Upgrades / Maintenance as follows:

Mechanical

·      Engine upgraded to Subaru 2.5L EJ251 – a brand new short-block mated with remanufactured long-block. Reverse cooling manifold, tons of power to get the van down the highway at modern speeds. New alternator & starter and everything else in a new engine. Spec’d to rev at higher RPM to match the original transmission gears in the vehicle. This engine swap had a head-gasket coolant leak so was completely replaced Nov 2024. This engine is currently in it’s break-in period, still under 500miles on the motor.

·      VW TDi starter makes turnover a breeze

·      K&N cold air intake built in behind the drivers side rear brake lights – oiled and maintained

·      Functional AC with factory R12

·      Vancafe transaxle decoupler – gives option to run in 2wd or 4wd – installed in last 5k miles

·      Rebuilt transaxle at ~312k miles – all new Weedle components

·      GoWesty big brake kit up front- stock rear

·      New transaxle mounts and differential mounts – keeps vibrations down and keeps driveline angles correct

·      New gowesty driveshaft – non slip-yoke kind for less moving parts to break

·      944 cv joints in the front with upgraded cv boots. built onto stock shafts

·      T3 technique HD sway bar with end linksto keep the road manners in check – amazingly stable with this addition

·      930cv joints in the rear with upgraded boots and new shafts

·      Old Man Emu shocks front and rear

·      2” lift springs – Schwenk springs all around from Burley Motorsportws

·      GoWesty wheels (all 5) with custom mounted spare under front location. I prefer this location for the spare for better for crash safety but mostly it gives better access to rear hatch without having to fight a spare tire every time you want to open the rear hatch

·     Gowesty rear tire swing away included - not shown in photos but mount is still on bumper and will be attached when sold. Carry a spare tire or gear storage on this

·      BFG TAKO2 tires – with 15k miles on them. Rotated every 5k miles including the spare

·      Font viscous coupler replaced with new version from German Transaxle – standard viscosity VC joint swapped at ~310k miles

Other

·      Interior wood floor installed atop stock vinyl floor. Stock carpet in great shape included - shown in some pictures.

·      Pop-top canvas replaced by previous owner and in perfect shape

·      ARB air compressor mounted inside in a hidden compartment. External quick air connection outside next to the water/power flaps. Used for pumping up the tires after deflating for a rough trail, or as needed for bike tires / rafts etc. Nearly silent, completely hidden installation inside with switch in main galley to power on

·      ARB 2500 x 2500 awning with LED strip

·      Cleaned and primed door-slider with all new bearings – opens/closes quieter than most 30+year old vans

·      Replaced external propane tank – modern tank with modern valves/attachments

·      Gary Lee rear ladder to help you access the roof

·      3 roof bars + 1 extra roof bar with feet should it be needed - we carry a storage box on the roof at most times for skis/snowboards/camping gear overflow that won’t fit inside

·      Pop-top “snap-in” insulation made of thinsulate makes the upstairs much warmer. Easy to remove and stores upstairs in the bed when not in use

·      Full glass insulation kit to keep insides warm or cool depending on season. Full foil reflector keeping light out, suction cup mounts to glass

·      GoWesty RainFly to keep rain / snow off the upstairs canvas – never used

·      GoWesty front hitch - never installed

·      GoWesty front and rear bumpers. Rear has 2” hitch for bike rack or other 2” hitch needs.

·      ARB Awning outdoor living room – full mesh attachment to provide outdoor living space when needed – never used

·      Front cupholder / hanging organizer

·      Extra long shifter handle to make shifting easier

Electronics

·      LED headlights – converted to round headlights with grill to fit

·      New Stereo

·      All new speakers – 4” fronts and rears

·      Window motors / both drivers side and passenger side replaced

·      Horn – air-horn installed by previous owner – loud – my kids love it

·      100 Renogy watt solar panel cleverly integrated into the luggage compartment up top in the front (campergy kit). All wires run hidden in the body to a solar controller behind the drivers seat and back to the dual battery beside the fridge.

·      TF49 truckfridge – all electric fridge runs amazing – takes little battery to keep ice frozen and food cold

·      Propex HS2000 propane heater installed below the fridge – all wires hidden and digital thermostat installed into rear closet. Keeps van warm when winter camping.

·      Dual battery powering propex/fridge/fan/lighting installed beside the fridge - deep cycle Renogy 100Ah holds a great charge and can be used to jump-start the main battery if needed. I didn’t go Lithium Ion because of the different charge profile and because it couldn’t help the starter battery when needed.

·      NOCO 120v to 12v converter for shore power. When you plug the side of the van into shore power it powers the AC outlets inside and charges the batteries

·      Dual battery controller (Switchgear) wired between main battery and house battery – can be used to jump-start main battery or will charge house battery on alternator when charge differential is detected

·      Accessory DC + USB charging points next to fridge and upstairs in air duct above sliding door. keep all your electronics charged from the 2nd battery

·      12v DC fan behind drivers seat to keep air flowing at night – minimal power use

·      Scangauge integrated into steering column – easily track engine codes, coolant temps, air temps, voltages, gas mileage etc etc. Great OBDII plugin with extension run to rear engine OBDII connection - below rear bench seat.

·      Gowesty GPS speedometer / Odometer. a noisy cable used to connect the front diff to the speedo - when that was failing I upgraded to a GPS unit, photos of original odometer showing mileage of that unit and new one at installation.

Concerns

·      Some body rust is occurring behind wheel wells where ~315k + miles have worn through the wheel wells in small places. Major gaps were sealed but need rust grinded out and replaced. Minor seam rust near these places

·      Fuel gauge – at full tank only shows about ¾ tank. Accurately shows low end of tank. I typically drive 200miles between fill-ups and am usually at just a 1/2 tank.

·      With 15k miles on the new engine 1 of the headgaskets went. Back to the shop to get the engine pulled and replaced. New shortblock installed and remanufactured heads, new waterpump/injectors/etc etc. No expenses were spared, again, and receipts showing all the work. 3year warranty on the new engine started Nov 2024. All engine work done by Chris and his team at Metric Motors in Salt Lake City, UT – they know subaru engines and Vanagons and I’m trilled to have a shop like his to send this van to when I need it.