1977 & 1974 Westfalia Campers

A quick side by side of the two buses in my ownership. The White 1974 has been sold and will be moving on.

[@michellerackley6365]

Beautiful!!!

[@atomicmellon1712]

The lift and Brazilian mirror upgrade make that bus look tough as nails!

[@notchboy]

Oh, by design. Takes a lot of the "cute" out.

[@JustBugginVW]

Two sweet Buses!!

[@gman824]

We haven’t yet restored a bus yet, but will in the near future. You have two fine examples of a VW Bus. Hard to choose which one to keep, I’m sure. 😎👍

[@fastbiker5869]

Very Nice Buses!🥰 From Germany.

[@notchboy]

Danke!

[@fastbiker5869]

@@notchboy CAN you speak German👍🔥

[@notchboy]

@@fastbiker5869 I can translate und meine Frau spricht ein wenig. ;)

[@fastbiker5869]

@@notchboy 👍

[@ryanbarry7436]

lovely video, i was excited to see the 74 was an automatic! I noticed the 77 has the deluxe cooker interior but i do not see the gas hookup under the slider. have you changed the set up?

[@notchboy]

Yes. I had the opportunity to get the cooker cabinet when I redid the interior, so I jumped on it. I originally intended to put the tank under as well, but just got a Coleman Green tank conversion instead.

[@jgbutler67]

Very cool campers! I'm interested in the alternator upgrade you did on your '77 Westfalia. What's the make/model of the 75 amp alternator you installed? Any modifications needed? I ask because I have an orange 1974 Westfalia that I'm in the process of restoring, almost done. It's an automatic and has a replacement 2L motor from a '76 bus, but I kept the carbs from my '74 on it. I'm planning to install lithium batteries, one will be for power when camping, and the other is designed for starting the engine as well as backup power. I also plan to install solar panels with all the needed equipment (inverter/charger, DC-DC charger, solar charge controller). From what I've read, I believe it'll be better to have a higher amp alternator than the stock one, which I think is 50 amps, so it will better handle the extra load from keeping the two lithium batteries charged. Thanks.

[@notchboy]

Greg, First of all thank you for posting. Your questions are valued as I see based on your long post - these things are important to you at this time. My answers may be curt - but Im giving them in a no BS fashion so dont take offence. You want to know from my perspective - so here it is. Running stock 1800 cc carbs on a 2 liter is a good start. But realize those carbs are set for an 1800cc motor. Look into opening up the jets and or venture. The stock Solex German carbs are a great start but can be maximized. In Europe they ran carbs till the end of Bay production in 79. Fuel Injection was an option - not the standard. Look into that to maximize your motors potential. Secondly - nope sorry dont recall what and who made my beefed up alternator. Look through the link below on the 77 build. I may of said where in there. Other wise search the Samba Classified for the answer and or product sold. That said - what all do you intend to stuff into a 74 camper that wasnt there in 1974? Your electrical load is more than just looking at what others did on the net. Your #vanlife additions are personal. You need to know the draw you are taking. You need to imagine what will it take for me to drive down the road and supply all the Amps needed to run my rig. Domotec fridge, bumpin stereo with AMP, Head lights that are brigher than than the sun, A flat screen going with phone plugs to keep the kids quiet, AC? And any other electrical draw at the time of van running going down the road. Let alone pulling some power at the dead of night to service a secondary battery. Full load balls out. My 75-80 Amp Alternator is there to supply all my stock needs, a clear bump up from my 30 amp stock alternator. I run H4's, not low amp LED's, with fog lights. And to cover my ass at night, in the cold a Eberspacher Gas Heater. So Im more than covered with the load full one everything at night - with wipers on. How does your personal #vanlive cozy home compare? Im thinking you want different and possibly more. Getting an 80 amp alt is easy. But you will then need to do the dance. Certain things need to be off so that the amp output is being utilized while driving. This is all separate of any solar charging and a secondary bat. Most #vanlifers need a 120-140 amp driver - that is not available. So you make due with what you have. Look through this and ask any questions you may have. www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=419653&highlight=

[@jgbutler67]

@@notchboy Very much appreciate all the information. You are a wealth of knowledge. I am installing a new bumpin audio system. I installed the H4 headlights and plan to get a 12 volt fridge, a Dometic or comparable model. If possible, I'll like to get a coffee maker and microwave in the van, too. From what I've read, charging the two lithium batteries while running other accessories will require some planning so as not to fry my alternator. I'm hoping a combination of shore/generator power, solar power, and power from the alternator to keep the van and accessories running. Looks like a few online sellers offer a 90 amp alternator for the type 4 engines which will help but like you said I'll be doing the dance trying to balance my power usage. There's also my wife's request of AC, but that may be a stretch. I hadn't considered how to maximize the engine performance yet. I'll def look into addressing the jets and venturis. After a quick search online I found Aircooled.net which has what seems to be some good specifics about improving my carb setup as well as options for purchase but unfortunately they also seem to be on hiatus. Looks like the company has been going through a restructuring since Oct 2022. Bummer.