I made the jump to non-operative Vanagon ownership at the first of the month! After driving to Slidell, LA to look at an '85 but found rust and a locked up engine... I came home defeated, but kept looking. I found the 84 listed on the local craigslist and jumped on it.

Its an 11/83 build, with full westfalia interior. The van was partly disassembled, but should be able to go back together easily. The 1.9 was supposedly leaking and removed. The PO was planning an engine swap and pulled the engine and trans. It has a new radiator for the front. He also built an ABA 2.0 with a 1.8 head to fit under the rear deck. The inline 4 cylinder conversion can be done using mostly stock parts by utilizing parts from the diesel vanagon. The diesel vanagon also had an I-4 installed at 50* to the left. This requires a special bell housing and deep oil pan/oil pump amongst other things. The PO went through a lot of trouble and money to track down all of those parts and had the whole kit ready to go.

Plans are to get the new engine wrapped up and convert the parts over, and bolt it up. Figure out wiring and exhaust and then drive it!  Down the road, it will get an exterior make over and some other clean up. Maybe some cool plate steel bumpers and the Gowesty lift springs (maybe).

Still need a name for this one!

More photos

You might notice the fun you can have when the vehicle you are loading collapses the ramps while getting it on the trailer... We bent another set after that before putting a set of oil change ramps underneath them to reduce the span.

If you use a bell housing off of a 90's bay window Mexican bus, you can install the ABA engine upright with a standard oil pan.  If you go that way though, you have to cut out a section of the engine access panel and raise it up a few inches so the engine will clear . . . then cut a chunk of the foam out of the bottom of the cushion over the panel.

Look at Kyle's Vanagonagon for details/inspiration . . . or just use the stuff you have and lay the engine on it's side.