The Penny build

Meet Penny

Speedhut’s “Road Trip of a Lifetime” feature includes an interview with Shane Jordan and a closer look at this 1982 Westfalia. Watch the film for the story behind the equipment, then explore the build below.

Watch the Speedhut film on YouTube

Penny, before and after

Engine, cooling & fuel

The engine conversion is only one part of this system. Penny’s build also renewed the cooling and fuel systems from front to rear, alongside the hardware needed to connect the Subaru engine to the Volkswagen drivetrain.

• Engine: rebuilt Subaru EJ25 with a Stinger engine-management system. The original notes report a tune of 180 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque; these are recorded build figures, with no dyno sheet supplied on this page.
• Conversion hardware: Kennedy Engineered Products adapter plate, crossmember, stainless-steel headers, exhaust and muffler, plus a custom heat shield. Kennedy’s current website replaces the old supplier link.
• Cooling: stainless-steel coolant pipes, a replacement radiator, and new hoses throughout.
• Fuel system: replacement fuel tank, tank seals, fuel lines, pump, filter, and fuel-level sending unit.
• Starting and charging: a 140 A alternator, GoWesty hard-start relay, and TDI starter motor.

Transmission & driveline

Penny retains a Volkswagen transaxle, with internal upgrades and a revised shift mechanism documented in the original build.

• Transmission: VW 091 DK unit from the air-cooled Vanagon configuration.
• Differential: Peloquin limited-slip differential.
• Internal upgrades: South African oiling plates, steel-caged bearings, a Weddle thrust plate, and Weddle third and fourth gears.
• Clutch assembly: replacement clutch and flywheel, with a new clutch master cylinder.
• CV joints: Porsche 944 CV joints paired with EMPI Type 2 off-road CV boots.
• Shifter: RSFAB Big Shot shifter.

Suspension, wheels & brakes

The chassis work combines renewed wear items with changes to ride height, damping, and braking. These parts describe Penny’s particular combination; wheel fit, CV angles, and brake compatibility still need to be checked for any other van.

• Wheels and tires: BFGoodrich KO2 tires in 215/70R16 on 16-inch forged Mercedes CLK alloy wheels. The original notes list the wheels at approximately 13 lb each.
• Springs and ride height: Schwenk springs with custom metal spacers, described as raising the van approximately 1.5 inches all around.
• Dampers: Rancho 9000 shocks with nine-way adjustment, front and rear.
• Roll control and bushings: T3 Technique front anti-sway bar, with Powerflex front and rear suspension bushings and transmission-mount bushings supplied by T3 Technique. See the supplier’s current range.
• Steering and joints: replacement tie rods, upper ball joints, and lower ball joints.
• Rear suspension: spring limit straps.
• Front brakes: Burley Motorsports big-brake kit with later-model Vanagon spindles. Current Burley front-brake information.
• Rear brakes: replacement drums, shoes, and wheel cylinders.
• Brake hydraulics and assistance: a new brake master cylinder and BMW E30 brake booster. The build notes describe the booster as 20% larger than stock; this should not be read as a measured 20% increase in braking performance.

Bodywork, paint & high top

The visible transformation runs from the Surf Blue finish to the high top, but much of the work happened behind the cabinetry and interior trim.

• Body preparation: the interior was stripped back to expose the body. Minor rust behind the sink cabinet was addressed, with POR-15 recorded in the original notes.
• Paint: a repaint with the windows removed, changing the original Assuan Brown to 1959 Ford Surf Blue Poly. The documented process included primer, four color coats, and clear coat.
• Seals: replacement exterior rubber, including window and door seals, sourced from West Coast Metric. Browse the correct 1982 Vanagon category.
• High top: a North American High Tops roof, professionally installed by VanLab, with custom bulkhead, bracing, Prodex insulation, and marine-carpet lining.
• Sound treatment and insulation: sound-deadening material across the rear interior, followed by new insulation.
• Headliner and window surrounds: custom marine-grade carpeting, including trim around the interior windows, providing a surface for hook-and-loop storage pockets and accessories.
• Privacy: 5% tint on the rear and high-top windows.

For the current restoration process, visit Paint & Bodywork: Start Here.

Exterior storage & camping gear

Moving bulky equipment outside helps preserve the living area. Penny uses a combination of rear carriers, metal replacement windows, and a roof rack made around the high top.

• Bumpers: the stock front bumper, powder-coated black, and a GoWesty rear bumper with swing arm, universal carrier, hitch, and shackle.
• Rear storage: a passenger-side swing-away carrier with GoWesty offset bracket and an Aluminess galley storage box. A custom bracket raises the box 3 inches, with a RotopaX diesel container for the Espar heater mounted above. Current Aluminess storage-box range.
• Replacement rear-quarter windows: VanagonLife VOW metal panels on both sides. The driver’s side carries MAXTRAX recovery boards and a shovel. Current passenger-side VOW information.
• Roof rack: a custom steel-tube rack spanning the high top and attaching to the rain gutters. It incorporates side-facing LED floodlights, a surfboard rack, a Fiamma awning mount, and a hinged 100 W solar panel.
• Awning: an 8-foot Fiamma F45.
• Exterior fittings: heavy-duty LT-style truck mirrors, South African front and rear mudflaps, and T3 Technique front signal-light brush guards.
• Air-intake panels: VanagonLife MPV steel vents incorporating solar connectors and a CB antenna.
• Compressed air: an ARB compressor concealed in a compartment above the TruckFridge, with an exterior quick-connect fitting.
• Utility hookups: replacement GoWesty boxes for fresh-water, 110 V electrical, and air-compressor connections, with decals by NRWSTR.

