CS Dungeon
Meet Stella the 1966 RHD Splitty with a 1500cc single port engine
With a budget of £12k we set about looking for a decent Dormobile RHD Early Bay. Well after almost a year of serching and getting very frustrated at what was avaliable and the money being asked for supposedly 'Solid' bay's I stumbled across an advert on http://www.ultravw.com for this solid 1966 RHD split with Dormobile roof and Devon interior. The Advert did state that the owner wanted a swap for a complete road ready Early Bay but this didnt stop us making contact and we eventually agreed on £12k dead
After a trip down to Eastbourne we arrived at our destination to see a bus hiding under a tarpaulin.
Once the tarp was pulled back, this is what was lurking underneath.
RHD 1966 Devon Caravette with a Martin Walker Doormobile roof
After spending 4 ish hours with Brian who was a very pleasant guy who had all the time in the world for us and went over every inch of the bus telling us the what had been done and what was needed to be done to get her on the road.
The bus had massive history with it and had had a lot of money spent on making it solid with a all of the welding work carried out............but as you can see thats it.
We headed back to Cambridge with a lot to ponder as our original brief was Early Bay complete ready to use with no work required. Stella didnt have and electrics bar the ignition and she didnt even start.
But she was solid and a split
After a few emails back and forth with Brian (the seller), the deed was done and we had a massive project on our hands.............she was now officially ours
Now onto arranging getting her home. After trawling on ebay we came across a company who would trailer her back to Cambridge for a reasonable fee (£105 iirc)
Once at her new home, we had to remove her roof so that she would fit into the garage
We bought her with the intention of just getting her MOT'd so we could use her for a few shows and a trip to Cornwall this summer, however things soon changed and she is set for a ground up rat restoration but only for a couple of years we can afford a professional bodywork restoration
Plan of action
1: Fix Electrics
2: Engine strip down, check and rebuild
3: IRS rear end conversion and gearbox/reduction box removal
4: Front end lowering
5: Dual circuit brakes
6: Sort the steering
7: Temporarily sort bodywork
Next spring/early summer
8:Buy and fit a larger twin port engine
Approx 2 or 3 years down the line will be the final piece of the puzzle
8 : Professional bodywork restoration
Tools and materials required for this type of project
My personal preference with hand tools is Snap on but the Halfrauds Professional range is more then adequate.
This is the bare minimum you will need if you intend on carrying out this type of work or any general maintenance on your bus.
Large socket set mine is a 77pc Blue Point 3/8th drive set
Good selection of spanners
Varied shape and sizes fo screwdrivers
Pliers, cutters, crimps, hammer, mole grips, long nose pliers
Minimum of 2 axle stands
Trolley Jack
You will also almost definately need to buy these few items
These are the tools I have had to buy specially for this project.............fingers crossed there will be a chance to add to this collection
VW Transporter manual
James Hale IRS & Suspension book
Engine stand
Piston ring compressor
Multi meter
Metric and imperial feeler gauges
Brake pipe bender
Brake line flaring kit
10.8v cordless Dremmel
Digital vernier calipers
Impact driver
24" breaker bar 1/2" drive
43mm Impact socket 1/2" drive
30mm Impact socket 1/2" drive
Weekend #1
Not got any pics of this weekend but after 2 days we now have head and side lights, indicators, wipers and washers, dash lights, numberplate light, rear and brake lights and interior lights. The horn should work if it ever turns up! (been on back order with VWAircooled for weeks).
I Still need to sort the fuel gauge, hazard lights, split charge relay kit, auto choke and ICE
Weekend #2
When she arrived at ours she wasnt starting and was turning over fairly slowly. I charged her battery but this didnt really help much and she wouldn't fire up. The fuel pump and carb were leaking fuel and the fuel filter looked like it had seem better days.
So after a bit we decided it was time to remove my 1st ever aircooled bus engine. After approx 1hr I had all the bolts and cable's removed she was ready to come out!
Engine out with carb and fuel pump removed
One carb service kit and new fuel lines later I refitted the engine, set the carb and once in she started up a treat but was leaking oil and fuel from somewhere but we couldnt trace where it was coming from.
