Firstly, I would like to say hello to everybody. 🙂
I am looking for advice from people who have more experience with VW split screens than I do. I have been offered an early 60's splittie that was originally a left-hand drive eleven window kombi with a fixed bulk head, which is being converted to a right-hand drive walk-through. Are there any problems anyone can tell me of which may occur because of this alteration i.e. strength issues etc. Cosmetically it should look okay as it was a special order with the side opening doors on the left.

Hope somebody out there can help me to decide as to buy or not. Look forward to hearing from you. :?

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Hi and welcome to the forum!

I'm sorry but I can't answer any of your questions, as I don't know much about split screen vans! :?

But as your post's been on here a while with no reply, I thought I would just say hello. 😃

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Hi Six-o-one

Thanks for the welcome and taking the time to say hello. 🙂

I think that I'm going to leave this van, I'm going to carry on looking for something that's not so bastardised.

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What sort of bus are you after and what's your budget?

If I see anything that fits I'll let you know.

😃

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Hello!
Firstly, my own opinion, good choice, definitely dont buy that bus, its value has taken a dive as soon as LHD to RHD surgery is performed, but more importantly a big chunk of its identity is also being lost.
Depending on its original spec, it may or may not have had bellypans factory fitted ( huge plates with big cross patterns pressed in that totally cover all the chassis rails underneath) even with a solid front bulkhead.

Usually buses with any part of their original design structural integrity compromised, ie. sunroof, double doors, or walkthrough came with belly pans for extra strengthening.

I dont personally know anyone who has done LHD to RHD surgery on a split, and I would be very cautious about the rest of the work they were doing, as this is the sort of thing usually only done for personal financial gain not the overall best job for the bus.

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Also,
with further thought, changing a solid bulkhead to walkthrough is a really messy job!! and I can only guess that the bus was in poor shape ie. needing new front wheel arches, so there's one hell of a lot of chopping about being done. I bet the cab door gaps wont look very factory afterwards?! :shock: :lol:

A lot of restored buses dont get their bellypans replaced. There is mixed feeling over rust trap v structural integrity. So bear this in mind when looking around.

Get this book too, its every split bus owner's friend and will show all model year changes and numbers so you can check up your potential purchases yourself :
:D

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Hi six-o-one & mrsherbie

To answer you both firstly what am I looking for, well in an ideal world it would be a running small rear door (pre 63 I think but not 100% positive) RHD, walk through, 11 window, that’s had an IRS fitted and the brakes switched to discs, that does not need any welding with some sort of camper interior, more for the appliances as I’ll be refitting the inside myself as I’m a cabinet maker/carpenter. 😃 But let’s get real for a moment I want a split screen bus that I could be driving this year. As for budget well the usual as cheap as possible, but I have about 10 k in total to spend but I may be able to beg steal or borrow for the perfect dream bus.

As for the chop shop special, well mrsherbie you have just confirmed my thoughts re the value issue, and that it was being done to make money not a better van. As for having a lot of work done, well anything six inches up and twelve inches in has or is being replaced. For a short time I managed to convince myself that this was good as it wouldn’t need doing again for a long while. But in the end it boils down to (to quote you and use one of my favourite sayings) its “structural integrity has been compromised “. :wink:

Re the book I’ve had it on order from Amazon for what seems like months but still no sign of it. 😞
I have seen another bus that on first impressions seems like it could be a contender, it’s a 69. I have been given the chassis no of 239 139 004 I’ve had a look at the numbers page on the site and it appears that it should start 219, am I just plain stupid or am I missing a trick. :? Any thoughts would be welcome.

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You should easily get all this for inside 10k

That sounds like it could end up being really special.
If you get a chance look at Geoff Sumpters van featured in Ultravw June 2005. ( Palm green over Sand)
Last the weekend someone described it as a work of 'Canalboat art'! It will make you smile :wink: Its one of my most favorite buses in the world :D


I saw the book for sale on vwbooks stand at Peppercorn last weekend. If you can change your order you can order it from them or collect at the next show the are trading at to save postage!
https://www.vwbooks.co.uk/ 


'68 on (start of Bay window) all start with 21 ( I think!) up to '70 9 digit chassis numbers, after this 10 digits. I am not really up on Bay facts though but I have owned '68 & '76 Devon's many moons ago.

