just an idea that occured to me recently, split kombis look great, but are rather unsafe and bays are still reasonably easy to come by, and somewhat safer due to suspension mods and bulkhead behind the bumper, so........

although it is marginally longer and wider, could a bay chassis be modified and welded up under a split to provide the best of both worlds? (ie: safety and looks). and has this ever been done before?

Look at these they are a fibreglass front for your bay to turn it into a splitty.




Website is http://www.vw-online.co.uk/baysplits/main.html 

mmm. im thinking more of something that can only be seen as not a splitty from underneath. just wondered if it was possible.

Yeah I've been wondering about that too.

Could the splitty's swing axle be replaced with IRS? Wouldn't that be just changing the gearbox? I'm kind of ignorant as far as splits go but I'm craving to learn.

talk to indian automotive
the front can be changed easily for a safer set up but the back is a bit more full on.
indian knows everything u need to know

as for changing pans u ming want to marry a welder and make sure the parents are engineers......
i think this idea might be heaps of work at just a guess.

as for fiberglass:puke it aint a real split and never will be

[Edited on 12-10-2003 by SKEWtYpe3]

i have no intention of doing it, was just wondering about the feasability, and the bulkhead in the later bays would be a great bit of safety to have in a splitty if possible

Its been done to a splitty thats been grafted onto a spaceframe chassis mounted on a Porsche 993 chassis floor and running gear. Cost the guy over US$100,000 to do I heard.....

Baybus, I found out (through Creative Engineering) that you can affordably (and easily) convert your split bus swing axle to IRS. They manufacture a frame which you weld in.

I don't think they promoted it to the extent it could be. I mean, IRS would certainly add safety to your older bus, yet they don't talk about the added safety benefits.

They DO mention better fuel economy and better handling, though.

More info at:
http://www.creative-engineering.com/cgi-bin/shop/web_store.cgi?faq=IRS&menu=7&page=faq.html&cart_id=4567859_8554

Buses don't have pans!

You can change the running gear and suspension and add any extras you want.

A bus is not like a bug where you just rip off a body and put another one on...

i understand that busses are unitary and that later suspension can be modified for earlier busses, its the SAFETY element of fitting the frame of a later bus, the bulkhead behind the bumper, that interested me. how to make a splity safer in a head on.

easy... dont drive it, and if you're not making use of it then you can give it to me....happy with living dangerously, iam.

or put in a nice steel nudge bar that moulds round and welds to front beam.

probably about all you can do.

i personally went for the 'safari quick out' option. this consists of having safari's (obviously) and having them open full tilt no matter what the conditions. then have no seat belts fitted. this does two things. first, it takes away the feeling of invisibility and second allows a quick release if the bus is involved in a crash.
apart from the physical component there is also the theory. this involves hours of mentally picturing your 'tuck roll and land' technique. i have deicided to adopt the 'superman' approach. and it will go something like the following if at all.

bus suddenly stops. i of course maintain my current speed. i adopt the superman pose and soar thru the open safaris, thus sustaining no impact injuries. i fly several meters... (this is based on initial cruise speed), and actively look for a suitable landing zone. when found i simply tuck and roll making sure to land at start of roll and then wash of excess momentum as i complete the roll on the ground. then i take a moment to compose myself before accesing the damage to my bus.

:sandrinewhalla.....

and may the force be with you.

2guns, WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE! lol:P

Hey twoguns,
You need airbags, but fitted in the back of the seats. They would deploy in an accident, giving you a much-enhanced exit velocity, meaning you would have longer to select an appropriate landing spot..

Don't worry about braking,just lift your feet and put em on the dash just before impact!.

Or one foot on each window.

You woudn't wanna be driving a splitty... err, yeah, I'm sure you'd understand why.

Ok have a special middle post which snaps on impact.....light impact that is.

I have been involved in a head-on in my 76 bay bus. The tow truck driver said any other vehicle similar to this type of van and I would be dead. The structural strength in the Kombi was what saved me. My mate created a safari for me when he went thru the windscreen and sprained his thumb on landing amongst the broken glass and bitumen. (no seat belt on). Me, I had 7 stitches to the forehead, seat belt bruises and a blood alcohol reading of .186. The others in the berlina had seat belt bruises. Was 17 years ago so have recovered now.volma1
PS still have the 1600 motor from the bus in my beetle.

see there ya go. split bus with safari's and youre larfin'..... no restraint bruising, no facial laceration. just be sure to weear the top quality cotton T for the short slide on gravel and your done.

its a plan... and i lke to have a plan, oh and a little faith and blind ignorance.

they say ignorance is bliss....

volma, that is the exact reason i started this thread, to see if this sort of safety could be built into a splitty, but either no one knows, no-one understands what i am asking, or no-one takes the idea seriously.

we dont care... if you want safety get a new toyota... if you want a piece of the past and just to cruise around and enjoy the moment- then you get a splitty.
every day for the past four years. we have enjoyed the moment.. whether it be sun, rain, cruizin' at speed, broken down, or brake failure down kariong hill into gosford (yeah it was fun).
besides there are soooooo many period accesories to spend ya money on rather than on 'side intrusion bars' or 'front crumple zones'

I reckon you could weld bracing up front and improve things at least slightly.

I have to drive a 74 kombi because the red cape just doesnt suit me. I would look ridiculous doing the safari escape routine.

Sorry, but I just cant take the idea seriously....trying to make a splitty safer?!?!....Like everyone says if you want safety, go and buy a new car....and Bay Window Kombi's are hardly safe compared to new cars these days anyway.....I did however see a kombi at Valla a few years ago that hit a cow passing Byron Bay which seriously smashed the front up but the interior still looked ok......and ironically there was a sticker on the dash from a milk advertisement from back then that said "Milk, are you getting enough?".....LOL