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Sold 1972 VW Camper Van. 2017cc hi-power. New ‘Westy’ roof! RHD

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Noiseboy

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NOW SOLD!



1972 VW Camper Van. 2017cc hi-power. New ‘Westy’ roof! RHD




Overall

1972 crossover, bay window VW campervan. Right hand drive. 4 Berth lightweight denim interior. Low mileage 2017 cc, high torque engine with extremely low mileage (very sweet, approx 105 BHP). Low mileage 091 2 litre gearbox with high 4th ratio and heavy duty clutch enables all day 80mph cruising! The engine and gearbox cost around £5000 to build and fit! Very reliable. 1 year old, O’conners ‘Westy’ style roof with very comfortable double bed and gas struts. (cost £3500!) Huge amounts of time and money spent over my 12 year ownership. I need to sell it for financial reasons and as it just isn’t getting any camping use. I’ve only slept in it for 4 nights in the last 3 years and it deserves to go to someone who will look after it and treasure great holidays away and shows etc. Just about every aspect of the mechanical and interior spec has been expensively upgraded to cope with modern demands. The paintwork is good with only very minor touch ups and the odd tiny blemish. Looks very nice overall. The upper and lower (inner and outer) front panel has been replaced. Rust free California import front doors. Outer arches and sills replaced all round. Lower sliding door panel replaced. Excellent rust free gutters. Excellent, 2 year old ‘No more rusty bits’ front and rear fibreglass bumpers. Classic black pressed aluminium number plates. Underneath is solid (has had some previous welding repairs to MOT standard as have almost all 41 year old buses). Very reasonable price for the condition and very high specification. Any VW specialist will be able to service this high mechanical spec bus so if you are not technically minded don’t let the specs below put you off! Sorry it so long, but I don’t want to miss anything out. It’s taken me 12 years to bring the bus to this desirable specification.

Price £13,500. This campervan is in Nottingham. Tax free, MOT until November 2013.



Engine Specifications (2017cc type 1 VW air cooled engine)

EMPI Long stroke chromoly E4340 78.4mm counterbalanced crankshaft (Safe for 200BHP!)
90.5 forged Mahle 'stroker' pistons and cylinders with teflon buttons
CB Unitech chromoly forged con rods (Very strong)
Engle 110 camshaft (Excellent low down torque)
VW Speedshop ported and polished, semi hemi cut 90.5mm, std cylinder heads c/w stainless valves & HD single springs (exc. torque)
Clearanced case with full flow oil system (better lubrication)
HD steel pushrods (high strength, enables lower valve gaps for quieter running)
Scat bolt up rocker shafts with swivel feet (essential for high RPM)

Full flow oil system with Melling 32mm pump and CSP pressure relief cover (excellent oil pressure)
External oil filter (longer engine life)
96 row Mesa oil cooler with 9" 12V fan operated via temperature switch (enables reliable 80mph cruising)
CB Performance breather tower system with vented case and heads (essential for high RPM)
Scat wide glide deep sump (greater oil capacity)
Standard NOS original spec heat exchangers
4 into 1 stainless manifold and single quiet pack (very long life)
Dellorto DRLA 36 twin carb set up (big 32mm venturis)
44mm velocity stacks (greater air flow)
Electric fuel pump.
Empi 75mm high oval air filters (K and N style, great flow, cleanable)
Petronix Ignitor coil (high output for great starting)
Empi electronic ignition (better economy and starting)
Taylor 8mm ignition leads (high capacity)
Reconditioned starter motor to cope with higher compression ratio and new high output battery

Full engine service 1000 miles ago.

Engine built by the legendary Laurie Petit only 14,000 miles ago. Runs really sweet and sounds awesome. Dyno tuned by Matty at ‘Raceshack’ (print outs available). Around 105 BHP (twice the normal power). This engine was built for low down torque and pulls like a train from 1000RPM. If you want more power and a peakier response, 044 heads would make a cost effective upgrade for much more power for those that crave the drag strip. I just wanted to keep up with modern traffic. This bus is far faster than standard and certainly surprises people! Many people tire of the low power of the standard bus and many opt for a 1776cc spec with the standard crankshaft as it is far cheaper than a ‘stroker’ motor to build. However that engine is only safe to 4500RPM due to the crankshaft flex that the non-counterbalanced standard design can suffer. This 2017cc engine is built to be safe to 6500RPM (although the low down grunt means that 5500RPM is a good limit to use). The Autometer monster tachometer has variable shift light to guide gear changes.




