Retro Rust

Ultimate Engineering VW T3 Restomod 1.9TDi & Flipped Audi box! This is a build that has been on my mind for a few years but needed to find the right base vehicle and I’m not going to find better than a Westfalia Club Joker T3 so without further ado here is the build plan:

1. Upgrading the sloppy gear shift rods with cables and short shifter like in all modern cars.
2. Replacing the old clunky high revving gearbox with a low revving refined Audi one.
3. Replacing the slow 65hp 1.6TD engine with a 1.9TDi tuned to 150bhp and getting 50-60mpg with cruise control.

The premise of this project is to build a cool classic camper that changes gear & performs similarly to a modern van that you feel comfortable driving everyday.

I will post insta updates on the installation process to help anyone else thinking of going down this path.

Insta: [email protected]

2K Mk3 VW Caddy sill Replacement: cut out the old rotten sill, cleaned up and painted the inside sill with Bikthamber Hydrate 80 then zinc anti rust primer before finally welding the new galvenised outer sill on. When welding the outer sill on I have fully seem welded it along the cut edge in the second pic and ground the welds down for an invisible no body filler needed finish then plug welded the underneath for a factory finish. Last but not least filled all the cavities with creeping wax oil which you can actually see running down from the front wing across the new sill panel in final pic.

VW LT Westfalia Wheel Arch Repair:
As you can see the original wheel arch is rotten and I had to cut all the rot out, rebuild the inside before welding the outer panel on. You’ll notice I didn’t use the entire outer wheel arch panel and just the rotten area. This becouse the edges and shape of the reproduction panels are not as well defined as the original so if you want a filler free finish then you need to localise the repair like this and if you take your time you can fully seem weld without warping the panel. This technique is also good if your trying to preserve an original paint bus like I am with the intention of a rust effect patina paint treatment over the welded areas rather than a full respray.

Happy Welding and thanks for supporting retro rust on FB & Insta: retrovwrust

Successful missions to Belladrum music festival with Ragz the 1983 westy VW LT campervan and the 67 Vespa Sprint big block 200cc scooter 🤙. Check out the heavy duty galvenised bike carrier I designed and welded up on the back, it works well and I’m now down in England with it!

Happy Travels & Thanks for supporting Retro Rust on Facebook and instagram @ retrovwrust

Bulletproof 1.9Tdi engine conversion for the T4. T4 engines are good but the 1.9TD engine is an inefficient indirect injection engine which means poor power and mpg as well as having a fatal engineering flaw with only having a single woodruff key securing the end of the crank pulley to the crankshaft which is known to cause the end of the pulley to wobble until it breaks off and blows up your engine! At Retro Rust we like to upgrade our T4 engines to the mk3 golf 1.9tdi 1Z / AHU engine that have direct injection so we can comfortably handle 150-250bhp and get around 48.5mpg running while getting 500k mile engine life, it’s the have your cake and eat it engine!

The Shopping list you need:
1. 1.9tdi AHU / 1Z / AFN engine
2. 1.9 T4 engine mount (additional 15mm spacer needed for Syncro model)
3. 1.9TD T4 turbo, manifold & oil lines
4. 1.9 T4 power steering lines & pump
5. 1.9 t4 dipstick
6. 1.9 rear gearbox mount
7. Mk2 VW LT 2.8TDi injection pump

Or if your running the ecu from the golf you also need:
1. Demobilised mk3 golf ecu
2. Mk3 golf engine bay wiring loom
3. Air Maff sensor
4. 2.5tdi VW T4 throttle pedal.
5. N75 boost controller

Conversion work:
1. Drill 3 engine mount holes to 8.5mm and tap m10x1.5
2. On the rear of engine there’s a light casting mark that you need to drill 10mm wide right through the block then drill the same hole 14mm wide to a depth of 9mm to fit the T4 dipstick tube in.
3. Bolt on T4 turbo and oil lines on
4. Swap over injection pump and time lift by ear or try 0.97-1.2mm if your going MTDi.

If your sticking with the mk3 golf ecu route:
1. Fit the Vw t4 2.5tdi pedal and make a custom loom that extends from pedal to the golf loom.
2. Connect up maff sensor
3. Connect loom to negative
4. Connect loom to fused positive ignition live
5. Connect demobilised ECU
6. Connect loom to the engine (big circular connector)
7. Connect N75 boost controller pipes to turbo

Going the ECU route is the easiest and cheapest way as the LT2 injection pump for MTDI is £600-2500 depending if you go Chinese or quality.

