Gearbox woes and advice needed

[resto73]

Hi there, i broke down on my busses first propper outing
the carbs are under fueling due to my bus reving at about 4,000 revs doing about 50pmh :shock:

Im putting it down to the really bad gearing on my bus gearbox? and my bus having low profile tyres on the back 165/65/15's

does this sound about right?

so im thinking i need to replace my eb gearbox with a 1302/1303 gearbox???
would this mean i could cruise at 60mph with it doing lower revs?
how much is the going rate for a gearbox?
so where can i get a kit from in the uk to fit a bug box?
and what work is involved to fit it?

hopefully someone out there can answer one or all of my questions

cheers, Paul 8)

 

[EgoTrippin]

Yeah you can run a 1302 or 1303 box. 1303S is the best I'm told.

I cruise at 60-65mph with 185/60/R15 tyres, running a 1302 box. Not sure of the rev's, but its not screaming it's nuts off!

Mine was fitted by Tim at Roadhouse Retro 2 years ago and its been no trouble. Probably done 15,000 miles with it.

He doesn't sell the kit's anymore, but there is a thread on here about them.

Going rate for a box is between £150 to £300 I reckon.

Hope that helps?

 

[resto73]

Thanks for the reply dude
I just won an AH code gearbox off ebay for £74 and im collecting it from stanford hall so hopfully its a good one
I sent Tim a msg too so i'll hopefully get a reply soon as to where to get the kit from

More bloody money and work and stress :roll: :lol:

Paul 8)

 

[dubdubz]

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=382767" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[resto73]

Cheers dude, ive contacted him, its gonna cost just over £300 to get one of those to the uk, then im going to get stung on import tax :shock:

Tim @roadhouse retro said that the place that does the kit is right next to where his bus is that hes about to ship over

just depends if i can wait or not :?

Paul 8)

 

[dubdubz]

yep that link is Oldspeed in paramount - as Tim says right next to the shippers - in fact Russ helped me out when my engine was hanging out on the transporter.

Not sure I can bring it back but I'm going to Cali in 3 weeks

If Tim's cool - then I'd ask if you can ship it in his bus - simplest option??

 

[mattp]

Why would you possible want to put a beetle box into a camper which weighs almost twice the beetle. It won't be a cheap conversion in the long run and may be cheap to begin with because you have sourced a cheap box.

I would think you could get your box rebuilt with a taller 4th or go the whole hog and either add in a new R+P (approx the same price as you conversion kit) and also get the box rebuilt or get a 5 or 6 rib.

Your current box is probably screaming it's nuts off because you have small tyres on your bus?

So, say your conversion kit costs £350 landed. You have to make it fit -how long / how much will this be? You need to replace the CV's ot output flanges on the box as T1 and T2 are different. And you do all this to fit a £74 box that was never designed for a van. Is is in good working order, will it require a re-build, only time will tell :lol:

or you change your rear tyres -quite cheap compared to the above

or get your box re-built with a new R+P. The cost will be more BUT you have a re-built box that is designed for a box as opposed to a £74 lump???





Love it :mrgreen:

 

[resto73]

Im not the first person to but a 1302/03 box into an eb
There are quite a few very reputable people that i respect on here that have all done it
Gadget, Slamwerks, roadhouseretro, t2d have all done it so if its good enough for them its good enough for me

The kit might be expensive and a bitch to fit but the beauty is that if the box breaks a bug gearbox is cheap enough to replace and i'll use the kit on the next box etc

On my last 2 splits i straight axled them using AB code 1200/1300 geraboxes and they have both done a fair amount of miles with thier new owners with no complaints from either.

My top priority is having a low bus, you can get extra ground clearance from fitting a bug box and thats what i want, a low bus thats not screaming its tits off at 50mph

You did raise a good option on getting a longer 4th gear fitted into my box but i havent heard of anyone in the uk doing this?

Paul

 

[mattp]

Gadget, Slamwerks, roadhouseretro, t2d have all done it so if its good enough for them its good enough for me
Paul

If Gadget, Slamwerks, roadhouseretro, t2d started adding pizza bike engines into busses as they improved ground clearence would you still have the same opinion :lol:


A split is a fair amount lighter than a bay and with a camping interior and loaded up it is different again. Try bears for gearbox modifications as they are a decent company.

Of course if having decent ground clearence is the main reason then a T1 box that was built to be stronger would be a sensible option if it really makes that much difference but how much wil this change your ground clearence by?

Stock early bay pic for your thoughts

 

[dubdubz]

You did raise a good option on getting a longer 4th gear fitted into my box but i havent heard of anyone in the uk doing this?

Paul

think John Walken? 63ragtop on vzi does box stuff...so does cogbox and bears as mentioned

admittedly the rail boys in the states love a 091 or 002 box as they can take some abuse, but it's the t1 or t4 argument almost?? :lol: a t4 is better 'just' out of the box but tuning it costs a fortune. My understanding of boxes is bus box bits cost more..

I can't remember if the bug box gives you a trans raise? perhaps drop KCW an email - as I'm sure they've done what I think you're trying to do - or speak to Slamwerks first?

