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Manfred58sc
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009
Posts: 3382
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 Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 6:51 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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I'm sure NOS bearings can be found here or evil-bay. I don't trust any of the so-called quality names these days, just got burned on a sachs clutch kit, says made in Germany on the box, and "made for sachs" on the package inside. Total non-working trash. The last aftermarket bearing I tried went 3K miles before total failure on the side of the road, luckily I had a OG spare with me.
Ben, I would weld any additions,repairs %100. I know that is the standard for European inspections. I would also clean up the welds with a Tiger pad and give it all a good coat of primer and paint. You will love Vanagon seats.
Wah,wah on the social media schedule. That is self inflicted.
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OrangeZA
Samba Member
Joined: January 04, 2016
Posts: 110
Location: Scottish Highlands
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| Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 7:50 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Thanks for the clarification on the original triangles Dave. I guess Ben could use some of that tubing he used on the other side, slice it down its length, place it over the hypotenuse of the triangle and weld it together, B-pillar, triangle, wheel housing. It would get rid of the sharp edge and add more strength. I see more Brazilian T2s here than German ones nowadays, all of them were converted in the UK and a have swivel seats. The late model Brazilian T2s use a bigger triangle and it still works fine with the swivel, obviously you would have to mock everything up carefully to avoid having to rework your strengthening additions!
^^Later larger Brazilian and Mexican T2 strengthening triangles^^
Watch out for grinding sparks hitting your glass Ben, a lesson I learned rebuilding a Type 3 Fastback as a teenager…
| Manfred58sc wrote: |
| I'm sure NOS bearings can be found here or evil-bay. I don't trust any of the so-called quality names these days, just got burned on a sachs clutch kit, says made in Germany on the box, and "made for sachs" on the package inside. Total non-working trash. The last aftermarket bearing I tried went 3K miles before total failure on the side of the road, luckily I had a OG spare with me. |
Manfred, sounds like you’ve had some awful experience with the quality names. I guess I’ve been lucky and haven’t been burned yet, sounds like it’s only a matter of time though. What brand of bearing only lasted 3,000 miles? That’s shocking! |
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Xevin 
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2014
Posts: 7635
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| Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:50 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| HastaAlaska wrote: |
yeah I know I'm a little lazy today - I got up at 7 am cycled 2 storage, pulled my bus out raised it 2ft from the ground and spent all day scrubbing, washing, scraping and painting the undercarriage. Finally pushing it back into to storage at 6pm, cycling home, responding to 200 comments across 9 platforms, I need to order some new bearings but I literally have about 1 hour a day of internet time to research and purchase equipment for the build and manage all of the social media rubbish too. can barely keep my eyes open this build is hectic right now, fighting visa time. have to be out of US in May.
If anyone can recommend a brand to purchase or avoid it would help. Hopefully I will have time to look through all those threads tomorrow for the bearings that I needed yesterday but found out about today  night night |
I know what you mean. Your day looked similar to mine. Using your words my day looked like this 
| HastaAlaska wrote: |
yeah I know I'm a little lazy today - I got up at 5:30 am commuted to work, left my bus in the driveway and spent all day moving merchandise, assisting 500 customers, and managing a staff of 60. Finally off at 6pm, commuting home, posting 10 comments across 1 platform, No need to order some new bearings as I’ve already replaced mine but I literally have more hours a day of internet time to research and purchase equipment for the 74 Beetle build and think social media is rubbish too. can barely keep my eyes open,my yard work is hectic right now, fighting for more daylight. have to get my yard in shape by May.
These guys can recommend a brand to purchase or avoid it and will help. I will have time to look through all those threads tomorrow for the bearings that I needed yesterday but found out about today good morning |
My issues are self inflicted 
I know you’re working tough Ben. Wish I had the balls to pull off your life style when I was your age. Although my life is pretty darn good. I’m going to confirm with Butty Bits that the rails for driver seat are the same as U.S. spec buses. Will let you know what they say. I’m going to order some too.
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Keep on Busin'
| 67rustavenger wrote: |
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!  |
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| Damn that Xevin... |
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Manfred58sc
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009
Posts: 3382
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| Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:48 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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The pattern is "brand names" with "made for XXX" on the inside. I only use OG parts, NOS or used on my stuff. I do my best for customers, but more and more its Chinese ( I recommend they keep spares on board and AAA plus). My first OG bearings went about 550,000 miles on my Bus, lots of them were hard miles overloaded. There may still be good aftermarket parts on the shelf at respected dealers, I would trust the recommendations of members.