Transmission Specifications

2 litre ‘091’ heavy duty gearbox rebuilt by VW gearbox specialist ‘Cogbox’, 33,000 miles ago with shortened input shaft to suit 1600 bellhousing, with high 4th ratio to enable motorway cruising at 80mph! This bus will do that all day long with the heavy duty oil cooler and fan (mounted above the gearbox). Kennedy heavy duty clutch plate and clutch disc to deal with increased power.

Scat ‘Dragfast’ shifter for excellent positive and fast gearshifting.



The engine and gearbox combination cost around £5000 to put in!




Sports Suspension Specifications

Front: Bus Boys Albatross adjusters to enable fast, easy and reliable height adjustment. KYB GR2 gas shocks, Heavy duty anti roll bar.

Rear: KYB Gas-adjust HD shocks, lowered one spline to give raked stance, heavy duty rear anti roll bar.

Replacement steering damper, drag link and all ball joints/tie rods during ownership.

This bus handles amazingly well with minimal body roll, which makes it feel much safer. Also it is nowhere near as sensitive to cross winds on motorways.



Brake/Wheel Upgrade Specifications

15 inch ‘Zender’ alloys fitted with new 205/50/R15 front and 205/60/R15 rear tyres to keep gear ratios correct. The lower profile front tyres allow the front to be low and still have good suspension travel, with a very cool raked stance.

Front: Recent cross-drilled ventilated front discs with low miles and EBC green stuff fast road pads (early bay caliper is same fitment as early 911). The lower rolling radius, Goodridge stainless hoses (better efficiency and feel) and upgraded discs and calipers mean this bus stops as well as it goes.

Rear: Standard shoes with replaced backplates, wheel cylinders and Goodridge stainless hoses. Scat custom mounted polished aluminium handbrake handle.



4 berth interior and almost new ‘Westy’ Roof Specifications

Dashboard in body colour with custom stainless steel inserts. Chrome detailing. Oil pressure gauge. Oil temperature gauge. Autometer ‘monster’ tachometer. Polished alloy and leather sports steering wheel. Clock. Front sports seats to give body support to allow comfortable use of sports handling characteristics. Alpine CD head unit with 4 Mission hifi speakers, plus 240W, 2 x 12” subwoofer integrated in rear seat. ‘Ooh-errr’ vintage horn. Opening quarter lights (USA spec, really useful!). Replacement front kick panels. Removeable front wicker picnic basket. Alarm and Immobiliser. ‘Big Foot’ accelerator pedal with new pivot mechanism.

Unique ‘Paul Smith’ denim door cards, with classic denim pockets.
Denim rear seat covers with recent new foam and contrasting pale blue feather cushions. Single seat has 3 point seatbelt (not crash tested). Rear seat has 2 lapbelts, which are in the rear storage compartment at present and would require low cost extenders for use. I didn’t need the rear seat capacity and many owners would want 3 point belts which are easily fitted as it is an original campervan with mounting points as standard. Most vinyl flooring recently replaced.

2 burner cooker with swing out option (really useful!) and wind guard. Slide out hinge pins so it is easily removed completely. Dining Table and mini table. Bespoke lightweight cooker unit/cupboard and rear seat. Rear set rest removes to form lower double bed. I feel this is better than a rock and roll bed as you don’t have to move all your camping gear and luggage from the rear compartment to the front seats to allow the use of the bed. Rear interior light.

1 year old!!! O‘conners’ Westfalia style roof which improves on the original as the upper area sleeps 2 adults in comfort (recent medium density reflex foam for amazing nights sleep). Gas struts for easy opening. Large mesh vent means this bus is cool in hot weather. This roof is awesome! Cost £3500!


Overall a fantastic, very high spec, and very cool VW campervan. Don’t miss out on this unique classic VW! I would estimate this to be the only one available with this high spec engine, gearbox and almost new roof ,which would cost around £8500 on their own). Please contact [email protected]

Price £13,500. This campervan is in Nottingham. Tax free, MOT until November 2013.













































 
This bus is still available. It drives brilliantly well. Well worth a viewing and test drive.
 
I suspect that O'Connor's probably copied the elevating-roof gas strut fitment idea from me, after I undertook a DIY upgrade in the mid-1990s on my family's 1973 Westfalia Continental using second-hand Volvo 300-Series rear-hatch gas struts (one with integral courtesy-light switch), which I later documented!
 
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