Walk away or buy the bay?

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Friends, Im looking at buying a 1976 camper. Pretty decent shape, but notice the engine seal is missing. Reading about engine seals in The Samba one person said if an engine seal is missing to walk away. I know the engine seal is vitally important, but do you think missing one is a deal breaker? Thank you

[frankvw]

you mean engine seal to close the gap between engine and body ?
Never heard such wisdom before
important but no dealbreaker...
if they say it is a 100 point perfect restoration and costs $$$ then I would look closer what else is missing. But a normal bus ?
I would check other things first before worrying about that

[richparker]

How much is the bus?
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[raygreenwood]

[SGKent]

how long has the person selling it owned it. Someone flipping a bus is less likely to tell you all about it and what they hid than someone who is selling it for a family member's estate. Ask for receipts on the work done. Ask for before and after photos. A missing seal could be because it rotted away and is deferred maintenance, or it could be a sign a flipper knows little about a bay, and they were cutting corners. I WOULD be concerned to know the engine and shroud serial number, if it matches for that year bus. I WOULD be concerned to know if the induction system is correct or it is whatever works minimally - e.g., someone ripped FI off and stuck a single carb on it etc..
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[[email protected]]

Lousy pic but thats what I got.

[frankvw]

ok, only 1 picture is showing, the enginebay. It does not looks very well maintained in there, and the original setup is swapped for a middlemounted carb.
I would say...it comes down on price and if you look for a projectcar or a driver.....

[Abscate]

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So I'm putting a pause on this one at least until I get some additional info on it as was suggested. Thank you, friends, for your helpful and instructional responses. Enjoy the hunt.

[Balidas]

Does the engine start easily? Does it idle steady? How does it sound? How does it drive? Brake? Dows it shift easily? How is the steering? Do the gauges work?

Are you looking for a bus that's ready to roll or do you mind making repairs? Or are you looking for a project? These questions and a few more you need to get answers to before you can really make a decision.

Take a look at the title. Is it in the sellers name? When was it issued?

[TDCTDI]

The one question that doesn’t seem to be answered is, “how much?”.


If it was a solid bus that was $1,500 with that engine bay, then yes, get it.


If it was rotted out & was priced at $15,000 or more, then hell no.
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[[email protected]]

$9,000. Typical rust spots - nothing too crazy. Mileage unknown. video shows the motor idling smoothly.

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[borninabus]

not for my nine grand.
are you willing to spend 2-3 times that on rust repair alone?
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[[email protected]]

Its a big NO to that rust repair $$$!

[Abscate]

Isn’t that a 1978 VIN?

What does title say?
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[busdaddy]

I think a missing seal is the least of your worries there.

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[SGKent]

run unless you own a body shop. That assumes that the suspension torsion tubes are good, if not then it is a write off because it will cost more to repair the rusted areas than it is worth.
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[Rag00oll]

I bought my most recent bay for 4k. Shipped it for another grand. It was a total absolute disaster… but it was ALL there. I’ve touched everything on it. New motor, etc. had to rebuild the poptop completely, new frame/fiberglass etc. new tires, all the brakes including master cylinder. I did window rubber on every window. All door seals too.

It’s currently my daily and it runs like a top. I did everything myself and I like doing it!

It needs rust repair on the rocker panels and lower dog legs but it’s solid otherwise from the absolute crap bodywork someone did.

9 grand is steep depending on rust repair in my opinion.

Can we get more photos?

[geeze]

a missing engine seal would not be my #1 concern here