1973 VW Westfalia Continental: 1973 VW Westfalia Continental. £6400

History:

I have owned this camper since Nov 2002. Previously, she was owned by a couple in Maidstone, Kent, for a couple of years, and prior to that, she was owned from 1984 until 2000 by the same gentleman in Sutton, who cared for her very well indeed, and carried out several modifications / enhancements. I have further details of the history too, but won't put them here.

Due to purchasing a narrowboat (see other blog) I've decided to sell the camper. This is because I don't really have time to look after two "old school" vehicles. I'm not in a rush to sell, and if no-one comes up with the asking price, I won't sell. But, if the right person comes along and offers the asking price, then she will go to a new home! Her name currently is "Morag"

Built on Feb 6th, 1973. Originally all-white, Reg Grundy (Owner from 1984-99) resprayed the bottom half in Porsche Sombersi Green. There are many "extras", and so I'll list things from the front of the camper to the back:

Body:

Stainless "eye lids"
Cibie sealed beam headlights with Xenon bulbs mounted in modified Mini headlight bowls.
Large coverage windscreen wipers (19 / 17 inch vs standard 16/16)
New windscreen seal and windscreen in 2008
Tyres are extra width: Hankook RA05 205/75R14C front, 205R14C on rear. Approx 9mm tread remaining (same as most new tyres!) Standard 185R14C as spare. These are the correct overall size, so the speedo is accurate.
New wheel bearings all round last year. New CV boots etc too.
Front and rear Heavy duty anti-roll bars ensure excellent handling at stock ride height. The stock height means the occupants are safer, as the bumper and chassis are at the correct height to absorb any impact. I also prefer stock height as I can fit underneath to do any work without jacking the camper up.
Sliding door was repaired professionally (Zeds bus garage) in 2010, with new seals.
Rare VW dash, including a trip meter and Clock... This alone is worth £500+
Removable rear valance, for easy removal of engine.
Reg had also put in a hand-crank system for starting the engine with a flat battery. I removed this, as I installed a leisure battery, and would therefore be able to swap batteries. It was also very hard to turn over a VW engine by hand!!
An oversize heater duct has been fitted (pipe within a pipe), and good heat is possible from the engine alone even at sub zero temperatures. New heat exchangers in 2002/3, pods (2007) and concertina tubes (2007). Lots of life left in the H/Xs. One was NOS VW, the other Dansk. The Dansk one now has a small hole in the outer shrouding, but is otherwise fine. This hasn't noticeably effected the heating. It could be patched very simply if you wanted.
Undersealed at least every 2 years. Waxoyled in every conceivable orifice, box section, etc. Dinitrol in all 4 wheel arches. VERY Solid underneath. Especially for a british camper. Has had all cills replaced over past 10 years. One small bit needs redoing (pic below). All other welding since has been carried out by professionals.

Interior:

All usual VW continental details. We recovered the rear seats in 2002, and gave her new curtains. Full width rock and roll bed - i.e. full size double bed (this is what attracted us to her in the first place - not many VWs with full width beds). Bed in roof. Roof canvas has some patches on, but is watertight. Has been weatherproofed with Silicone every 2 or 3 years.
Panasonic CD / Radio with speakers in the front and rear. Runs off Leisure battery.
Added VDO cylinder head temperature and Oil Pressure gauges, along with Volts gauge and RPM. Oil temperature gauge works, but sender in sump broke last year. As in the 10 years of me owning it I've never seen >100 degrees C, I haven't replaced the sender. The oil pressure and CHT gauges tell you much more anyway. She runs cool.
Front seats are part leather MR2 mk 2 seats. Lots of support, but low. Very comfortable on long journeys too :) They are about the same height as the original VW seats, so short folks can reach the pedals, and tall folks (like me) don't bash their head on the ceiling!
Rear fluorescent lamp and two spot lamps also run off leisure battery.
Propex blown air heater with thermostat. Note: this was installed by myself, and has not been checked by a Gas Safe qualified person. You use this at your own risk! It works when driving along or parked up. Heats the van very quickly. Runs off the same gas bottle as the cooker.
New seat belts in front. One 3-point belt in rear and one lap belt.
Usual Westfalia Wardrobe with drop-down cooker, sink and cool box (not a fridge).

Engine/Transmission:

This is an automatic VW. There are 3 gears, and you can use the stick to manually change through the gears if you wish. It works really very well in full automatic mode. It changes up at the right point - if driving gently, it'll change up at 3000 rpm. If you are going quick, it will change at 4200 rpm. If you are flooring it, it'll keep it in the right gear until 5000 rpm. It also drops down a gear when climbing hills etc. Much easier than the stock long-throw manual job. I get around 22-25 mpg, which is similar to the manual versions, so there is no real downside. The camper will come with a spare auto box which I got from a 52000 mile camper and kept as "insurance". I've changed the ATF and the final drive oil in the box regularly, and well before service schedule.

