This is Misty, our lovely T2 Bay. We (probably rather naively) brought her on a whim in June last year, thus realising our dream of owning a VW Camper. She was the first van we looked at and it was love at first sight! She’s a grey, RHD, T2 late Bay, but was originally a pastel white colour, which we discovered on checking her M plate. The M plate was seriously exciting for us; like getting her birth certificate, detailing her original paint and interior colour and her destination (Germany). The expense, then and now, is justified by us every time we look at our overdraft, as not only being an investment for future years, but also the opportunity to meet like-minded people and hit the open road at short notice for breaks and adventures. The start of her journey with us perhaps wasn’t the best; we had to call recovery out within an hour of owning her! Unfortunately, in all our excitement of realising a dream and owning a classic VW, she was filled up with diesel and not petrol! She has required some ongoing mechanical work since then and we have learnt that the old lady needs to be driven and cared for totally differently to modern vehicles. We’ve always owned cars and motorbikes so this was a new experience for Paul and I and we are learning to expect the unexpected; Including her accelerator pedal falling off and windscreen wipers failing in extraordinarily heavy rain on the way back from our first camping trip to the Witterings. As a result, Paul thought it would be invaluable to attend a mechanics workshop with the view to doing services and any easy roadside repairs as they occur!

We are currently trying to restore all her original interior back to her 1973 glory. Misty is a Westfalia Continental and we have spent a good deal of time scouring sales, sites and eBay to restore and replace the sink unit, fold down cooker, front seats, cupboards, buddy seat and fabrics etc. Luckily the original rock n roll bed was in her already. Since Misty joined us, we have enjoyed the M25 charity Run the Ring, not only raising money but having a giggle and trying to keep up with those speedy T4s and 5s (no chance)! We attended Brighton Breeze in torrential rain and camped at Plumpton overnight. We have also stayed at Retrofest (more rain I seem to remember) and Misty was also decorated in full Caribbean style to take Paul’s daughter and a friend to the airport for their summer holiday. That’s been it so far, but its early days for us and we certainly plan to do much more this year

One of her last trips out last year was, poignantly, to Southampton to takes Paul’s father out who longed for drive and trip down memory lane as he too owned a Bay many years ago and was so excited when we got one. Sadly Patrick passed away shortly after, but Paul was so pleased that he was able to do that one last thing for his father. Good to see you are getting some good use and we hope to see you both at an event sometime this year, why not come along to the AGM for some Royal Wedding fun or the FA Cup Final, or maybe see you at the Summer Solstice or Just Kampers Open Day?

 

Spring has sprung and vans are starting to come out of hibernation. After months in the garage with the occasional start up to keep it ticking over, your engine can suffer. I have personally experienced this after months of an engine sitting during restoration work; work complete, driving away from the workshop, van wouldn’t accelerate. Reason – fouled spark plugs.

I have also had a spark plug with a closed gap (don’t even ask how that happened, but involved losing part of the carburettor through the engine… lucky!)

The condition of your spark plugs can make a massive difference to the running of your engine, so it’s worth checking them every so often, especially after a period of time unused.

Hopefully the following information will help to make you a spark plug expert.

Before starting work on checking your plugs, it is helpful to have the right tools to hand as accessing the rear two spark plugs at cylinders 1 and 3 can be a real fiddle, especially on later twin-port engines where access is further compromised by the inlet manifolds. A short 21mm socket and universal joint may give you a bit more flexibility.

When checking the plugs, it can help to remove each lead and plug individually so that you don’t get them mixed up. This will cause an incorrect firing order and your engine will not run.

When removing the ignition lead from the plug, be sure to pull it off by the connector, not the lead itself, as you’ll run the risk of pulling the lead off the connector (trust me!)

If you notice any damage to a connector or if a lead is a lose fit, it is best to go out and buy a new HT lead set.

Make sure you have the socket on the plug properly when you’re undoing them and it’s also best to do all this while the engine is cold to avoid burning yourself!

Once the plug is out, take a good look. Is it brown, grey, sooty or oily? If the engine is running right, it should be light brown or grey. If it is sooty but dry, your engine is running rich and not burning all the fuel. If the insulator is white and flaky then your engine is running too lean. Either way, you’ll need to tune your carb to adjust the fuel/air mixture.

If the plug is wet and oily, there are a couple of possibilities. The first is that you’re not getting a spark, in which case you may have noticed a misfire. If this is the case, check the HT lead connection at the plug and also where it pushes into the top of the distributor cap.

A worse scenario is that your engine has worn piston rings and/or valve guides, which means a rebuild is on the cards. If there is serious carbon build up on the plug, or what looks like molten bits of metal, chances are your ignition timing is out.

Whatever their condition, while the plugs are out of the engine they will benefit from a good clean up using a brass wire brush.

While you are at it, check the spark plug gaps using a feeler gauge. For most air cooled engines the gap should be 0.024″ or 0.6mm, however check your workshop manual because the gap will be different on some engines. If the gap is correct, the gauge should slip in and out without much resistance. If it is too loose, you can adjust it with a gentle tap on the workshop floor to close it slightly, or if the gap is too tight, carefully prise open the contact with a flat bladed screwdriver.

Spark plugs should be checked every 3000 miles and replaced every 10,000 miles as part of your service routine. If you suspect a poor running engine there is no harm fitting new ones sooner, they are relatively cheap for a set.

When refitting, always start screwing the plug back in by hand, only using the socket for the final tightening, otherwise you risk forcing a cross thread. If you feel any resistance early on, unscrew and carefully try again.

 

We bought our T5 a couple of years ago and it was an accidental purchase; we went to look at it and ended up putting down a deposit and going back with the full amount a day later when the bank opened.

I’ve always loved camping; from camping in tents when I was younger and my mum’s caravan during my teens, but as I have been getting a little older, tents have become less appealing. I’d seen a few of my friends with campervans and these looked more appealing than a normal motorhome.

I spotted my van for sale and I was drawn in with the colour of it, which is a Mercedes green. I arrived to view it and was shown around it; it was and still is basic inside, but it had all the work done on the engine for the low miles it had done. It had also been remapped from the 104bhp to around 140bhp and the torque improved. I test drove it and it was extremely nippy.

It was my first van so I had a look around it, kicked the tyres and listened for any untoward noises; it all sounded well. The van had 4 new tyres, everything to complete the conversion inside and all the main jobs which I couldn’t tackle myself had been done.

was hooked. As soon as we got the van home we got to work on it, fitting a reversing camera, sink, hob, fridge, extra sockets and USB ports to charge our various devices. I upgraded the leisure battery to twin batteries; the fuse had blown on the split charge system so I changed and upgraded that also. We have also fitted a solar panel on the roof and have got a small generator so we can be off grid and remain “powered”.

The family are power hungry with tablets etc so this was the only trade off to get them camping, along with the Wi-Fi I got for the van (don’t worry this can be turned off to make people talk to each other and play with all the outdoor games we have). The extra power and sockets also helped with the massive cool box and fridge we take with us. Fitting all of these extras was time consuming but has been a wise choice, if we are careful we can last for approx 3 night’s with lights, fridge, TV and about 15 people charging their phones etc throughout the weekend. The generator tops us up when there’s no sunlight, which lasts about 4 to 6 hours on a tank.

We went on our first camping trip and decided we needed an awning. I obtained an awning rail from a local caravan shop and we bought an inflatable awning for ease, this meant we can have 2 kids in the roof of the van and 2 others in the awning if needed and 2 adults on the R&R bed along with 2 dogs! It can be a bit of a squeeze at times but it adds to the fun.

