r/Westfalia

Camp at Jersey city then show at Governors Island NYC

Hey all!
I have a 1979 Westy. I’ve owned it 15 years. 120,000 miles.It’s lost power and according to one mechanic I have lost 100% of compression in one cylinder and about 90% in the other.
He quoted me an estimate to rebuild the top end of the engine. It was not unreasonable, but I have had overall mixed experiences with this mechanic.
I’d like to find someone else, but it’s been next to impossible. Last guy I called told me without even looking at it that I need an entire new engine. “As soon as you open up that engine, you’ll may as well buy a new one.”
Bus runs great, just slow. Don’t know what to do. Can’t afford a Suburu swap. Live in SE PA. Any advice?

I recently came into ownership of this very charming 1968 Kombi but she’s a little worse for wear. The previous owner had the bus running around 2020 but after some issue with the breaks, it was left to sit. As far as I know it’s been left pretty much untouched since then, sitting outside under a tarp up here in Western WA.
The previous owner seems confident I could get it up and running again, but I’m worried about the rust. I want to give this bus the life on the road it deserves, so I’d rather not slap on a bandaid fix that will just worsen it in the future. That being said, I’d like to hear if you think this project is beyond saving (especially as a complete novice to VWs and car repair as a whole) or if it’s not as bad as it looks.
Another issue on the table is the interior. Most of the original camper build is still inside with quite a bit of wear on it. The front seats acquired a couple holes and appear to have been a critters cabana for some time. Theres also quite a bit of rust on the dashboard where water crept through the windshield.
If you have any guidance, advice, warnings, or words of encouragement please share!

Hey everyone. I'm looking at picking up this T25 as a "fly then drive" over stupid distance (~800 miles...yes, I'm preparing for the the worst). From the video, I'm picking up misfires, but curious if anything more glaring/concerning stands out to anyone in this sub. The 2.2L from 11 years ago has 30k on the build; I'm assuming the video is from a cold start. Thanks in advance.