What busses does this FAQ cover?
This faq covers VW busses built between 1949 and 1967, otherwise known
as "split window" busses. I am limiting this faq to these years because
that is the where my experience and interests lay.
Can I install a Corvair motor in a bus?
You *can* install a corvair motor in a bus, but its a lot more hassle than its worth. Sure it makes more power, but at what cost? The corvair motor is bigger, so you have to modify the engine compartment. It also turns the opposite way from the VW motor, so you have to modify the tranny by flipping the ring gear. In the end you've buggered up a perfectly good bus for what? For a motor that has more problems and is harder to find parts for. And what are you really going to do with all the extra power? When it comes down to it, you're still pushing a brick through the air, and you have to stop it somehow, which leads to brake modifications... For those of you who didn't know, a Corvair motor is a flat six cylinder motor, similar to the Porsche911 motor, and actually even more similar to the motor used in the Porsche 906 race car.
Can you help me find a bus?
Unfortunately, no. Its an awful lot of work and very low pay (like $0) to help someone find a bus. When I first started this page, I used to try to help people find buses, but after the first few, I realized its just too much work. It would take a lot to persuade me otherwise.
What is a crank start?
There was an option available up until 1959 for a crank start. On bugs this was available until 1950 (I think) This consisted of a special rear apron and rear engine tin with holes in the back, a special crank nut, and a hand crank. The hole in the engine tin was covered by a small flap that swung up out of the way when in use. The nut has a special ramped slot, which accepts the hand crank, and then pushes it away when the engine starts.
To crank-start a bus (or bug):
What year bus should I buy?
It really doesn't matter. Get one that appeals to you. Earlier busses
are cool, but parts can be more expensive and harder to find. There really
isn't a "best year" bus or a year to stay away from. Later busses have
slightly better creature comforts and details like gas guages, 2 speed wipers,
windshield washers, etc. but are not necessarily "better."
Do you know where I can find a bus
In short, "no." Not to be a prick, but I can't possibly know where all of
the busses for sale are. The very nature of this sort of information is
transitory at best, and is highly dependent on where in the world you are.
I can suggest that you dig up every newspaper in your
area, and try to get the newspapers from the larger metropolitan areas around
you. As a rule, the bigger the city, the better your chances of finding a bus.
The best thing to do is to attend a couple VW events, so you can see other
busses and get a feel for what you are getting yourself into. Your best bet is
to sign up on the Vintagebus mailing list and wait for a bus to comer to you
What should I look for in a bus?
This is a big one, and depends on several factors: how much cash do you have to
spend? How much work do you want to put into it? What is your level of
mechanical skills? In most cases, you are probably better off buying a
nicer bus, rather than trying to restore a total beater. For a first bus,
I recommend getting the straightest, driest (rust-free) bus that you can. You
have a rather steep learning curve ahead of you, and a good solid bus will
help reduce the slope.
What are reduction boxes?
Reduction boxes came on all busses through 1967. The effectively lower the
gear ratio of the final drive, giving you more oomph at the cost of lower
top speed and higher engine RPM's. You can eliminate them by converting the
bus to IRS. However, when you buy the kit to convert to IRS, they want your
reduction boxes as cores. For a reason. Some day, you, or the next owner,
is going to want to put the reduction boxes back in. And where are they going
to get them? You guessed it. The place that took your cores, and is stockpiling
them.
Can rust on a bus be repaired?
Yes, it can. But its not an easy task. A lot bus busses get rust in
the battery tray, the floors and the rockers. Busses used in very salty
areas also get bad frame rust. In rainy areas, rust under the windshield
frame is common. The proper way to fix any kind of serious
rust is to cut the area out and section in either new pieces or pieces cut
from a donor bus. Anything more than light surface rust will probably need
to be sectioned. If there are any holes, then sectioning is your only
option. Sure, you can fiberglass the holes over, etc, but how long will
it last? I have fiberglassed very small holes in floors, where it won't
be seen, with good results, but I don't recommend it for body panels, and
definitely not for structural components.
What is my bus worth?
In a nutshell: whatever you can get someone to pay for it. Bus prices
range so greatly by model and condition and location, that its impossible
to set any kind of baseline. For instance, a '67 kombi may only be worth
$500 in rust-free California, where they are as common as fruitflies. The
same bus could be worth $2500 in Minnesota, where nobody has every seen a
rust-free bus. Other factors in value: body condition, mechanical conditon,
originality, options, model. For example, a rusty '60 ambulance will fetch
a much higher price than a '60 kombi. As an arbitrary rule, the "pecking
order" seems to be 21/23 window deluxe, 15/13 window deluxe, standard,
panel, kombi. Then there are double cabs and single cabs, with doublecabs
usually fetching higher prices. Then you have special models, such as
ambulances, fire busses, hearses, ladder trucks, among others. Campers are
in a class all by themselves, and to determine the value of a camper you
have to take into consideration what model camper and how complete and
what condition the camper kit is. Tents are a very nice bonus for a
camper! Other options such as double doors, RHD, ambulance dividers,
sunroofs, racks, safari windows, and walk-thrus can also raise the price.
Where can I sell my bus?
When selling a bus, you should use similar avenues as when buying a bus:
newspapers, classified specials, the Vintashows, a sign on the window, etc.