Weekend #3 & #4
During the week it was a visit to the various suppliers websites, namely Just Kampers, GSF and VW Aircooled and a few £££'s later I had purchased
New clutch
New pushrod tubes and push rods
Fuel pump
4 x Spark Plugs
Oil Strainer
Oil
Gearbox oil
Air Filter
Bosch 009 Dizzy
Bosch Coil
HT leads
Full engine gasket set
Complete new tinware apart from the fan shroud
Split charge Relay kit
Tin of black and silver Hammerite
New rocker covers
Due to leak from previous weekend and after a thread we started on here we decided to remove the engine again and give it a good overhaul with the above new items. The engine was completely cleaned, de-greased and painted.
The strip down, clean, de-grease and painting of the engine
Ready to go back in
Weekend #5
This week we have managed to source and buy a South African Early bay irs kit including driveshafts, hubs, brakes, solid backing plates and trailing arms and we also managed to buy a 'AM' code beetle IRS gearbox. We wanted the AH gearbox but time and the good price meant we had to go with our 2nd choice.
This will be changed in a year or so anyway when we fit a bigger engine
This was given a good clean, de-grease and a coat of black hammerite with the vains painted in silver. The nose cone from the bus box will be painted in yellow.
New clutch was also bought 2 weeks ago so that will go in when we re-assemble it all
The SA IRS kit also got the clean and paint treatment. These however were painted in POR15
We also had a visit onto Creative Engineering's website this week and ordered
CE adjustable spring plates
CE chassis legs
CE top mount kit
Bugpack Gearbox mount kit
The bus gearbox, reduction box's, spring plates and shocks were removed.
Special tools needed
24" breaker bar 1/2" drive
43mm 1/2" impact socket for hub castle nut
30mm 1/2" impact socket to remove gearbox from the front mount bolts
This is where we had to purchase the cordless Dremmel as the hub nuts wouldnt budge even with a pipe on the 24" breaker bar. 10mins each side and hub nuts removed and threads not damaged on stub axle
Weekend #6
While the engine and gearbox were out we decided to pull the fuel tank out. yep you guessed it, that got the clean, de-grease and POR15'd ready to go back in
After a quick trip to GSF in Peterborough to pick up
2 x Inner bearings
2 x Outer bearings
Brake shoes
Shoe fitting kit
2 x New wheel cylinders
Hand brake cables
Brake hoses
Adjuster bolts
Adjuster stars
I decided to rebuild the hubs and get the brakes done and out of the way
Before
During
After
Oh and during the week I picked up an ebay bargain to help with the rat look lol
Empi Monza 4 tip for £10
Weekend #7 (today)
Well this week has been a fun week credit card bashing on the tinterweb
A few of the goodies which have turned up and will be fitted in the up coming weeks
CSP Dual circuit master cylinder kit
Engine and gearbox oil
Early bay drive shafts
2 x Inner bearings
2 x Outer bearings
2 x Bearing seals
2 x Early bay CV's
2 x Beetle CV's
2 x Beetle CV gaitors
2 x Early bay CV gaitors
24 x CV bolts
Split charge relay kit
Clutch cable
Headlight seals
Indicator seals
Gearbox seal kit
Fuel hose
Hand brake cables
Trailing arm bushes
Clutch cable conduit
CV grease
Fuel filter
Jubilee clips
Various clips, nuts, studs, washers etc
Empi polished crank shaft pulley
Well back to the real work after opening the box's and finding a home for everything it was time to get the grinder out and hack.........I mean cut off the chassis legs in preperation for fitting the new CE IRS chassis legs.
This was more awkward then I expected as it was harder to get the grinder in the tight spaces and the heat exchanger tubes didnt help but we got there in the end after nearly setting myself on fire
This has been a fun project up until now and we have lots of plans for it and ideas which we are considering.
Future plans/Ideas before she is ready for her 1st outing and MOT
For now it is going to be diy painted with satin black rattle can lower and with gloss white upper
Red9 double wishbone coilover set up
Porsche 944T hubs, discs and 4 pot calipers with VDubEngineering T2 caliper mount kit
Porsche 996 Carrera 4 Alloy Wheels 17 x 7j
The bus is ultimately Jo's toy and i'm the free labour with the cuts and bruises, but here is Stella at the end of today with 'my' toy....................more pics avaliable
Hope you have enjoyed it so far and one of us will keep this updated over the coming months.
More to do tomorrow and that is just to grind down the remaining bits of the chassis legs as I only did the cutting today and will try to fit the new trailing arm bushes and redo some of the engine bay wireing!