With the extra camping equipment we kept buying we needed a trailer to transport everything. I always liked the idea of something different so decided on a VW trailer. I found a Mk4 Golf that was already partly finished as a trailer and got a relative to finish the job off for me as he owns a metal works company. The rear lights work as they should and the rear seats are still in the trailer. The front of the trailer is the actual bonnet from the front of the car. I had it sprayed to match the van’s colour scheme and then loaded it with all our stuff that we take camping. It’s towed easily and most of the time you forget it’s there.

We now seem to take more stuff with us because of the extra storage space the trailer provides. Ideally, I’d like to convert the trailer for sleeping, but don’t know where to start… maybe something like a pod of some kind.

We’ve been away every other weekend throughout the year as I work shifts, so try and get away as much as possible. We’ve been to France, several VW events and various campsites throughout the UK. We don’t go away as much in the colder months but if you see us around give us a wave, or come for a drink and a warm up around the fire with us, you can see us lighting the skies green at night or playing games during the day.

 

From Ian Crawford

Taken from Transporter Talk Issue 152

How often have you had to thumb through back issues of the club magazine, or search with difficulty through a manual such as Haynes or Bentley to refresh your memory on some basic (but important) detail relative to the safe or successful running of your pride and joy?

From tyre pressures to oil and spark plug gaps, I have typed the relevant answers and keep a copy in my van as well as home. Hopefully you will find it happy and keep a copy in your van too?

Distributor Condenser = PN 028-905-295B – J10197

Distributor Points = Gap 0.016” – PN 059-998-051B – J10515

Distributor Timing Alters = 1.5 degrees every 0.002” Gap

Dynamo/Alternator/Fan Belt Deflection = 3/8” (10mm)

Engine Oil = SAE15W/40

Fuses = 12 – Red 16amp – White 8amp

Gearbox Oil = Hypoid EP 80/90 – 3.5 litres

Spark Plugs = Bosch – Length 12.7mm – Thread 14mm

Spark Plugs Gap 0.028” (UK) = W8AC – J13138

Valve Clearance = 0.006” (Cold)

Tyre Pressure Front = 30psi (VW Manual) – 34psi (T2OC)

Tyre Pressure Rear = 37-40psi (VW Manual) – 54psi (T2OC)

Tyre Pressure Spare = Keep at 42psi

Tyre Info = Radial – 185 R 14 C or 185 R 14 XC4S

 

UPDATING 1971 VW TYPE 2 BRAKE CALIPERS

by Ian Crawford

Taken from Transporter Talk Issue 121, February 2013.

At the end of October 2012, I had my Bay serviced, and “put to bed” for the winter. One of the jobs, I asked the workshop to do, was to change the brake

fluid; a task I have done every three years. On inspection, they said they couldn’t do it, because the front callipers were “sticking” and would either have to be replaced, or refurbished.

My Bay, is a 1971 model, and I know from previous articles, that the 1971~72 model-years, have callipers which are no longer available! It was suggested, that I leave my van with the garage, for them to remove the callipers, which they would send away to be refurbished. This might take a few weeks, I was told.

So, I decided to try JK (i.e. Just Kampers), whom I discovered, now offer a Full Conversion Kit (part No. J12624), for £209·00 plus £15·00 postage & packing. The purpose of this kit, is to fit the later-style 1973~79 brake callipers, onto the 1971~72 VW Type 2s, whilst retaining the original 1971~72 pattern front brake discs. All friction-pads, brackets, nuts & bolts, are included. The JK “Bundle Kit” consists of three items: (a) callipers; (b) conversion kit (part No. J12816) comprising nuts & bolts; and (c) top & bottom bush set (part No. J12627).

I phoned my workshop, asking them to order a kit for me and to inform me when it arrived, so that I could make an appointment for them to do the work. That was in mid-October 2012. Well, two of the items arrived the following day, but the top & bottom bush set, was not delivered intil mid-January 2013, approximately three months later! Both myself and the workshop, repeatedly telephoned JK, and were given various promises, as to when they would be delivered, and whereabouts in the World, they were at the present moment.

Eventually, I wrote to Mark Reynolds (MD of JK and also a VWT2OC member), and miraculously, within a week, JK telephoned me to say, that they now had the parts in stock, made by a local UK firm, and that they were being despatched to my workshop “immediately”. My workshop (i.e. Francis Tuthill Ltd), fitted the new callipers on 16th January 2013, for a total cost of £369·94 (including £209·00 + £15·00, for the JK “Bundle Kit”), and all seems okay so far.

When I mentioned at the workshop, that my van would be under cover in my garage, for the next five months, they remarked that, “callipers do NOT like, NOT being used, and that was probably why mine had seized. Every two weeks, during the winter lay-up period, I normally start the engine and run it for about five minutes, so out of consideration for the brake callipers, I shall in the future, drive the van out of the garage, apply the brakes, then reverse back into the garage, and again apply the brakes. Hopefully, this will prevent recurrence of calliper-piston sticking or seizure.

As these old style callipers are no longer made, I’m hoping to sell the original ones from my van, back to JK or another supplier, for them to refurbished and sold on. This should help to reduce, my overall nett replacement cost.

 

From: Nigel A. Skeet

As you have probably already discovered, being a classicist isn’t an ideal preparation, for 1968~79 VW Type 2 ownership, or indeed any car ownership!

I think most people associate the early Greek and Roman civilisations, as being the basis for the study of Classics, but there were several others in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, plus Central & South America. What aspects (e.g. languages, culture, architecture, music, sciences & mathematics, etc) of Classics are you involved?

 

A member had written in:

I hope you don’t mind me contacting you like this – I’m a member of the T2 owners’ club and drive a 1974 Westfalia, which I’ve had since 1998. I’m afraid I’m not sure which of the club’s officers gives technical advice – please say if you’re too busy or I should ask someone else – but I’ve seen your articles in the T2 magazine (which I’ve not now got with me – so I’m also not able to access the member’s area of the website), and wondered if I could get some advice.

The VWT2OC technical advisory panel (of which I have never been a member), seems to have dwindled in number, during the past few years. Mike Tout (Tel. 01 884 – 841 598), Bruce Hodson (Tel. 01 263 – 734 444) and Peter Good (Tel. 01 552 – 751 941) are the official technical advisors, but I am often contacted by members about a whole range of topics, owing to my high-profile presence in the magazine and on the website, plus various Internet VW forums.

For the past 1¼ years or so, I seem to have been writing most of Transporter Talk single handed, but that cannot continue for much longer. There is an URGENT need for VW Transporter related material, from a greater number of members.

The 1974 VW 16/1800 Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, seems to have been made in relatively small numbers and I have yet to see one “in the flesh” or featured in any VW magazines, such as VWC&C – Volkswagen Camper & Commercial, which has been published since 2000 (82 issues to date; initially quarterly, then bi-monthly and now monthly). The layout is somewhat different from that of 1972/73 VW 16/1700 Type 2 Westfalia Contintental campervans. I know for a fact, that David Eccles, editor of VWC&C, would be interested in featuring a 1974 VW 16/1800 Type 2 Westfalia Continental and its history (e.g. previous owners, acquisition, general use, travel, tales of woe).

 

A few years ago I had the engine rebuilt  – it was a Vege engine which the previous owner had had installed in around 1997. I also had the cylinders re-bored to a larger capacity – something I’ve subsequently regretted, as it took a few years, and a couple more complete rebuilds – to stop the engine from breaking down. The recurrent problem, as i understand it, was that the rebuilds didn’t include reinforced push-rods; since these have been installed, the engine has basically been running fine, and I’ve not had any problems. But I was so scarred by the catastrophic breakdowns (in several cases ruining family holidays), that I’ve not really dared to drive the van much.