Pic is taken off our 1997 VW T4 Syncro 4WD OG paint panel van that will be for sale soon

Happy Travels 🤙

Dashboard upgrades in the Westfalia VW LT! To kick things off I have drilled out the 3 plastic recessed gauge blanks and fitted 3 Gorgous VDO gauges (water Temp - Voltage - Oil pressure) and made a custom loom for them.

The second piece of business is fitting a genuine Volkswagen Gamma Stereo which is very square, retro and really suits the square dashboard but with a twist! The twist is that these stereos had cd changers hidden in the cars and you could press a button to play a cd but instead of a cd I have plugged into the back of the stereo in the CD input a Bluetooth module so that I have the retro look with modern usability by being able to play music off my phone.

Also worth mentioning that the stereo wiring behind the dashboard was a scotch clipped nightmare which i methodically removed the stereo loom and correctly soldered connections and simplified it so that it’s not a fire waiting to happen anymore! If you want your wiring loom simplified and repaired or upgraded feel free to give me a shout 🤙

Thank you everyone yesterday that followed & liked the Retro Rust business page, your support means allot ❤️. The instagram page is: retrovwrust

Front Step Rebuilt on our 83 VW LT Westfalia. Rebuilding steps isnt just a matter of welding in an outer panel and a flat top panel! The curved inner arch needs to be fabricated from scratch as you can’t buy them then then the outer panel welded on. One half of the top step needs welded to the seam in the middle just below the big X (part you stand on). Finally a panel needs fabricated to join the outer panel to overlap the top panel that was welded in earlier creating an overlapping spot welded panel as per factory. Tip to prevent your steps rotting out is to drill a hole for the inevitable water to get out instead of rotting your whole step. If you’d like welding drop me a message 🤙

Hope you have a great weekend, thank you for supporting and following Retro Rust on Insta: retrovwrust

Westfalia UK plug conversion. As the westfalia vans are all designed for the European market they don’t have uk plugs so this simple conversion just makes it a little more user friendly inside the van, let me know if you’d like yours converted to uk spec too.

Have a fantastic Friday, thanks for your support and following Retro Rust on insta: retrovwrust

Upgrading the factory insulation to prevent it rotting out your van is one of the services we can provide at Retro Rust once we’ve moved into the new Garage end of the 2025: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKcrrvHI84e/?igsh=aG81OTByaG03OXVz

Let’s talk insulation with Raggy our 83 VW LT westy! Insulation is important to keep you warm in winter and cool in summer but the wrong insulation will rust your van! ☠️ The westfalia factory and most converters of the 20th century packed the walls of vans with mineral wool which absorbs moisture like a wet sponge and eats the van from the inside out leading to expensive welding repair work which is the most common reason I weld vans, you can totally avoid that by following these steps: Pic A: you can see that the roof panels are sagging and split due to the damp wool insulation sitting ontop of the plywood panel. Pic B: I have removed the interior panels, removed the wool, welded the metal and lightly etched the fibreglass and metal with scotchbrite pads and drilled a couple of strategic holes for water to get out in the future. Pic C: I have painted all the metal in Bilthamber Hydrate 80 rust converter, then everything in Buzzwelds 2k mastic epoxy primer followed by cosyfoam insulation paint totally sealing the metal from moisture and sprayed cavities and flat areas where water will sit with sticky waxoil for total piece of mind. Pic D: I have fitted closed cell foam insulation panels with a half to 1 inch air gap to the GRP roof so there’s always air flow to dry any moisture and having an air gap acts as insulation itself so there’s 3 different kinds of insulation in place that won’t rot your van out, this is essential work to any van you want to keep a long time. I don’t recommend adhesive foam insulation sheets or anything that sticks directly to the metal of the van as water always seems to find a way in, gets trapped then rots out in pockets. Always open to suggestions how I can improve my system or if you’d like more info feel free to message and happy travels 🤙 #vw #vwlt #vwltsvenhedin #vwltflorida #vwltwestfalia #westfalia #retro #retrorust #camper #campervan