Lowering A Splitty

Pardon my ignorance but how do you get a splitty to sit a little lower. I'm not talking down in the weeds but just an inch or two down to get rid of that Commercial look. My splitty is a 66 with reduction box rear end. Any help would be appreciated.:o

hi havent done yet but looking into depends on how much you want to spend and if you want to change the reduction hubs but the front is easyer with droped spindles check out split bus australia,site am interested to see what posts you get

Checkout indian automotives website. They are Kombi specialists.

For the front you can either have adjusters welded in or dropped spindles/or both.
The rear you can reset the torsion bar or get an IRS kit....

All depends on $$$

(!)

contact rob king aka splitcusaustralia from this forum about dropped splindles only way to go (bout $500 on exchange basis) we as the adjusters with all work involved costs around 400 anyway and nopt as good ride as dropeed spindles (adjuasters give u bout 9 inch drop,dropped spindles give u 3" drop) and with the rear its just a matter of pulling off the spring plates and adjusting them 1-2 splines?!!
cheers
rhys

zny of you guys done any of this yet to see what ride is the best? dropped spindles or 68 front beam? cheers, fish:bounce:bounce:bounce:puke

I have converted & ridden in splittys done both ways & I can only say that is drop spindles are good but balljoints are better! The spindles go lower (with adjusters) but balljoints (with adjusters) with disc's make for a better road car!
I have also some experience with straight axle & IRS rears in splittys...Again no contest IRS all the way! Of course all these change make it harder to run 205 PSD rims...Can be done but is a pain. The 112PSD has far more wheel options to choose from...MERC, AUDI, Late PASSAT...Even original late Kombi!

now this is the advice i;m looking for. cheers, fish

this is the bus i want to lower. cheers, fish

[Edited on 19-4-2003 by fish]

I have done it! both the front and the rear. The rear is easy once you have the axles and or hubs removed, to lower the bus 3mm in the rear you rotate the inner spline on the rear torsion bar anti clock one spline and the outer spline or springplate end clockwise one spline each time you do this you will achieve a 3mm drop, do it ten times =30mm as for the front I had a new beam with adjusters and dropped spindles installed but this was too low for me so i have taken the spindles off and i have lowered the front with the adjusters about 60 mm which suits my use just fine. it is a bit harder a ride but shorter shocks will probably alleviate this, I have noticed the steering is a little heavier too but this actually feels better.......the spindles are a better ride but be careful 75 -80mm is a lot of travel to lose tyre rub is not fun and the best surf spots have mean roads................
PS i have retained the king link pin front but have IRS installed and i am running wide 5 rims

[Edited on 20-4-2003 by silver]

This is the drop spindled, straigh axle one...

This ones IRS & Ball joint

so which one drives and rides the best? simon? the steering on my bus is a bit erratic at the moment. putting dropped spindles in it, will that help or hinder my drive. i only want to lower it to the Qld legal height of a coke can off the ground. cheers, fish.:bounce:bounce

lowering a ball joint front end puts a shitload of pressure on the balljoints and causes excessive wear!!! where as king link pin front end with just dropped spindles 3 inches a\can be achieved the advantage of this is a much smoother ride then a adjuster/ball joint because dropped spindles retain the FULL standard suspension travel!!!
but if ur into throwing your bus around and hold to the road then IRS rear is for you other wise if u just want to get rid of the reduction box's go straight axle conversion using a 1500/1600 type 3 box (it automatically drops ur bus anywhere of 5 inches!!!)
cheers
rhys
p.s. my opion- IRS rear and maybe Ball joint front end with ball joint dropped spindles???

Fish...

