Aircooled VW South Africa

OK, I have the following...

1. A COMPLETELY F*cked '58 heap of a bus.

No straight panels, bad rot and damage at the bottom of the nose, repair panels everywhere, hacks all over, and the left side of the roof has completely detached due to rust.

It is way beyond the scope of resto, has it's stuffed Safari's, front bumper, etc.

for Fig to look up...*

2. A complete '68 Bay' suspension setup, with gearbox. ie: IRS

'68 is the only bolt-on year with regards to Bay' Vs. Splittie.

3. Insanity.

Now, I'm sure the more enlightened ones here are already putting the pieces together...

How crazy do I need to be do build the Father of all Rats?

The idea is to weld supporting beams into the back, X-member style, weld up, and strenghten the chassis from underneath, fit the Bay' gear - dropped on the ground just about, shove in a 'more than stock' engine, somehow dodge registration, and get this thing moving.

Honestly, it's much worse than anything you're thinking of right now...

It needs a bulkhead - I have a damaged Fleetline one, front seats, headlights, semaphores (I have), bling rims, and a Sh*thouse full of metal work.

It very obviously doesn't need to be a neat job. The more F'ed, the better. *lol*

Hell, the cargo doors (one is upside down, and is a panel cargo door) are currently held closed by wire - this will stay, seriously. *lol*

I think this would be one Helluva unique bus. Call it a heap, call it looney, or whatever.

Would you tackle it?

The metal work needed would be cutting the chassis to get it low enough, sorting out the bulkhead (Fleetline one is not age-correct, but who cares), internal bracing (frame outside of the structure of the rusted panels), etc.





N.

CRAZY

*grin*

Could it be? Could it actually be a Watch This Space segment

It's probably crazy to want to drive any split bus ...

If you want to do it, then go for it ... BUT ... it will cost you a fair bit without adding any market value to the bus.

The same amount spent on restoring a project bus would create something that has a higher resale value than before restoration. This bus is worth scrap metal value today, and it won't be worth a cent more after all your efforts.

Another thing is that no matter how ratty it looks, you would still want it to be roadworthy, ie, not dumping oil or smoke all over the environment; capable of stopping itself; able to be steered accurately; and with sufficient structural integrity that it's not in danger of shedding parts on the road or breaking in half at any moment.

If you have money to piss, then go for it.

Personally if I wanted to do something like this I would use an ugly but less trashed bus. All I can see is a parts bus.

Owning a rat is like dating a decomposing girlfriend

agree (generally) . If you have to touch the 58, its better to fix it properly rather than hack it, else its just money down the tubes....

Brian,

The bus is well and truly F*cked. As Fig says, it's either I do something, or it's cut and lost...well, more lost.

I'm not in it for cash Fig.

I'm well aware it would cost a fair whack, and have no value, but then, it would be fun wouldn't it now.

The Bay' beam will def' get discs, and the rear? Who knows.

The steering box would be raised, and all the necessary gear revamped.

A new bus underneath, a heap on top.

I wouldn't touch a body panel. The only thing it might lose is a few rust flakes a day. *lol*

The engine, of which there is none now, would get some slight mods...nice growling exhaust, probably a t/carb setup, etc.

Can you just imagine how this would freak the other road guys out? That alone is inspiration enouh for me.

The Beetle and bike first, so this is some way off, but I'm fairly certain I'd atleast like to try it...

If I do, believe me, I'm going to be mighty pissed off if Bonny takes the worst-bus honours again.

*lol*

N.

cool, so why even put a bulkhead in? if the chassis is ok, get it rolling as is.. decide from there...

brianj wrote:cool, so why even put a bulkhead in? if the chassis is ok, get it rolling as is.. decide from there...

LOL. The chassis is so rusty, the bulkhead will play a significant role in holding the various ends of the bus together.

What Fig said.

Bulkheads are an integral part of a bus structure.

Walkthroughs have belly pans to compensate.

N.