New Member Vw Bus Conversion

Hello All,

I live in California, Commute 8 miles to work in a Tacoma 4x4. I'm a Science teacher and restore old bay window vw Buses on the side.

What I would like to convert:
Year: 1971
Make: VW
Model: Transporter
Manual Transmission
Range Desired: 50 miles
Speed desired: 55
Cost desired: 3-5k

So I see alot of different kits out there and its hard for me decide. My family is growing and I am going to sell the truck and get a 4x4 van for weekend camping and trips. My wife and I were thinking that instead of just having a bus as a classic car in the driveway, instead I could use it as a commuter and weekend beach bomber and save the big trips for the 4x4 van. All thoughts are welcome. Beat thing about vw busses is that they where built as 3/4 ton vehicles stock so they can handle some weight.