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richparker
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Joined: November 24, 2011
Posts: 6983
Location: Durango, CO
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 8:02 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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I have ~50,000 miles on rear FAG bearings with no issues. I believe I bought them from Bus Depot. At the time I did cross reference the part part number to make sure they were not repackaged. I got what I ordered and BD was not false advertising. I also just had a set of EMPI CV boots last 40k. Good luck.
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HastaAlaska
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lil-jinx
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wcfvw69
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Joined: June 10, 2004
Posts: 13389
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 2:28 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| HastaAlaska wrote: |
| Manfred58sc wrote: |
| My first OG bearings went about 550,000 miles on my Bus |
Holy crap! Bus Depo seems to be selling German made bearings - probably not NOS, but hopefully good enough. |
There's another member on this site that had over 500k miles on all his wheel bearings. He achieved it by cleaning and repacking them every 25k miles.
When I bought my 70' bus a few years ago and went through it mechanically, I removed the wheel bearings on all four corners. Some were probably the original German VW bearings that still looked like new. A few others had been replaced but were known quality made European bearings. They were all cleaned and re-packed with good grease. I bet they last longer than I do! This bus I'm sure has over 200k miles on it if not more.
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HastaAlaska
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Joined: November 22, 2012
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| Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 8:30 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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1 of the back wheels has a little wobble which I'm guessing is the bearing.
Will replace both rear and repack the front if they are all good. (ordering spares just in case)
Today we finished up raising the rear. Adjusted both spring plates to about 24 degrees which I'm hoping will pre-load the backpack that the kombi will be carrying.
Worryingly, the new shocks we have. (KYB 344045) seem about 2 inches too short for the Kombi, even though they are supposed to be for the bus. I had to jack up the wheel housing a couple inches to be able to attached the shock at both ends.
This means at full extension the weight of the whole wheel assembly rests on the shock at full extension and is about 1/4 inch off of the stop in the framing.
This doesn't seem right to me, please could you guys tell us what you think 
EDIT - Looks like this topic is discussed over here: https://www.thesamba.com/vw//forum/viewtopic.php?t...mp;start=0
Thanks so much
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HastaAlaska
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OrangeZA
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Joined: January 04, 2016
Posts: 110
Location: Scottish Highlands
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| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2018 4:34 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Hey Ben,
Great to hear you are making nice progress with your build. Try and post some photos when you get a chance, it’ll give us a chance to cast a constructively critical eye over the build, maybe we can catch something you might have overlooked and save you a lot of hassle later. Your head must be spinning with the amount of work you have to get done with the limited visa time you have available?
Sorry, I don’t know of any off the shelf dampers with the external oil reservoir designed specifically for the VW T2. Those Fox ones for the T3 are a lot of money, for the same amount you could get 2 sets of Konis. Do you think you would wear through 2 sets of Konis on your travels? I honestly don’t know what would be the best value in terms of cost and performance over the long term. Both the Konis and the Fox dampers are rebuildable, but I don’t know how practical that is to do out in the field or without special tools.
Maybe it would be worth your while to write to Fox, tell them what your plans are and ask them for some advice? They have a lot of options on their website, maybe they can set something up for you? http://www.ridefox.com/fox17/contact.php?ref=footer |
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HastaAlaska
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| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:44 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Turns out those GoWesty Fox shocks are custom made for the Vanagon specifically for GW and wont fit the bus.
I can get a set of BOGE plus spares from a sponsor so I might just run those, however I really don't like the idea of putting in somethign that isn't designed for the job and will almost certainly fail on the journey.......although I should probably get comfortable with that notion as I am trying to drive around the world in a 45 year old bus
I will contact Fox and see what they say, thanks
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airschooled
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Joined: April 04, 2012
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Location: on a bike ride somewhere
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| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:01 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| HastaAlaska wrote: |
| BOGE plus |
There isn't any real data on what shocks last the longest, because no two buses drive the same conditions or miles. I can tell you right now that 100 miles on Michigan roads would be like 3,000 miles on California freeways, or 20,000 miles on Arizona freeways. What makes you think the Boge will outlast the Konis?
Robbie
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TDCTDI
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Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12857
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:22 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.
