1983 Vanagon Westfalia Resto-Mod 230HP Subaru SVX Engine! Volkswagen Camper Van

1983 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon Westfalia Description

Resto-mod VW Vanagon Westfalia with a fresh 230 horsepower Subaru SVX engine conversion.
Are you looking for your dream VW Westfalia resto-mod camper van? Then you know this is the Westy for you. Over a year was spent restoring and upgrading every aspect of this vintage Westfalia that will matter to you; work was done by a retired VW enthusiast who has restored a handful of Westfalia’s in recent years - so you know the work was done right and only proven high-quality components used; this is a labor of love by a VW enthusiast - not a business; only selling to focus on a new project. Over $12,700 recently invested in parts alone - this does not count the cost of the Westy itself and over a years worth of labor. See last picture for full parts list spreadsheet breakdown & total.

Videos
Take A Tour Of The Westy On Vimeo
Take A Test Drive Of The Westy On Vimeo
Mechanical
This VW Vanagon is the king of the Westy’s with a 6-cylinder 3.3L Subaru engine rated at 230hp, but with SmallCar headers/exhaust and shorty intake its likely closer to 250hp; most Subaru engine conversions are only 4-cylinders - this is a much more complex and expensive conversion for those seeking a significant horsepower increase for towing, mountain hills or just keeping up with freeway traffic (note: SmallCar charges $9,975 for an SVX engine conversion alone! That does not include the cost of the engine). Before installation the engine was completely gone through - the SVX engine was then installed with high quality VW aftermarket conversion components from SmallCar, KEP and GoWesty. To cool the SVX engine the van was converted from the original air cooled system to a water cooled system that is specifically setup for the Subaru engine; the sheetmetal on the nose of the van has brand new water cooled 84-91 style sheetmetal welded in with the lower radiator grille opening and entire cooling system is brand new. The Westy also has a brand new brake system, with pretty much all major brake components replaced.

• Subaru SVX 3.3L 6cyl 230 horsepower engine (from 1993 Subaru w/ 97K)
• New Head gaskets, timing belt, water pump, timing rollers and valve cover gaskets
• New KEP engine to transmission adapter
• New SmallCar SVX engine mounts
• New SmallCar headers & exhaust system (adds around 10hp)
• New SmallCar accelerator cable
  
• New SmallCar speed sensor
  
• New SmallCar high-torque gear reduction starter (for high compression engines)
• New Rocky Mountain Westy’s SVX air intake manifold
• New Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF)
• New clutch & plates, clutch master & slave cylinder
• New Behr radiator

• New GoWesty steel coolant piping & hoses

• New SmallCar cooling & bleeding piping

• New radiator electric fan & shroud assembly
• New 84-91 type lower radiator grille
• New fuel tank

• New Bosch fuel pump

• New fuel tank sending unit

• New GoWesty fuel filter & hose upgrade kit (converts system to a more modern fuel feed setup)

• New brake master cylinder
• New brake pads

• New brake calipers

• New front brake rotors

• New rear brake drums

• New rear brake cylinders
New brake hoses

• New emergency brake cables

• New wheel bearings
(4)
  
• New shocks

SVX engine overview from SmallCar “This Subaru engine is the most impressive motor I have come across in my 40 years of automotive experience. It is state of the art with 7 main bearings, 4 valves per cylinder and four cams driven by a toothed belt. Still a non-interference engine, It will not self destruct if the cam belt breaks. It features an engine management computer capable of learning as you drive with input from crank and cam position sensors, a knock sensor, two oxygen sensors and it controls the spark, fuel injectors, and timing. It has no distributor, cap, rotor, or plug wires. The stock horsepower is rated at 230 at 5400 RPM and the redline is an impressive 7000. With our free flowing 2 1/4" exhaust system, the motor is producing an estimated 240 horsepower. These numbers put the Vanagon….on a par with many of the new sports cars and SUV's from BMW and Mercedes.” (source: https://smallcar.com/conversions/the-230hp-vanagon-vx.html).
Interior
This Westy is ready to go camping! Unlike most Westfalia’s out there with 30+ year old wiring and plumbing - this VW has had the interior completely disassembled and everything has been fully gone through. All cabinets were removed with new sound proofing and insulation material in walls, new foam pads under cabinets, along with rust preventative spray. All plumbing and wiring has been tested and replaced or upgraded where needed - everything is fully functional and better than new. Brand new carpet throughout the front with new hardwood rear cargo floor. Tons of high quality name brand interior upgrade parts. A GoWesty auxiliary battery kit is installed giving you a second battery - new $160 Interstate battery is main battery and then auxiliary “battery” is two new small batteries; this allows you to go camping and run your gear off the auxiliary batteries without worrying about running down your main battery.
Camping features include upper and lower beds, 12v sink & faucet, two burner stove, rear table, front rear & upper storage cabinets, swivel front seats, propane tank and water storage, 110v outlets, outside utility hook-ups. The original non-working refrigerator was removed and a GoWesty fridge elimination kit installed as well as a separately powered 12v plug added for your supplied cooler; the GoWesty kit provides substantially more cabinet storage and the added 12V plug allows you to use a much more efficient powered cooler (not included).

