I was going to wait to get a mid 70s Westy until I was done with my 914 but an 86 Vanagon Westy came along kind of local for what seems to be a decent price. What do you all think of them? It has 230K on the chassis, 20K on a new engine, probably needs a tranny (popping out of 1st, Evil, you work on these guys?), new brakes, okay exterior, decent interior, new steering rack. I know it will need some work to be super reliable but "sounds" like a driver as is. My ultimate goal is a subie or tdi swap.

I know the cooling systems can be a nightmare, anything else I should look out for?


Thanks,

Chris

Best to just buy new SS coolant hard lines from the guy on The Samba and be done with it. I have his contact information around here somewhere .... Leaking head gaskets are the biggie, and the alternator mounts on the engine. If they're hosed, it's a nightmare. USE ONLY VW or VW approved coolant. It MUST be phosphate free! Other than that, they're pretty good vehicles. They bring MAJOR bucks here in CA. Might look at the A-arm bushings, ball joints, whatever. For tranny work, use German Transaxle of America, in Bend, OR. The Cap'n

Good info, thanks. Just saw the samba listing for the SS coolant line and German Transaxle of America, good to know they are solid vendors.

What is the issue with the alternator mounts? I've only heard about the head leaking issue.

The steel alternator bracket fractures and puts strain on the studs sticking out of the case, or maybe people don't get the nuts tight, and the studs can break off. It then becomes a serious problem. The Cap'n