in the running alongside VW's Puebla, Mexico factory to build a new crossover vehicle, likely based on the CrossBlue Concept. According to Bloomberg, a pair of unnamed sources have confirmed that Chattanooga is the favorite ahead of an official announcement.
When last we heard about the CrossBlue Concept, word was that a production decision had been delayed over concerns about the three-row CUV's business case. That August 2013 story claimed that a decision regarding the CrossBlue would be pushed back until early in 2014, which means we're ripe for some sort of news, whether good or bad.