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OrangeZA
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Joined: January 04, 2016
Posts: 110
Location: Scottish Highlands
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| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2018 11:32 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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At a VW show many moons ago I bought some old “Safer Motoring” magazines from the ‘70s for a quid. “Safer Motoring” described themselves as “The INDEPENDENT magazine that concentrates on the VW Family”. There was a letter I enjoyed in the January 1974 issue which some of you might also enjoy:
| Quote: |
SAFELY ACROSS THE SAHARA IN “WRITTEN-OFF” VW KOMBI
I have been rather disappointed to see that Volkswagen have now discontinued the Type 3 Variants, Fastbacks and Notchbacks, and are now concentrating on more ‘sophisticated’ and stylish conventional vehicles.
I have owned nine air-cooled Volkswagens since 1968 - one 1955 Type 1 Beetle, five Type 3 Variants (1964, 1968, 1969, 1970), and three Type 2 Transporters (1969 Westfalia Campmobile, 1966 double cab truck, and a 1970 ex-ambulance). Moreover, I have recently had my faith in these true air cooled VWs completely vindicated.
Late in 1972 I bought myself a written-off 1970 VW Kombi Ambulance in Nigeria. It had done only 29,000 miles, but was in shocking condition. In the following eight months I stripped and rebuilt most of the vehicle and installed a new 1972 low compression (M240) 1600cc twin-port engine. In mid-July, I set of from Nigeria on a 5,000 mile trek to Britain across the Sahara Desert.
The journey from Kano in Nigeria to Algiers took 10 days, and the Kano to London time was 15 days.
For most of the distance to the Mediterranean coast there were no roads, and for up to 1,000 miles there was not even a track. I have driven all over East, Central and Southern Africa, in Zaire (Congo), across Europe, in Australia and New Zealand, and in West Africa, but until I crossed the Sahara Desert I could not envisage such tough conditions for any vehicle to endure (East Africa Safari rally included!)
For example, between Zinder and Agades in the Niger Republic we were able to cover in one day of 12 hours driving only 32 miles! Most of the time was spent digging, laying ‘sand tracks’ (7ft x 2ft sheets of heavy perforated steel) and pushing, in ambient temperatures that by 10 a.m. had reached 45˚C.
If it hadn’t been for the VW Kombi’s high clearance (superior to that of a Land-Rover), big wheels with large diameter Michelin XC radials, and untiring engine, that particular part of the journey would have lasted much longer.
The simple little absolutely standard underpowered air-cooled engine was quite remarkable. It was driven all day (12 to 13 hours) every day for just over 2 weeks. Over half that journey was in temperatures that topped 45˚C by 10 a.m. and didn’t drop below 45˚C till 4 p.m.
During this time and in these temperatures the engine was either driving the heavily laden car at 60 mph on the magnificent tarred roads of northern Algeria or labouring all day long in first and second gear only, and often being buried in deep sand that was too hot to touch.
I am quite certain that it endured prolonged operating temperatures that were far in excess of what the manufacturers would even recommend as absolute maximum for only short periods. Yet, absolutely nothing is now wrong with the engine. VW Diagnosis results are excellent and compression on all four cylinders is high.
The traditional VW Kombi suspension is also truly remarkable. For thousands of miles it was pounded and hammered. For example north of Tamanrasset in Algeria the corrugations were far worse than I’ve encountered anywhere else in Africa (by comparison Australia has only mild ripples rather than corrugations).
One either bumps along at 6 mph or, if the engine has the power, one accelerates to over 50 mph and the corrugations are only 30% smoothed out. But the 1600cc Kombi and 4-cylinder Land-rovers when loaded up lack the power to do this, except when there is a rare lucky break like a smooth patch or a downhill section when one really lets the car have it in order to wind up to 50 mph.
Even so, if one is able to maintain 50 mph the suspension bottoms on the shock absorbers and the torsion arms reach their limits with chassis buckling bangs at least one every minute. Moreover, this torture lasts 13 hours a day for many days.
Yet, now the journey is over, the car still stands high on its original torsion bars. The only thing that went wrong with the suspension was that the front anti-roll bar got badly buckled twice, but removal and bending it straight again between the branches of a stout thorn bus was a quick and simple remedy.
The optional heavy duty shock absorbers were a waste of time - they gave up just as quickly as standard ones.
Shock absorber life seems to be only about 1,500 miles in these conditions so that at least two spare sets are necessary for a satisfactory Sahara crossing.
The oil bath air cleaner was washed out every day without fail: and on each occasion nearly an inch of thick mud was found at the bottom.
I would hate to have had one of the puny paper element air cleaners found on some modern British specification Beetles, and the engine oil (SAE 40, or 25-50) was changed every 1,500 miles for good measure.