IRS with a Ball Joint front end is what your after.
KK....Have you ever actually looked at a lowered bus BJ front end? I have...An I haven't seen any unusual wear in the BJ's. Infact with the green & white deluxe in the above image, the "ball" is pretty close to centred in the "joint"! As for smoother ride with a LP front end with drop spindles....Bullshite! The torsion leaves in the LP front are much harsher than the leaves found in a bay. If you want to 'soften' the ride a little you could always remove the 2 smallest leaves from each stack (I wouldn't recommend this!!!).
Drop spindles for a BJ bus!!!!
Only one comany that I know of has actually done this and the method used to create them is to "cut'n'shut" 4 spindle sets with an offset to lower the car. The problems with this are...
1. You widen your track by 30mm per side!
2. You potentially weaken you front suspension.
3. And you are drive a heavy car...Would you really want flat 'butt' welds holding your front end together????
Straight axle set-up are cheap & easy to do, but you end up with a car with very little ground clearance and doesn't handle real well unless you put low profile tyres on the car. Which of course will effect your gearing greatly! Have al look at the matt black bus in the ubove image....That rear bumper is maybe 4" off the ground. To get the look right with this car, Antony has the front very low (ie: steering box is about 40mm off the ground!!!). Don't get me wrong.... I love Antony's bus, She rides sweet, goes hard and may soon be travelling across Australia! But Marks 15 window is a far superior car to drive in every way. He drove it to Sydney for that Nationals last year. Did about 8000kms round trip!
I know which car I would rather do it in....Don't you?

Thanks guys. well it looks like it's an IRS and ball joint front end. Now where to get these? the ball joint front end... off a 1968-69 bus maybe? and the rear IRS? straight off the same bus or an aftermarket job !!!! i'm confused. cheers, fish.

[Edited on 21-4-2003 by fish]

there were two companies with stands at the nationals doing this conversion and if the presentation of there stands is anything to go by i know where i would go to
david:o:o

[Edited on 22-4-2003 by david]

I have an IRS rear end, lots of welding for that. and I have a ball joint front end with an adjuster. I would like to get some dropped spindles to put on and get a little of my suspention travel back. Who in Australia makes cast dropped spindles for a ball joint front end?:bounce

Custom Bugs and Buses 🙂

hey humpty
im just going off what other people have said i myself have never riden in any bus except for my 72 panel which has only ben up and down the backyard!!!! so u have set me straight!!!
fish i recommend u try indian automotive for one of there IRS kits as no welding is required and it can be pulled out and turned back to original or u could just pull a kit out of a later IRS bus a gearbox out of a either L bug (better final drive) type 3 IRS or a Superbug(i think)
indian also have 68 BJ beams with adjusters for around $500 (which is fairly good!)
but check all the info about there products on there site!
cheers
rhys
and yes CBB have BJ dropped spindles and rob king aka Splitbusaustralia have king/link pin dropped spindles

Indian had an offer at the Nationals for a drive in and drive out lowering solution for $200.00. I think that the fully adjustables ones are about $800, and Custom Bugs are a bit more than that.

I've had Indian's in for a while with no dramas at all. Check out www.kruizinwagon.com.au

Just back from OS - still spewin about missing the Nationals! Did pick up a few barney bits tho.....

Re lowering. Lotsa people have different opinions. Price is always a driver of course.

I personally think the 68 beam into a split lowered on adjusters is pretty harsh (I've driven LOTS of lowered busses in the US) and wouldn't do this myself (you have to drop em 6 inches plus to actual lower them below stock height). Other people (Humpty, Kimm at Indian) seem to think they're OK. I note with interest the reply above from someone with this setup wanting 'more travel' though........

I also personally wouldn't go pulling any of
the torsion leaves out of the front end. It 'softens' and 'lowers' but then the remaining leaves break which is annoying at best, dangerous at worst.

Thus at this time I am personally a dropped spindle on a link pin front end man (firstly). I would add adjusters if I wanted lower or some adjustment but I wouldn't lower more than another 3 inches on them...

Best solution (theoretically - haven't driven this) would be a 68
(ball joint) beam with dropped spindles and adjusters. Get discs etc etc. However, dropped spindles (cut and welded) for bus ball joint front ends are just starting to appear in the US now! Are you sure CBB is offering dropped spindles for ball joint front ends? If so, how are they making em? Must be cut and welded?

My advice is to try and drive each alternative and make your decision. Drive a stock split bus with a DECENT link pin front end - its actually pretty good!. Drive one lowered 6 inches plus on adjusters (plus 'stiffeners' if that's the secret), drive one with dropped spindles - look at relative costs and make up your own mind.

