TheSamba.com :: View topic - Coachbuilt campers on Vanagon platform (Karmann Gipsy et al)

Mon Nov 11, 2013 6:02 am

Hi Pete, any update?

pete nice wrote: I might paint the grilles black, plus paint the bottom half of the bumper black too.

I have spent a fair bit of time today investigating exactly what has been done with the engine.

It looks like the engine is a 1Y, which is a 1.9 non turbo diesel.
It has had the JX inlet manifold, which will have the wrong port shape & the exhaust manifold & turbo from a JX which could be used.
It has a non turbo fuel pump, so won't give enough fuel under boost.

It looks like I have a choice of replacing the pump & inlet manifold, or go right ahead with the TDi from my Audi...

Mon Nov 11, 2013 6:04 am

Here is someone looking for a karman gipsy in thesamba classifieds. Anyone has any leads for him?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1508378

Sun Dec 01, 2013 9:08 pm

Interesting read... If you can read german, not me.

http://www.vw-bulli.de/de/bulli-people/traveller/nordamerika-reise.html

Sun Dec 01, 2013 9:41 pm

Everybody loves pictures!

Another fine example:

Here we can see a rare angle showing some details around the ceiling line, the space on top of the furniture over the kitchen, and the shelf over the door:

Another photo...

Sun Dec 01, 2013 11:06 pm

Videos!!!

Karmann coachbuilts Treffen 2011 (pictures compilation)
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9SiQ-hguZis

Karmann coach builders meeting 2013 (pictures compilation)
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TRbZCdTDBkc

Two karmann gipsy drag racing! Too funny!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoRnfO7E04Y

Mon Dec 02, 2013 12:12 pm

pedrokrusher wrote: Videos!!!Two karmann gipsy drag racing! Too funny!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoRnfO7E04Y

Thanks Pedro, that was laugh out loud funny! ;)

Fri Jun 13, 2014 10:34 am

I thought you were joking! I nearly pissed myself laughing.

Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:46 am

chojinchef wrote: I thought you were joking! I nearly pissed myself laughing. Yeah! Wow! What can I say...
Now, it makes me think. I should make a drag race with my newly acquired Karmann Gipsy with my westy Silverfox!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

So, here it is! I finally bought one!
I made a thread just for it with so many pics!

My 1989 VW Vanagon (Transporter) Karmann Gipsy, AFN TDI
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=598791

syncroluvr wrote: Hey Pedro, did you buy one? Now I did! A couple years down the road I finally found one... I'm very happy to have it! We should meet and check out our rides.

westyventures wrote: If you really want one, there are some cheap ones out there right now - like this fixer in Germany:
...

...
Shipping over is about $2000. Anything older than 15 years (Canada) and 25 years (USA) can be easily imported. Hi Karl, here it is, I bought one! Got lucky and did not need to ship anything. Went to get it in toronto, a six hour drive. The really nice thing is that it has the 110 HP AFN TDI. And also! An AAP 5 speed transmission!

.

Wed Jun 25, 2014 8:56 am

right hand drive

found another image

Wed Aug 20, 2014 4:51 pm

Who's heard of Finnish caravan/camper maker Matkaaja? They are now out of business, but were known to make great caravans and camper suited to the nordic climate. Still popular as winter camping qualities are great.
They made (as far as I know) the Transhotel based on the T3, and the Grandhotel based on the LT. A friend of mine owns one here in Norway and is planning a syncro conversion :D They are very close to the Karmanns in layout but have some neat and special touches.

Wed Aug 20, 2014 6:56 pm

taigagreen wrote: Who's heard of Finnish caravan/camper maker Matkaaja? They are now out of business, but were known to make great caravans and camper suited to the nordic climate. Still popular as winter camping qualities are great.

Wow Taigagreen! Great find! Another conversion in the coachbuilt thread!

Is there any more pics? Interior? Maybe we should copy them into thesamba's server and never lose the linked photos?

What did they do for the nordic climate?

Thu Aug 21, 2014 3:13 am

[quote="pedrokrusher"] taigagreen wrote:
Wow Taigagreen! Great find! Another conversion in the coachbuilt thread!

Is there any more pics? Interior? Maybe we should copy them into thesamba's server and never lose the linked photos?

What did they do for the nordic climate?

Nordic:
-Primus central heating. Gas/220V. Puts out 1.9Kw to 5.5 Kw. Radiators around sitting area and in bathroom.
-Three burner stove.
-Better insulated than Karmann.

Special touches:
-Outdoor patio light doubles as cool illumination for the drinks cupboard with shot glasses engraved with the Matkaaja logo. Only in Finland :D
-Rear "bumper" is also great storage space and folds down for better access.
-I'm sure there is more, but I havent seen one up close in a few years.

