Aircooled VW South Africa

HI Guys

I am buzy developing a local Straight axle conversion kit for the Guys that want to drop their split busses

I have made the Jig to Lengthen the Axle Tubes and have done one set already
There is 2 ways to do it Cut the Exsisting Bus Spling plate and noth it to make it work or
I am looking at a bolt on plate tha needs no Cutting but still working out if it will work then You dont even have to move your exsisting spring plates
The plate willl just bolt on the the bus spring plate and drop the bus 2 1/2 inches
Or make a complete new spring plate from scratch

I have a complete back section of a split bus that I am using to get all the sizes and measurements as close to as a Std height bus
Then from there I am buzy with the Axle tubes and Spring plates Who might be interrested in a conversion like this

I might make the spring plates Adjustable depending on the costs


Just edit the header so if this is being searched on Google it will be easier to trace

Me me me!

i am how much

Good 2 candidates

I am still buzy with the basics as I have to make a set for a bus I am buzy with that is getting the Rotary turbo so it has to be Strong,
as I do not like the clearing of the spring plate to clear the top section of the torsion tube stopper and just slotting the springplate to accomodate the Beetle tube

I did some costing and most of the kits from the states or Uk are quite Expensive but it is the shipping that is also expensive.
I want to keep the costs low, only problem is that Broching (Making new splined Bushes for the spring plate) and the material for the spring plates are costly

I am just doing a Quick market check for howmany guys are interrested so I can make say 5 complete sets at one time for costing capping

ANy one else interrested

me too.....although i will only need one much later on...but count me in !

Ok then there were 3 Mooi man

Some pictures to give you guys an Idea of how it will look

What gearbox is needed for these to fit, or is just a case of "plug and play"
I see you lenghtened the axle to get to the spring plate

Splitz wrote:What gearbox is needed for these to fit, or is just a case of "plug and play"
I see you lenghtened the axle to get to the spring plate

You can use any 1600 beetle transmission or type 3 for that matter all depending what motor you got
Most of the Guys that go Straight axle in their busses have the 4th Gear ratio changed to a longer ratio as they go low profile tyres or 15" Rasors or those type of rims


Yes the Axles are lengthened to reach the spring plates as a result you do not have to bend the Spring Plates inwards about 34mm to reach the axle tubes as this is extra stress on the spring plates
Then you can use the std Beetle type disc brake kit if you want discs on the back which is a good Idea

Hi Pierre

This looks interesting , i do hope you can have this completed by August , so that you can display it ,at the Swap meet , that is if you would like to
changing Top gear is definetly the way to got especially if you planning to drive long distances with you bus .

On your pictures above , axel tubes , did you lengthen the STD short axel tubes , or is it the STD long axel tubes that you made longer ?

I would also be interested in a set , depending on price

Ferdies swap meet on the 28 August in Midrand

HI Herb

Yes it should be Running in the bus hopefully by then

Short ones lengthend to move the mounting point outwards to the spring plate

I have orders plates for 5 sets and are making them Adjustable while going through the effort

I will try and keep the costs down

Yes this is basically the way to go with longer ratio 4th

Thomas on the forum is also going this route I built him a box the other day and he should be also one of the guys that will get a set from me

Hi Pieere

So , the side shaft itself are the long STD ones ? , I am just thinking of the spacing for the ,(Drum,hub,Disc,caliper) ,rear nut , set up .

Are you aware of any busses running Beetle IRS Rear in SA. ?

Look forward to seeing the end product

Andreas

HI Guys

Just a Quick Update

I was tired of getting 20 different versions of what material the "Clever Guys" say the "Spring" plates are made of

So I decided to have the Std "Spring"plate tested to KNOW what materials was used
Thanks to Beetlefanatic I was able to borrow his imported beetle adjustable spring plate set up he got for his Cabrio beetle for comparrison as a
after market made version against the STB Bus plate. Then I took it to a metallurgical testing Laboratory facility for Chemical analysis.

As Peoples lives will be dependent on reliability and I do not want failures as the first set I am going to use myself will be used in the Bus with the upgraded Rotary Turbo
and it has to be strong

They did a chemical analysis and also checked the hardness rockwell of the materials
Std plate
Imported plate
Imported Spline bush part where the torsion bar pushes in


Now I know what was used in std VW version and in the aftermarket kit but now it is to source that material Locally to make the Straight axle kit
The testing was a bit costly but in the long run it is worth the Money spent on doing the testing

I saw a slight upgrade mod I will be doing on my kit also to make the pivot point in the torsion housing stronger and smoother operational

So the progress is slow I know but I rather plan this properly and make a Good Quality product at the end of the day than a Quick bad quality product that does not last
when the Bus is a Daily driver

Keep em Eyes peeled on this thread

how would one do this with a cv setup as in the early bay window bus?
Is it posseble to use a beetle gb with cv's and the std spring plate?
Im thinking if its possible to have the same ground clearance as the split or 200mm
Think fleetline is 230mm

louisvr45 wrote:how would one do this with a cv setup as in the early bay window bus?
Is it posseble to use a beetle gb with cv's and the std spring plate?
Im thinking if its possible to have the same ground clearance as the split or 200mm
Think fleetline is 230mm

You can speak to Herbie123 he has fitted a Bay suspension in his splitty but it is not a cheac conversion if you have not the skill to do it your self
This straight axle conversion is not to gain ground clearance but to reduce ground clearance so not what you are after