Overland ready Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro 1987

theslowdutchman

New member
SOLD: a unique Volkswagen Vanagon Syncro. We rebuild the whole vehicle for overlanding the Americas. We chose this vehicle because of its excellent state, the TDi conversion and the unique roof. We spend two years on preparation (every weekend and weekday when possible). Now more than 1,5 year in the trip we only had a broken starter and an issue with the turbo hoses (both are solved of course). So it has proven to be trustworthy. We decided to put the Vanagon for sale because we want something bigger with more comfort (hey we are living in it and would like to have a hot shower….). Below we tried to write down as much as possible about the vehicle. As you can see we did a lot of modifications. Feel free to ask any questions. We want to inform you as good as possible. One thing you should remember though…it doesn't matter how many modifications and upgrades you do…it's still a 30-year-old vehicle.

Below we have added some pictures of the Van. We also made a video to give you a closer image of how it looks and works. Check it out here:
[video]https://youtu.be/6a7rpyb0Ovo[/video]

Roof
The roof is a Reimo Primus roof. This means you have best of both worlds. When closed you can stand in it. You also have a permanent storage in front and the back. And because it is a lot shorter as a high top you don't have much problems with the wind. When open, you can sleep upstairs. Opening the roof will also give you a good ventilation and it feels spacious. The roof is really a unique part of this vehicle. And we know you will love it.

Body
In April 2017 an outside paintjob and rust prevention is done by Volkswagen Mexico (1 year warranty on the paint). They have added 3 layers of paint and 2 layers of transparent. They also removed some (not a lot) rust on the regular spots.
We couldn't find any rust on the interior. We painted the interior with rust prevention and attached Reimo Xtreme isolator (sound and cold) and Bitumen sound reduction plates (see pictures).

Engine
• 1.9 TDi engine (AHU) with 173.000 km (107K miles) on the clock.
• New Turbo in 2016.
• All the turbo hoses are replaced in 2016. Where possible we changed them to custom welded pipes.
• All fuel lines and valves are replaced in June 2017.
• New starter placed in October 2016.
• Complete preventive injection pump rebuild in July 2017.
• 16 bits chipped ECU, which slowly gives more horsepower if you are high in RPM.
• 8 bits spare ECU (original).
• On average it uses: 23 miles per US gallon (1 liter on 10km).
• All regular oil changes has been done (logbook available).
• All regular filter changes has been done (logbook available).
• All the belts are replaced in June 2017.

Mechanical
• Front and rear differential locks.
• Rebuild gearbox by Tony Vos (Netherlands) in 2015. Tony is one of the two best specialists in Europe.
• Rebuild front differential by Tony Vos in 2015.
• Extended 3th and 4th gear (see picture for details).
• South African plates mod for equal distribution of oil in the gearbox.
• Electrical (!) power steering (custom made).
• Cruise control (custom made).
• All the CV joints replaced in 2016.
• All the shifter parts replaced in 2016.
• Rear shocks replaced in 2016.
• U joints from cardan axle replaced in 2017.
• Underneath the van is the original protection shields from front to back.

Electrical
• 1 starter battery 90AH.
• 1 AGM deep cycle household battery 110AH.
• 2 solar panels 65W (130 total) in serial (we never use hook ups).
• Victron Blue solar charge controller (MPPT).
• Custom made monitor for monitoring.
o Water tank 1​
o Diesel tank 2​
o Starter battery​
o Household battery​
o Voltages​
o Pumping diesel from tank 2 to tank 1​
o Temperature meter​
o Humidity meter​
o Display dims light depending on surrounding light (just because you can)​
• In 2015-2016 we have been rebuilding the complete interior wiring.
• Every light in the van is LED. Some lights are even touched dimmed LED's. The different lights make it possible to adjust the lightning to the occasion.
• Eberspracher Diesel heater, runs on the main diesel tank to make it nice and warm inside.
• CB radio 18 channel.
• Oil temperature and oil pressure meter (it gives an indication).
• LED upgrade for all the lights in the clock area (speed, RPM, etc.).
• 3 sets of USB connection points (1 and 2.1 AMP).
• 2 cigarette lighters (front and back).
• 1 Fantastic Van in the roof for a great breeze. 2 computer ventilators above the bed downstairs for a soft and quite breeze.
• New car radio from JVC with remote, USB, Bluetooth, car kit, etc. from 2016.
• New radio boxes build in (120W), June 2017
• Complete new fuse system for all the household stuff.
• Smart charge controller! When driving your start battery will be charged first, while not driving your household will be charged first. There is a security build in so you always have 25% of your starter battery available.

Security
• Bearlock, gearbox lock. With this lock you can lock your gearbox when parked.
• Alarm system with 2 settings. One for when you are sleeping inside your van and one for when you are out of the van. The whole neighborhood will know when someone is trying to break in.
• Every door has 2 locks except the hatch.
• Full window tinting done in 2016 in Texas. We took the best heat resistant tint available (1.000 dollar tint job). It's hard to look inside but easy to look outside (extra fun when you are inside and people are checking out your rig).
• All the wiring is ready for a GPS tracker. We didn't use it so far.
• There are a few hidden compartments for laptops and other stuff.
• 2 fire extinguishers.
• 2 Emergency boxes.
• 1 emergency triangle.
• 2 emergency jackets.