The engine is a WO case one from a VW 411. It is a 1971 engine, which reg rebuilt in 1984 with proper VW bus dished pistons and new valves. It has a compression ratio of 7.3:1, but uses the hotter cam of the 411. I did a top-end rebuild in 2008. It has the best "Q" heads. I put new valves in. There is a stock-built in breather system. Bottom end is fine. The WO case engines had a 80hp output, and this camper feels like a 2L, with the efficiency of the smaller 1700. She starts and runs easily even in -18 °C weather (as I found out earlier this year!!). She is jetted for all-weather use (slightly rich), but you can drop the jetting down in hot weather if you want. I'll include a range of jets and instructions.. All fuel lines have been replaced last year, and a automatic fuel cut-off solenoid is fitted under the tank. It has an electronic fuel pump and regulator. (Spare pump too)

I have Dellorto DRLA 36 twin carbs (carefully jetted), a Mallory Unilite electronic ignition (optical trigger) distributor with optimised advance curve (more torque at low revs), and a Flamethrower high voltage coil. There is a Thunderbird 4:1 header, and a custom-made Turbo Thomas stainless box. This gives an extra couple of mpg, and increases the top end, allowing much easier flow above 4000 rpm. It has the downside of being a bit loud. I've run it and a stock box and a thunderbird box. The latter gives the best of both worlds, but the stock box is the quietest. This bus can go up a 1 in 4 hill from a standing start - it has TORQUE!!! Any hill is just fine.

There are cylinder head temp gauges (on no.3 cylinder), oil pressure and voltage to monitor the engine. She runs very cool, as I've taken very great pains to tune her for coolest and most efficient running.

Over the years I have replaced with new, the alternator, regulator, fuel pump, tappet adjusting screws, rocker covers, heat exchangers, exhaust + box, crankcase breather, coil, HT leads, spark plugs, distributor, inlet manifolds, vacuum lines to brake servo and auto box, vacuum non-return valve, air filters, carb linkage, s/h refurbed carbs, alternator belt, batteries, battery cables... i.e. pretty much everything apart from the engine itself!!! Some tinware was replaced with better non-rusted examples, and painted with high temp paint.

Service History / Things to do

Whilst any bodywork has been carried out by professionals (new front arches, repaired bottom of sliding door, windscreen surround replaced, all cills replaced), the vast majority of mechanical work has been carried out by myself. I've always used the best parts I could possibly get, as she was always a "keeper". I've done all the brakes, brake lines, flexis and fluid. Replaced all the gearbox oils regularly, and serviced the engine every 1500 miles. I have documented everything I've done, and have 35 pages of notes on what I did and when. I also have all MOTs and tax discs since 2000 and loads of other paperwork. Just about everything apart from the brake servo and shocks has been replaced at some point. She is good to go!! As part of the transaction, I would be happy to spend a whole day training the new owner through how to do a service. The camper will also come with a very wide range of spares, a toolkit, and a wide selection of books and manuals.

There are some "things to do" - this is not a perfect camper! Although mechanically sound, the body work is getting a bit tired in places. These vehicles are obviously on-going in terms of maintenance. The bottoms of the front doors are very shoddy, and whilst not requiring immediate work, I would factor in replacing the front doors at some point. JustKampers sell new ones for £300. Similarly, the rear hatch I bought second hand for a tenner about 8 years ago. Its bubbling at the bottom edge. The engine lid is also not perfect. None of these doors leak however. The rear corners are a bit rusty, the bottom edges of the rear windows are a bit risky too. No leaks, but these things will need doing at some point. The camper gets driven all year round, and I'm not a show person, so I've just carried on, doing things when they need doing, not because they don't look show perfect.

Other items to do if you want a showpiece: the lower rear corners could do with replacing - Ive patched them with fibreglass a few years ago, but that needs redoing again. I'd be tempted to just get them replaced. The right hand battery tray has always had a hole in. you could replace this at the same time, or stick with the plastic tray I've fitted.

The rear valance has some rust bubbling through. I'ts been like this for the past 10 years. Again, you will want to do this if you are a perfectionist, body work wise. Then you will want to do a respray, as some panels have imperfections and there are several versions of the same colour from panel to panel. I would estimate if you replaced the front doors, rear hatch and engine lid for new ones, replaced all rear window seals and got any rust beneath sorted (needs doing on side windows other than sliding door), did both rear corners and the rear valance then did a good quality top and bottom respray you would be looking at a bill of £4500-5000. You would then have a camper worth £15-20K...

If, like me, you just want a very functional, reliable and robust camper for camping in many weekends of the year, then here it is, and £6400 will make it yours. No more, no less. The MOT is due in July, but I will get her 12 months MOT prior to sale, and get the drivers side cill replaced. Tax is until August, and will be included in the sale. If you want her straight away as she is, you can have her for £6000.

My phone number is 0777 5517431 if you have any further questions. The camper is located in mid-Norfolk, near the town of Swaffham (on the A47 main road). I do work in Nottingham, and live in the week in Derbyshire, so it may be possible by prior arrangement for me to bring the camper to either of those places.

Rob

robstockman@mac.com

No tyre kickers.... Please only contact if you are seriously interested. Also only contact if you actually have the funds.

Photos:

underneath

rear torsion beams

Above the gearbox / inside rear wheel arch

Beam and brake servo.

from LHS

From RHS

Engine bay. Twin Dells, CB performance Linkage, Jet Doctors, Mallory Unilite, Bugpack breather etc

You can see cut-out in bumper for crank-handle!

Original VW Trip Odomerter and matching clock - rare!! RPM, Volt and Oil Temp Guages

CD and MP3 Stereo, CHT and Oil Pressure gauges. Stereo fed from Leisure battery (new 2011, 60 Ah)

Interior recovered in appropriate retro style

Drivers door - will need repair or replacing sometime. doesn't leak though

All wheel arches dinitrol protected. All repaired prior - no rust here.

Last bit of cill to repair - it was previously repaired in 2002, but not properly finished. Its solid on the inside, but outside needs a bit of welding. If full price is paid, I will get this repaired properly and painted. Propex exhaust below. Wheel arch has dent, but is solid, so a bit of tidying up necessary here too.