An essential extra for Type 2 VWs is the optional (to special order) heavy steel guard for the forward gearbox mounting bracket. An accompanying VW Kombi (Dormobile) without this extra pushed its entire engine, gearbox and transaxle unit 2 inches rearwards, buckling the engine carrier, stretching the clutch cable to its limit and rendering the accelerator cable inoperative.
If I were to cross the Sahara again there are only two vehicles I would consider - a four cylinder Land-Rover and a Volkswagen Kombi
But the Land-Rover is uncomfortable, thirsty on petrol, is water-cooled and does not have as much room and ground clearance as the Volkswagen. However, it does have four-wheel-drive. This doesn’t always prevent getting stuck in sand, but it does help in getting unstuck.
The six-cylinder Land-Rover is too heavy and too thirsty and spare parts are very hard to find in Africa. The Range-Rover doesn’t have enough room or ground clearance, is too thirsty and as yet not sufficiently reliable.
The VW Kombi or Transporter has a fantastic little engine, very strong suspension and chassis, spares available even in the remotest places, lots of room inside (30 extra spare gallons of petrol and 14 gallons of drinking water had to be carried in addition to three spare wheels and tyres, oil, tools, spare parts and ‘sand-tracks’, etc.). It has a big roof for a large roof rack. All it realy lacks is four-wheel drive.
Twin port VW engines with the relocated oil cooler and better than the earlier ones as No.3 cylinder doesn’t get so hot. 1972 and later Kombis have less vulnerable engine carriers and early swing axle models (’67 and earlier) have a vulnerable gearbox carrier.
Almost the ideal vehicle is the Volkswagen 181 (very common in Algeria and Niger Republic) but there is no room for all the necessary loads, and being a soft top, a roof rack cannot be fitted.
The VW Type 2 Kombi is easily the most common vehicle seen crossing the Sahara Desert. Apart also from the Land-Rover, other vehicles do sometimes cross it, particularly Citroën 2CVs, VW Beetles, Renault 4s, Peugeot 404s, Ford Transits and Toyota Land-Cruisers, but they cannot match the VW Kombi for clearance, strength, carrying capacity, reliability and above all hard work.
My 1970 VW Kombi may take 50 seconds to reach 50 mph while the Audi 80 takes only 9 seconds, but crossing the Sahara has convinced me that modern fussy and fancy K70s, Audis and Passats can never hope to match up to a real Volkswagen’s capacity for hard work and endurance.
A nomadic Touareg tribesman, now working as a guide for overland Sahara expeditions, told us: ‘Le Land-rover est le roi du Sahara, et le Volkswagen est le prince du Sahara, mais les autres…! (five-letter French word).
It is a pity to see Volkswagen joining the rat race that produces cars that are only good for motorways, traffic light grand prix, and automatic car wash machines!
I will always continue to buy only real Volkswagens! When they stop making these, I will reluctantly have to buy either a Volvo or one of the less ostentatious Holdens or Toyotas. - S. Glen Advanced Teachers College, Sokoto, Nigeria.
P.S. Incidentally, the journey was continued from London through the Low Countries to Sweden, Finland and Norway. In the snow near North Cape my Kombi functioned perfectly in below freezing temperatures. |
It was only later when I purchased a copy of Simon Glen’s book “Volkswagens of the World” and spotted a photo of a beat up Nigerian spec Ambulance with flat tyres that I realised the letter in the old magazine was the story of that bus.
Simon Glen changed his mind about heavy duty shock absobers as he did more travels across the Sahara and seemed to believe the Boges were the best compromise. He writes about shock absorbers in his “Sahara Handbook”, Chapter 19, Vehicle Equipment and Preparation, page 222”
| Simon Glen wrote: |
Land Cruisers, Land Rovers, Unimogs and Range Rovers have good big, adequate shock absorbers, provided they are in good condition. On many overseas specification Volkswagens (e.g. Australia, Nigeria, etc.) heavy duty shock absorbers are standard. They should be fitted if not already present. Alternatively, heavy duty versions of other makes like Gabriel, Koni, or Bilstein could be fitted, though they are twice the price of the normal heavy duty Boge brand and last the same time.
