TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:59 pm

big bus mike wrote: 2true wrote:

Didn't know...

Apology accepted.

It's funny to me that most of us that put major miles on our buses and use them as intended prefer to keep the reduction boxes. There must be something to that...

Not true, I drive my buses both ways, straight axles and boxes, most my friends drive all over with straight axles too. I just like driving them.

Wed Nov 21, 2007 12:44 am

Great post. any info on lowering ur bus with RGBs? So the whine I hear is ok?

Mon Apr 07, 2008 12:54 pm

great thread.....i have lowered my s-cab with straight axel and freeway flier.....missing my stock bus.....thinking of raising bus back up and doing rgb and gearing it to be freeway flier so i can do the free way speeds still....what do you guys think......can of worms aaaa......

Mon Apr 07, 2008 1:44 pm

hsosa1 wrote: Great post. any info on lowering ur bus with RGBs? So the whine I hear is ok?

If the bearings are ok and the boxes/tranny have the correct amount of gear oil in them then yes, it's ok.
But I just rebuilt mine a couple of years ago and have the fluid levels correct and I don't hear any whining.
Loud yes, but not any whining.

Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:58 pm

dropgates65 wrote: great thread.....i have lowered my s-cab with straight axel and freeway flier.....missing my stock bus.....thinking of raising bus back up and doing rgb and gearing it to be freeway flier so i can do the free way speeds still....what do you guys think......can of worms aaaa......

I will be helping a friend of mine put his bus back up to stock height shortly. His was lowered the "wrong way" by pulling springs out of the Torsion housing. I have never had a ride in a shittier riding bus! Going to put a 4.12 r&p with a .82 4th gear with the 1.26:1 "big nut" boxes. Should run 70mph with no problems with the BFE (big F$^# engine).

The great thing is you can sell all your lowering stuff to someone who wants to look cool and pay for the parts you need to lift it back up...

Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:23 am

ok what do you mean burnouts? or clutch dumps? As in if you do these, what happens. Do you break a tooth, blow a bearing? These gears are huge. because I took apart my rgbs and took out the gears and put in the tallest gears available that I know of. The 19 and 24 toothed setup. Mine had the 18 and 25 toothed setup. Right now my transmission or the rgbs make a howeling or growling noise but Im not sure which is doing it. How does one tell? I think its the transmission. because its the one that the bus came with when I bought it. It did the classic rear differential howl in 3rd and 4th. So I had a place in texas rebuild it. Now that howl is back I think. I have another transmission that I posted on here about the only reason I pulled that one out of the bus is it was making a neutraling noise. I dont think your supposed to be able to hear growling when stopped in neutral and foot off the clutch.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 6:02 am

quartermilecamel wrote: ok what do you mean burnouts? or clutch dumps? As in if you do these, what happens. Do you break a tooth, blow a bearing?

You can make it a "split case" tranny in no time flat! :P

BTDT! :roll:

Sat Apr 26, 2008 7:24 am

Have a friend walk next to the bus to see where the noise is coming from. Or have a friend drive slow and you walk next to the bus.

Or jack the bus off the ground and run the motor in gear (one wheel on ground is okay the other will spin, unless you have limited slip differential which is very rare.

Jack a rear wheel off the ground and try to wiggle it. easier with the wheel off... can you rock it with your hands at 12 oc clock and 6 oclock... it should only move a hair. I'm talking about slop at the RGBs, not moving the spring plate. Look to see if the stub axle/drum moves separatly from the RGB housing.
If it's a thunk thunk slop slop you better buy some bearing. It is is rearlly bad you will be able to tell. Check both sides.

The whines tend to be the bearings in the center section. RGBs growl when unhappy. When REALLY unhappy they make a loud howling roar rending metal biting shreiking noise as the gears eat through the boxes.

For the center section, it's a case of rebuildt it when it's too annoying. If you can handle a whine and the occasional poppog out of 2nd or 4th, put it off. If you are sick of the damn whine, get it rebuildt.
I got 25K out of a whiney tranny before I got it rebuildt.
Your milage may vary.

