1965 split bus with a difference

Thought I'd post a little bit of detail about my bus as some of you guys know me and my bus
It all started ages ago when I bought this 1965 11 window Left hooker bus with a factory goldie rag top back in 2003.

weird thing is it's got load doors on the left, same as a right hand drive bus!!??!!
It was orginally imported in 1993 to the UK from Sweden. Before that it was a military bus but God knows what it was used for? Possibly an airport taxi due to the door layout but not sure
It was running a 1600 motor with 12V alternator conversion, and 009 with electronic ignition. Coupled to this was a GT (AT code) IRS gearbox rear set up, dropped 2 splines, and a cut and turned 68 Bay front beam with disks.
Inside was a full devon camping interior with original Dudley cooker and osocool fridge!

On closer inspection it had a fair bit or rot

and filler!

so I rolled the bus over and replaced the lot



This was all done back in December 2003

The above photo was taken after I had sorted the structural welding.
I had big plans for the bus so instead of replacing bits and patching over hole's I replaced entire panels, and once i had started poking about with a screw driver........
The list reads like a Schofield catalogue but I was happier doing it once and doing it right.

In the end this is what was replaced:
all outriggers
all Jack-points
both inner sills
outer sill below cargo doors
both outer belly pans
complete load floor
both rear arches
both front doglegs
bottom 6 inches of both A-pillars
front panel from the headlights down (twice, dont ask)

Once this lot was done I started collecting bits for the full on resto!

After all the welding the bus was looking in a very sorry state

I used it for a few months in this state but enough was enough. The decision was taken to take the bus off the road and sort it properly.
I then stripped the bus off all its paint

And get the rest media blasted so I could see all the horrors.

So the next day I picked the bus up and this was what I was faced with....

A pink bus...not happy about that but I can live.


The dash was cut to sh!t with gauge holes and the radio hole but no the end of the world.


And the N/S/R corner had been beaten with a hammer at some point in its life right the way up to the belt line and it had had some after market lights in both rear corners at some point, not sure what but NOT reverse lights!

I then dropped the bus off to a local garage near me for the body work to be done, 1 because I couldn't be bothered/didn't have time to sort it my self and 2 so I could blame someone else when it all went wrong!
The real reason was that I know the garage very well and I could pay for bits as and when they did them. I would have free covered storage for my bus and it would give me time to save the cash to pay for the resto

They started well by replacing the nose (for the second time) with in a day of me dropping it off!


And quickly moved onto the screen surround that was knackered

The long side didn't need anything more than a skim


But the same couldn't be said for the N/S/R corner.

In the mean time I was collecting parts from all over the globe.
First up was a 901 Prosche 911, 5 speed gearbox.


And then some wheels.......stock 'v' new


And 944 rear a-arms


I had the new rims refurbished and they came out a treat
From this

As you can see the lacquer was cracked and peeling and there was kerb damage all the way round the rim on all the wheels

To this

I also treated the wheels to a full set of black alloy wheel nuts and full colour crested centres to finish the look.

Next on the shopping list was brakes


I managed to snag these at a stupid price off fleabay after waiting for the right time/right place for over 12 months!! I guess the saying, 'good things come to those who wait' is true!!
I then got myself a Porsche 911 front suspension set up


The rear end was coming together nicely

The guys at the body shop had cracked on with the rear corner






As well as the short side, so it was pretty much ready for collection, excet for some paint

You done a cool bus and top job mate keep it coming

love the van.. who did the spraying? keep the pics coming!

awesome

Next was a coat of etch primer and then some top coat just to seal the etch.



Here's Chris the sprayer doing his best 'I'm dressed as a sperm' impression


Dash has been repaired


Soon to be tubbed

Now with a bit of top coat








Its only a coat of paint to seal the etch primer and its all that was available at the time so please excuse the colour

So a quick weekend if Bristol later...........













The paint was done by the TCF crew at Bristol Volksfest 2006 and I must admit to start with I wasn't happy but hey thats life

Dude i remember watching it being painted at Bristol and you being not the happyist cleverchap when it was done

But fu(k dude does it ever look sweet now...


Steve have you been in contact with with the TCF guys and shown them any pics of it now??

Rich, I haven't yet contacted the TCF dudes. I still have the email address so I think I will and see what they think

Anyway......................
As soon as it was back home on the drive I started work on the suspension mods. The first thing I had to do was to remove the frame horns/gearbox craddle and the rear torsion tube.


lots of cutting later and I was left with a rather large hole



The new subframe that I made




After a bit of dressing back it was offered up into place, you can just make it out in this photo


Then the a-arms were attached



Look at it roll

Thats what a 7 3/4 inch body drop looks like


Spring plates fitted



And started to look at building the sub frame for the new coil over rear shocks (Coils yet to be fitted )

Cleverchap wrote:

Thats what a 7 3/4 inch body drop looks like


Spring plates fitted

Dude i love those pics..

So after building a couple of gearbox mounts and an engine brace bar I was left with this.


I love this photo cause its sums up exactly how I wanted the bus to look from the outside.....as if nothing was out of the ordinary

Open up the engine lid and all is revealed


Engine brace bar





..................first attempt at the exhaust system, including the oxygen sensor for the fuel injection


Hope it will exit just in front of the rear wheel but not sure yet. Theres a bit more fiddling to do before i'll be happy with it


This is the hole thats left behind the engine and on top of the gearbox, that will be home for the new aluminium fuel tank




So thats the back end sorted (ish) now for the front

amazing!!!!! that work and grafting you have done looks amazing... top man

Steve,

It's a true testament to your patience & engineering skills bro

Was also great to see the beatie out on the road for the Christmas cruise as well ... Although I missed the standing burn out in Maccy D's!!!

What's next on the list to do then mate?

Rick

So the rear end was all but finished, just a few wheel tub panels and engine trays etc to fab and weld in place.



I then decided to start on the front end

Clutch has been changed over to hydraulic


Porsche 944 master cylinder


And line-loc



Space is getting tight under here!

I looked at the heat riser under the cab floor, under its cloth jacket it looks very good for 42 years old but I need to get rid of it to fit the radiators in




It looks quite good in its new home and theres plenty of room on top for the twin cooling fans from a Honda VFR750 motorbike, powerfull and flat

So now the bus is officially back on 4 wheels, I rolled it out of the garage and took some photos.


The tucked front end is purely accidental, but looks hard as.



Now to get the steering rack in and connected