Interior
• Modified Westfalia interior.
• Extended bed downstairs (2.00 meter long and 1.60 meter width). There is an extra topper to go over the redone (2016) mattresses of the bed so you have a great night sleep.
• The bed and cabinets on the side are increased in height so you have a lot of extra storage below the bed (roughly the height of a can of beans).
• Custom build fridge! Inspired by the boating world we build our own fridge. This WAECO compressor fridge uses almost no energy (on average 1.5 AMP a hour). We doubled the isolation and the capacity is double for the size of the fridge. Because you fill it from the top, the cold stays in. We are incredible happy with this fridge.
• Regular Westfalia 2 pit cooking cabinet. We took the original fridge out so that's extra storage space.
• 1 propane cabinet for indoor cooking. Next to the propane tank fit's a lot of small stuff.
• 1 outdoor kitchen. This is one of the best features of the van. We build ourselves a complete extra kitchen! You can easily take the kitchen out and put it outside on some legs (no sand in the kitchen and more comfortable for cooking). With the Coleman (gasoline) you can cook outside. All your kitchen stuff (pans, spices, etc.) are included.
• Below the outdoor kitchen is the porta poti. At night you easily place the kitchen below the bed and you have your own toilet available.
• Below the porta poti is a space for a big toolbox (no you don't smell the porta porti, that's a complete different compartment).
• 1 regular Westfalia rear cabinet. We used half of it for technical stuff and the front for clothes.
• Up in the roof there is a lot (!!!!) of space. All our clothing is in the front side of the roof. In the rear side you have tons of space. If you want you can sleep in top of the van. The upholstery of the matrass has just been redone in June 2017.
• The tent of the roof has just been redone in June 2017. It's a custom build. Fabric being used is from the Sunbrella Marine series.
• The whole roof on the inside has just been redone in June 2017.
• New curtains rails and curtains made in 2016. They don't let any light thru and are heat resistant.
• Magnetic curtains for the front windows who are also heat resistant and easily placed on the outside (and really don't take any extra space).
• In the front we have 2 captains chairs with in height adjustable elbow rests. The chair on the passenger side can turn around so you can sit comfortable. New upholstery is done on the chairs in June 2017. You can turn the passenger chair 180 degrees around.


Exterior
• 5 BF Goodrich all terrain KO2 (October 2016).
• 5 Mefro rims (October 2016).
• Locked spare tire carrier custom build. This carrier is going all the way up on the frame. In this way it's mounted really well. Important for off-road use!
• In the spare tire is a BMW gas tank (6 liter). We use this tank for Coleman fuel.
• `2 extra Hela lights on the front.
• USA hitch receiver.
• 1x60L/16Gallon water tank. If you want more you can easily replace the extra diesel tank for a second water tank.
• 1x60L/16 Gallon spare diesel tank. This is just great. With this tank you have about 600km extra distance in your tank. Great for remote area's. You can pump diesel from this tank to the main tank with the custom build camper monitor.
• Outdoor (cold) shower.
• 220V hookup, but to be honest we never used it. The solar delivers more the enough energy.
• Omnistor 2000 awning! 9.8 feet width.
• Complete ARB mosquito room for under the awning. We modified the mosquito room to fit underneath this one. Works great!
• LED lightning on the awning (9 feet)
• LED lightning on the outside which can be controlled from the bed (security!).
• 2 TREDS (same as MAXTRAX but better ;-)). Of course they are locked.
• Ax for chopping wood for the awesome campfires.
• 2 wooden shoes as a bonus for its Dutch roots ;-).

Spare parts
• CV joints
• Fuel injection pump
• CV joint rubbers
• CV joint bolts
• Front and rear ball bearings
• Spare axle
• Hose clams
• Hoses
• Filters for fuel and air
• Complete and really handy Kraftwerk toolbox (see pictures)
• Lot's of extra tools and special tools for the Vanagon
• A lot of extra small stuff (wires, drills, connectors, bolds, fluids, etc.).

Price: 55K. The Vanagon is at this moment in Mexico (Cancun area). If you decide to come pick-it up we threat you on a dinner and we could do a test road trip together (we love adventures people). At the moment the car is Netherlands plated but it's no problem to bring it in the states (it's older then 25 years and we are happy to help you with it). We are serious on this sell and we know the value of this vehicle. We want a buyer that gives about this vehicle and its community.
For more pictures of our trip check out: www.facebook.com/theslowdutchman
If you have any questions feel free to contact us on Facebook or on: theslowdutchman@gmail.com
Telephone (Mexican): +5216121986544
Whatsapp: +31614855971

1 Overview.jpg
2 outside 1.JPG
3 outside 2.JPG
4 outside 3.JPG
5 Awning old paint.JPG
6 interior.JPG
7 inside.JPG
8 fridge.JPG
9 inside kitchen.JPG
10 front cabin.JPG
 
Last edited:

theslowdutchman

New member
Yeah we love the motor as well. We chipped the ECU and for us that has made a lot of difference in the mountains. So it's worth doing that.
The top is really the best of both worlds. To be honest we have been long in doubt to put it for sale or not because of the top. We know we won't find another one when we are back in the Netherlands (luckily it will take a few years before that's the case). ;-)
The Cartagena top is a little bit easier to find. So if you are looking for one, use that name as well ;-)
 

theslowdutchman

New member
Thanks! They are included ;-)
And for people who are considering this vehicle. Know that we are flexible in organizing the logistics of the sale.
 

theslowdutchman

New member
If anyone know of anything like this build for sale in Europe please let me know!
This car is sold. So far I know there aren't many cars left with this kind of roof (4 so far I know). But you could look for a car with the Carthagena roof. Almost the same. Still rare but there are a couple more of them driving around.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
188,253
Messages
2,904,529
Members
229,805
Latest member
Chonker LMTV
Top