Thursday, January 15, 2015

SOLD-1985 VW Westy full camper- SOLD

Best Offer. This is a project van. It is not drivable, and will need a considerable investment in time and money to restore. Before making an offer, Please do the following: Be knowledgable about these vans and their value; check out The Samba Classifieds (http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/cat.php?id=55)to see what these are selling for, both unrestored and restored; be serious with your offer; and read this post all the way through. I'll be as thorough as possible. 1985 Vanagon GL Westfalia Full Camper. 1.9 L engine with an automatic transmission. Power Steering, Air conditioning. Approximately 225-250K miles on van. All the original equipment is there, except for one front bumper cap. The engine needs a rebuild,although it does run. I estimate it has 100K on it (was installed as a rebuilt before I bought it). There is an issue in cylinder one that creates an erratic compression problem. I've been told it needs a deep disassembly to determine the cause. More importantly, it has a serious head gasket (coolant)leak on that same cylinder bank. I would describe the engine as "tired", even though it continued to get me wherever I went. The Automatic Transmission went out, which is why it was parked. Started slipping/disengaging and finally no grab in forward gears, although reverse still seems to work. It is in California, and I know it will need at least a catalytic converter to pass smog. Rear tires are good, front tires are a bit less than good. The reason for the estimated mileage is that the odometer went out on it. I drove it for a year that way, until a friend passed on a used one from his van. I lost my paperwork/notes on the exchange, so I have to ballpark it. The air conditioner compressor turns freely, but I rarely used it and when the belt frayed, I just cut it off. Power steering reservoir does leak somewhat, but works fine. The body has a few dents, but not deep or major. There is rust, with a few places fairly significant. Needs a paint job (original paint) to stop that from killing the van! All of the camper appliances work, but the fridge is as flakey as advertised for these vans. Fridge should be pulled and a thorough cleaning done. The heater box ? in the back got overly hot and actually singed the wood of the adjacent cabinet once. I've never had a problem with the water supply, it does need a flushing as it hasn't been used much in the last couple of years. Stove works fine. I replaced the the propane regulator (was original) a year and a half ago. The tent is in good shape, being 30 years old. No rips or rot. I patched in a replacement screen when I first bought this van 10 years ago. It still holds up but isn't the prettiest looking job. I have always used the lower bed, although the top one is in fine shape. The seat cushion of the lower bed is showing its wear and tear and the seams are coming apart. The rear bed cushion is fine. A lot of the drawer/cabinet hardware has broken over the years. I know you can but these new, but always just managed without. The exterior of the cabinets, drawers, fridge and the like are fine. They and the interior need a thorough deep cleaning, as I am a smoker. The fuzzy ceiling has mildewed and needs to cleaned. All of the original curtains are there, needing a cleaning too. The front curtain is missing one snap, and elastic is stretched out. I have a GoWesty screen and shade cover for the roof vent. There is also the original rear hatch screen so that you can sleep with hatch open. The rear floor is original linoleum, and is in great shape for being 30 years old. There are covered tracks for an additional bench seat. Up front. The front end needs some work/alignment and has always worn the tires to the inside. The interior front is pretty good, with a few problems. Carpet isn't bad for being original, dash is showing dry cracking. The inside door latch for the drivers side does not work. The linkage separated within, and having taken the door panel off once before, I procrastinated on doing so to repair. The drivers seat is showing the wear of sliding in and out, but isn't too bad. The right armrest broke a pin, and I couldn't figure out how to replace it, but I still have the armrest. The passenger seat is in great shape. The stereo has a short in the wiring to the drivers side speaker which is out. The fuse to this is also the 4 way flasher, which I removed to stop battery drain. This is a California van. I hold clear title. It is currently registered as "Non Operating". California requires the seller smogs a vehicle at sale. Obviously, I am not gong to do that, so it will have to stay "Non Operating" until you have it smogable. The history of the van: What I know. The original owners bought it under the program where they made the purchase in the states, flew to Germany and picked up the van for a european tour(have some of the paperwork and the stickers are still on the back.) From there, unknown until I bought it from a dealer late in 2004. I used it extensively on weekends in California until I left my job late in 2006 and went full-timing for nearly 4 years around the west. After a 3 year hiatus, I have been back in it for over a year and a half. You can see the blog posts on some of my full-time wanderings and adventures here on this blog, and more at https://www.facebook.com/HanksNatureArt. In late 2006 it became "Finagon" for a Jimmy Buffett concert with friends. Went from Santa Rosa to Mountain View with plywood fins and a tail fin that pivoted... Obviously, I have an interest in where this van goes. I'd love to be able to see it continue on its adventures. If you are interested in making a respectable offer, email me at hankspringer@gmail.com. Please include the title of this post in the title of the e-mail. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story...

Monday, January 05, 2015

Hanks ToyBox (1985 VW Westfalia Camper) to go up for sale

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/rvs/4834440430.html