Beware of fitting shock absorbers with assister coil springs around them. The spring can dislocate itself and rub against the shock absorber, wearing a hole in the casing, and causing it to leak badly. |
He also thought the paper element air-filters were fine as long as they were used in conjunction with the M153 option, cyclonic filter. |
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HastaAlaska
Samba Member
Joined: November 22, 2012
Posts: 1420
Location: Off Grid
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 11:48 am Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| asiab3 wrote: |
| HastaAlaska wrote: |
| BOGE plus |
There isn't any real data on what shocks last the longest, because no two buses drive the same conditions or miles. I can tell you right now that 100 miles on Michigan roads would be like 3,000 miles on California freeways, or 20,000 miles on Arizona freeways. What makes you think the Boge will outlast the Konis?
Robbie |
I don't think they will actually. The Konis probably ride better than the Boge. We have koni on the front right now (loaners) and it is the best ride I've ever experienced. The Boge are available to us (sponsored) and as they are softer they will not build up as much heat and therefore should outlast a stiffer (non-resevoir) shock.
Ideally when we leave Europe heading East we'll put some dedicated off road shocks with external resevoirs - I just need to find someone who makes them in a size that fits the bus without modifications. Any suggestions welcomed.
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2011 - PRESENT
Hasta Alaska Series - https://kombilife.com/hasta-alaska/
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Hikelite
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Joined: August 31, 2012
Posts: 557
Location: Colville, WA
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 2:01 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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Where are you planning to go that all this is necessary? Aren't there roads in Asia?
I've taken my bus into places I probably shouldn't have, but it always got me there without complaint.
Shocks are not all that tough to replace. If you're really worried about them failing, couldn't you just carry a spare set? Of course, where do you draw that line of carrying spare parts?
We will be starting an indefinite length trip this Fall. While we plan to spend the first couple years in North America, we have aspirations to ship the bus across an ocean eventually. I've been watching your thread hoping I might pick up some wisdom from your experiences.
I guess I don't understand why the shocks are such a big deal. I'm putting a new set of regular shocks and anticipate them lasting many many years. What am I missing?
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Spike0180
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Joined: June 06, 2015
Posts: 2269
Location: Detroit, Michigan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 12:29 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| Hikelite wrote: |
Where are you planning to go that all this is necessary? Aren't there roads in Asia?
I've taken my bus into places I probably shouldn't have, but it always got me there without complaint.
Shocks are not all that tough to replace. If you're really worried about them failing, couldn't you just carry a spare set? Of course, where do you draw that line of carrying spare parts?
We will be starting an indefinite length trip this Fall. While we plan to spend the first couple years in North America, we have aspirations to ship the bus across an ocean eventually. I've been watching your thread hoping I might pick up some wisdom from your experiences.
I guess I don't understand why the shocks are such a big deal. I'm putting a new set of regular shocks and anticipate them lasting many many years. What am I missing? |
You're missing absolutely nothing. Even with extreme conditions day after day, regular boge shocks will last a year or two. And that's with some extreme abuse.
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HastaAlaska
Samba Member
Joined: November 22, 2012
Posts: 1420
Location: Off Grid
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:06 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| Hikelite wrote: |
Where are you planning to go that all this is necessary? Aren't there roads in Asia?
I've taken my bus into places I probably shouldn't have, but it always got me there without complaint.
Shocks are not all that tough to replace. If you're really worried about them failing, couldn't you just carry a spare set? Of course, where do you draw that line of carrying spare parts?
We will be starting an indefinite length trip this Fall. While we plan to spend the first couple years in North America, we have aspirations to ship the bus across an ocean eventually. I've been watching your thread hoping I might pick up some wisdom from your experiences.
I guess I don't understand why the shocks are such a big deal. I'm putting a new set of regular shocks and anticipate them lasting many many years. What am I missing? |
Many places have sustained washboard dirt roads for 50-200 miles at a time. Standard Bus shocks just aren't designed to deal with that amount of heat and will fail. Products exist for this type of application but none that fit the bus without modification as far as I can see. Sounds like standard shocks would do you fine for the first 2 - 3 years, as they will for me. But eventually we'd like to find some off-road capable shocks.
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Hasta Alaska Series - https://kombilife.com/hasta-alaska/
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Brian
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Joined: May 28, 2012
Posts: 8340
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 1:52 pm Post subject: Re: Overlanding a VW Bus Around The World?! |
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| HastaAlaska wrote: |
| I just need to find someone who makes them in a size that fits the bus without modifications. Any suggestions welcomed. |
The market for heavy duty off-road shocks for Bus beams is pretty low. Like you said in the other thread, just measure your travel on the beam and browse through the Fox, King and Bilstein catalogs to see what fits. Modifications will probably be needed for the reservoir, but you can't improve something without modifying it for off-road extreme condition use.
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