Bus IRS into T1 (IRS Ghia)

[madoski]

What's currently available for this conversion?  All I've been able to find are cheap solid mount kits where the shift rod needs an adaptor back by the nosecone, and the Berg style nosecone changeout that Rancho offers.  There's a website where Barrett Enterprises offered a rubber mount, but that doesn't do me a whole lot of good.  Is there anything else besides the bubblegum and baling wire approach and the golden fleece?

I wouldn't rule out running the solid mounts as this will end up being more race than street car (with cage eventually), and for highway driving, I probably wouldn't hear transaxle noise over the open stinger anyway, but I do want the engine tin to seal without having to do a lot of crazy mods.

[Ian Godfrey]

Have a look at mike lawless's site    http://home.comcast.net/~mlawless29/wkr.htm
He may be happy to answer Q as well.

[madoski]

Thanks, I thought of Mike's setup, but he has taken things with his car to a level that mine probably will never see.  I suppose his approach would be to fabricate the mounts, which I could probably do with the help of a friend, but for my simple project, it would make more sense to buy something that's already available.  I already have Bus CVs and axles to use, just need a mounting system now.

[John Palmer]

What's currently available for this conversion?  All I've been able to find are cheap solid mount kits where the shift rod needs an adaptor back by the nosecone, and the Berg style nosecone changeout that Rancho offers.  There's a website where Barrett Enterprises offered a rubber mount, but that doesn't do me a whole lot of good.  Is there anything else besides the bubblegum and baling wire approach and the golden fleece?

I wouldn't rule out running the solid mounts as this will end up being more race than street car (with cage eventually), and for highway driving, I probably wouldn't hear transaxle noise over the open stinger anyway, but I do want the engine tin to seal without having to do a lot of crazy mods.

Your asking for a simple solution, and it's a little more involved.  The Bus box will push your engine to the right (passenger side) by approximately 3/4".  Not any problem on a Ghia, but a big deal on a "uncut" Bug.  I don't see anyway around custom fitting the engine tin to your application.  Mounts are available form RLR and Berg.  As long as the transmission is mounted in a stock height location the original shift rod and coupler works fine.  Going to the bus box is the best single change we ever made ot our car.

[madoski]

Thanks John, good to hear from you!  Does this mean that I'll need two different length axles?  I figured the Bus ones should be fine for what I'm doing.

[John Palmer]

Thanks John, good to hear from you!  Does this mean that I'll need two different length axles?  I figured the Bus ones should be fine for what I'm doing.

Don't know, as we don't use those "girlie IRS type" axles.  LOL 

We have had good luck with the Dave Folts Bus IRS to Type 1 swing axle conversion kit.  But I have to say this design (In my opinion) has some serious safety draw backs.  We and others, use a axle position device that secures the inner axle tube in the event of a u-joint failure.  Fortunately we have not had test it yet.

[madoski]

"If you can't run with the big dogs, get off the porch", right?  

Well, they'll go just fine with my girlie engine if they fit.  I'll have to ask around a bit about the lengths...

[cosmo]

date=1321044691]
"If you can't run with the big dogs, get off the porch", right..
[/quote]

 i think its stay on the porch

[gkeeton@zbzoom.net]

The offset of the engine has to do with the actual case of the Bus Tranny. The diff/cv cups will be centered. The Buggy installations use a shorter 15 5/8's axle due to the extra width of the Bus Tranny.

[madoski]

The offset of the engine has to do with the actual case of the Bus Tranny. The diff/cv cups will be centered. The Buggy installations use a shorter 15 5/8's axle due to the extra width of the Bus Tranny.

Thanks, makes sense now.  Still not sure why no one fabs a mid mount and rear mount that drop the transaxle enough to line up with the T1 shift coupling.  It doesn't seem like it would be that big of a deal unless you would have to do too much clearancing on the frame horns (or other stuff) to the point where their structural integrity was compromised....or it would put the engine too close to the pavement.

[jgerock]

Sort of along the same topic..

Back in the early '80's, a friend of mine installed a Bus IRS tranny into his '72 Fastback.  At the same time, he installed a 2.0 Type IV engine from a 412 Station Wagon.

I cannot remember which axles he used - maybe with inner Bus CV and outer Type 3 CV.  I think he purchased a special nose cone adaptor mount so the shift coupler would line up with the stock Type 3 rod.   The rear engine support from the 412 Engine was modified to use the stock Type 3 hanging points.

I think I have seen the Berg instructions for installing a Bus trans into a Bug - but it used a special nose cone and hockey stick to replace the stock Bus unit.

[gkeeton@zbzoom.net]

The current solid mounts, like the 3195 from Empi, mount the trans fairly level in the frame horns, but it does tilt it down some. By simply using one of these mounts, the hockey stick on the trans will allready be angled down just slightly. Any of the mounts that lower the front of the trans to get the hockey stick into the hole of a stock Beetle floorpan would really angle the hockey stick downward. You would have to fab up some kind of universal joint to comensate for the angle of trans meeting up with the straight shift rod.
The only Berg way of mounting a Bus tranny I know of doesn't use a special nose cone, it uses a Beetle nose cone, and a special itermediate housing that mounts the Beetle nose cone to the Bus tranny case. This requires an entire disassembly of the tranny, and IMO is the only way to mount a Bus tranny into a Beetle.
Even if you do come up with a way to mount an unmodified Bus trans in the Beetle chassis, the Bus design of the hockey stick/shift linkage is very elaborate compaired to a Beetle trans, and is very difficult to speed shift.

[madoski]

I guess it may come down to saving up and trying to sell some stuff to get the Berg parts.  Lowering the whole transaxle to fit the T1 shifter could get the axles too close to the frame horns I suppose.  I used to have quite a bit of cool stuff to sell, but the parts pantry is looking a bit bare these days.  Maybe I could save some $$ by buying the Berg intermediate housing and then having the other mounts fabbed locally.  At least I shouldn't have to worry about breaking anything.