RobK

Quote: I note with interest the reply above from someone with this setup wanting 'more travel' though........
You emailed me today about dropped spindles.
Yes I need more travel as my shock absorbers bottom out on large dips and bumps in the road, I have been told that I can put beetle shockies on but what will hit next, my ball joints dont look too happy at the moment ether:puke

Get a load of this!:puke

hey 59 bus
u might want to try using a holden 1 tonner shock and make up a bracket to mount it to the top shock(they have wishbone front end so u need to remove that part so it can be fitted to the bottom) and make up a braket out of 50 x 50mm RHS
well that works for me!!! and i get shocks
cheer
srhys

I would just like some dropped spindles, then I can raise the beam and flatten out that ball joint!:puke

Last time I heard (2nd hand info), BJ dropped spindles were $650 at Indian Automotive.

i have been doing a bit of research on this lately for my bus and the best options i have come up with are dropped spindles (probably off rob k) and a straight axle conversion ,this is the most economical method ,the way i am going is bay front end (disc brakes,ball joints) narrowed with dropped spindles and irs rear end with disc brakes (not cheap) but it is the best way and yopu will stop on a dime it,s around $4500 grand but what the hell its only money and i,m using custom bugs and buses in sydney but thats just me
david:o:o

David. Are you taking your bus up to CBB and getting them to fit the gear? surely its not $4500 to do it yourself ? cheers , fish

Rob K doesn't do dropped spindles for a ball joint front beam. Indian Automotive don't do them either. The only place I can find is CBB and they want $770 for mine in exchange.:bounce

Spoke to Mike @ CBB_ $770 for bay drop spindles extra $700 for x-ray.Increases track by 10mm each side...narrowed beam$ or inset wheel$. Made 12 sets in the last 18 months...To drop or not to drop that is the question:beer
Vinnie

[Edited on 22-4-2003 by CumbDunt]

I have found a 1970 Kombi It has wide 5 ( i think) and factory drum drums will this have the correct front end and swing plates axles for conversions?
Also how much does a standars bay beam lower a splitty? and does it widen the track?
Mitchell😎.

only 68/69 kombi beams will fit and they make ur kombi sit higher by about 2 inches and i think they keep the same track
cheers
rhys

think i'll stick with Kimm. seems like the best alternative to all my lowering worries. fish.:bounce:bounce:thumb

so what u gonna go fish??
cheers
rhys

Hey Fish, I might be up the coast this weekend, we should meet up then you can see what my bus rides like!
:bounce:bounce:bounce:bounce:bounce

Walter...

The LP front with drop spindles will narrow your track by about 30mm per side, a BJ front with discs will widen your track by about 40mm per side. A BJ with Drums I can not tell you as I have only ever converted them to discs. I like to stop as my cars all have modded engines & I like to drive'm hard! And yes that 1970 front end will fit. Later BJ beam can be made to fit. You just need to just need to drill new holes through the chassis and add some spacers inside the rail for strength (just as the factory has). But you must get it straight otherwise you alignment will be out!!!

Not good grass hopper!

I have only ever used Kimms (Chief) adjusters on BJ front ends. On the LP front Antony used modified AVIS adjusters with home brew drop spindles....Worked a treat and was loads cheaper!

Rhys. going to stick with Kimm (Chief) on the front and rear. Just got to find myself a 1968-69 suspension. fish

koolio!!!
cheers
rhys

didn't get a chance to look at the 68 kombi this weekend, maybe next week. :alien

thanks for the replies on lowering, just wondering why my back wheels are leaning out at the top, is this so when there is weight in the van they sit more vertical or is something amiss here? any help always appreciated. is 3 - 3 and a half inches the minimum you can lower a bus front end or is 1-2" possible? cheers Andy

If you only want to lower it 1-2" then have some adjusters put in and forget the dropped spindle argument. The rear can be lowered to suit just by adjusting the rear splines, which is outlined in the workshop manual. 🙂