VW Bus 1963 Commercial Panel Van

Description for Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon 1963

No expense was spared during the 4 year restomod of my bus. I found the rust free shell and chassis in California and brought it home to Texas. I built it for car shows and to be a promotional vehicle for my company. Rarely did I enter it in a show and not get a trophy. Many parts are ultra rare and were very expensive such as the NOS Bosch headlight globes and the NOS original wiper arms with clamping bolts compared to after market types with a set screw that loosens often. The bumpers are polished stainless, not rust prone chrome. The high dollar 5 bow roof rack is an exact reproduction of the period correct Westfalia and it is 100% polished stainless steel and wood. New glass front and rear with all new high quality German window, hatch and door seals. The front directionals were shaved and bright LED directionals installed inside the headlight buckets. Pin striping on front, rear, dash and even on matching wine glasses! These old split window busses are not known for good high speed handling but this one has later model Independant Rear Suspension and custom rack and pinion steering, sway bar and KYB gas shocks so it handles like a modern vehicle at highway speeds. My buddy Chico at Chico Performance Racing built the engine. I told him I was more interested in high torque at low RPMs rather than high RPM HP so he used his own secret cam grind and built one heck of a strong pulling 1776 cc motor including a Weber 2 barrel EGAS carb. Both barrels open at the same time off Idle giving plenty of air and fuel to produce the torque that progressive carbs can’t. It has an all Bosch ignition, Bosch alternator, Carter elect fuel pump with fuel pressure gage in engine bay. This bus easily cruises at 70 MPH with the newly rebuilt freeway flyer trans with new clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing. It has high quality Danske ceramic coated heater boxes for long rust free life. In fact the heater ducting to the front is double insulated providing excellent heat and defrost on those chilly mornings. To slow her down the rear has new drums, new shoes, new springs, new hoses and parking brake works well. Up front it has dropped spindles, stock width beam, disc brake conversion with new drilled rotors and Wilwood disc brakes for excellent stopping power. To keep her cool it has a deep sump for extra oil capacity, a high quality external oil cooler with auto thermostat, electric fan and screw on oil filter all plumbed with high quality stainless oil hoses and AN fittings. It has all new axles, CV joints and one piece German axle boots. Inside the custom cabin up front are Quilted Makore wood door panels, kick panels and roof panels that are absolutely gorgeous, also custom steering wheel and shifter. All VDO matching gages including NOS speedo and fuel gages. VDO tach mounted on dash in a clamping method to ash tray opening as not to alter or drill holes in the perfect dash. It also has VDO oil pressure, oil temp and amp gauges mounted in a vintage cast aluminum housing that matches the vents in the dash, pretty cool. The leather Porsche 911 seats are in excellent condition and Porsche seatbelts are installed as well. There is a matching center console with padded arm rest, storage and cup holders. High quality rubber mat on the floor. The stereo is a Retrosound AM/FM with hidden USB input for IPhone or thumb drive music. Also under the dash is a hidden phone charger. The stereo is paired to a large Alpine amp located in the far rear and powered one single Yamaha speaker cabinet with awesome sound. New headliner in the rear as well with LED cabin lights that can stay on all day at a car show without draining the battery. The entire rear including roof, walls and floor are covered with Dynomat acoustic insulation to make the van quiet and the music sweet. The walls are covered with a tan faux suede material and fitted black carpeting on the floor. For car shows I used 2 themes, one was “The Love Nest” with antique table, vintage picnic basket wine, cheese on cutting board. This theme won most of the 23 trophies. The other theme I used had a section of conveyor and vintage tools relating to my business. None of these props are included in this EBay listing. Exhaust is stainless steel. Wheels are new Raiders with new tires. All new door handles and side view mirrors. My race car is eating a hole in my wallet so it is time for my beloved panel to go. Warning: when driving expect lots of thumbs up, photos, and people stopping you with huge grins wanting to chat. I will easily remove the vinyl lettering prior to sale. Contact me with questions.