1985 Volkswagen Vanagon Subaru Swap Custom Interior
Price: -
Item location: Cary, North Carolina, United States
- Condition: Used
- Make: Volkswagen
- Model: Bus/Vanagon
- Type: Van Camper
- Year: 1985
- Mileage: 120,486
- VIN: wv2yb0257fh004418
- Color: Brown
- Engine size: 2.0 DOHC JDM Subaru
- Number of cylinders: 4
- Power options: Air Conditioning
- Fuel: Gasoline
- Transmission: Manual
- Drive type: RWD
- Interior color: Tan
- Vehicle Title: Clear Want to buy? Contact seller!
Description:
1985 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon
For you consideration is this beautiful 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon with a JDM 2.0 Subaru DOHC engine. The engine swap has recently been done using a Kennedy Engineering swap kit consisting of an engine mounting bar, engine to transmission adapter, custom flywheel and stainless exhaust headers. At the time of the swap (about 3 months ago), the old engine and transmission were completely removed along with the engine wiring. A custom Subaru to Vanagon harness was the install along with the Subaru computer. The transmission was swapped out for an earlier air-cooled vanagon transmission. These transmissions use a higher 4th gear allowing you to cruise about 300 RPM's lower on the highway. The transmission was opened and inspected. After close inspection it was closed back up and resealed. It was then filled with Redline 75-90 transmission fluid. The shift linkage was also swapped at that time for the air cooled setup and had all of the bushings replaced. With the transmission also came a brand new clutch disk, pressure plate and throw out bearing. The flywheel is from Kennedy and is lighter than stock giving you great acceleration. The starter was replaced using conversion adapter and a high torque TDI starter. This gives very fast and reliable starts over the stock starter. CV axles are also brand newBefore the engine went in, it was closely inspected & sealed. This is a JDM engine sourced from California with a known 45,000 miles on it. The rear main seal and timing belt were replaced before installing in the van along with new timing pulleys and tensioner. After installation of the engine, came the exhaust. The exhaust consists of Kennedy Engineering's stainless exhaust headers, a brand new catalytic converter and a brand new muffler. The O2 sensors were also replaced along with a new air flow meter, custom intake and intake box, high pressure power steering conversion lines, coolant houses and filler and a new speed sensor from Small Car Performance. The engine runs like a sewing machine, has great power and is very quiet. At idle, you barely know it's running.
One nice thing about this van is that it used to be a church wheelchair van and was very lightly used. It also has ZERO RUST. Absolutely zero. It does have it's normal scratches and dings from being 32 years old but overall it is in nice condition.
The van is equipped with factory AC. I have not yet connected it to the Subaru compressor and charged it. This is something I am willing to do for a little bit extra. I have extensive knowledge in making AC lines and charging systems. The AC was in great working order on the previous engine.
The interior is nice. I have made a fully custom interior consisting of wood grain panels and a custom bed with storage compartment. The mattress covers mimic the old Westfalia look. The rear carpet is also new. This can all be seen in the pictures. I was going to add a third seat to the back... The front carpet is in OK shape. It is old but still has a lot of life left. The dashboard had some age from the sun on top so I added a dash pad cover. It fits the van nicely. I also added new window crank handles and exterior side view mirrors. Also, the front turn signal lenses are new as are the bumpers & bumper ends front and rear. The seats are in nice shape and only shown a small amount of wear on the arm rest. I have not installed a radio and figured this could be an option for the new owner as there are many different options out there. If this is a problem, I can install a basic radio / CD player for the right buying price. The passenger side sliding window needs a new latch.
The van does have a small lift on it. The front coil springs are brand new along with new GoWesty upper ball joint correctors. The upper ball joints were replaced also. The front and rear brakes have been completely overhauled and have new lines. I was going to replace the shocks but they were in great shape, worked great and showed no signs of leaking or wear. The tires have about 150 miles on them and are an All terrain snow tire. The wheels are 16x7" BMW wheels that have been adapted to fit the Vanagon lug pattern via wheel adapters. The van rides very smooth.
I also have a full tubular roof rack that I made for the van that can be purchase at an extra cost.
Overall it is a great van that has been gone through pretty well. Though there are things that have not been replaced, they have all been looked over and seem to work as they should. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. Thanks!