Category: My VW Westfalia

In October 2013 I bought a 1983.5 (water-cooled) Westfalia van and named him Chief Pete.

Chief Pete goes almost everywhere with me because he’s my home.

Concerned about the future of Chief Pete? Help him out with some GoBucks! GoWesty has quite a few parts we always want/need, but can never quite afford at the moment. Heck, nobody can afford this van.

Another Vanagon Wiring Harness
2019.08.29
My VW Westfalia
I made another wiring harness for another 1983.5 (water-cooled) 1.9L (2.2 GoWesty rebuild) Westfalia van. You can see the first engine wiring harness I made here. My friend’s van started right up, but still needs a new throttle body to smooth out the idle. We knew this before we started. The original wiring harness was in even worse shape than mine, with several sections of burned wire and wire casing. Anyway, here’s some pics of the new one I made. The pics were taken just before the harness was installed, and final connections made, so there are some unfinished ends. But you get the idea. Update: as of December 2019 both these harnesses are working fine, and no regrets. Except I do regret driving through the flooded […]

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I’m Not An Electrician, But
2019.07.29
My VW Westfalia
I haven’t written for a while and since I last wrote I’ve had a pretty marvelous adventure through Utah and Arizona on foot. Yet here I’m going to write about a Vanagon wiring project I just completed. I’m sorry if this is totally off-topic, boring, and a waste of your time. But I took on this wiring project I’ve been wanting to do for a long time and thought I’d share a couple thoughts that could help other folks. Old: New: This was a pretty straightforward project and I’m pleased with the results. One thing I discovered while working on it bothers me and I haven’t been able to confirm anyone else has this situation: the original ECU connector was pinned in reverse such that fuel injectors […]

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New flooring for Chief Pete
2018.04.05
My VW Westfalia
In March, I undertook installing the 9-piece Vanagon carpet set I purchased from Sew Fine in January. Even though new carpet was a must for sanitary and health reasons, I was really nervous about this change for a few reasons. I was scared of what I would find under the carpet, and I was not sure how well the carpet would fit. Also, I was disappointed with the quality of the carpet when it arrived. I almost returned it because it felt cheap and I can’t see it lasting in a vehicle application. As I’ve seen stated elsewhere on the Internet, the replacement carpet available for Vanagons is nowhere as nice as the original. I’ve also heard it said by install pros who use Sew Fine that […]

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My Space
2018.04.04
Latergram, My VW Westfalia
The owner of that Astro approached me yesterday afternoon, two full pails of water on his shoulders. His first words weren’t hello, they were, “do you know how to find water here? It’s right across the road in that stream.” He was so proud of himself. That stream, I thought… you mean Lone Pine Creek? The water coming off the highest peak in the continental USA? OK. So he continued to tell me he’s owned 7 VW vans but none like mine and now he feels like he’s won the lottery, he has AT and 15″ wheels. “You still only have 14 inch wheels?” (Yeah but I have a 14 gallon water tank.) He then started to brag about his cellular data plan, and so I asked […]

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Westfalia front end werk
2017.09.05
My VW Westfalia
This summer while a friend was driving my van through Yosemite to fetch me on the West side, my blower fan seized. He said he almost had a heart attack as my dash smoked and threatened to catch fire. (A reminder why all drivers should carry fire extinguishers.) “It’s ok. No big deal. It’s a cheap part,” I reassured him. But I knew the truth. The time has finally come for the dreaded Vanagon dash removal. The only way to replace the heater fan is to remove the entire dash, which means disconnecting all the wiring, removing the steering wheel, and worse, somehow opening the stubborn clam of a heater box. No big deal. Once my friend returned home to the Midwest I took on the project. […]