Thu Oct 23, 2014 3:03 pm

Here is a special one!

For sale add here:
https://stgeorge.craigslist.org/rvs/4717962865.html
Quote: 1980 vanagan one of a kind - $2900
RV one of a kind, drives AWESOME, everything works, inside totally renovated, sink works, stove, fridge, ac, toilet, brand new tires, New battery, New wire harness, New ECM, New enjecter hoses. everything has been gone through. I bought it from a friend that didn't have time for it after the he did the interior. after I spent $1200 to make it dependable I have to sell it, long story. come check it out, my name is Nick call or text anytime.

And the pictures saved on thesamba photo gallery so we can still view it when the add goes away.

Sat Dec 26, 2015 3:06 pm

Volkmar Lang's amazing syncro doka with camper is for sale in the classifieds!!!
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1875852

(Volkmar, good luck with your sale, amazing amazing machine you have there. I copied your photos to thesamba's server so they will stay for further reference. If you want you can send me more pics to my email and i will upload them here: [email protected])

1989 T3 Syncro Doka Camper | Syncromobil Price: 75000

This 1989 Doka was imported from the North of Sweden and since they don’t use salt on the roads in the wintertime there is no rust to be found. The car was in a perfect condition to start the "Syncromobil" project with.

The Doka was converted into a „16 inch Tristar“ using only original Parts. Original 16-inch fenders and org. 16-inch trailing arms.

Original VW power windows and original VW power locks as well as 4 Koenig sport seats with heating

Engine: The TDI convention was done using a brand new TDI [AFN] Engine bought directly from VW. All other components were renewed by new or rebuild parts: Injectors (rebuild), Turbo (new), water pump (new), Generator 120A (rebuild), 2kW Golf III Starter (rebuild), convention to Mercedes Benz (W168) electrical power steering pump. All water hoses and pipes are new. New oil cooler and air/water intercooler.

Transmission: Both 5.43 Transmissions were completely rebuilt, 4th gear .82, Oil baffle plates. Front and rear diff lockers and drive shaft decoupler. Original 16 inch axles, stub axles and drive flanges. The front transmission was upgraded to 16 inch drive flanges using Audi axles with 108 CV joints.

Exhaust: Custom made stainless steel exhaust system included an exhaust-filter to meet German air-care regulations.

Suspension: Custom made H&R / GMB coil over suspension. Adjustable front and rear shocks. Length adjustable rear shocks. 1 inch Bodylift + spacer

Brakes: 10 inch BMW power brake, 312 mm vented Audi A4/A6 Gerling 57 front brake, 300 mm Eurovan Gerling 38 rear brake.

Tires: 6 x 245/75R16 BF Goodrich All Terrain on Mercedes-Benz W210 rims 7.5 x 16 ET 42´

For further information call +49 (0) 173 307-8960

Sat Jan 09, 2016 4:45 pm

A very rare vw vanagon t3 syncro karmann gipsy for sale in Finland for 25,000 euros! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Found on busman.be website vehicles for sale:
http://busman.be/buy-it-for-you-4x4-vans-for-sale/4x4-vans-for-sale/

Original add:
http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/showDetails.html?id=219911538

1990 VW Karmann Gipsy T4 Syncro with 2,1-liter 112 hp (84 kw) gasoline engine, 5 speed manual, 4WD, differential lock. Clean, only 88 620 kilometers. Zinc corrosion protection done as a new. All factory accessories. Everything works. Only two owners, no accidents, no smoking. Exhaust pipe needs minor care. The vehicle is registered and located in Helsinki, Finland.

Sat Jan 09, 2016 6:59 pm

Another extremely rare vw vanagon t3 syncro coachbuilt for sale for 20,999 euros.
A VW Syncro Munnich Himalaya Express.

Again found on busman.be website cars for sale.
http://busman.be/buy-it-for-you-4x4-vans-for-sale/4x4-vans-for-sale/

Original for sale add:
https://www.willhaben.at/iad/gebrauchtwagen/wohnwa...116882117/

(google translate to english)
Sell heavy Herzen's my VW T3 Camper (custom-made 1993 complete conversion from Munnich.)

Separate me from my VW T3 because of lack of time.
The VW T3 is it very good condition. Does not rust because it was always maintained.
The engine was always serviced and kept clean.

All conversions were carried out by the company Munnich in Graz.

If you have further questions, I am happy to assist you.
Price is negotiable.

Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:54 pm

Wow!!!!

