1985 VW Vanagon Westy (with Subaru EJ22 engine)
1985 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon Description
I'm selling my 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon ( Joker ) Westfalia ( Westy) full camper with sink, stove, grey water holding tank. Sleeps 4 and has seating for 6 (with included removable middle bench seat). It has a 2.2 Liter Subaru EJ22 from a 1991(JDM motor had approximately 40,000 miles on it when installed) with a manual 4 spd. The van is ready to go on an adventure!
VIN - WV2ZZZ25ZFH097540 146,000 miles. It was was orignally sold in the German Market as "Joker" (what they call vanagon there) model then imported thus the vin. Has valid clear US title, tags, and registration .
It has a California legal CARB sticker. That means I took it to a CARB referee and had inspected and tested so that from now on, you can take it to ANY Smog shop and it's in the system with the scan the sticker. I wouldn't recommend getting an EJ22 Vanagon in California without a CARB sticker, not really legal without either.
It's been a great van and fun project but ready to move on. My Family of four has spent up to 3 weeks at a time camping all over the place in it. You won't find another van with the combination of ground clearance, mobility, turning radius and hipster respectability!
I converted it at 112,000 miles and it has been running strong for all those 28,000 miles. It gets about 20 MPG (a stock VW get about 14). I've listed below all the upgrades.
I did the Fox shocks ($1,200) that come with a lifetime warranty and a rear reservoir to take the heat of a washboard Forest service road. But the tires on there now have lots of life and are M+S tires and ride well. Those 16" rims with the bigger tires was probable the best upgrade I did. It cost about $2000 just for that. But if you start reading The Samba forum, there is no end to things you can do with this. And the community is very supportive.....gunna miss 'em!
It is a good van and I've been over every inch of it. But being 32 years old, it's looking for someone that can understand her needs. Very usable cabinet interior, but it's not perfect and probably to worst part of this van (relatively speaking). One door hinge bent when climbing in upper bunk. Secured with hook and eye latch. Small tears in bench seat fabric and mismatch color (gray not brown) front seats. Several companies (Sew Fine in CO for example) make upholstery kits for a few hundred bucks. It comes with the middle seat for a total seating for 6 people (with belts) or you can lock down a portal fridge there. The bottom bunk can be made without moving it unlike the stock fridge. Did a special auxiliary set up to plug in portal fridge since those three way ones only keep about 20 degrees below ambient temperature if you mange to get it level. Much more practical and that makes a nice place to sit while you cook and a place to kick your legs up when sitting in the back. There is no fridge (but will include camp toilet that fits perfectly into spot where fridge normally is) I'm holding onto portal fridge you can get one $100-700 depending on features.
Upgrades
. Fox Shocks with piggyback reservoir for "Pre-runner" rough/washboard forest road capability.
. 100 Ah Aux battery and 'Blue Sea' fuse panel and battery isolator and heavy duty battery selector
. Large capacity start battery relocated to engine bay for increased interior storage.
. Hi torque starter (to easily crank higher compression Subaru)
. GoWesty 16" aluminum rims and extra load tires (99
XL)
. New Bus Depot canvas poptop tent
. Pop top fiberglass recently refurbished with fresh marine grade paint. Removed all poptop interior 'fuzz' and installed foam headliner
. Yakima Roof rack brackets
. Lift assist Heavy-duty poptop lift pistons
. Upgraded Surflo freshwater sink pump
. Stock Fridge deletion with included porta potty (is that 1/8th bath?)
. Mounting system for modern compressor ARB/Dometic/Engle portable fridge. I'm keeping my fridge, but it is plug-n-play with 12VDC plug in AUX battery and easily locks down on floor rails. (fridge not included)
. Comes with Middle bench seat and rails to seat 6 people with belts
or put your fridge there. You have the option to configure it before your trip.
. "GoWesty" 3 point seatbelts in backseat
. "Short shift" manual transmission
. OEM Bosch Fuel pump with GoWesty fuel filter upgrade
. Bluetooth Radio with hands-free phone capability.
. High point radiator air petcock for easy initial air removal
. New paint in 2008)
. Slider and back hatch snap in an OEM mosquito screen
. Side Awning
. Comes with a Front Bra
Engine
. ***California Air Resources Board (CARB) certified with sticker! Smoged 6 times since 2006 and passes every time. You must have the CARB sticker in California with any engine conversion.
. Welded Aluminum coolant expansion tank with standard cap. Replaces
(IMO unreliable) plastic tank and cap and uses standard 12 psi cap. Self 'burping' air removal to coolant reservoir.
. Reversed coolant manifold. Steady temps even at 100 deg F climbing
7% grades
. Comes with IBM Think pad laptop to read sensors data with B10 scanner software
. Wired in selector for easy ECU code reading and diagnostics
. Small car heavy-duty oil cast aluminum pan for clearance and security. I put a hole in the stock oil pan at a campground and never wanted to do that again!
. K&N filter
. KEP engine adapter kit and mount
. Integrated speed sensor for ECU code elimination
. ECU located under back cabinet to save storage space.
Please email me with questions
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