Volks,

With the  sale of my '71 Westy and my '69 parts sled, I now have a new 
 project, a '78 Westfalia (Joel change the stats) that I bought from a 
 broker who didn't really know what it was and wanted very little $ for 
 it.  My only VW experience is with the 1600 and as I was crawling 
 around underneath it noting the differences, some questions came to mind.

1. The muffler is gone, kaput, absent.  A new Brazilian muffler and 
 tailpipe cost about $130 and a header type system around $120. I would 
 like the most ground clearance and something that is going to last. 
 Any comments?

2.What are those funny pipes next to the heat exchangers?  They look 
 like callyapee, colliapololi, caliape- one of those big organ things 
 on the back of a wagon.

3. I noticed a big pan covering the center of the frame rails.  I 
 looked closer to see that a fuel line appears to be going in and an 
 exhaust pipe is coming out.......WOW a gas heater!  I am starting to 
 feel better about this deal. It looks factory.  There is a nice green 
 knob on the dash with some kind of timer.  Does anybody have a similar setup?

4. What is the consensus on painting the interior metal?  Do you think 
 it would be easier to pay someone to strip the whole Bus or can I 
 scotch-brite the finish?  I think that sanding all of those nooks and 
 crannies would be tough. I plan on shooting the whole bus a nicer 
 color than pea.

I had better stop with these questions and save all the rest for the 
 coming months.

Thanks Clay