You didn’t mention whether you have a 1974 VW 1600 Type 2 (VW Type 1 style engine) or a 1974 VW 1800 Type 2 (VW Type 4 style engine), which have different designs of flat-four air-cooled engine!?! From our telephone conversation during the weekend, I deduce that you have a VW Type 1 style engine, whose circular oil-strainer plate, is held in place by six 10 mm AF, M6 acorn-nuts.

Unless your rebuilt engine included an after-market high-lift camshaft and/or high-ratio rocker arms, opening the cylinder-head valves, ordinary factory-standard push-rods, should be quite adequate.

So far as you are aware, what is the displacement, stroke, cylinder bore and compression ratio of your current non-standard engine?

The factory-standard VW 1600 Type 2 engine (i.e. VW Type 1 Beetle style engine), has 1584 cm³ displacement, 69 mm stroke and 85.5 mm bore. After-market substitute cylinder barrels & pistons for this engine, typically have a “bore” of 87 mm, 88 mm,  90.5 mm, 92 mm or 94 mm, giving displacements of 1641 cm³, 1679 cm³, 1775 cm³, 1835 cm³ and 1915 cm³ respectively, when used in conjunction with the 69 mm stroke crankshaft. Unless the piston crowns are dished and/or the cylinder-head combustion-chamber volumes are enlarged, the compression ratio will have increased above the factory-standard 7.5 : 1.

The three largest bore sizes, require machining of the crankcase (and cylinder heads I think) to accommodate them, and should be avoided in my opinion. For a VW Type 1 style engine, 88 mm “bore” cylinder barrels & pistons, combined with a 76 mm stroke crankshaft, to give a 1849 cm³ displacement, is probably the most reliable way, to achieve an increase in power & torque.

Given that increased power, results in there being increased heat to be dissipated by the cooling system, I would recommend the substitution of the VW Type 4 style engine’s 7-row oil cooler, in place of the standard 5-row cooler (increasing oil-cooling capacity by about 40%), if this has not already been done. This would necessitate modifying the cooling-fan-housing’s oil-cooler “dog house” enclosure.

As a general rule, power & torque are increased by substituting a free-flowing extractor exhaust system and twin carburettors with separate inlet manifolds. The single-carburettor inlet manifold, severely restricts air flow, limiting the mass of air which can be inducted into the engine, which limits the available power.

 

Although i took the van to my local mechanic for a health check before setting out, I do seem to be getting through the engine oil at quite a fast rate – I had only got from Glasgow to Kendal (admittedly driving without stopping) before the oil light came on. 

 

The advice I’m seeking really concerns the oil level. Over the years I’ve constantly tried to get oil leaks minimized – and when they’ve been serious, regarded them as a sign that something is very wrong with the engine. I’ve never really managed to get clear advice from any of the people who have worked on the van as to whether this is correct or not.

Over the 600 or so miles I’ve done over the last few days (I made some detours), I’ve topped up about 1.5 litres of oil. The engine, as I say, seems to be running fine. But in the past, I’ve found having to check the oil before every long journey (and usually having to add some more) rather a worrying sign. it would be reassuring to know that if is just a fact of life!

Your VW air-cooled engine, should NOT be leaking and/or burning so much oil!

The Volkswagen factory,  regarded an oil-consumption rate (i.e. oil burned along with the petrol) of 1 litre per 1,000 km, as being “acceptable”, but this would be for a well-worn engine in my opinion.

If you are burning significant quantities of oil, the spark-plug electrodes and insulator noses inside the cylinder heads, are likely to be oily and exhaust smoke is likely to be black or blue in colour, especially when suddenly revving the engine and then quickly backing-off the throttle. It might be useful to undertake a compression test and/or leakdown test, to determine how well the valves and piston rings are sealing. A compression test can easily be done using a simple DIY compression tester but leak-down testing requires more specialised equipment.

Connecting a vacuum-pressure gauge to the inlet manifold, will also allow one to undertake some useful diagnostic checks, which helps to highlight worn valve guides, leaking valves, worn piston rings and other faults, as outlined in one of my recent articles in Transporter Talk, about supplementary instrumentation. Sadly, the illustration (63 mm x 42 mm) on Page 40 is far too small to be useful; having been originally of A4 size (298 mm x 210 mm), which should have been reduced to no smaller than A6 size (149 mm x 105 mm), but preferably A5 size (210 mm x 149 mm), if it was to provide any useful information.

http://s275.photobucket.com/user/naskeet/media/Vacumm-Gauge.jpg.html

Nigel A. Skeet, “Air-Cooled & Water-Cooled Volkswagens: The Case For Supplementary Instrumentation – Part 2”, Transporter Talk, Issue 125, November & December 2013 – Engine Inlet-Manifold Vacuum Pressure, Pages 40~42

Leakage via various paths, is yet another problem, which can be exacerbated if the crankcase is being pressurised, owing to worn cylinder-head valve guides or worn cylinder-barrel bores and/or piston rings. Excessive oil pressure owing to substitution of an “uprated” oil pump or incorrect oil-pressure relief or control valve springs, will tend to increase leakage rates.

Typical oil-leakage paths are:

(a) push-rod tubes & seals;

(b) cylinder-head rocker-cover gaskets;

(c) oil-strainer cover gaskets;

(d) oil seal at flywheel end of crankshaft – leaked oil drips from clutch housing;

(e) oil seal or oil-return screw & flinger-disc at pulley end of crankshaft;

(f) top of dipstick tube – associated with crankcase pressurisation;

(g) crankcase breather tube to air filter – associated with crankcase pressurisation;

(h) base of cylinder barrels close to crankcase – damaged crankcase, cylinder barrels or gasket rings;

(i) crankcase parting line owing to damaged  or contaminated crankcase abutting faces.

If your engine is leaking oil at an alarming rate, it needs to be properly investigated; preferably by first thoroughly cleaning the engine exterior and then observing all suspect areas of the engine whilst the engine is running; preferably with the vehicle elevated on ramps or a vehicle hoist. It might take a while for oil drips to form or oil mist to spray out from the disconnected crankcase breather, but this is the only reliable way of identifying leakage sources.

When my 1973 VW 1600 Type 2’s AD-series engine had worn valve guides, but minimal oil leakage, it burned about 1.0 litre of conventional multi-grade mineral oil per 1,000 miles or 1,600 km; which I considered excessive. When in circa 1986, I substituted Mobil 1 fully-synthetic 5W/50, API SF oil (has lower volatility and is more tolerant of elevated temperatures), the oil consumption rate decreased to circa 1.0 litre per 3,500 ± 500 miles.

However, after a couple of non-eventful summers, that’s changing; I am planning to go to Normandy in a couple of weeks time, and have just driven the van down from Glasgow to London. I broke the journey up, but did most of it on the motorways, going around 55-60 mph (though i think my speedometer could do with recalibrating – it’s always somewhat lower than the satnav, esp. at the higher end).

Owing to the legally acceptable speedometer-calibration tolerances, being plus 10% to minus 0% of the true value, vehicle speedometers typically read about 5% high, even when the correctly-sized tyres (i.e. 185 R14C or 185/80 R14C) are fitted to the factory-standard 14 x 5½J inch steel wheels. What wheel and tyre sizes do you have on the front and rear?

A speedometer reading which is lower than the true value, is illegal. If non-standard tyres have been fitted, it’s likely that both speedometer calibration and effective engine gearing will have changed. If you have after-market alloy wheels, there’s a high probability that both the wheels and tyres are of an inadequate load rating, for a heavily-laden campervan and the tyres which are typically fitted, result in a higher speedometer reading, than one would observe with the correctly-sized tyres.