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Hashtagging
2017.08.16
Latergram, My VW Westfalia
I’ve noticed the Star Wars window sun shade seems to be popular amidst Westy owners traveling the Owens Valley this summer! The bling peace sign grill emblem is more unique to Chief Pete, though. Takes guts! Hey… If you’re going to hash tag delicate places such as hidden away hot springs, please also consider PICKING UP YOUR TRASH and WRITING LETTERS TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES to ensure they stay protected. Heck, pick up other people’s trash. I just spent two mornings doing it! Hashtagging is causing a real impact on previously quiet places. This place I stayed last night was crowded and littered. People are ignoring signs meant to protect restoration areas and private land. It wouldn’t be surprising if the area gets closed to the public soon. […]

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Pete in Yosemite
2017.07.13
Latergram, My VW Westfalia
That’s Half Dome in the background! Chief Pete finally did Yosemite! Lone Pine, Independence, Big Pine, Bishop, Mammoth, Yosemite, North Fork, Monterey, Big Sur, Los Osos, Walker Pass, Lone Pine. So much adventure with Chief Pete yet – I have no pictures except this one I didn’t even take myself. I guess things change when yer life doesn’t revolve around impressing your IG friends. These past four weeks we’ve really been on the move in Central California and with a very special copilot as well… I even let him babysit #chiefpete while I was in Vipassana… and he surprised me by driving thru Yosemite to pick me up afterwards. He takes such good care. And I just love it when he drives (what a change of perspective)! […]

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Hashtag Vanlife
2017.05.08
My VW Westfalia
I haven’t been posting on social media since November. So… in case you were wondering if I still have Chief Pete, yes! Of course. And he’s great! He’s now got 100w solar, I have the sink pump running local friends’ crystal clear spring and well water, and everything else works, too. Phew! The bed could be a little more comfortable because the upholstery foam has worn thin over the years, but it can wait. I’ve been living out of my van now for three and a half years now, and my friends know it… and so my pen pal of 24 years sent me the recent New Yorker article about “vanlife.” Snail mail! I read it, and gagged. I don’t think I want to be associated with […]

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Dead Battery
2016.12.02
Latergram, My VW Westfalia
I recruited strange (but charitable) men all day yesterday to jump start my van four separate times (so I could stop for gas and to pee) 300 miles down I-5, thanks to a mystery short. I’ll be spending my cold morning at a rest stop, ass hanging out while I’m under my dash trying to find said mystery short. The starter battery is fine*. What was really fun was when my van almost took flight and the dash lit up like a UFO console when I simply tried to turn on my headlights yesterday evening, at 100km/hr (that’s a Vanagon’s best top speed). The engine literally cut out when I tried to turn on my lights. At speed. Damn rain. Damn leaky windshield seals. People actually romanticise […]

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Vive la révolution
2016.11.15
Latergram, My VW Westfalia
You can’t see me. . . . . . . . (Windshield seal leaks) . . . . . . . Last night while reading in the dark to the sound of rain, I remembered/realized it’s not a race war, but a class war that should be firing up. Some of these people ruling the country make more money each year than the bottom 40% of us combined. The poor are paralyzed with poverty and easily convinced to hate each other. There is no middle class. Let’s stop buying their bullshit and allowing them to pit us against each other. Vive la révolution! #chiefpete . . . . . . . If you’re smart (or want to be smarter) and like reading, I highly recommend buying Sarah […]

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Scorpion Scare
2016.10.20
Latergram, My VW Westfalia
144 miles on my new 2.2L Wasserboxer engine – so far, so good! Stopped in the gas station in Independence on 395 and this really caught my eye. I call it immersion therapy for “scorpion-phobia.” (Arachnophobia to be precise, since scorpions are arachnids, but I’m not scared at all of spiders.) I made a tag for the “Scorpion incident:” puppys scorpion sting This 3D postcard calls this scorpion an Arizona bark scorpion but I know better. Of course I might be wrong, but of >1500 types of scorpion, I think this is a regular Arizona Desert Scorpion – the kind you HOPE you get stung by (instead of the awful, tiny Bark Scorpion) if you’re going to get stung at all. Don’t. Oh hey all you scorpios […]

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