1975 VW Transporter T2 Kombi Rebirth

[EetsGeets]

History
I finally got my dad to let me start working on the van that my sister and I grew up camping in. Unfortunately it sat uncovered in his old driveway for 10 years despite my sister and I asking to let us start fixing it.
"I'm going to do it," he would say...until he moved in with his girlfriend, and didn't have a place to keep it.
Well, after sitting outside for so long it's rife with rust, and most of the gaskets need to be replaced.

I got in touch with a body shop and they said they would want to remove everything - windows, gaskets, all of it - so as to get the clear coat underneath the seals to prevent it from peeling as easily.
I decided that I'm capable of that much, so I started with the engine. I filmed the whole process, labeled all the connections so they can easily go back together, and bagged up any parts and hardware that came out.
Then I moved to the front of the vehicle and started removing all the furniture, mirrors, antenna, dashboard, etc., again filming the whole process so I can figure out how to put it all back together.

Now that the engine is out (I believe it's a 1.6L from a 1976 T2), I'm thinking I want to just replace it with a Subaru engine. I want to do that eventually anyway, so I may as well save myself the trouble of installing this shitty engine just to remove it again in a few years.

Unfortunately I'm having a really hard time figuring out what options I have for this particular vehicle. A lot of the guides online are for swapping out a water-cooled engine (T3).
I know basically nothing about Subaru engines - I think I want an Outback or Forester engine though. I was looking at these sites here and here.
I don't even know what year I want. And I'd like to convert to a water-cooled system and install AC, but I have yet to find any decent information about how to start that process.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Before photos
Some photos from early-on in the tear-down process. Unfortunately I don't think I have any from before I started (I've always been bad about that).

After (almost) everything was out:

And it's off to the body shop to have the rust damage repaired and get some new paint à la Arizona Iced Tea aesthetic.
They're saying it could be as high as $30k....even with everything out. Does that seem normal? Seattle area.

Upcoming
I filmed the entire tear-down process. Unfortunately the light I was using caused a lot of flickering...so a lot of the footage might be junk. I'll be editing it down and posting links here as I upload them to YouTube.

I'm planning to take the furniture to cabinetry/upholstery shop(s) to have them replace the laminate and cushioning/upholstery.

Again, any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[EetsGeets]

Reserved for future

[Shonandb]

Welcome! $30k for body and paint seems a bit high but you should expect to pay at least $15k depending on what needs to be done. Regarding a Subaru swap, use the search function and type in "Subaru swap" in the Bay Window forum and you'll get a ton of threads walking through things step by step and links to parts, adapters, etc.

Look forward to following along.
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76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[EetsGeets]

Well I spent something like 12 hours between the last two days reading and reading and my current plan is to find an affordable donor car with an EJ20 or an EJ25 and pull the engine, alternator, AC, radiator/heater core/overflow tank, battery, exhaust header, ECU, and wiring harness, then junk the rest of it.
I also need to regear the transmission and order KEPs adapter kit.
Then once I get the chassis back from the body shop I can start installing all of that.

I just spent a couple hours with some friends to get help picking out the interior, because I'm dogwater at decorating and interior design.
Crucial point of consideration: should I pick non-flammable materials for the upholstry, or should I soak the material in flame retardant, or should I not worry about it? The bus does have a fire extinguisher mount...

I also spent a couple hours reorganizing my garage. Up next is to clean the stock engine, get it running, and see if anyone wants to buy it. I think I'll post it to the classifieds here? Probably?

Same with the impressively dented front bumper. I plan to buy a new one, but if someone else has the patience to hammer this one out I'd be happy to give it to them for no cost.

I also have an original light fixture that I believe still works, though the bulbs probably need to be replaced. I remember it being incredibly dim the last time I saw it turned on (10+ years ago), though it was brighter when I was a kid.
I plan to install an LED fixture in its place so whoever wants it can have it. A little cash would be appreciated but it's not a big deal either way.

I think I'll see about posting those in the classifieds sometimes this week too.

[joey1320]

Fun project. Enjoy it.
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1971 Super - Sold
1984 Puma GTC - Sold
1971 Campmobile

[aeromech]

You must have mental health issues
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Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[EetsGeets]

Is it that obvious