A speed of 60 mph, is probably the absolute maximum which can reasonably be sustained by a VW 1600 Type 2 engine, but during hot summer weather like we’ve had recently, 50 mph might be more appropriate, if one wishes to avoid engine overheating and high oil-consumption rates, owing to increased oil volatility at elevated temperatures. What supplementary gauges do you have, if any, to monitor engine-oil temperature & pressure, plus cylinder-head temperature?

If you are travelling to France, make sure you have the necessary headlamp beam converters,  spare-bulbs kit, safety equipment kit (at least one approved-pattern warning triangle but preferably two, plus reflective waiscoats for driver and all passengers), tow rope, temporary emergency windscreen (if you have a zone-toughened windscreen) and alcohol breath-test kit. Exceeding speed limits by even 1 km/h, could result in hefty on-the-spot fines! Excessive speeding, can result in one’s vehicle being confiscated and auctioned-off to the highest bidder, so beware!!!

I trust you have invested in some good road maps (scale = 1 : 200,000 or 1 cm => 2 km) of Normandy, rather than relying upon a satellite navigation system.

Nigel A. Skeet, B.Sc., P.G.C.E., M.Sc., Pg.Dip., B.A.

Pictures are unfortunately missing from this story.

VW developed 4-wheel drive on both Beetles (Type 86 – Kommanderwagen) & (Type 128 “Schwimmwagens”) during the Second World War. It took  nearly another 40 years before they ventured into this field again.

During the 1970’s a couple of VW engineers who both liked to travel in their Westfalia campers to far off inhospitable regions of Africa & Europe decided it might be a good thing if VW revisited 4WD & developed some vehicles capable of getting further than existing models were able to & seriously competing with the existing 4WD market.

They were ideally placed to do this; Gustav Meyer was head of VW Light truck engineering & Henning Duckstien was in charge of the truck testing department.
Money for research was tight in those days (as the T25 was being developed) but between them they managed to produce five prototype 4WD Bay window transporters using a lot of parts from other vehicles. The driver for this was that if VW could produce a good 4WD drive vehicle & be seen to be competing (or supplying support vehicles) for the tough African rallies then this would attract orders for transporters from the armed forces.

The first of the five prototypes was completed at the end of 1975. The vehicles had semi automatic gearboxes similar to the “Stick Shift” Beetles. These were coupled via a torque converter and a hydraulic clutch to a 70BHP 2-litre engine, which had just been developed for the VW/Audi military “Iltis” vehicle. The system had friction type diff locks & an extra lever in the cab allowed it to be driven in either 2 or 4 wheel drive. Extensive modification was required to the front axle to accommodate the differential & drive shafts (and rerouting of the heating system). These vehicles had drum brakes all round.

Under body plating was applied & the exhaust was modified (tailpipe through bumper!) to give extra ground clearance. Addition of 16” wheels also helped increase ground clearance.

The 5 prototypes undertook extensive testing & produced very positive results.

 

However the project was already attracting a lot of resistance from within VW itself. Amazingly the VW marketing guru’s did not believe there was a market for 4WD utility vehicles in the future – not one of their best marketing decisions!!

Despite this Gustav & Henning managed keep their enthusiasm & continued the project.

At the launch of the Audi built “ Iltis” in 1978 a Bay 4WD prototype was also present. During trials before the German Armed Forces the Bay 4WD ran rings around the Iltis. Despite this the VW Chiefs still decided that the vehicle would not go into series production.

Significantly Ferdinand Piech, (then head of technology with Audi – later boss of VW) was at that demonstration & also saw other film & pictures of the prototypes performance during testing & during its expeditions to the Sahara & as a support vehicle for the Audi Quattro.

MEANEST LOOKING BAY WINDOW EVER PRODUCED.

They also performed as well as they looked but unfortunately appeared at just the wrong time as VW’s attention had switched to the introduction of the T25

At least one air-cooled T25 vehicle was produced in 1982 as a prototype expedition backup vehicle.

The introduction in 1983 of the water-cooled engined vehicles to the Type 25 range allowed VW to have another rethink about four-wheel drive.

This time though VW decided that they would not further develop their Bay Window 4WD design or even use the well tested “Quattro” system already installed on their sister companies Audi range.

Instead they went for a completely new and different “Ferguson” system (originally invented by a Briton) was used on Jensen cars and well tried out on the racetracks.

Volkswagen took this system to an Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch, who were already well known in the four-wheel drive “field” for their “Haflinger” and Mercedes “G-Wagen” developments. This was part of a deal for which VW in return would supply LT Diesel engines for their “Pinzgauer” 6×6 vehicles (that is something else in a different league)

Haflingers were once described to me by Richard Norman of the Haflinger Club (who uses a Syncro Pickup to transport his about) as being the most fun you can get with your trousers on. Its nearly true! For more info on Haflingers etc – www.nottingham.ac.uk )

In the spring of 1985 the first Syncro Transporters started to appear.

Initially only 2 engine options were available; the 1.9 litre 78 bhp petrol & 1.6 litre 70bhp turbo diesel.

MORE FUN THAN THE SHOPPING RUN

The 112 bhp 2.1 litre engine was still being developed & was introduced later for the 1986 model year just in time to go on sale in the UK. The 2.1 litre engine was also fitted with a catalyser on many vehicles. This reduced BHP to from 112 to 95.

The load and towing capability of these vehicles was very impressive. Road handling was/is just perfect. Once again VW managed to produce a perfectly balanced (50/50) vehicle. Something few vans produced today can boast.

Sahara Syncro

 

A Syncro for sneaking up on zebra’s

Four-wheel drive versions of all models were available but sales were disappointing. There were several reasons for this.

Although the vehicle itself was exceptionally good it was expensive. This was mainly down to the ergonomics of the manufacturing process, which involved a lot of transportation. Initially, body shells from the Hanover works were delivered to the Steyer-Daimler-Puch works @ Graz in Austria to be fitted with their 4WD train. They were then shipped back to Hanover to be finished off. Vehicles destined to be campers were then shipped off again to the Westfalia works at Wiedenbruk.

 

	Mud plugging Syncro

 

 

NO PROBLEM CHANGING WHEELS ON A SYNCRO!

 

In the late 1980’s the entire T25 production line (including standard vehicles) was switched to the Graz works in Austria to make way for the introduction of the T4 Transporter due to start in the summer of 1990.

Some of these vehicles including Syncro’s were exported to be assembled as “Knock down Kits” in other locations (in particular Japan).

In the UK syncro models were £3500 – £3800 more expensive than the standard transporters which at a price of £13,000 – £15300 when introduced in 1986 made many people look elsewhere for cheaper vehicles.

Although the range of vehicles was very impressive they were let down by their engine range. The Syncro was a vehicle ideally suited & aimed at the service sector (in particular rescue services and the military).

 

Syncro GL with 114 Brake horsepower!

 

Most of these services wanted much more powerful diesel engines than the pitiful 70 BHP offered by the golf turbo diesel unit being fitted to the VW transporter. Consequently sales of Syncro’s in this sector were very disappointing.

Of course, the one area that VW completely missed the boat was the leisure market. If their marketing department had seen what was coming I’m sure they would have continued to develop the vehicle and would now be the market leaders in 4WD utility vehicles rather than now trying again to get back into it with the Touareg, a “new luxury off roader” poor relation in people & load carrying practical terms compared with the Syncro!.

 

	However Syncros continue to have their fans all over the world. Nowhere is this more fanatical than in Australia where they also have some ideal territory to test it to its limits.In the early 1990’s the Syncros were very favoured rally vehicles
	FLY SYNCRO!