• New front carpet set
• New front rubber grey custom floormat set
• New cargo area hardwood floor
• New front bucket and rear bench seat covers

• New GoWesty rear table & mount

• New GoWesty full curtain set (includes cargo door and front privacy curtains)

• New GoWesty fridge elimination kit

• New GoWesty auxiliary battery kit
New Interstate battery (main battery)
• 
New dual auxiliary batteries

• New Bus Depot upgraded 12-volt sink faucet and water pump

• New interior LED light
• New Vanagon.org $160 instrument cluster wiring harness upgrade kit (wires gauges directly, upgrading over factory VW design)

Exterior
On the exterior this Westfalia has brand new paint (finish is not perfect, but its good quality paint that will offer years of protection). Fresh undercoating and paint on the undercarriage to protect against the elements. The pop top was completely removed, cleaned up and painted - along with a new seal and pop top canvas. Over $340 was spent on upgraded GoWesty front driver & passenger side window seals and gaskets ensuring the cab will stay dry. This Westy has been upgraded with factory Mercedes 15” wheels on brand new Firestone’s - wheels were mounted with a high quality $400 plus dollar T3 Technique conversion kit. Aside from the great style, these Mercedes wheels allow you to maintain higher speeds on the highway with lower RPM’s.

• New exterior paint (OEM VW color Pastel white L90D)
• 
(4) 15” factory Mercedes aluminum wheels
• (4) New Firestone tires
• New spare tire (mounted under front area)

• New T3 Technique wheel adapter kit - spacers, studs, lug nuts and caps
• New BusDepot upgraded 3-window canvas pop top

• New pop top roof seal
• New GoWesty front driver & passenger side window seals and gaskets
• New GoWesty dual windshield sprayer nozzle (upgrades from single sprayer)
• New VanCafe side mirrors
• New LED clearance lights
• New H4 style headlights
• New OEM rear bumper w/ rubber strips
• New blacked out style rear hatch emblems

Final Thoughts
Note: the SVX has no smog or emission equipment installed on the engine or exhaust and is likely not legal in states with emissions testing - or which don’t waiver vintage vehicles.
Shipping is recommended and is the buyers responsibility; beware of shipping “brokers” who do not actually own transport trucks. We keep the license plates in Florida, so if you plan to drive the van home you will need to bring a license plate. We have only driven this van locally and not on long road trips, so if you plan to drive it a long distance we cannot say how it will do either way - there are no known issues; however, with any vintage 30+ year old vehicle with this many new parts anything can go wrong on a long trip, no warranty sold as-is. If you fly in, you would go to Orlando International Airport - and you would need to take Uber/Taxi to our house - roughly 30 minute drive. Another option for those wishing to drive the van home, our local DMV/Tax Collector can possibly issue you a temporary tag - but you have to likely pay sales tax which may or may not be remitted to your state as a credit there - you can call them for details Seminole Tax Collector 407-665-1000
Don’t miss out on your dream Westy! Over $12,700 recently invested in parts alone - this does not count the cost of the Westy itself and over a years worth of labor. Reserve is 19500 which is just to roughly recoup whats invested in parts and the cost of the van itself so we can get started on a new project, but this Westy is worth so much more! Please read payment terms before bidding, good luck.