FORGOTTEN 1987 Syncro Westfalia Rescued after 23 Years!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- In an effort to have a winter project- a crazy adventure across 1600 miles to rescue a Forgotten 1987 Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro Westfalia! We set out to purchase one bus, and came home with a completely different one.
"Syncro" is Volkswagen's Off Road Capable 4WD system making this "Westfalia" Camper truly a rare and desirable beast.
Tune in as we rebuild it and breathe new life into this forgotten bus- hopefully it's got a few adventures left in it!
Perfect shirt for the occasion.
I'm a fan!
Nice jack.
So many wonderful moments in this one! So lucky the steering wasn't locked!
Well that gets fixed with a hacksaw and some hammers. Lol.
But ya, definitely lucky it played out the way it did!
That's some entertaining improvisational problem solving! That's going to be a fun adventure.
I can't wait to get it finished up and on the road! SOON!
I am soooo jealous for you, that bus is a gem, syncro plus westy you hit the vw vanagon jackpot!!!
This has been the “white whale” I’ve been searching for for years. Keep your eyes and ears open- they’re out there!
Someday I will convince my hubby into refurbishing a Vanagon. Unfortunately, he’s more into antique tractors. For Mother’s Day this year, I got an 1948 Farmall Cub with a cute little bucket on the front....lovingly restored.
Great for you Westy brother! Do it right and she'll treat you right. Looking forward to seeing your progress. Oh, and change your fuel lines, LOL!
Good vids, really upping my mechanic skills,,,
Congratulations on your find! I also was looking at 2wd Westys and then was lucky enough to find my 87 Syncro with an SVX engine in it 4 years ago. It’s an awesome adventure with endless opportunity for upgrades and fun.
They’re fun adventure vehicles! That svx is a lot of power!
Good find.
This is my dream car, my “white whale”, this is only the beginnings of the adventure!
instead of breaking the glass under the doorhandle put a butterknife push it in and wiggle it till you find the lock then push it up, it might bend the doorpanel a bit under the handle or destroy a bit of paint as a firsttimer ones you get the feel of it you can open any VW with a butterknife......there you go.
That’s a $400 door panel and a $20 window. Additionally, as stated- I have the window, the window is two bolts to install a replacement.
I’ve had nearly 20 years and countless vanagons in these kind of situations to work with, and concluded long ago- the window is the best, most consistent, and easiest way to open the vehicle without any risk of damage (such as the scratched paint and damaged door panel you suggested)
Oh wait you’re suggesting damaging the exterior, the actual painted, straight body work of the door, and going in from around the door handle? There’s no gap there, i can’t see that being possible without absolutely destroying the entire door. Any chance you could do a video showing us on your vanagon?
Once I forgot my keys for my Vanagon. I tried the key from my bicyclelock. It worked! The lock is so worn out.... ;-)
Wow, fascinating!
Good job excellent video
Thanks!
Saving them is half the fun!!!!
@@TheBarefootForge i hear that ive been working on mine for years and enjoy that as much as driving it
I have gotten into a locked bus by cutting the sliding door glass seal. Then the window will push in.
Wow, that sounds like a profoundly more expensive and time consuming way to put it back together than the two bolts and $20 window I broke. I can install the replacement in 3 minutes.
Please next time turn the phone 90 deg, please.
I prefer not using the Subaru conversion. AAZ diesel is IMO better. with turbo has plenty of power and gets 30mpg. The subaru has plenty of issues. and is just as hard to work on as the Waterboxer.
On a syncro though- a proper diesel swap is quite a bit trickier. You need to find a syncro diesel fuel tank, filler neck, carrier bars, etc etc that are all specific to a vehicle that was never sold in the US. Then- you have the transmission problems, syncro transmissions do not tolerate big torque and even with a rebuild and regearing- the diesels have the shortest transmission life.
A proper syncro diesel swap including rebuilt/regeared transmission is the most expensive option, probably about $20k DIY and closer to $35k professionally done.
I can't believe what parents go through to help their kids achieve their dreams. Maybe that's why the Lord cut me out to be single...He knew I wasn't cut out to be a parent.
That single life can be the best life!
My mother is a saint, and this is an adventure she's proud to have partaken in. I couldn't dream up a better vanagon rescue adventure buddy!
Couldn’t you have climbed through the engine bay to unlock the doors without breaking a window?
We tried but there’s really no good access to the bottom side of the engine hatch latches- plus there was a ton of stuff piled up on top of the hatch (that is the “trunk” after all).
I knew I had this piece of $20 glass, and it comes out with two screws- it took 10’minutes to replace.
the easiest way to unlock is the sliding window from the sliding door
Not if the latches work correctly- then that’s literally the hardest window on the whole car to open.
