ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

hightop69 wrote:I’d like to thank you for posting your conversion project with Clyde. It has given me inspiration and some ideas to do a conversion to my bus.

No problem.....

I've been working a new trailer reciever hitch for Clyde....... It will be used to mount my rear spare tire and tow the trailer.... Makes for more room on trips and adds to his Offroad worthiness....

Here is the finished reciever.... I'm still working on the spare tire mount.... I post more when finished ...

I recieved my 15"x7" steel bus wheel from GoWesty.com...... Nice wheel....

I finished all my welding and fitting..... I still need to finish grinding and paint the thing. ...

I installed a 3rd brakelight in the extra reciever for added safety......

I've done more mods since last post....

I installed my new 65watt panel today....... It's a BP365J from BP solar.... I have a Morningstar SunSaver 10amp controller installed to direct the power... It was a very easy install..... Not too pricey... for what it is...

This system will power anything i have onboard Clyde from the Vitrofridge refridgerator to the 3 speed ceiling fan on hot days... all while have plenty of reserve power to recharge my onboard batteries...

I 've been wanting to do this for a few years and finally went ahead and did it...

Nice. Does removing that pin allow you drop the tire out of the way to open the hatch?

hightop69 wrote:Nice. Does removing that pin allow you drop the tire out of the way to open the hatch?

Yeah.... it works ok..... I'm looking into some other mods to make it work better....... More to come....

I started the lowering process today....... now Clyde will be closer to stock ride height........ with the exception of larger tires.... I still need to drop the front ..........i installed shorter rear axles and removed the lift kit...... I will be removing the front lift this afternoon and getting him back level..... I'm curious how he's gonna drive at this height..........

Looks like he has Hydraulics right now...

now he's lowered.......... I raised the rear a little after this picture.....I had to downsize the front tires to a 215-75-15 and they fit great.... no rubbing with 2 adults up front... Clyde drives much better.....He drives quieter and acceleration is smoother so i bet i get better gas mileage now..... I'll know after this weekends 1000 mile trip...

I like the stance. I'm sure that the rear tires were picked to help with gearing. If needed, maybe the same size as the fronts could be used.

must feel a bit more stable in corners too.

Oh yeah, that stance is even even better; Clyde looks more relaxed & trip-ready for that 1,000-miler, even if it happens to be mixed between on- and off-road travel! Seems like most of the actual miles on the bus odometers were put there on pavement, even if the most memorable parts of a trip were somewhat off the beaten path.

As great as VW buses/campers are for 'off-road', mine will never match the level of a good 4x4 for its power & traction to 'get through' in the worst off-road conditions. Of course, trying to sleep 4 people plus a kid, fix them all breakfast the next morning, get them ready for a day of backcountry skiing, all in the 9' bed of my Jeep truck, just wouldn't begin to match the accommodations of our VW campers! I can't believe I lived without a VW camper for that many years!

Nice work, Paul.

J.R.
'68 Westy
(+ others)

Thanks,
Clyde did well on our trip........ he was 5 times quieter on the road it seemed.... Handling was good but he always handled good... He did do better in wind........ we had 2 days of blowing rain in south Texas at the Texas Vw Classic in Fredericksburg, Texas.... We camped in him there and entered the show..... I actually won 1st place in the 68-79 Type II Camper class........

He accelerates easier i've noticed.... less drag from the CV angles i guess....... i can feel throttle input at highway speeds.... i didn't notice as much before...... He cruised nicely at 70-75mph......... my wife got on to me a couple times for getting up to 80 mph.... not that he was squirrelly or anything..... i just didn't notice i was creeping up to 80mph....... and don't need a ticket...

so how did you remove the front lift? you whent back to stock spindles, or ditched the coilovers?

fusername wrote:so how did you remove the front lift? you whent back to stock spindles, or ditched the coilovers?

I just removed the front spindles........... I kept the coil overs on for a bit more weight control.... it rides great.......... I have a large bucket I put all my lift parts in for safe keeping....... I know i'll build another lifted one someday......... when i can afford the better axles....

dude those axles cost more than my bus! Check your PMs, dude, I want your truck