 

It is ironic that when production of the T25 was continued in South Africa during the 1990’s they equipped it with the Audi 5 cylinder engine which gave the vehicle all the power it needed to really make it succeed. If this vehicle had then been made available in the UK/worldwide at the right price then VW would almost certainly been have been the leader in the 4WD MPV market today.

One of the arguments for stopping production of the T25 in Germany was that the expensive boxer engines could not be used in their other (car) models it was been producing (as had been the case earlier with Beetles & Split Screens & Bay window Transporters).

It was quite acceptable however for the drive train from the Syncro to be incorporated into the VW car range. It was used in Golfs & Jetta’s but the only real attempt at making a true off road vehicle was when in 1989 the “Golf country” was produced. This vehicle has additional ground clearance & protection.

 

	In the early 1990s an interesting military VW was produced. The “ COBRA” light strike vehicle. the Mk1 LSV was 2WD with the 1.9 water-cooled petrol boxer engine out of the transporter, there were also just 5 Mk2 produced (as shown left) which were 4WD with the same 1.9 petrol engine but out of the Syncro and then later models used the diesel.
THE ONLY IMAGE I HAVE OF A COBRA. CURTESY OF VW MOTORING/ CHRIS BURLACE

 

In the UK the Syncro vehicles, particually the Pickups & Crew Cabs were and still are firm favorites within the building trade. As far as utility firms are concerned it was the water companies that proved to be a good customer

 

The Syncro Ambulance conversion that is still one of the most utilised syncros still being used today. Rowan Medical Services has four Syncro ambulances & these can be seen at events all over the country (in particular Vanfest & BVF)www.rowanmedical.co.uk

 

Of course the Syncro drive train was also used in the next generation of Transporters but the T4 Syncros were never given the off road credentials of the T3.

 

 

SYNCRO TRANSPORTER PRODUCTION DETAILS

SYNCRO Total Production – 43468 (of these 2108 were right hand drive models)

Single Cab Pick ups (M245) 1787 produced.
These vehicles were only available in the UK with 1.9 litre petrol or 1.6 litre turbo diesels.

Double Cab Pickups (M247) 6849 produced.
These vehicles proved to be very popular & were generally available with the same engines as the pickup. However a special “Tristar” model was produced fitted with a 2.1 litre petrol engine.

 

 

Panel Vans (M251) 5848 Produced
These vehicles were available with all 3 engine formats

 

	ENGINES – Fitted to SYNCROS
	2.1 (95 BHP Catalyser) 2.1 (112BHP) 1.9 (78BHP) 1.6 Turbo Diesel (70BHP)	No Produced 14,233 6259 6641 16335

 

Minibuses (M253) 14650 Produced
Many different types of minibus versions were available, ranging from 8 to 12 seats. They were however only supplied with the 1.9 petrol or 1.6 diesel & turbo diesel engines & were not available as Syncro’s in the UK.

 

	Sand Sea and Snow nearly every where a Syncro can go!

 

Caravelles (M255) 14334 Produced
UK Supplied Caravelles were all fitted with 2.1 litre engines.

Syncro 16” (Option M855) 2138 Produced
Of the above vehicles, some were heavy duty special’s fitted with 16” Wheels. These were not generally available as export models but used by the service section within Germany. No 16” Wheeled vehicles were exported to the UK or US. Many different options were available on these vehicles. Most had different gear ratio’s, even heavier duty suspension & uprated brakes.

Tristar (M314) Unknown Number produced
This was a special package based on the crewcab launched in October 1988. It came with alloy wheels, black wheel arch spats linked by graphite coloured lower body paint, an integrated spoiler plus twin rectangular headlights with washers plus most of the other equipment offered on the GL carravelle. Rear seat passengers also had their own heater. A similar spec vehicle called the “Magma” was produced for the German market. Only a handful (if that!) of Tristars were sold in the UK. Where are they all now?

 

 

Tristars in UK were available with either 2.1 litre or 1.6 litre Turbo diesel engines Unfortunately very few of these vehicles were produced.

 

A SURFING TRISTAR
A TRIWHEELED TRISTAR

 

In the end VW were very keen to focus all their attention on the new T4 model & effectively killed off the T3 (and with it one of the best and versatile four wheel drive vehicles ever produced.)

 

THE GERMAN “MAGMA” WAS RELEASED JUST BEFORE THE TRISTAR

 

 

 

HOW DOES IT WORK

OK, so what is so special about a Syncro? Well they are probably one of the strongest and most versatile vehicles every produced & certainly (in my book) the BEST VW Transporter ever made.

For those of you unfamiliar with the vehicle, it is fairly easy to spot once you start looking (hard). It sits about 25cm higher than a normal van (55cm if you are lucky enough to have a 16” Syncro). This is because the vehicle has its own sub frame to carry its 4-wheel drive system. Over the years this has confused many people who have not seen Syncros before & believed them to be customised vehicles. It is nice to be able to look down on Range Rovers!

Having four – wheel drive means that VW had to move some other bits about. The petrol tank was relocated to the rear over the gearbox & the spare wheel also had to be located inside the vehicle. The Syncro does have a special gearbox. In addition to an outlet to a drive shaft to the front differential (viscous coupling) it has 4 gears plus a very low ratio “ (G or Gelande – cross country) crawler gear” for any times you might be “inclined” to go or down extreme slopes.

To allow for the odd occasion that you might loose drive to both rear and/or the front wheels the Syncro was fitted with diff locks. Not all vehicles were fitted with both rear & front locks, but most if not all of the ones imported into the UK were. These are needed because, unlike more rugged of road vehicles the Syncro suspension & drives were not articulated enough & ride height still too low to avoid grounding out in the most extreme conditions.

The diff locks are basically vacuum operated solenoids which operate to lock either front or rear diffs (or both) They should not remain engaged during normal road use

 

 

The basic suspension system remains the same as the normal transporter although uprated springs & dampers are fitted. In the engine bay the Air cleaner was uprated to give better off road protection. Under the vehicle extra plating is fitted to protect the underside components of the vehicle. A very welcome (and often overlooked) addition fitted to the later Syncro was the rear window vents, which allowed a cool flow of air through the interior of the van without having to open the rear windows. Apart from that (& the four wheel drive system) most of the rest of the van is the same as a normal transporter.

How doe the Syncro bit work? Well being a Volkswagen the boffins decided that it had to be a simple system to use & work without the diver having to operate any extra controls for normal use on the road. That ruled out most conventional systems currently in use.

This is why they opted for the British Ferguson “FF” System.

This invention uses a viscous coupling instead of a central differential. This coupling comprises of a sealed drum shaped housing containing and cooled by a silicone liquid all built into the front differential unit. Inside the drum are two independent slotted & perforated sets of discs. One set is joined via a splined shaft to the prop shaft, which in turn connects to the gearbox. The other connects to the front final drive pinion.

 

 

The Silicone fluid flows between these discs & the only transmission of power between he discs occurs via that liquid when there is a difference in speed between drive & output of the rear wheels. When the rear wheels (significantly) loose grip or spin then the coupling locks and transfers drive to the front. The viscous drive coupling does allow slight differences in speed between front & rear.

 

SILICONE IS DIFFERENT TO SILICA!	SYNCRO FRONT DIFFERENTIAL

 

 

 

SYNCRONICITY

I have had a long and happy association with Syncro’s. When they were first introduced I borrowed a Syncro Panel Van a couple of times from the VAG/Mann distributors @ Swidon to do the (pre BVF) “Bug In” event at Malvern. (We just missed out being able to use their Tristar Demonstrator!)

