My 1975 Fleetline Pick up, now in UK

[retrodude]

1975 VWSA built Fleetline Pick up.

Photos from a show last weekend

[retrodude]

photo 2

[fig]

Welcome retrodude. Nice looking Fleetline bakkie (as we call them in SA).

The wide-bed pick-up was a rarest of all the Fleetlines, which are pretty rare as it is. Very few have survived with the wide load bed. Please keep yours dry!

[retrodude]

photo 3

[retrodude]

Hey Fig, thanks for that, I'll remember 'bakkie', like it!

When not being driven the bakkie lives indoors in a dry workshop, also I rarely drive it in the winter when we have salt on the roads, it is still bear underneath having been sandblasted by the red dust you guys can get, so probably I will get it on the ramp this winter and underseal it also. It has been off the road for the past 2 1/2 years as the gearbox packed up, I have put in a normal split one now so back on the road, but the gearing is terrible on the highway so I will now have the old box rebuilt, they must have had quite tall final drives on these Fleetlines, I used to be able to do 70mph easily, now 60 is revving hard! I am going to try fitting some 15" crows feet splitty rims soon with old fashioned square tread AT tyres so hopefully that help with the gearing on the highway and also add to the safari look!

I was interested to read before you online articles on the Fleetlines, good work! I dont suppose you have an idea how many of these bakkies are left? I thought mine was the only one in uk, but a guy came up to me in the que for the show last weekend and said he just imported a white one, BUT the widebed was missing.

[retrodude]

rear end Original paint all over and original Fleetline tailend sticker

[fig]

I think the Fleetline gearing was the same as stock gearing on 64-67 German buses, but I'm not certain; just going by "feel" of driving my buses. I wouldn't drive a Fleetline at 70mph. My own speed limit for big-nut transmission split buses is 60mph, 65 at a push. You'll notice that the original Fleetline speedo has a marking at 105 km/h to signify maximum speed.

[retrodude]

rear wooded out and varnished, great for camping in now!! Huge! Bed was not at all rusty, just a little deformed from loading in the past.

Also have made a flat tonneau cover for it, I used to use before I made the canvas back.

[retrodude]

yeah, you are right, that is the way I usually drive also 60 ish, for some reason the pick up seemed to want to cruise easily faster than that, thought it could be a speedo issue maybe, but comparing when travelling with others in convoy I was always going faster without trying, maybe someone fiddled with the box in the past? Anyway it was great to have that speed in reserve, the general road speeds here are quite fast so it feels safer if you can keep up better with the traffic on the highway, have seen many splitties here rearended by trucks e.t.c

[eben]

Check it still has the Radio 702 sticker on even

Edit: Make that had...

[retrodude]

wondered what the 702 meant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, yes afraid it is long gone, it was an eatrly bay bumper that is painted an on my mates bus, pick up now has an ex 23 window slashed rear bumper

[splitfan]

Hi Retro
702 is a local radio station...i bet that sticker is at least 20years old havent seen one in yonks lol !

[YvaneS]

Do guys export the SA busses to make a few bucks? how do they usually end up on the other side of the ocean?

[buggyfan]

Do guys export the SA busses to make a few bucks? how do they usually end up on the other side of the ocean?

newbies
http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewforum.php?f=14

[retrodude]

Yes, I guess that is the main motivation of serial importers in the UK, to turn a quick buck to coin a US term!!!!!!!! for me it just means I can get a car which is not rusted out totally!