79 Westy Exhaust Crossover HELP!

[Sunfoot]

I have a 1979 VW Westy FI. I live in CA so unfortunately I have to smog this thing every 2 years.

The bus has the EGR system and I'm searching for an exhaust crossover tube that has the EGR tube on the elbow.

Mine has rusted and cracked through twice since I've owned the bus. I've done a half-ass welding job to try and keep it going but would love to find a replacement.

Also, if anyone has any ideas on a possible creative way to repair it, that would be super helpful too!

Thanks!!!

[busdaddy]

Welcome!
Aside from a 3/4 assed or better welding job there's always the Samba classifieds: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php...ton=Search
Try different key words, some sellers can't describe what they have.
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[Sunfoot]

[airschooled]

I think I have one in storage, ready to sell if I can dig it out. But I’m not sure about the EGR provision; CA-spec buses typically came with a cat or EGR, not both. Do you have a yellow deck lid sticker, or a silver sticker in the drivers door jamb stating what equipment the bus came with originally?

Bill and Dianne at Interstate also have a box of crossover pipes.

What part of CA are you in?
Robbie
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[SGKent]

Short answer - Go with Robbie's suggestion.

Long answer - Here is why. About 8 or 9 years ago I got Magnaflow to make a cat for our California buses since we could not use the ones available and pass smog. I needed a Federal crossover, which is what you have, for Magnaflow to test it with also. I scoured the country for one, and finally came up with a crappy used one from the East Coast. When the project was done I tried to give it away and no one wanted it so after about six months of waiting for someone to put their hand up, I cut it up and tossed it. The things are too big to fill the garage with so often that type stuff sits outside for years - and that just rusts the heck out of them. Or they are in a commercial yard like Interstate, in which case you will pay for all those year's they paid for the commercial space to store them. New ones are NLA. Maybe a good fabricator could make one. You might be able to find an exhaust that attaches to the flanges, and is thick enough to weld a plate with a tube going to the EGR like https://www.busdepot.com/071251053ek or https://www.busdepot.com/071251053es or https://www.busdepot.com/vw7802026

The last option would be to use a replacement exhaust, and modify it for a cat, then request a waiver from the smog referee. But then you will forever have to keep a cat on it to pass smog. Of course that may be easier than chasing down EGR parts. Or find a good welder who can cut part of that terrible job out and replace it with something cleaner that doesn't leak or break (as other's suggested, me not wanting to be an echo here). The main body of the 79 Federal Crossover is cast iron so it is not really that good to weld to it. Or as I said above, have someone fabricate the whole part from steel or stainless.
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[Sunfoot]

[Sunfoot]

[SGKent]

I haven't seen a 1979 Federal with a factory cat. The bus was made in 09/1978 as an incomplete vehicle so it could go to the Westphalia factory, which could take some time to convert it. My best guess, and it is only a guess is that it was sold as a 1979 camper but fell under the 1980 EPA rules, I don't know. The sticker you posted says 1979 New vehicle rules. As I recall, normally the 1979 Federal does not have a cat but it has EGR like the 1978. The California has a cat too but it is tucked back up underneath next to the 3/4 head. Maybe someone correct me.
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[Sunfoot]

[SGKent]

Yes by all means see if Robbie has one. Even Richard Atwell on his page notes that the 1979 Federal did not come with a cat but clearly you have factory cat stickers. My guess is it fell under 1980 rules due to the time it takes to convert from a running bus to a camper. I have read that in some threads that could sometimes take up to a year, however clearly the 1980 year was a Vanagon. That said, you can also have a good fabricator welder look at it and see if they could replace the bad area with new pipe and have a nice weld at each end. The EGR pipe would have been steel and not cast. A good fabricator could oversize the piece being fitted and slide it over each piece, then stich it on without welding all the way thru to the interior of the pipe.
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[mikedjames]

I recently succeeded (because I ran out of sticks ) with making an initial weld to cast iron with the nickel rich welding sticks , then covering a gap with MIG mild steel weld, welded to the stick weld bead, using a piece of flattened then shaped copper water pipe as a backing mould.
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1979 Westerly GK24 24 foot racer/cruiser yacht Forethought of Gosport.
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[SGKent]

[SGKent]

I think one just posted for sale in N. County San Diego
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