Oh, check the axle boots and oil. Trannys get unhappy quick if they have no oil. Might as well change the oil, actually, if it has been 3 years or 30,000 miles since last time.

Sat Apr 26, 2008 9:21 am

Just to add to Mikes original post (great info by the way). RGB started with the Kubelwagen I guess that would be in the early 1940's.Also pre 73 european and Mexican Things had RGB's, so they weren't a split bus thing only. I'm not well veresed in Thing stuff, just saw them in Europe and have had a couple Mexican ones (with RGB's) here at the shop

Then for you IRS bay window guys. VW DID have Bay window buses with RGB's, IRS suspension in Brazil. I have yet to see the real thing but No Quarter from the Buskatiers did find photo's of these and they were posted here on the Samba, maybe EB can find them, I wasn't able to

and as for cruiseing with rgb's. My DD panel way back before I lowered it had a 3.88 r/p stock 1st, 2nd gears, a 1.21 3rd (or there abouts) and a .77 4th with small nut rgb's. I could cruise all day at 75/80 with the 1800 stroker. I can now do the same thing with it lowered with the same engine carrying the same loads. But the DD is going back to stock height soon, 5 years lowered it's time for a change and the older I get the better ride I want!

Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:56 pm

I just installed a tach in my bus and am curious about something.

At 3500 rpm I'm cruising at, what looks to be, about midway between 60 and 65 on the speedo, so I'm saying 62.5 mph.

I have the big nut setup, with what I assume is a 1600. My tire height is exactly 24 inches (205-60R-14).

If I run the calculations using a stock tranny, it doesn't work out. If I run the calculations using a 3.88 with a .82 fourth, it's right on the money (62.36 mph).

Is there such a thing, or is this something the PO had done as a "one off?"

Is there something wrong in the tire height that throws off the speedo?

Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:15 pm

front tire height will affect the speedo. so will the wrong speedo

Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:43 pm

Erik G wrote: front tire height will affect the speedo. so will the wrong speedo

Is 24" wrong?

Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:19 pm

zozo wrote: Erik G wrote: front tire height will affect the speedo. so will the wrong speedo

Is 24" wrong?
you can use this site:
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

to see how changing tire size affects your speedo.
Unfortunately they don't accept tire sizes like 6.40 x 15 or 7.00 x 14.
If I remember correctly the original size for a 14" bus rim was between a 195 75 14 and 185 75 14.

Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:34 pm

i found the FAG brearings 6306's and 6305's for a Big Nut...but the parts guys look at me weird when i ask for the roller bearing N207 E.TN.C3...is there a newer number or another brand?

Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:47 pm

The letters and numbers on my FAG boxes are N207.C3. The numbers in the W.W. catalog are 211 501 283.

Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:50 pm

http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wolfsburg_new/rear_axle/bus_rear_axle/bus_rear_axle_to67.cfm

311-501-283 upper and lower inner bearings 2 required per side

211-501-285 upper outer bearing 1 required per side

211-501-283 lower outer bearing 1 required per side

Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:04 pm

WOW!!! Lunch time her in the south pacific and get a quick reply...LOL!
Thanks guys..i will check the new numbers...mucho grassyass.

Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:54 pm

the race says N207E?

Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:03 am

big bus mike wrote: http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wolfsburg_new/rear_axle/bus_rear_axle/bus_rear_axle_to67.cfm

311-501-283 upper and lower inner bearings 2 required per side

211-501-285 upper outer bearing 1 required per side

211-501-283 lower outer bearing 1 required per side

The big nut RGBs (64-67) used this arrangement.
Through 63, they used three of the one, and the upper outer was different.
They used a beefier lower outer bearing when they went to big nut 1 ton.

Sun Jun 08, 2008 12:30 am

Acording to the FAG guy this is the Newest part number for Big Nut lower outter stub axle. You know...the expensive one. I found them for $50 each.

N207E.M1.C3