Then in 1993 (at BVF) I managed to get my own 2.1 Caravelle Syncro. It is a 1989 model & came complete with a tuned stainless Autocavan “Powertorque” exhaust which, despite being repaired a few times is still on it.

It also came with a set of bull bars which were extremely useful & saved the front of the vehicle being caved in on more than one occasion but have now been removed as it is no longer the correct or accepted safe thing to have on the front of on road/off road vehicle in the UK.

 

SYNCRO HAS POLE POSITION ON DRIVE – PORSCHE HAS TO ROUGH IT IN GARAGE!

 

It has proved to be a really fantastic vehicle & I have not seen anything that can really match it for quality or versatility since so I have kept it. It has been a brilliant workhorse & has grown up with the family. We only needed two seats when we got it now we need six! It has carried incredible loads, towed just about everything & pulled out numerous tree stumps (and stuck vehicles @ VW events!) It has been an essential part of the team at all the Vanfest events during the built ups & throughout the show weekends (and has the dents to prove it!)

It has now done 130K on original engine & clutch with no major problems.

 

My Syncro with its original bulbar furniture (it sits 2cm higher without it!)

 

It has always had an annual service & been run on Castrol GTX. More recently I have added “Prolong” to both engine & transmission & the improvement has been quite fantastic. It starts a lot easier and no longer do I get any tappet rattle when it is started up after a period of time. In fact the whole vehicle sounds completely different. I took sound meter readings before & after using this treatment & there is a 12dbA reduction in noise level at the crankcase – this in my book equates to very welcome reduction in wear of components & improved efficiency. (I had very similar results using this stuff in my Kemperink). Prolong is a well proven “no equal in the world” Anti Friction Metal Treatment widely known in America but also soon to be available over here. www.prolong.com

 

It is now starting to look a bit tatty but nothing that can’t be fixed. There is not a lot to beat the driving experience. Visibility is good as you are sitting so high, road holding & ride are second to none.

 

It just gives confidence to know I have a vehicle that I can go almost anywhere (and do almost anything in!)

 

 

SYNCRO PROBLEMS

Many Syncro problems (and also many of the problems common to all T25 vehicles) are already well documented in books & on many of the web sites listed below.

Obviously, the fact that relatively few Syncro’s were produced means that some spares are scarce (and expensive!). Front drive shafts, gearboxes, prop shaft & front transmission all fall into this category. Most items are available if you know where to look.

I have just completed an overhaul on my own Syncro & prepared it for a re-spray. In the course of doing this several problem areas came to light. Here are a few more items that Syncro owners (and anyone owning a fuel injected T25!) should take a look at.

BODYWORK – the original under protection had cracked in several places, in particular around all of the jacking point areas. This had allowed some corrosion to take place on/in the sills which required new sections. The Sliding door bottom body side seal channel also had to be repaired. This is a common problem on many T25’s. As a precaution against any future problems I repaired, painted & resealed all effected areas & applied wax oil based under seal to the entire underneath of the vehicle & topped up the internal sections as well.

FUEL SYSTEM – Several serious problems in this area. The fuel filler pipe work was in poor condition. It looks like this must have been a fabricated at works item (not given the normal VW galvanising treatment) as it was badly corroded (in particular at the filler cap section). Luckily it is fairly easy to remove & repair. The fuel pipe section under the rear wing also required attention. The Fuel tank support saddle was badly rusted. This was treated & repainted, as was the tank fuel gauge sender unit plate on the left hand side of the tank. Both of the fuel pump rubber mounts had sheared, leaving the pump supported by its hoses. Closer inspection revealed severe corrosion on the pump. This had been caused by electrolytic action between the steel clamp and the aluminium. I decided to chip off the scale treat, paint and re clamp the pump with a tape interface. This was most definitely the WRONG decision as I found out to my cost when I started up the van & it started to dump the entire contents of the fuel tank on the drive through a hole that appeared in the pump! So if you find any corrosion in this area I strongly advise that you get yourself a new pump. The same electrolytic corrosion was evident in the fuel filter (located inside the left hand rear wing). This was also replaced.

BRAKES – My Syncro, is still on its first set of rear brake shoes. During this overhaul I think I may have found out why when, for the first time, I removed the brake drums. The bottom brake swivel pins on both sides were seized solid & had been for a very long time. This had totally restricted pad movement, resulting in very little wear to the shoes. (0.5mm in 150k miles!). It took a lot of heat to remove the pins. Braking & handbrake now work a lot better!

Other Jobs I have carried out in the past include some of the normal 2.1 injection problems (head gasket failures both sides & water pipe renewals).

Front top swivel joints both sides have been renewed. I swopped the front drive shafts over at 120K miles to get more life out of them. A future job will be a steering rack overhaul.

Simon Holloway

 

 

SYNCRO CONTACTS LISTING

Just like the normal Transporters the Syncro has a worldwide fan club with numerous web sites and clubs.

These are just a few. Most have links to even more sites

www.syncro.org Info & pictures of Syncros
www.vanagon.comAmerican Site with section for Syncro.
www.vangon.orgAmerican site with Syncro section
www.t3syncro.deGerman Syncro Site
www.syncro.club.free.frFrench Syncro Site
www.syncro-bernd-jaeger.deGerman Syncro site for parts
www.syncro16.deGerman Syncro 16 Site
www.sekel.deRacing Syncros
www.vwpix.orgSyncro brochures & pictures
www.syncro-t3.deFor Syncro T3 info from Christophe Boltze (see also www.vwpix.org).
www.syncro4x4.comSyncro accessories
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/syncro/Syncro discussion forum
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~pjlanderPhil Landers Australian Syncro site
www.club80-90.ukUK T3 site
www.Touareg-dakar.comThe new VW 4WD in action
www.nottingham.ac.ukHaflinger club
www.rowanmedical.co.ukSyncro Medical unit
www.syncrosafari.comSyncro Safari

Going by many names, such as opposed, boxer, and flat, the engine configuration famous to such cars as the Porsche 911 has had a storied run throughout the decades.

The hallmark of the opposed engine is the fact that the engine has two cylinder banks and each piston, directly horizontally opposed from another cylinder, does not share a crank pin with the opposing piston. The latter characteristic is essential to the engine being considered opposed; often times people confuse the boxer engine with the 180 degree V engine family, which is similar, yet attaches both pistons to the same crank pin.

Gaining the name ‘boxer’ from the appearance of two boxers going at each other from the synchronously reciprocating motions of the pistons, the opposed engine was first patented in 1896 by Karl Benz. Almost as old as the automobile itself, the opposed engine design has certainly had its run throughout the decades. Perhaps one of the earliest and most prolific uses was on the VW air cooled flat four, which became the staple of the Volkswagen Type 1(Beetle) and remained in production for almost 70 years before being discontinued; however, its appearance in road cars went on the wane much earlier, beginning in the mid 90s. Porsche has also been reputed for using flat engines, particularly on the 911 and succeeding model variants. For a time, some of the most prolific boxer engines were also air cooled, though this is no longer the case; Porsche shipped the last air cooled 911(badged as the 993) in 1998, and the air cooled Beetle ceased with the introduction of the New Beetle in 1997. Beyond Porsche, Subaru has also made extensive use of boxer engines, with the Impreza being a well known example. Ferrari experimented with the flat engine design in the 1980s, with the most prolific example being the Ferrari Testarossa, which sported a flat twelve.