 

[resto73]

Gadget, Slamwerks, roadhouseretro, t2d have all done it so if its good enough for them its good enough for me
Paul

If Gadget, Slamwerks, roadhouseretro, t2d started adding pizza bike engines into busses as they improved ground clearence would you still have the same opinion :lol:

Im not saying im a sheep, im saying that its a tried and tested method
And im pretty sure none of the above would fit a pizza bike engine to an eb :roll:

I think i need to speak to someone that has done this conversion themselves

I started this thread for advice not criticism, well done

Paul

 

[aogrady]

Hi!

This may sound daft, but as the early bay box doesn't have the support fixings that the l8r boxs have, and just hangs off the engine - so why not raise the engine with box attached, i'm sure some alloy blocks could be made in place where the og engine mounts are, and then mount the engine mounts back on, maybe a 2" raise is easilly do-able. The tinware may need a little bit more of the hovercraft skirt around the edge.

Or am i missing something?

Maybe have 206/60 or suchlike rear tyres to get the gearing back a bit. I think Ted @ Slamwerks has done a box raise and narrow rear on his bus, think he did a thread, look on here under "Ted"

Just a thought.

Alistair

 

[resto73]

Yeah I think I do need to speak to slamwerks

my rear gyres are staying as they are as any wider and I'd never get them off, any taller and I'd have the added problem of the rear tyres rubbing on the tubs

I'm not wanting massive clearance as I'm not going as low as the slamwerks bus or the tv bus, but a bit of gearbox clearence has got to be a good thing

Paul

 

[VeeDubMan]

Hi there, i broke down on my busses first propper outing
the carbs are under fueling due to my bus reving at about 4,000 revs doing about 50pmh :shock:

As well as going down the gearbox route, maybe you should also check the fuel delivery to the carbs. I had an issue with my old 1776 twin 40 Dellorto'd Beetle and found the issue was a clogged filter in the electric fuel pump and the base of the fuel tank. As soon as I removed these blockages and fitted an external fuel filter, the pump was easily keeping up with the demand of the carbs.

Sounds like a similar issue...

 

[resto73]

Sorry i should have explained this bit better, its nothing to do with the gearbox reving its tits off though

i had **** in my tank which i cleaned out, i borrowed a electronic fuel pump and regulator off my friend and the lack of fuel problem as still there, i then took the gauze out of my glass filter and the lack of fuel problem was solved. The gunk in the fuel had created a film on my gauze kinda blocking it.

Not sure why i rote about that in the begining of this thread :? , ive got loads of stuff bouncing around my head :roll:

Paul 8)

 

[Grazy]

Sorry i i had a **** in my tank which i cleaned out :roll:

Paul 8)

Really Paul maybe thats why she broke down :lol: ( Sorry dude )


I think I have a Pizza Bike engine in my van - The start of a new fad me thinks :lol:

 

[resto73]

Sorry i i had a **** in my tank which i cleaned out :roll:

Paul 8)

Really Paul maybe thats why she broke down :lol: ( Sorry dude )


I think I have a Pizza Bike engine in my van - The start of a new fad me thinks :lol:

The fuel as cleaned out bufore my first propper outing, just not the filter :roll: 8)

I just did an ebay search for a pizza bike breaking and nothing

Paul

 

[mattp]

I just did an ebay search for a pizza bike breaking and nothing

Paul

LOL :lol:

I hope you get the engine sorted out, seems like your part way there having cleaned out the tank

 

[hogseye]

wot i cant understand is why does everyone spend a fortune on these kits why do you need them? i have a 1303s box in my bay, have done for about 6 years i just altered my front mount plate and it fitted straight in. a couple of other slight alterations and it didn't cost me a penny apart from the box of course used my bay drive shafts, done tons of miles no problem, i dont gun it about spinning wheels etc but good for fuel economy on the main roads the only disadvantage is steep lanes like in cornwall where you have to keep changing down a gear.

if someone can lend me a frame or give me exact measurements and angles i can make them a damn sight cheaper in steel or stainless steel.

 

[Slamwerks]

Hi

The 1303 gearbox conversion is great for ground clearance it is not a simple swap but not too difficult. This is how i did it in my beige bus and im sure ted is going to do the same on his red one so there might be some pics on his tread soon.


This is just a basic run down of what to do. Use the splitty nose cone on the box this gives you two inches of lift in conjunction with the box and it lines up the shift rod with the nose cone which is the important bit. You will need to modify the front box mount by drilling new holes for the splitty nose cone to fit. At the back you will need to make a spacer to go under the engine mounts to raise the engine the same as the box. You will need to lengthen the front shift rod as well as the gearbox sits a little further back than the bus one. The clutch conduit and cable will need to be lengthened as well not too hard i think i used a splitty cable but i cant be sure its easy to work out using the old cable as a guide.

I had too mod my clutch arm as well as it hit the bottom of the tank fire wall i just changed the angle of it slightly it will make sense more when you raise the box and see what i mean. You will need to trim bits here and there as well as when bits move up it all gets tight!

It seems a lot of work but well worth it if you are LOW my box has never hit the floor and i drive my bus a LOT. The ratios are also a massive bonus i can steady cruise at 70-75 with a 1641 on standard carb.

Hope all this helps i will try to keep an eye on the thread and try to help where needed.

Thanks

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