Many thanks to those who helped me out with the pricing of an 82 Westfalia.
 I've now settled with the insurance company, and am having the van repaired.

Mechanic is going to replace the auxiliary gas heater with the a unit he
has.  Does anyone know if this item uses 12V and if so, any reason why I
couldn't have him connect this to the auxiliary house battery (Optima) that
is already installed?

If this can be done, can the gas heater then be used for camping, when the
engine in off?  How many hours before it draws down the Optima?

Thanks
-
Steven Heller
Toronto, Canada