1957 spltscreen beauty

[Beetlebuddies]

Great bus man..

[fig]

Don't mind Fig...he's drooling for that bus

You know I don't like shiny paint Eugene.

[didiercazin]

yea the bus is mine , i bought it last year , it is super clean and super straight , i have replaced every door and window rubber , windscreen wiper shaft seals , centre brake light lens ... etc oh yes i have a p type church key !

fig what do you mean by (IMO)

That's Rob Willison's bus that was auctioned last year. Do you own it now Didier?

It's a very nice bus, BUT far from original. IMO it is over restored.

Don't mind Fig...he's drooling for that bus

Awe some bus dude

[fig]

fig what do you mean by (IMO)

It's a standard internet TLA!

IMO = in my opinion

also:

IMHO = in my humble opinion
IMNSHO = in my not so humble opinion

Here's a list of lots more:
http://www.easypeasy.com/guides/article.php?article=21

[splitfan]

Sweet bus. i love the pressed bumpers

[didiercazin]

thanks fig , im new to forums etc ...

what do you guys think of the IRS conversion ? i wanna do it but keeping a stock outer appearance

http://creative-engineering.com/

[fig]

IMNSHO your bus is much too nice to customise.

The non-original paint and deluxe trim are already too much.

Seriously, if you want to customise a bus, please choose a less rare model and one that already needs major restoration.

[didiercazin]

well that is some good advice , i do want to do the disc conversion tho ...
the handling is not the best so need to sort that out too

any tips?

[fig]

Buy a BMW?

Your bus is more than 50 years old. She is meant to be slow, which means she doesn't need fancy brakes and roadholding.

Perhaps there is some wear and tear that needs fixing in your steering and suspension. Have the brakes been totally overhauled? Shocks replaced?

In my experience split buses actually handle very well all things considered, and I've never felt a need to switch to disc brakes in more than half a million kilometres of driving split buses. But that's just me.

[didiercazin]

i nurse my bus when it comes to speed , i cruise at 50 to 55 mph , i dont use it to speed around , im sure shocks need replacing , brakes were done last month , but they really dont feel good , i need to find someone in durbs to help me sort it ..

[fig]

There are very few mechanics out there who know how to care for old ACVWs, especially buses. About 10 years ago there was a good guy fixing Beetles out of his home in Durban North; IIRC his name was Keith Janse van Rensburg. Maybe try to track him down. They know him well at Weiss Motors (if that's still around).

A brake overhaul should include new master and wheel cylinders (or at least resleeve and new seals), skim drums if necessary, resurface brake shoes and radius new shoes to match drum, replace all flexible hoses (very important). Only when all of that has been done can you decide whether you need to upgrade the brakes.

Worn shocks will severely compromise handling and stability. Tyres also affect handling and braking. Are you running new radials? If you have original style cross-plies keep them for shows, but have a set of wheels with radials for driving.

What engine does your bus have? And is the transmission original? No matter what engine, if you have the original trans then 55mph is flat out maximum speed, or you will overrev your engine.

I'm a bit surprised to hear that your bus has mechanical issues when the body has been refurbished to such a high standard. Did RW not also have a mechanical restoration done?

[didiercazin]

thanks for the advice , i will try to find him , all the people i have spoken to have told me that the brakes are just like that ..
are you running the original master cylinder ...
mechanically the bus is fine , there are no issues , i would just like to get it to 100% mechanical condition..

[fig]

all the people i have spoken to have told me that the brakes are just like that ....

As a matter of interest, how many of them have actually driven a split bus with working original brakes?

[didiercazin]

well that is my problem , there are only 2 people that i have met that owned a split , and that was many years ago ...
ill try my best to get them operating properly .
i love the drive and simplicity of its design , mechanically it is genius , i suppose that is why they are still alive today !
i am looking for a split camper too.. pitty most of the busses are living overseas

[didiercazin]

fig , i just went onto your website , incredible !!