1976 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon Westfalia

(reposting. Ebay functions I needed were down in closing hour of auction just ended; if you are the one who bid $10. 00. here's your chance). 1976 VW WESTPHALIA. FROM A PLACE OF LEGEND. The locals in Truchas. NM. say this wonderful bus rolled into town decades ago. was left by a young woman at a local man's garage for repairs. and sat there for years because she never came back.
   But neither did Janis Joplin. a visitor to Truchas. Wavy Gravy and his roving hippie farm. which settled for a while among the fields (there is still a painted '70s school bus sitting roadside) and where Robert Redford filmed ''The Milagro Beanfield War. ''  It remains a great center of arts and small galleries to this day.
   We bought the bus last year in Truchas.   Its oldest registration was 1991. when it had 28. 98 on the six-digit odometer when parked. It was not registered again until 2012. with 28. 98  still on its odometer. when its running gear and engine were made ready to roll. and it was driven to  Chicago and back. We bought  it in Truchas with 47. 80 miles on it. and it now has 52. 00 (will go up slightly because we are still driving it locally). Its history shows zero ''incidents''.   It has never been wrecked.    And this is the bus. those in the know will recall. that broke the 0- 60 mph in UNDER 20 SECONDS barrier with its Type 4 Porsche 914 engine!!!! (And don't worry. nbsp;if you still chug up steep grades. you are more likely to get a peace sign from other motorists other than the ruder digital exclamation. )
   This bus  has its original marigold paint. carpeting (not front floor). seats and upholstery. swing out table. and all inner structure and engine. It's entire floor. beneath carpets is shiny and rust free (see photo of passenger footwell with carpet lifted). The only modificaions: I gave interior cabinetry a better look. using real wood (some of it wonderfully crafted from a gutted 19th century church organ) but left all original  cabinetry beneath. if a perfect restoration is desired.   I also lifted the sink and notoriously finicky electric pump because the sink was really nothing more than a wash basin that took up counter space and was easily replaced with a stainless steel basin that could be stored. The old  sink and pump will come with it.
   I did add a new ''kick panel'' to front of driver's compartment. added an updated music system with speakers. and a nifty CD/map holder of front of inner door that covers spare tire behind driver's seat. Also. a true recharge plug on wooden firewall.
    The tires have only about 5. 00 miles on them. the outside electric connection works. all interior lights and gauges work. and the pop-top canvas is new.
   We have used this not as a show car. a tender relic. but instead in real life adventures to mountains. canyons. open land all over the Southwest. We hate to sell it.
   But. we are moving to Panama permanently and it would cost far too much to ship it and pay to  import it there.
    In getting ready to sell. we had tuneup done and. in process of replacing a broken clutch cable (a pin at pedal bottom). we found it had only one more clutch adjustment left so decided to replace the whole clutch mechanism. including flywheel. nbsp; clutch kit. and cable. Did not want to pass on a clutch job a few thousand miles down the road.
   It is a 40-year-old car. so  of course things can go wrong. But I would not hesitate to climb in and head cross-country tomorrow.
    Flaws: paint has been pitted on front and tiny surface rust spots show. The rubber around windhshield (would have been my next project) should be replaced and the beginnings of rust along lower  rim (typical of all old vw buses but only surface rust) should be halted.
     There is also evidence of  a minor crunch (badly repaired. see photos) at bottom back corner of rear wheelwell. And a strange spill left a small. thich rubbery band in seam where back meets seat. front passenger side.
    I love the patina and. were I to  keep the bus. I would fix minor windshield rust (no rust through by any means). and rear wheelwell. Then I would clearcoat the whole thing because. dammit. it looks like it rolled right  out of 1970s. including some fading stickers in rear windows.
  Oh. and as much as I have seen in one of these. the HEAT ACTUALLY WORKS (all front vents replaced with OEM vents). I'm not promising toasty on a subzero day. but it works as well as it was designed to.
    I'm not going all technical in this description. because all that you can find online. Nothing has been changed and engine is original version of the boxer/914  engine that many have called best ever in class.
    We need to sell this month to avoid storing it and with title in hand. transfer will be easy. Cashiers check. bank transfer. or cash only.  

Also published at eBay.com

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