You should open the engine compartment and check which engine you have installed. If it’s not a Subaru 2.2 or 2.5 liter engine, have it changed as soon as possible. Most vanagons were equipped with mechanically inferior, underpowered engines at the factory, and many have not yet had this error corrected.
Jahwohl, the best Folks-Vaggens have no liquid coolant other than crankcase oil.
Or, even better, a WRX flat-six. 
Back in the day, a kit was a available that made it possible to bolt a Corvair flat-six into a Microbus. My dad did that with a '71 bus, and that critter could move out, even with the 110 hp engine and Powerglide transmission. It had no trouble handling the mountains in Colorado and Wyoming on a family trip out west, and back in the flatlands it could peg the speedometer.
Eventually, the inevitable rust set in, and he got rid of it after the sliding door fell off its track. I hope the adapter kit and powertrain found a good home.
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It is an upgraded waterboxer.
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I agree. Never understood why someone would chop up a perfectly good van. But hey, I was never a huge fan of transporters, I’m a type 1 kinda guy.
@jlw If you ever find yourself in the south bay needing someone to wrench on your waterpumper, Adam can do it. He runs Kirkwood VW in Campbell. He pretty much restored my 69 Beetle (all but the bodywork) and he and I took it to a couple shows, one in the Central Coast and another at Bugorama in Sac, and won first and third place, respectively, in custom category. It’s not all that custom, but it’s not completely stock, either. I wanted a sleeper, and that’s what I got. Yeah, Adam.
I have no idea what instagram makes #VanLife out to be, but I suspect the reality for most people whose life takes place in a van is a lot grittier than having an unplanned drinking session due to complications giving away hip posters.
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I mean, it’s a bit expensive to do the conversion to a proper power plant, but well sorted Westfalias hold their value. I battled over the years with many VW air-cooled types I, II and III, and helped friends with their water-cooled cousins. The musclebound sewing machine aesthetic is fun for a while, and there are always good war stories to trade about all the times the things crap out and the clever roadside fixes, but at a certain point the charm wears off, and a dependable engine with reasonable power and longevity really changes the game for the better.
I now prefer stories about how the engine was pulling like a champ in fourth gear up the grade to the ones where we nursed the ol’ gal over the hump and limped her back home on 3 cylinders. But I get the whole misery loves camaraderie clubby aspect of vintage technology. As long as you’re happy with what you’ve got, and don’t mind the anxiety, roll on!
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Yeah, baby!
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Ones judgement of what properly sorted is and anyone elses is certain to be very different. Enjoy the cars you drive.
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Sure, at a certain point rebuilding an engine every 50,000 miles just struck me as silly. Always loved driving them, and the pleasure exceeded the pain much more when I could rely on the things and not have to constantly nursemaid them.
Wait. What?! The heater control levers exert influence on the interior temperature? That’s not been my experience at all.
[BTW very nice [“barely a project” project] '73 convertible bug [Ed Jr.] for sale in STL. Anyone from BBS gets the friends and family price.]
Met a guy once with a 60’s VW bus with nearly a million miles on it. Guy had been a mechanic before he quit his job to follow the Dead around the country. Towed a little trailer with tools and spare parts, and made his living fixing everyone else’s VWs.
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You should’ve bought the air cooled version, dude.
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You have to bodge in vacuum cleaner hoses when the rocker panels rust out if you want the hot air to make it up to the front of the vehicle. (And when you replace the panels, if you leave those hoses in the air will be hotter and the new panels will rust slower).
McPherson struts, right? :scratches head: It’s been a long while since I was a VW connoisseur! It wouldn’t be to my tastes if it doesn’t have torsion bar trailing arm suspension in the front, even though others might prefer it for the greater parts availability.
For any interested about what the reality is outside the upper class bubble of recreational car repair, check out the book nomadland. The shit is real.
check out the book “nomadland” for a glimpse into the lifestyle of those who dont have a choice. dont buy it on amazon.
Coolant? Heck, some of think a VW with 12 volt electrical systems are new-fangled and not to be trusted…
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