1974 Westfalia – Page II

All the exterior rubber, glass, and trim are in place, and the bus is ready to be sent to another shop for upholstery.

The engine was tuned with dual Webers before being test-driven around the neighborhood.

I drove around the surrounding areas a bit to get the transmission to shift correctly. Everything had been sitting idle for quite a while and was finally moving again after its multi-year slumber. Once everything felt as good as it was going to get, the bus was sent out with the customer.

…only to come back shortly after due to a lack of power. The engine was running poorly with a dead cylinder, and the transmission needed to be replaced. It was decided that this bus would get the same treatment as the last one—a Subaru engine conversion! Additionally, since it’s already a rare VW automatic, this bus will also receive an automatic Subaru transmission.

When VW introduced the automatic transmission, the first version lasted only a couple of years before being revised. It was used into the the Vanagon model for a short time before being discontinued. As a result, parts for the early automatic transmissions are no longer available. While the second generation can be built, it requires extensive modifications and parts are hard to find. Stay tuned to see how the transmission comes together with the Subaru unit.

In the meantime, the rust will be addressed now that the anchor is out of the back of the bus. Hidden under the battery was someone’s attempt at artwork in the form of a battery tray—a little Picasso, if you ask me. I’ll try my hand at fixing it.

The rails had rust on the top where the panels overlapped. Once the rust is cut out, the metal is cleaned and painted, including the interior of the patches. After the welding is complete, the bottom seams will be sealed with seam sealer, following thorough preparation and cleaning of all surfaces for painting.

The battery tray is a bit tricky to install after the bus has been painted. The exterior lip was carefully trimmed to fit snugly into place, sitting on top of a lip from the old tray. All remnants of the old tray were removed from the other sides, and the new tray was welded around two-thirds of the perimeter. Once ready for paint, all the seams will be sealed with seam sealer.