1966 Volkswagen Type 2 Split Screen

1966 VW Split Screen Van, RHD Walk Thru

I bought this van in 2009 as a rolling shell with no interior, engine or gearbox. It was however a genuine UK RHD bus that had been converted in period by Devon Conversions.

I brought the van home on a trailer from the Isle of Man and then looked for someone to restore it. I chose Autostyle near Truro and Anthony and his team did a fantastic job bringing the van back to life.

The bus was completely stripped back any rust was removed and fresh metal welded in. New panels came from Klassic Fab and Auto Craft, including both side panels and floor. A good rust free nose section from California was also acquired. With all the metal work repairs done, it was time to paint the bus. When I purchased the bus it was white over light blue, however the birth certificate (supplied) showed that the original colour scheme from the factory was Cumulus White on top and Sea Blue on the bottom. This worked well for me as Sea Blue is one of my favourite VW colours. However, I wanted something abit more striking for the top half than the slightly grey Cumulus White. So I swapped that out for another VW colour, Alpine White, which is a much brighter white.

For the interior, I wanted a day van set up rather than a full camping interior. So the custom made interior features a full width rear seat / rock n roll bed, two rear facing single seats with storage underneath. There are two three point belts on the rock n roll seat, and a lap belt in the middle.

The original plan was to build a 2110cc engine for the bus and thus I purchased a freeway flyer gearbox from Rancho Transaxles in America. While the engine was being built, I purchased a used reconditioned 1600cc engine to keep the bus mobile. The more I drove it with this engine, the more sense it made rather than a bigger and more powerful engine. So I cancelled the build and stayed with the reconditioned engine. It has been serviced every year by South West Splitz (now Volkspart South West).

The restoration was completed in 2015, I will put all of the photos on a USB stick showing the work that has been done.

Since then the bus has done minimal mileage locally in Devon when the weather is nice, although it has taken me to the Goodwood Revival twice as well as Spa to watch the 6 Hour. The 1600cc engine pushed the bus along at 60mph no problem at all. The rest of the time, the bus lives in the garage under a cover.

A list of the modifications done as part of the restoration include:

- Creative Engineering Steering rack
- Dropped spindles
- Adjustable KYB Gas shock absorbers
- CSP front Disc brakes
- Creative Engineering IRS rear suspension
- Long range fuel tank
- Freeway Flyer gearbox by Rancho Transaxles in the US
- Vintage Speed VW Classic Sport Quick Shifter
- Koch’s restored steering wheel
- Front and rear seat belts by SBS Safety Belts
- Electric washer bottle
- Hazard lights
- Rear fog light
- Reversing light
- New wiring loom and fuse box
- Oil pressure and oil temperature gauges
- Reconditioned 1600cc engine
- Dual batteries
- Engine Access panel from Type 3

I’m only selling as the kids are grown up and the bus is being used less and less. It needs to be driven and enjoyed and sadly I just do not have time to do that.

Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.