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Wed Jul 07, 2004 12:34 pm

I am interrested in converting to a "freeway flyer" type tranny. Is ther some kind on conversion kit where I can use my existing tranny? Do I need a whole new tranny? What are the costs involved (including intall costs)?

I just want a little more top end speed at a lot lower RPM. Bus is working too hard at 50mph. I don't haul or go up mountains...I don't nee redux boxes.

66 Standard.

Wed Jul 07, 2004 12:45 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=66927

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=77748

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=71741&highlight=straight+axle

Straight Axle as key words in the search, look up both words and restrict it to the split bus forum.

Wed Jul 07, 2004 1:34 pm

Victor Wadsworth Buss wrote: I am interrested in converting to a "freeway flyer" type tranny. Is ther some kind on conversion kit where I can use my existing tranny? Do I need a whole new tranny? What are the costs involved (including intall costs)?

I just want a little more top end speed at a lot lower RPM. Bus is working too hard at 50mph. I don't haul or go up mountains...I don't nee redux boxes.

66 Standard.

you don't have to go to a straight axle to get higher gearing... well easy to do above 50 w/o winding out the engine. A 66 with stock gearing should not be working hard at 50mph.

1. what size rear axle nuts? usually 36mm is 1.39 and 46mm is 1.26 reductions... so big nuts are higher geared than little. think of it this way... 100mph straight axle /1.26=79.3 w/ big nuts
100/1.39= 71.9 with little nuts (assuming same tire size.. bugs use smaller tires and most lowered buses have smaller tires)
2. what size tires? using larger tires is the easiest way to get higher effective gearing. running 185 70 14s? ditch them and go to 205 75 14s, or even find a set of bus 15" rims. you can run 205 75 15s on them
3. stock r/ps would be 4.375 or 4.125. the 'fwy flyer' is (I think) another name for a 3.875 r/p (out of a later bug, requires mods to get it to work, so costs more)
4. yes you need a new tranny to do this.
5. you could have a bug 4th in there(.89) which is lower than a bus/ghia 4th (.82)
6. a 4.12 r/p with big nut boxes and a bus 4th should work well with a 1600, and be able to drive 60 no problem.
7. someone had a webpage where you could jack one back wheel up, put bus in gear, and turn engine round... count turns of engine to turns of wheel and figure out your gearing in there. I dunno the URL

call yr local shop about install cost and tranny builders about tranny costs. you can find out what a higher geared tranny costs compared to lowering and going to straight axle.

Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:17 pm

I honestly don't know if I have a big nut or small nut tranny. I think everything is stock. I think my year, 1966, was big nut? Anyway, I don't want to lower the bus or spend tons of money. I just want to go 55 or 60 without the engine roaring behind me.

I like the larger tire/wheels idea. Never thought of that. What do I need to do to go to 15" rims? Will they fit my current drums?

Wed Jul 07, 2004 3:13 pm

Victor

You might find a problem finding good quality 15" rims. I looked every where on line, most are too expensive for the condition. I now have a spare set, primered, STRAIGHT, just needs some missing hubcap clips.

Not sure of shipping expense but they are sitting here for sale in Indiana.

Wed Jul 07, 2004 3:24 pm

The only way to not lower your bus and eliminate the rdx boxes is to go IRS, which I think still lowers it about an inch, and is pretty expensive to do.

Are you sure your motor is tuned properly?

Wed Jul 07, 2004 3:25 pm

my big nut tranny bus had NO problems going 65 with a 1500 single port.

pop off the rear hubcaps, the axle nut = 36mm, then it's a small nut. 46mm it's a big nut. it should be a big nut stock, but you never know untill you look.

if it's a big nut, I suggest before doing anything else, do a compression check. it sounds to me like you are low on power from the start

Wed Jul 07, 2004 5:46 pm

there must be some thing wrong with your bus or you are just affraid to bump up the rpm's. I have driven brothers panel to a couple of shows this year nearly loaded to the ceiling for swap. It has been lowered (the wrong way, boxes intact) riding on brms. it still has the stock tranny and a stock dual port, and it holds great @roughly 4000 speedo reading 65-70. now i understand that 15's on a 66 speedo will throw it off, but no more than 5 mph. Its been my personal experience that most bus drivers baby the damn engine like its a ticking bomb. a few extra rpm's won't hurt.

Wed Jul 07, 2004 7:13 pm

Erik G wrote: my big nut tranny bus had NO problems going 65 with a 1500 single port.

pop off the rear hubcaps, the axle nut = 36mm, then it's a small nut. 46mm it's a big nut. it should be a big nut stock, but you never know untill you look.

if it's a big nut, I suggest before doing anything else, do a compression check. it sounds to me like you are low on power from the start
ya, wot he said, and

the 15" bus rims bolt right onto the drums.. same lug pattern. but what tires do you have now?

another thing to do is get (or borrow ) a tach... to find out what rpms you are going... cause a VW engine may be louder that whatever car you have been used to driving. you run a power wire to the power on the tach, and ground, and a wire back to the coil (same side as green wire to distributor) you can do this w/o installing the device, and see what rpms you do at what speed. VW say top cruising speed was circa 3500-3600 rpms (where I could find the info) I tend to keep closer to 3K myself... runs coolest ~ 2600-2800 rpms

66 came with big nuts, but cause the bus is old... odds are someone swapped the tranny at some point, and if it has little nuts yup it's low geared and I'd find some big nut boxes. my 65 westy had a bug 4th when I got it. That wasn't the original tranny.

Wed Jul 07, 2004 9:36 pm

Tire sizes make me dizzy. 1600dualport with a solex 34 cruise at 65 carrying an extra motor, 4 xtra tires, two mattresses, and 80+Ibs of tools. I hit 80. Me bad a. I had 225 on the back of my bus with a stock tranny. I could cruise at 80. It was fun but they grinded on... that was bad. I have 195 now.
WHy is it so bad to pull those leaf springs? They come right out. Crap gonna break?

Thu Jul 08, 2004 10:09 am

Thanks for the help everybody.

It's got to be a compression issue. My engine is a newly rebuilt P.O.S. which fires up and runs fine, but is loud as hell and not as strong as it should be. Bus is just pushing too much air at higher speeds for this weak motor. I'm glad to hear not all stock splittys max out at 50mph. I am planning on putting a brand new 1600 in it soon anyway, and was contemplating modifying the tranny at the same time, but sounds like I don't need to. I am also going to get new stock rims and tires after body/paint work, so now I'll be sure to get 15's. Sounds like after my original plans for resto are done, I'll be happily crusing at 60. Don't want to go faster than that!