That's it for now, if you have any questions then just holla
With a budget of £12k we set about looking for a decent Dormobile RHD Early Bay. Well after almost a year of serching and getting very frustrated at what was avaliable and the money being asked for supposedly 'Solid' bay's I stumbled across an advert on http://www.ultravw.com for this solid 1966 RHD split with Dormobile roof and Devon interior. The Advert did state that the owner wanted a swap for a complete road ready Early Bay but this didnt stop us making contact and we eventually agreed on £12k dead
After a trip down to Eastbourne we arrived at our destination to see a bus hiding under a tarpaulin.
Once the tarp was pulled back, this is what was lurking underneath.
RHD 1966 Devon Caravette with a Martin Walker Doormobile roof
After spending 4 ish hours with Brian who was a very pleasant guy who had all the time in the world for us and went over every inch of the bus telling us the what had been done and what was needed to be done to get her on the road.
The bus had massive history with it and had had a lot of money spent on making it solid with a all of the welding work carried out............but as you can see thats it.
We headed back to Cambridge with a lot to ponder as our original brief was Early Bay complete ready to use with no work required. Stella didnt have and electrics bar the ignition and she didnt even start.
But she was solid and a split
After a few emails back and forth with Brian (the seller), the deed was done and we had a massive project on our hands.............she was now officially ours
Now onto arranging getting her home. After trawling on ebay we came across a company who would trailer her back to Cambridge for a reasonable fee (£105 iirc)
Once at her new home, we had to remove her roof so that she would fit into the garage
We bought her with the intention of just getting her MOT'd so we could use her for a few shows and a trip to Cornwall this summer, however things soon changed and she is set for a ground up rat restoration but only for a couple of years we can afford a professional bodywork restoration
Plan of action
1: Fix Electrics
2: Engine strip down, check and rebuild
3: IRS rear end conversion and gearbox/reduction box removal
4: Front end lowering
5: Dual circuit brakes
6: Sort the steering
7: Temporarily sort bodywork
Next spring/early summer
8:Buy and fit a larger twin port engine
Approx 2 or 3 years down the line will be the final piece of the puzzle
8 : Professional bodywork restoration
Tools and materials required for this type of project
My personal preference with hand tools is Snap on but the Halfrauds Professional range is more then adequate.
This is the bare minimum you will need if you intend on carrying out this type of work or any general maintenance on your bus.
Large socket set mine is a 77pc Blue Point 3/8th drive set
Good selection of spanners
Varied shape and sizes fo screwdrivers
Pliers, cutters, crimps, hammer, mole grips, long nose pliers
Minimum of 2 axle stands
Trolley Jack
You will also almost definately need to buy these few items
These are the tools I have had to buy specially for this project.............fingers crossed there will be a chance to add to this collection
VW Transporter manual
James Hale IRS & Suspension book
Engine stand
Piston ring compressor
Multi meter
Metric and imperial feeler gauges
Brake pipe bender
Brake line flaring kit
10.8v cordless Dremmel
Digital vernier calipers
Impact driver
24" breaker bar 1/2" drive
43mm Impact socket 1/2" drive
30mm Impact socket 1/2" drive
Weekend #1
Not got any pics of this weekend but after 2 days we now have head and side lights, indicators, wipers and washers, dash lights, numberplate light, rear and brake lights and interior lights. The horn should work if it ever turns up! (been on back order with VWAircooled for weeks).
I Still need to sort the fuel gauge, hazard lights, split charge relay kit, auto choke and ICE
Weekend #2
When she arrived at ours she wasnt starting and was turning over fairly slowly. I charged her battery but this didnt really help much and she wouldn't fire up. The fuel pump and carb were leaking fuel and the fuel filter looked like it had seem better days.
So after a bit we decided it was time to remove my 1st ever aircooled bus engine. After approx 1hr I had all the bolts and cable's removed she was ready to come out!
Engine out with carb and fuel pump removed
One carb service kit and new fuel lines later I refitted the engine, set the carb and once in she started up a treat but was leaking oil and fuel from somewhere but we couldnt trace where it was coming from.
