Type Two RGB in a 181 Thing?

[Spezialist]

Hi guys I am posting a question, has anyone heard of putting a type 2 RGB transmission into a 73 thing?
I'm wondering the pluses and minus, from everyone's perspective.
I'm pretty sure I can do it with maybe just two adapters for the spring plates.
I've got a cherry thing that was lifted and has giant BF Goodrich tires on center-lines, that dont fit right.
I have a parts thing to take this car back to stock if I ever decide to do that.
But I also have a bus transmission that I could get in there and possibly make a bitchin rock crawler out of!
Also do thing wheels fit on a bus or is it the other way around?
And yes I did search this subject and its vague.
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[crofty]

They were rxd boxed cars prior to '73 so it shouldn't be that hard.
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Your Vanagon sucks, Stop waving at me.

[yellow73kubel]

So you want to use the Bus swing axle on the Thing? That shouldn't be very hard. You'd need the spring plates like you said, and probably some different axles, but other than that it should work fine. The RGB Bus trannies should be about the same as a Bug tranny, so I can't see it needing too much fab work to install.

You would obviously lose the IRS, but the off camber might work better offroad in some cases (doing the splits down a trench for example). The biggest downside is that RGB parts are getting harder to find, and they don't like being beaten too hard (try to avoid burnouts and tire spinning).

People have added RGBs to IRS Beetles before, and that would take a lot more work than what you are talking about.

[Pierre G]

Hi Spezialist,

I asked almost the same question in the split bus forum a few weeks ago, but to put a 181 swingaxle trans with RGB in a split bus. I'm about to get a split bus without trans and I have a spare 181 trans. They are mostly interchangeable. BUT, I owned 181s with swingaxle and RGB (well I still own them, but they're non-running), and split buses. I now own a late 181/Thing with IRS. On the road, off road, IRS is by far superior in highway speed, noise reduction, overall comfort, and yes, off road capabilities too, because of the better flexibility of double CV joints. I would never recommend to anyone to switch from IRS to swingaxle/RGB. I would recommend to anyone to switch from swingaxle to IRS. Like Yellow73kubel said, swing+RGBs don't like beeing beaten too hard. If you want lift+big tires+rockcrawling, my opinion would be a bug 4.375 R&P trans reinforced by a trans builder, or, even better (but with much more work) a bay window bus trans. That last option would need a lot of custom fabs and mounts. Hope that helps.

Pierre
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1976 181/Thing, 1967 fastback, 1973 squareback, 1964 microbus, 1967 Double Cab, 1969 westfalia (currently under resto), 1972 LM1C dune buggy, 1974 jean's bug, 1974 1303 (super beetle, currently under reassembly after new paint).

[Pierre G]

Why did you delete your second post in this thread ?? I was about to reply, look for some pics of one of my 181 RGB trans, and poof...gone... Changed your plan ?

Pierre
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1976 181/Thing, 1967 fastback, 1973 squareback, 1964 microbus, 1967 Double Cab, 1969 westfalia (currently under resto), 1972 LM1C dune buggy, 1974 jean's bug, 1974 1303 (super beetle, currently under reassembly after new paint).

[Spezialist]

No changes in plan, didnt have time to edit my post.
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[Cheapo]

[Pierre G]

Some 4X4 Jeep with monster tires can be beaten by a simple Thing sometimes, thought you knew...

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=o38oXUWG30k

See related videos with the VW Safari (Thing) :

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=xH7GTWVypU0&NR=1

Pierre
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1976 181/Thing, 1967 fastback, 1973 squareback, 1964 microbus, 1967 Double Cab, 1969 westfalia (currently under resto), 1972 LM1C dune buggy, 1974 jean's bug, 1974 1303 (super beetle, currently under reassembly after new paint).

[c.davis419]

While I love my thing, Pierre, that guy in the black jeep has NO clue how to drive a jeep and he was in two wheel drive high gear and his engine was poorly tuned. That jeep being driven by anybody who had a clue would have had no problem getting over that. Can't beat 4X4 for rock crawling.
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1967 beetle
1974 Thing

[Spezialist]

JUST to keep this thread out of a rock crawler argument, I do not intend to build a thing rock crawler, but I do intend to be able to drive over obstacles as shown in that funny video. That was HARDLY ROCK CRAWLING BTW
But as shown a pretty stock Volkswagen can get over some good bumps, shoots I've done bumps like that in a stock VW Bus,


Pierre G, thanks for some laughs.
If we need to keep the conversation polite we can keep it between ourselves.
So where are those pictures!
I spent about a half an hour looking at thing off road adventure videos last night and that led to schwimmwagen vids too!
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[Pierre G]

[Spezialist]

Here's a twist, a friend offered up his 48 jeep Willy's to me, do you think I should just forgo any Volkswagen drive train and put the thing on the Willy's frame, I could graft in the front and give the "thing" a jeep nose for the radiator.
I spent a few hours doing the measurements today and it looks very promising!
I think it would be cool! 4wd thing! its what we all want anyway!
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[Ferretkona]

Please just walk away from VW's and Willy's.
You are speaking about adding $10,000 plus $10,000 to add up to $400.

Do not destroy two honorable vehicles to create crap.
VW made their own 4x4 thing called the Iltis type 183

http://www.iltis.us/

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74 181 Thing
2008 Ford Sport Trac V8 4x4
2008 Ford Escape V6

[Pierre G]

I sort of agree with Ferretkona, although, yes, we all (of those who use their 181 offroad) dream of a 4x4 181/Thing. If you have both and don't want to restore any of them, I'd say, why not ? You could end up with a very unique vehicle and create a trend...if you ever finish it. So please, think about it more before wasting 2 cars and don't destroy the jeep/the Thing if they're nice unmolested vehicles.
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1976 181/Thing, 1967 fastback, 1973 squareback, 1964 microbus, 1967 Double Cab, 1969 westfalia (currently under resto), 1972 LM1C dune buggy, 1974 jean's bug, 1974 1303 (super beetle, currently under reassembly after new paint).