How many busses were made?
Sales Figures for busses, 1950-1967
| 1950 | 2 | 1951 | 50 | 1952 | 93 | 1953 | 75 | 1954 | 827 | 1955 | 3189 | 1956 | 7375 | 1957 | 19118 | 1958 | 25036 | 1959 | 32133 | 1960 | 35697 | 1961 | 22754 | 1962 | 32514 | 1963 | 39383 | 1964 | 41051 | 1965 | 34054 | 1966 | 40198 | 1967 | 29049 |
Belgium 131750 Denmark 113140 France 95643 Greece 31503 Great Britain 172874 Ireland 23025 Italy 160788 Luxemburg 5849 Netherlands 283202 Portugal 12766 Spain 7181 Finland 43724 Norway 78475 Austria 215320 Sweeden 146882 Switzerland 155358 Nigeria 81804 South Africa 141801 Canada 81804 USA 964167 Mexico 110800
How can I get the factory information about my bus?
Write to the factory to find out more about your bus - have your chassis number handy!
What welder would you recommend?
I have a Lincoln Model 100, which is whats called "gasless MIG" and it runs on 110v
Works great for all of the stuff I've done so far. You can upgrade it to
full MIG for ~$90 plus the cost of a bottle and gas.
What compressor/sandblaster should I get?
Don't get a compressor less than 5hp. I know the pricing of the smaller
ones will tempt you, but if you're serious about doing this work, then
bite the chicken and get the big one. Also get a 2-stage compressor,
not the cheap single stage ones. Unless you have a place to make a mess,
stay away from the sandblasting. If you have to get one, try to rent it.
A decent blaster runs ~$400, and media is about $15/100lb bag. There are
also places which will do the blasting for you. There are even ones who
will come to your place and do it - let your fingers do the walking.
| Model | |
|---|---|
| 21 | Kastenwagen (Panel Truck), later also High-Roof Panel Truck and Fire Truck) |
| 22 | Achtsitzer-bus, Neunsitzer-bus (Station Wagon 8-seater, 9-seater) |
| 23 | Kombi (Kombi, Kombi for Fire Trucks, and Campmobile) |
| 24 | Sondermodell (Special model, 8- and 9- seater) |
| 25 | Sondermodell (Special Model, 7-seater) |
| 26 | Pritschewagen (Pickup Truck) |
| 27 | Krankenwagen (Ambulance) |
| 28 | Siebensitzer Bus (7-seater bus) |
| 29 | until 1950, for the entire model line |
| Model Year | |
|---|---|
| 9 | 1949/59 |
| 0 | 1950/60 |
| 1 | 1961/61 |
| 2 | 1962/62 |
| 3 | 1953/63 |
| 4 | 1954/64 |
| 5 | 1965/65 |
| 6 | 1966/66 |
| 7 | 1957/67 |
| 8 | 1958 |
| Sequential Production Number |
|---|
Whats a governor/whats that aluminum-covered thing between my carb and intake manifold?
Governors were available on the later split-window busses; they operated by a spring loaded vane, which kinda looks like the choke. When you enough air/fuel mixture to overcome the spring tension, it cut off the flow, at which point the spring pulls the vane back again. You can adjust the spring tension via the adjuster at the top - tighten to allow higher speeds, loosen to cut in earlier. The governor is put together with special screws with holes in the sides of the heads, through which a wire was run and clamped with a lead tamper-evident seal.
What busses does this FAQ cover?
1950-1967
How do you mount a speaker in the stock location in a bus?
What size wheels & Tires should my bus have
| From Chassis Number |
To Chassis Number |
Year | Part # | Size | Tire Size Bias Ply |
Tire Size Radial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-000 000 | 20-117 901 | 1955 | 211 601 023 A | 3.5 DX16 | ||
| 20-117 902 | 1 219 510 | 1963 | 211 601 027 E | 4.5 KX15 |
175R15 (closest to stock size) 175/80R15 (really the same as above) 185/75R15 195/70R15 205/75R15 (Best compromise!) |
225/60R15|
| 1 219 511 | 211 601 027 F | 5.0 JKX14 |
185R14 (closest to stock size) 185/80R14 (really the same as above) 195/75R14 205/70R14 235/60R14 |
How does the VW Part Number system work?
The part number is of the format TMV-MSG-PDS X
T = Type 1-4
MV = Model version (211= Delivery Van (Double door right, LHD). 213 =
Delivery Van (Double door right, LHD). 214 = Delivery Van (Double door left,
RHD). 215 = Delivery Van (Double doors left and right, LHD). Etc....) The
last digit of the first three digit group also tells if it is for a left (Odd
numbered.) or right (Even numbered.) hand drive VW. Left designated side
drive parts will more often than not, fit RHD. While no RHD parts should be
able to fit into a LHD.
M = Main Group (1 = Engine. 2 = Fuel tank, Exaust, Heating system. 3 =
Transmission. 4 = Front axle steering. 5 = Rear axle. 6 = Wheels, Brakes.
7 = Frame, Hand lever, system, Pedal cluster. 8 = Body. 9 = Electrical
equipment. 0 = Accessories.)
SG = Subgroup
PD = Part Designation
S = Side (Odd for left (American driver side.), Even for right (American
passenger side.), Niether side = 1)
X = Modification Letter