Boxer engines derive several performance advantages inherent to their design, since the center of gravity on an opposed engine is much lower to the ground compared to an in-line or V design. This allows for better lateral acceleration. In addition, the benefits to handling are enormous. Better turning/cornering capability, decreased roll, and better grip of the roadway all come natural to the flat engine over its alternatives, due to its lower profile. The boxer engine also has a leg up in terms of balance; due to the fact that its pistons are directly opposed to each other, firing motions can cancel entirely. Consequently, the flat four is ideally balanced over the in-line four, due to the fact that second order vibrations can cancel; the in-line four is seen as imbalanced, hence the need for balancers and dampening mounts. Boxer engines also generally have better cooling system functionality after start-up, since, due to the horizontal nature of its profile, oil and coolant remains more evenly dispersed throughout, rather than sinking down as happens in in-line or V designs. Lower profile also makes power transmission more even, as the engine is on a plane closer to the rest of the drive-train.

Despite all of the opposed engine’s benefits in terms of performance, however, it does have a few marked disadvantages which have largely precluded its rise over the decades. The flat configuration always catches flak for the fact that the wide profile makes the engine significantly harder to work on. With each cylinder head right up against the side of the engine bay, a simple task like swapping out spark plugs can become a protracted and arduous process. In addition to irking those who wrench on these cars, it also increases maintenance cost for the average owner when it does come time to have the car in the shop. But the added costs of a boxer engine don’t stop there. They generally require more parts and components, due to the fact that having two cylinder heads is innate to the flat design. This, in many cases, doubles the number of head components, valve-train components, and cooling jackets. The added cost builds up, making the boxer engine much more expensive to produce. Obviously weight considerations come into play here, though they don’t present a huge obstacle. Many boxer engines are constrained to mid engine designs, due to the additional size requirements imparted by its wide profile; this is not always the case, with smaller boxers generally exempt.

Some folks will tell you that the boxer engine is the best thing to ever happen to motoring, while others will contend it isn’t worth spitting on- just depends who you ask. Regardless of which of these two groups is right, one can’t help but notice that the engine has always been more of a niche technology. Where does this leave the engine’s fate in today’s automotive world, where things are changing so rapidly? Probably not anywhere different than it’s always been. Sure, no new manufacturers are adopting the configuration, but those who currently make them remain committed to the design. Subaru recently unveiled a new line of smaller, more fuel efficient boxers, designed to meet the challenge of a world where fuel economy and efficiency mean everything to so many. Porsche also isn’t abandoning its flat six tradition. In fact, the German manufacturer recently announced that it was investing in a brand new line of flat engines, including both four and six cylinder mills. The folks in Stuttgart are even rumored to be working on a flat eight to grace one of their upcoming models. And of course, BMW remains committed to its line of opposed engines employed in its motorcycles. Expect the flat engine to soldier on, much like it has for decades. It might not be the next big thing anytime soon, but it’ll be around.

• Which way does the cooling air travel through the shroud? Am I right to think that the air is sucked by the fan through the opening on the other side of the shroud by the firewall area?

Yes. The fan sucks air in through the large opening at the back of the shroud.

• And then it is pushed by the fan down and over the heads and cylinder fins and exits under the back of the car?

Yes. Later models use a “dog house” style fan shroud, which has a bulging extension at the back for the oil cooler (hence the name “dog house”) this extension gets it’s share of cooling air from the fan and uses it to cool the oil cooler.. the warmed up, used air exits through a small channel, and is routed under the car next to the transmission.Earlier shrouds had the oil cooler mounted inside the shroud, but it was found to cause overheating when the factory stepped up the size of the engine to 1600cc. The warmed-up air from the oil cooler on those shrouds was used to cool cylinders #3 and #4, but it was no longer “cool” because of the heat from the oil cooler. So especially the #3 cylinder had a tendency to overheat in extreme conditions.

• And in that case what is the purpose of the hoses that attach to the nozzles on either side of the shroud?

Those provide fresh air for the heat exchangers (aluminum casting around the exhaust pipes, wrapped in sheetmetal). The air heats up inside the heat exchangers and is then pushed inside the car by the pressure created by the fan in the fan shroud.To maximise engine cooling in the summer, many people block off these hose outlets in the shroud. If you remove the hoses, you must block the outlets AND the respective holes down in the engine tin, otherwise the fan will suck in very hot air from the exhaust pipe area under the tin.

Sealing off the heater pipe outlets in the fan shroud will increase the air pressure inside the fan shroud a little and would result in slight increase in airflow to the cylinders (see our article on Solving Overheating Problems for better ways to increase cooling).

BUT – VW designed the heat exchangers to have a small continuous flow of air through them (which is spilled out through small slots at the front (front is front of car) of the heat exchangers when the cabin heaters are turned off) – for several reasons.

1. It results in less heat-soak from the very hot exhaust headers which run past the rocker covers on the way to the muffler. This radiant heat from the exhaust headers would increase the temp of the oil in the rockers covers a little but the flow of cooling air around the header pipes reduce the temp the rocker covers nearby “see”, and
2. When there is any moisture in the air it can get trapped between the header pipe and the heat exchanger outer cover and increase the likelihood of rust. Running a continous small stream of air through the heat exchangers prevents a build-up of moisture inside the heat exchangers.

• Is the cooling air actually picked up from under the car by where the transmission is and goes up between the shroud and firewall into the fan opening?

No. It is drawn in through the vents below the back window, as long as the engine bay seals are in good shape. Cool air in the top of the engine, hot air out the bottom.That’s where you got a bit off track. The engine bay is sealed to prevent air from under the engine reaching the fan, because the air under the engine is very HOT. The fan gets it’s air through the vent holes on the engine lid, and under the rear window. Fresh air comes in from there, and hot air exits from under the car.

*Some* warm air is sucked in to the air filter via a pre-heated air hose, identical to the heater hoses that connect to both sides of the fan shroud. The air filter has a thermostat controlled flap that allows warm air to be sucked into the carburator from under the right side cylinders, when it’s cold enough outside. This helps prevent carb and intake icing.

• If that is the case isn’t that rather ineffective? Wouldn’t it be better to have actual ducting pick up the cold air from the outside and feed it directly into the shroud opening instead of relying on the air somehow squeezing it’s way up between the shroud and firewall and into the fan opening?

That’s what it does. There is actually a small high pressure vortex that forms over/behind the back window at speed. Getting sufficient cool air in the vents is no problem. Also note that the rear engine tin prevents any air from being drawn up from underneath/in front of the engine.

• Also where does the air that feeds the carburetor come from? The few magazine articles that I’ve read tell you to make sure your engine compartment is sealed properly so no hot air gets in.

Again, the engine compartment is sealed from the BOTTOM. Warm air from the #2 cylinder head is provided to the carburetor from the pre-heat hose described above.

• Does the carburetor air come through the row of louvers just above the decklid?

Yes — the same louvers that feed the fan. Later models had louvers in the decklid too, when the engine size grew to 1500 and 1600cc. (Forget about using a non-louvered decklid with a souped-up street engine unless you provide more fresh air to the carbs and fan from someplace else.)

• But if the engine compartment is sealed, then after feeding the carburetor how does that air get out?

Like I said, the engine compartment is sealed only at the bottom, so the hot air from under the engine doesn’t get in. Only the needed amount of air is sucked in (except when you have the above-mentioned high power engine in there — then there’s not enough air supply, and you get HEAT!) The air that is fed into the carburetor gets mixed with fuel and burned in the cylinders where it becomes a combustion product (CO, CO₂) and is exhausted through the tail pipes.

• And finally, I’ve read that you should keep your seals in good shape (sparkplug boots and all other rubber seals) so the hot air doesn’t recirculate into the engine compartment.

Exactly. Especially the large rubber seal that goes between the engine tin and car body, it surrounds the entire engine. That seal is critical for engine cooling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpH7VftH3_I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ9ccGXtZL0

Pictures for this story are unfortunately lost.