Weekend #3 & #4
During the week it was a visit to the various suppliers websites, namely Just Kampers, GSF and VW Aircooled and a few £££'s later I had purchased
New clutch
New pushrod tubes and push rods
Fuel pump
4 x Spark Plugs
Oil Strainer
Oil
Gearbox oil
Air Filter
Bosch 009 Dizzy
Bosch Coil
HT leads
Full engine gasket set
Complete new tinware apart from the fan shroud
Split charge Relay kit
Tin of black and silver Hammerite
New rocker covers
Due to leak from previous weekend and after a thread we started on here we decided to remove the engine again and give it a good overhaul with the above new items. The engine was completely cleaned, de-greased and painted.
The strip down, clean, de-grease and painting of the engine
Ready to go back in
Weekend #5
This week we have managed to source and buy a South African Early bay irs kit including driveshafts, hubs, brakes, solid backing plates and trailing arms and we also managed to buy a 'AM' code beetle IRS gearbox. We wanted the AH gearbox but time and the good price meant we had to go with our 2nd choice.
This will be changed in a year or so anyway when we fit a bigger engine
This was given a good clean, de-grease and a coat of black hammerite with the vains painted in silver. The nose cone from the bus box will be painted in yellow.
New clutch was also bought 2 weeks ago so that will go in when we re-assemble it all
The SA IRS kit also got the clean and paint treatment. These however were painted in POR15
We also had a visit onto Creative Engineering's website this week and ordered
CE adjustable spring plates
CE chassis legs
CE top mount kit
Bugpack Gearbox mount kit
The bus gearbox, reduction box's, spring plates and shocks were removed.
Special tools needed
24" breaker bar 1/2" drive
43mm 1/2" impact socket for hub castle nut
30mm 1/2" impact socket to remove gearbox from the front mount bolts
This is where we had to purchase the cordless Dremmel as the hub nuts wouldnt budge even with a pipe on the 24" breaker bar. 10mins each side and hub nuts removed and threads not damaged on stub axle
Weekend #6
While the engine and gearbox were out we decided to pull the fuel tank out. yep you guessed it, that got the clean, de-grease and POR15'd ready to go back in
After a quick trip to GSF in Peterborough to pick up
2 x Inner bearings
2 x Outer bearings
Brake shoes
Shoe fitting kit
2 x New wheel cylinders
Hand brake cables
Brake hoses
Adjuster bolts
Adjuster stars
I decided to rebuild the hubs and get the brakes done and out of the way
Before
During
After
Oh and during the week I picked up an ebay bargain to help with the rat look lol
Empi Monza 4 tip for £10
Weekend #7 (today)
Well this week has been a fun week credit card bashing on the tinterweb
CSP Dual circuit master cylinder kit
Engine and gearbox oil
Early bay drive shafts
2 x Inner bearings
2 x Outer bearings
2 x Bearing seals
2 x Early bay CV's
2 x Beetle CV's
2 x Beetle CV gaitors
2 x Early bay CV gaitors
24 x CV bolts
Split charge relay kit
Clutch cable
Headlight seals
Indicator seals
Gearbox seal kit
Fuel hose
Hand brake cables
Trailing arm bushes
Clutch cable conduit
CV grease
Fuel filter
Jubilee clips
Various clips, nuts, studs, washers etc
Empi polished crank shaft pulley
Well back to the real work after opening the box's and finding a home for everything it was time to get the grinder out and hack.........I mean cut off the chassis legs in preperation for fitting the new CE IRS chassis legs.
This was more awkward then I expected as it was harder to get the grinder in the tight spaces and the heat exchanger tubes didnt help but we got there in the end after nearly setting myself on fire
This has been a fun project up until now and we have lots of plans for it and ideas which we are considering.
Future plans/Ideas before she is ready for her 1st outing and MOT
For now it is going to be diy painted with satin black rattle can lower and with gloss white upper
Red9 double wishbone coilover set up
Porsche 944T hubs, discs and 4 pot calipers with VDubEngineering T2 caliper mount kit
Porsche 996 Carrera 4 Alloy Wheels 17 x 7j
The bus is ultimately Jo's toy and i'm the free labour with the cuts and bruises, but here is Stella at the end of today with 'my' toy....................more pics avaliable
Hope you have enjoyed it so far and one of us will keep this updated over the coming months.
More to do tomorrow and that is just to grind down the remaining bits of the chassis legs as I only did the cutting today and will try to fit the new trailing arm bushes and redo some of the engine bay wireing!
That's it for now, if you have any questions then just holla