@@TheBarefootForge u need to remove the plastique under the sliding glass then pull the glass down that free up the lache of the window
@@midowbf luckily this was three years ago, and as I explained- I chose to break this window because I had a spare, and it’s the easiest to replace. So, in the time, this was 100% the right choice and I’d do it again the same way without hesitation.
Good luck it nice watching your videos cuz where i live westfalia are rare syncro too the simple 2wd is going to disappear too
Go Getters..
couldn't you record in the full format? I know it's not a big deal but, it's really distracting to me. I don't what it is but, my eyes are drawn back and forth from the black spaces on the sides. anyways thanks for the video. John S.
Thanks for enjoying a video from my early years of sharing stories on UA-cam, filmed by my mom, on an iPhone.
Sorry we couldn’t make your dreams come true. Hopefully the newer videos fulfill your goals.
Nice recording style.. Love the long narrow footage
It’s an artistic style I’m pioneering, completely new to UA-cam!
Pretty cool adventure/vacation with your mom and friend!!!
Keep us posted on the build!!👍🏻
Ps. Was the Porsche for sale?
yes, there are three porsche 912s for sale. Email me and i'll put you in touch.
@@TheBarefootForgeI know this 2 years ago, do you think the Porsches are sold?
I hope you are getting these Westy's cheap. So much work to bring one up. A good locksmith could have saved you the hassle of breaking the wing window.
"Cheap" is all relative- that's a $100k car pretty soon.
The previous owners had 23 years of driving around the car in their driveway as an opportunity to call a locksmith- I had two days to move a car. I was well aware that I have a box of spare wing windows at home, which is why this particular window was selected to be broken. Once home- this $20 window was replaced in fifteen minutes. I'm not sure I could have found a $20 locksmith that would have the car open in fifteen minutes.
@@TheBarefootForge by now your viewers should know that your Hammer is not to be judged
Oh it's my Dream.WV T3 westfalia Syncro. How much it
Heck ya! This is the "White Whale" of desirable Volkswagens! I've spent my life looking for one, and I'm excited about this project!
Please flip your camera to horizontal, this isnt tiktok
Yep, this was shot on a phone as part of an adventure we didn’t plan to have to film. We were in the moment, and the thought escaped me.
The upcoming videos in the series, you’ll be far happier with! But please continue to point it out so I’m inspired to do better and bring the best content possible! I need to know that it matters to people!
Looked to me like you dropped one van for another that needs tons of work.
Not sure what you mean?
This van is worth every bit of 5x the value of the other, which was farrrrrrr more terminally rusty. We didn’t really fully show it- it’s a parts car.
This blue one is now mostly finished and back on the road.
@@TheBarefootForge We didn’t really fully show it
Exactly. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
I might have missed it but he had the van sitting in the driveway on jack stands for years? Must not be married!
Yep! Parked in 1997!
I am a lady, and i had at least one project car going since 1982. Go Figure, huh?
slim jim
Those aren’t very effective on vanagons. I once watched for half a day as a lock smith I’d hired to open my bus id locked the keys in tried every trick in his car full of tricks to open the door. After 4 hours, I broke the window.
Do you think the guy would sell the yellow Porsche in the garage?
Yes. There are three of them. Email me at Thebarefootforge@Gmail.com and i'll put you in touch.
I see you have a clutch pedal so manual trans. Didn't all synchros have 5 speed ?
Yes. All syncros have a 4+1 speed. There are 4 synchronized driving gears and one ultra low gear that you don’t really shift into as part of normal routine. It’s a very specialized and expensive transmission.
@@TheBarefootForge And I remember it as a very reliable one, in case You do Your maintenance aka oil changes ..... That Syncro 4+1 was, unmodified in stock configuration, good enough for the Swiss army to buy Syncros by the dozen. They (swiss Army acquisition branch) were the reason the "Wolf" (Mercedes G military spec) had modified axles compared to the civilian version .....
@@manfredschmalbach9023 sadly the transmissions are absolutely the weak link of these syncros, it’s also the single most expensive component. The possession of a transmission made more of a difference in deciding to purchase this car then any other single aspect.
how is a vw van engine supposed to be wAter cooled any way
The engine is in the back and the radiator is in the front- long pipes in between.
a 4wd vanagon how is that possible itrhought all wv vanagon vans were rear engine rwd
They are! Engine in the rear still, it has a prop shaft heading to the front. AWD via a viscous coupler.
he literally breaks the window thats most expensive around here...
I broke the window I have a pile of at home that's easiest to replace. I consciously broke this window, and later replaced it in 10 minutes or less, for free.