The WESTFALIA company was founded in 1844 by Johann Knobel, and originally concentrated on the manufacture of tools for the agricultural industry. As part of this they became involved in building a lot of horse drawn carts & carriages. Some of these were for passengers & needed to be of high quality so they set up their own paint and upholstery section to allow the complete works to be done on site without having to involve other companies.

Camping & caravanning started to become popular in the 1920’s. Early Caravans & trailers were very bulky & expensive (and of course needed large expensive vehicles to tow them with!). The Factory was virtually wiped out by bombing during the second world war but they recovered sufficiently to exhibit a caravan (made of steel plate) at the 1947 Hanover Fair.

That might have been the end of the story had the VW Transporter not come into existence in 1950. With their large space and easy mechanics they were an instant hit with the general public. In those days private transport was very much a luxury and many people used their vehicles to earn a living during the week.

At weekends the addition of extra seating in the form of benches transformed their vans to take the family on outings. This soon led to people adding extras to their vehicles so they could also use them for sleeping and cooking instead of having to rely on hotels or guest houses (or having to drag caravans & camping equipment around!)

The WESTFALIA Company spotted what was happening. In addition to producing their camping trailers and caravans they started to manufacture easy to assemble fittings, which could be installed in vehicles for camping purposes but could also be quickly removed again so that the van could be converted back into its week day Work Mode. This was a very affordable alternative to the existing trailer caravans.

The real breakthrough came in 1951 when an American army officer asked Westfalia to build him a motorcaravan similar to the trailer caravans they were already producing. This quickly resulted in an order for a further 50!

So in 1952 Westfalia started producing its first VW Transporter CAMPING BOXES.  These vehicles had a cabinet installed behind the front bench seat, which contained cooking equipment, and washing facilities with fold down worktops. In the rear the bench seat converted into a Sleeping Platform

During 1954/55 the engine size increased with a corresponding decrease in the engine compartment height. This gave much more interior space and gave scope to improve and add to the sleeping facilities inside the vehicle.

Two Camping Box models were produced these were called STANDARD & EXPORT

The standard self-assembly kits came with several variations;

SO42– Had a small bed, larger side cupboard with a lift up folding table.  Many of these vehicles were fitted with Dormobile roofs.  Over 11,000 SO42’s were produced

SO44 had a large bed and a swivel table located behind the driving compartment bulkhead. It had a cooking and washing unit. It also had a folding roof instead of the concertina/ventilator type fitted to previous models. This vehicle cost 2540DM more than the SO42.

In 1955, in addition to the standard (designated SO22), production started on an Export Model.

Westfalia delivered vehicles through dealerships to individual customers. In Germany a complete camper would cost around 9000DM (about the same as a Mercedes 190!) For this reason a large amount were exported.

This resulted in the CAMPINGWAGEN DELUXE (designated SO23) becoming available for 1956. The Deluxe had considerably more inside it than the previous model. In addition to more cupboards, a 90-litre water tank. It had curtains, high quality carpets, roof ventilation & fixing points for awnings, plus insulation & cladding on most internal surfaces. Roof rack and awning were also available.

However in stark contrast to the “Box Model” it had NO interior cooking facility The reason for this being that in the USA (the main export market) laws prevented use of gas cookers within vehicles.

The 1000th Westfalia Deluxe Camper was produced in 1959.

1960 saw the end of the Self Assembly kit programme and the introduction of the MOSAIK programme. This involved Westfalia furniture being available as individual items rather than complete kits so the DIY installer had a lot more flexibility in what he wanted to do. Westfalia would still build interiors to individual customer’s specification.

From 1961 there was a general slimming down of the interior installation but no reduction in price! For an extra 1400DM you could have a Dormobile roof. A Small sun awning that fitted between the twin doors was also an option.. Cooking was possible from the inside (but much easier from outside). The cooker assembly swung out over the engine bay. Models SO34 came with Formica tops & SO35 had solid wood interior fittings. The awning was only available as an extra. Sleeping accommodation was excellent, with a wide double bed for adults. The back rest of the front bench seat folded upwards to make bunk beds for two children.

In stark contrast to the beautiful artwork of the initial Westfalia brochures of the 1950’s their next effort for the 1960’s can only be described as Studious presentations, presumably done on a tight budget in the mist of winter.

This is another staged publicity shot.

This publicity shot is supposed to be showing a Westfalia meal being cooked.

An ingenious improvement to the 1962 model was a special device to allow the spare wheel to be used as a base for the table when it was required outside.

By the end of 1963 over 10000 Camping wagens had been produced. In total over 25000 split screen transporter Westfalia conversions were carried out.

With the arrival of the Bay window transporter Westfalia ceased making caravans & concentrated all its efforts on producing motorcaravans..

A new series of conversions, SO60 & SO62 were fitted at the factory whilst the SO61 option was still available as part of the Mosaik programme.

The roof choices remained the same. A long steel roof, small extending roof or larger roof with bunk bed. A wide range of additional equipment from awnings to chemical toilets, louvred, sliding or fixed windows were available

In 1968 several different models (all designated SO69) named after European cities were produced;

• PARIS
• ROME
• AMSTERDAM
• OSLO
• STOCKHOLM

By the end of 1969 a total 50.000 Westfalia camper conversions of all types had been sold. 80% of these had been exported (mainly to the USA)

In Autumn 1970 the range (all designated SO72) was reduced to 3;

• HELSINKI
• MADRID
• LUXEMBORG

The Wedge type Westfalia roof started to be developed around 1971 to replace the expensive Dormobile type. The early versions (August 72 – July 73) hinged at the front windscreen end of the van. This only had room for 2 small children. Westfalia then changed their supplier & a new model able to sleep 2 adults was produced. These later roofs hinged from the rear of the vehicle.

In 1972/73 production started on a series of conversions that established Westfalia as the leading converter of VW Transporters.

In 1973 three conversions were offered under the SO73 option;

• DUSSELDORF
• MALAGA
• OFFENBACH

 

These were all fitted with the new Westfalia type roofs and several extras were available including heating & locking petrol cap!

Another staged publicity shot proving that even when this close to their vans the Germans still manage to get their towels on to the sun beds first!  Was the tide really turning? Is this why so many orange Westfalia’s are rust buckets?

Models made by Westfalia for VW & exported to UK were called CARAVANETTE and CONTINENTAL.  When new the recommended retail price for a VW Continental was £1950. That included the awning (but excluded seat belts!)

Probably the worst “Cut & paste” picture ever produced by Volkswagen as part of their UK brochure for The VW Carvavette & Volkswagen Continental that was sold in the UK

The export VW equivalent of these vehicles was called a CAMPMOBILE
(very popular in San Francisco!)

In 1974 came the new HELSINKI (SO73/7). This vehicle was fitted with very comfortable large seats.

In 1976 the Helsinki was replaced by the BERLIN (SO76/1). The Berlin had smaller seats but you could swivel on the front ones!

These vehicles had insulated roof & sidewalls & also came complete with a 3-way fridge,( a very high spec conversion for this size of van during the 70’s.)

The self-assembly Mosaik kits (SO72) continued to be available throughout this period. The only other major development during this time was the front spare wheel carrier, which became an option in 1975.

The specifications for Helsinki & Berlin remained virtually the same until introduction of the T25 in summer of 1979.

Westfalia continue to produce fine examples of motorcaravans to this day in what has become a very competitive market. They have succeeded by paying attention to what their customers say and want, continually carrying out technical improvements and fine attention to detail. This has resulted in a very healthy balance sheet and large export market. During some periods over 90% of production has been exported, mainly to the USA.