For current supplier information, visit GoWesty and VanagonLife’s shop. Original part names are retained here even where a specific old listing is no longer available.

Electrical system & solar

The camper has a separate auxiliary battery system to run its living-area equipment. The original work included replacement camper wiring and individually fused circuits.

• House battery: 100 Ah lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), installed under the rear bench.
• Solar panels: a 60 W panel at the rear of the high top and a 50 W panel at the front. The roof-rack entry also records a hinged 100 W panel. The notes do not establish whether all three were used together, so a combined array capacity is not assumed here.
• Solar charging: Victron BlueSolar MPPT 100/30 charge controller.
• Battery monitoring: Victron BMV-700, which tracks charge moving into and out of the battery and estimates its state of charge.
• Alternator charging: a Victron lithium battery combiner is recorded in the original installation.
• Shore charging: the original list names a NOCO Genius GENM1 4 A charger. This is retained as a historical equipment reference; charger suitability and settings must be checked against the actual battery manufacturer’s requirements before reproducing the arrangement.

Interior, kitchen & water

The Westfalia layout remains at the heart of the camper. Rebuilt cabinetry, sliding doors, and storage fitted around the appliances make use of space that would otherwise be difficult to reach.

• Upholstery and seating: complete front-to-rear upholstery by LiveTheVanLife, with Stow ’n Go seats up front.
• Flooring: bamboo in the rear living area and new carpet in the cab.
• Cabinet restoration: Westfalia cabinetry rebuilt and reinforced where necessary to reduce rattles and improve durability.
• VanLab spice-rack cabinet: sliding storage doors, a rear storage pocket, 12 V sockets, a voltmeter, and separate switches for the underside-mounted fan, kitchen LED strip, and voltmeter.
• Custom cabinet fronts: sliding rear Westfalia cabinet doors, a spice-rack door, and a matching drawer above the TruckFridge, with work credited to Rhino Design Studio.
• Refrigeration: TruckFridge TF49.
• Fresh water: a Shurflo faucet, replacement water hoses throughout, and a new in-tank pump.
• Stove and sink: a powder-coated faceplate and VW-emblem stove grates by Ben T Syncro of the Vanagon Owners Group.
• Gas arrangement: the original notes record removal of the fixed LP tank and a bottle setup in the sink cabinet. Ventilation, containment, and installation details are not documented here; this description is a build record, not a gas-installation guide.
• Interior panels: black ABS panels and ABS door pockets by Werksberg. Werksberg’s Vanagon panel listing.
• Curtains: tan GoWesty curtains.
• Additional storage: dual steel lockboxes beneath the front seats, credited to Rocky Mountain Westy, plus a VanagonLife center console. Current underseat-drawer listing at Van Cafe.
• Toilet box: a European-market Westfalia box behind the passenger seat, also used as a footrest when the seat is swiveled.

Heating, ventilation & lighting

Penny combines cab air conditioning, a diesel cabin heater, roof ventilation, and lighting positioned around everyday tasks.

• Air conditioning: Small Car in-dash A/C. Small Car’s current Dash Air information.
• Cabin heating: an Eberspächer / Espar D2 diesel heater, with the thermostat in the rear closet. Manufacturer information.
• Ventilation: a Fan-Tastic roof fan and the separate fan beneath the spice-rack cabinet.
• Headlights and grille: Van Cafe LED headlights on GoWesty 7-inch brackets, with a South African grille. Van Cafe’s current website.
• Auxiliary lighting: Vision X LED Light Cannons with Euro amber lenses, a 52-inch curved LED light bar on VanagonLife brackets, and the roof rack’s side floodlights.
• Interior lighting: LEDs at the rear overhead “headbanger” cabinet, above the kitchen, in the high top and bulkhead, and in the front headliner.
• Footwell lighting: VanagonLEDs lights connected to the door switches.
• Exterior lamps: LED bulb upgrades, rear LED side markers wired to flash with the turn signals, and a GoWesty LED third brake light at the top of the rear hatch window.

Cab, instruments & audio

• Instrument cluster: a custom Speedhut setup with GPS speedometer, tachometer, water-temperature gauge, oil-pressure gauge, voltmeter, and fuel gauge.
• Additional display: a steering-column-mounted LED readout for outside temperature, voltage, and time.
• Windshield washing: GoWesty dual-nozzle washers, an extended-length wiper kit, and replacement washer-fluid lines from the reservoir.
• Stereo: Alpine UTE-62BT Bluetooth head unit with 4-inch Pioneer speakers in the doors and rear cabinet.
• Subwoofer: a 12-inch Fosgate unit in a custom enclosure under the bench, described in the original notes as sitting above the Eberspächer heater, driven by a 600 W Alpine amplifier.

What to take from Penny’s build

A useful build list shows how the systems fit together: the engine, cooling, and drivetrain; the wheels, suspension, and brakes; the roof rack and exterior storage; and the battery, charging equipment, and camper loads. Penny’s custom work makes the most sense when viewed as a complete van.

For your own project, start with how you travel, what needs repairing, and what you want to carry. Use these details to develop ideas, then confirm the parts, dimensions, and installation requirements for your particular van. A named component here is not a promise of current availability or a universal fit.

Build information reorganized and links reviewed September 2026. Current product pages may describe newer versions than the components fitted during Penny’s build. Builder and supplier credits are preserved from the original notes.

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