Pre '63 small rear window bus will hold highest value for long term investment guarantee. US buses had fisheye lense front indicators earlier, bullet flashers are super cool!

Shop around A LOT. We were discussing selling buses at the weekend ( 3 people who sell buses regularly) and although the prices appear to have undeniably stayed high this year, buses have definitely started to 'shift slower'.
I think the market is currently awash and its slowly becoming a buyers market again :wink: 😃

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I'll figure out how to use the quote thing later hopefully.

Yes I was at the peppercorn on Sunday as well it rained all the time I was walking around with the Boss/bank manager (to be read as wife) it stopped just after we got back in the truck to come home. Sorry to everyone there, I should have gone home [/b]earlier so you could have stayed dry :lol: I saw the book there as well but my copy is the post somewhere, must be using snail mail. :roll:

The 69 I mentioned is a 13 window split :? I also thought that the bays started in 68 but this is very much a split. It's for sale in the classifieds on this site, you can't miss it its bright yellow. I've been told I want a yellow one by the Boss :wink:
I agree bullets (or nipples as I have been told by someone else) do look super cool. 😎

Buyers market I like the sound of that, main problem is I have those male genes and patience is in very short supply, the voices in the head keep saying "you want a bus and you want it now🅱" :shock: So if any body can help me stop the voices don't hesitate to get in touch. 🙂 :wink:

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In Brazil they made splits into the 70's, also I think the SA Fleetline split went into the 70's

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This is the only yellow 13 window bus in the classifieds at the moment and it says it's a '67. :?

Is this the one you're looking at?

 5572.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

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Here's a bunch of brazilian busses...

https://www.bullibus.co.uk/page3.htm 

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That's it I have been told by the guy selling it that the year of production is 1969 and is a type 23 kombi. I've requested a copy or picture at least of the registration document and the plate. The more I think about this the more it's becoming a non starter.
I was going to be in Bulgaria soon and was thinking that I could have a look at it on the way back. “There go the little voices in the head again.”

And thanks for the link

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If it's as good as it looks it could be a real bargain, at the price they're asking! :shock:

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That was what I was thinking. But now there's this little problem eating away at me about the weird numbers and the year of production. :?

There is a bit of a language problem as well, his English is not to bad but details are being lost in the translation, but is considerable better than my Serbian which is nil.

What I need is someone that can speak Serbian can any body help me out :?:

Does anybody have experience of importing from eastern Europe :?: I spoke to the British Embassy in Belgrade today to get some information and they where as much use as a chocolate piston. :x

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Find out its build country, its quite important.
I would'nt be put off by Brazils though, 3 of the cleanest original paint unrestored splits I have ever seen were Brazils, and the build quality was excellent, I would have happily owned any of them, despite the fact one of them was H reg!! (but not SA Fleetline) :? !
Not so sure about SA buses, never looked at any up close, but I would'nt want a Fleetline personally as I dont like that pressed badge front panel.
What does the front panel on that bus look like?

Buying from abroad?
Take cash, go and get it in person. At the worse you will fly home with no bus.
Better than paying £1000's then losing it all and getting no bus either.
Thats happened twice recently to uk people with buses bought off the samba mail order. :roll:
But you wont hear people bragging about it obviously.
Call me a sceptic, but I know one couple's whole year was destroyed because this happened to them.

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Thanks for the wise words. Its amazing how many people there are now days that are out to fleece you of your money, had a guy recently that had a van for sale, that spent a week in negotiation sent countless pictures and emails only to total disappear when I said that I want to fly out and see it put on the boat.
 5602.jpg You have insufficient rights to see the content.

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I'll get the hang of this quote thing soon, well I hope so. :oops:

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