For sale on thesamba:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1884557

VW Lt 4x4 Diesel Expedition Camper 1 Of 5 Made Price: 58000
The most rare and capable VW Camper.

1996 VW LT40, factory built 4 wheel drive, 6 cylinder, turbo diesel, special order, professionally built in Germany, ( was VERY expensive to build ) camper which was made for long distance, serious overland expeditions.
I bought it from the original owner over a decade ago and both he and/ or I have driven it across Australia, New Zealand, North Africa, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium with recent plans to take it to Iceland and Greenland.

90K original miles, with no accidents or repairs and all documentation including original build, and a driver's log of fuel fill ups and service in each country visited.

The interior was ordered to be built using modern Westfalia-type cabinetry with very clean surfaces and excellent fit and finish- all professional.

I waited many years for the original owner to let it go, since there were, and are, no others like it for sale.

It was one of only 5 built for around-the-world type expeditions, and it features many over-engineered details throughout.

What makes this LT camper unique, is that is was not a home conversion or an add on, it was purpose-built to be a "Alkoven" or sleep over cab configuration, this allows you to sleep in a, full-time set up, queen sized bed over the cab, and use the rest of the camper for other functions.

The best part of having this permanent high roof, is not having to elevate the roof to set up camp, which can draw the wrong kind of attention in high risk areas. Nobody knows if its occupied or not.

The second best feature of this camper is that you can access the back without having to go outside the camper. This make a HUGE difference in ease-of-travel. This is not possible with a Doka conversion.

The entire body is made of polymer high strength, composite over foam core sandwich construction for extreme temperatures and strength.

All the windows are the European camper( Safari ) insulated type which are shatter proof and have both a screen and full light-block shade built into the window. ( I would frequently open the side windows when its snowing and just have the stationary heater on. )

The rear portion of the camper has a settee configuration in which the table drops down to make a large bed which sleeps 3. With more than enough storage both above and below as well as under the seat cushions.

There is a full size stand up shower and industry standard Thetford Cassette toilet.
The bathroom is heated as well- yay.

The sink/ galley is very simple and streamline with lots of countertop space which makes for preparing meals quite easy and can also make for an area to repair things if needed.

The engine is original 6 cylinder, turbo diesel which gives this camper respectable power considering its size and parts are available, since they also used this engine for Volvo. You can cruise at 65 mph, without shouting, which simply isnt possible in the also cool, Unimog Campers. When overlanding in remote locations its nice to know that the engine/ drivetrain parts are available if needed.

5 speed manual gear box. Suspension seats. Manual windows. 3 way fridge. Large side awning. Excellent stationary heating for when camping. Long range fuel tanks. I was planning to increase the range to 1500 miles which I can help the new owner set up if they choose. I also think it would be a great idea to put solar panels up top as there is a HUGE amount of space on the roof.

On the back is a sturdy ladder, as well as a roof rack rail all the way around the perimeter of the roof. There are a couple pop up skylights in the roof too.

There is a very large network of VW LT owners/ websites and clubs to help and their club treffens/ gatherings are great fun with very enthusiastic and knowledgeable folks, similar to the SyncroFests we have here in the US.

The camper is in Belgium at the moment with German title and paperwork. It is being sold where it is stored in Belgium. It can be shipped here to the US of course, but since they never imported these LTs to the US there may be some homework required to get it US registered. I know its possible because I also owned a VW LT Diesel here in California. I have all the various systems manuals as well as have filmed how to use everything on the camper.

There are plenty of Syncro Westfalias available, but none of these.

Just writing this ad makes me not want to sell it so best to email me your phone number and I will call you and tell you all you want to know.

REAL SIMPLE:

IF YOU DREAMILY SURF TRAVELING WEBSITES AND ALWAYS WANTED TO VENTURE TO EXTREME LOCATIONS, JUST DISAPPEAR FOR A WHILE, (and do it in a VW of course), OR SHOW UP AT A VW MEET AND HAVE THE MOST UNIQUE VW, THEN THIS IS THE CAMPER FOR YOU.

Buy it.
Plan your expedition.
Go.

Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:28 pm

pedrokrusher wrote: Here is a special one!

I like the rear dualies on this one. I wonder what wheels they are & how it was done.

Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:31 pm

pedrokrusher wrote: Wow!!!!

For sale on thesamba:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1884557

Wow indeed! I really need this vehicle. Look for my GoFundMe page, coming soon! :lol:

Mon Jan 18, 2016 6:47 pm

tjet wrote: I like the rear dualies on this one. I wonder what wheels they are & how it was done.
I imagine they used a massive spacer on the rear trailing arms...
:shock: :shock: :shock: