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Featured Volkswagen Story
Monthly spotlight on standout air-cooled Volkswagens from the community. From memorable builds to survivor cars and the personal stories behind them.
The Eight-Year Itch: Preserving a Time-Capsule 1978 Westfalia Camper - Owner: Chris Vegas
For many classic air-cooled enthusiasts, the obsession takes root early, long before a driver’s license is ever in hand. "For me, it all started around the age of ten in the late 1970s when I noticed a Bay Window bus for the first time," recalls owner Chris Vegas. "It looked a lot like a loaf of bread with wheels, but something about it caught my eye!" Though Chris grew up to be a self-described car guy with a penchant for American muscle, that distinctive silhouette never left the back of his mind. Decades later, when his nephews were born in the mid-2000s, Chris saw the perfect opportunity to pass down the vintage automotive passion through outdoor adventures. "I thought a Volkswagen camper might be a perfect way to get them into the hobby, as well as a way to spend some quality time with them camping," Chris explains.
Finding the ideal late-production Type 2 is a tall order for any enthusiast, especially when searching in the heart of the Midwest. Chris set out with a strict criteria list: a Late Bay Westfalia boasting factory disc brakes and Type 4 fuel injection, preserved as closely to stock as possible, and ready to camp immediately. "I wanted as close to an original example as possible, and something that we could start adventuring in ASAP... no projects," Chris notes. "Not an easy wish list for someone living in the Midwest!" The search proved to be a marathon of patience that ultimately spanned nearly a decade. "After eight long years of searching, I finally found the perfect Bus... and it was right in my backyard!"
The history behind this particular 1978 Westy reads like a collector's dream. Originally purchased new in Kansas City, Kansas, the original owners used it strictly for family camping trips over twenty years, keeping it well maintained and completely unmolested. The second owners relocated the bus to Illinois, replaced the pop-top canvas, and repainted the front nose section, but grew anxious about racking up road wear. "They worried about the wear-and-tear of road trips and camping," Chris says. "Thus, the Bus remained in their climate-controlled garage for years with only occasional jaunts around town." When it surfaced on eBay in 2014, Chris jumped at the chance to inspect it locally. "It was far and away the cleanest, most original Westy I'd seen in my life! I had no choice but to pull the trigger."
Once safely parked in his garage, the pristine Sage Green Bus immediately won over the family and earned an affectionate moniker. "After much deliberation, my nephews and I decided to name her 'Snail,' since she is slow and green!" Chris chuckles. Outside of the nose repaint and pop-top canvas, Snail remains a survivor, retaining her factory cabinetry, seats, radio, interior paint, and an unopened 2000cc engine with just 45,000 original miles. However, turning a survivor into a modern cross-country family rig required a few clever upgrades. "Since we planned on camping her again, I decided to add some modern conveniences which are powered by a LiFePO4 300Ah lithium battery," Chris explains. Tucked cleanly under the rear rock-and-roll bed, the house battery charges via a DC-to-DC converter while driving, a folding solar array while boondocking, or shore power when plugged in at a campsite.
Upgrading a survivor-grade VW comes with a strict rule: preserve the factory steel and interior at all costs. Every modern amenity inside Snail was engineered to be completely reversible without creating a single new hole in the bodywork. Adhesive-backed LED ambient lighting outlines the plastic trim, giving customized dimmable lighting from the cab to the rear hatch. "Mounting the TV/DVD to the pop-top crossbar made it usable both when the top is up and when it is down and the Bus is traveling," Chris details. "While the top is up, it can be viewed by both the rock-and-roll bed below and the top bunk, providing balcony seating!" Movie nights get full surround sound through a secondary stereo hidden in the glove box, leaving the original dashboard radio untouched to play through its factory center speaker.
The interior layout maximizes every inch of space for cold storage and passenger comfort during long road trips. Positioned behind the front passenger seat sits an AC/DC refrigerator, fitted with a custom cushion so it doubles as a footrest or jump seat when the passenger captain's chair is rotated around. Between the front bucket seats, an AC/DC freezer serves as a central armrest, accompanied by multiple USB charging ports and visor-mounted cooling fans throughout the cabin. On the sink counter rests a compact microwave, though Chris manages its power use carefully off the grid. "While I have an inverter, even a small microwave would use too much juice from the battery," Chris admits. "The last frontier of amenities would be a hidden, permanently mounted air conditioning system for use on hot, sticky summer nights... I haven’t figured that one out yet!"
When off the grid, the campsite setup extends well beyond the sliding door to keep the interior space tidy and functional. Rather than using the classic heavy canvas side tent, the family pitches a lightweight modern inflatable tent, along with a separate pop-up enclosure for an outdoor shower and toilet system. A color-matched vintage fiberglass trailer hauls the bicycles and heavy equipment behind the Bus, allowing all cooking duties to take place on folding outdoor tables. "It really helps to keep the Bus uncluttered on trips and is easy to work out of when setting up and taking down camp," Chris notes. "It's amazing how many people will pull over in their six-figure RVs to check out our little setup... these old VWs still attract a crowd!"
Today, Snail is doing exactly what Volkswagen intended nearly five decades ago: bringing family together and exploring the open road. The rig routinely logs miles touring around Lake Michigan, stopping at scenic spots like Ludington, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and Door County, with grander plans to hit Yellowstone and Glacier National Park as the boys grow up. "Snail will cruise 75 mph all day long on a flat interstate without a hiccup, though I keep her closer to 65 mph with trailer and equipment," Chris says. The journey to find the right Late Bay took eight years, but the memories made along the right-hand lane make every mile worth the wait. "So if you see something slow and green cruising in the right-hand lane, give us a honk and wave as you pass!"
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