Installation Instructions: 1955–1967 VW Split Bus Straight Axle Conversion

Getting rid of the factory reduction boxes on an early Volkswagen Type 2 is one of the best upgrades you can make. It frees up your highway RPMs, lowers the rear stance by a clean 3.5 inches (with about +/- 1 inch of adjust-ability), and drastically improves the drive quality of your bus.

This guide outlines the proper steps to install your Type E Motorsports Straight Axle Conversion Kit.

Tools and Parts Needed Before You Begin

Standard shop tools (sockets, wrenches, breaker bars, torque wrench)
Floor jacks and heavy-duty jack stands
Parts washer or heavy-duty degreaser and scrapers (expect years of baked-on gear oil and road grime)
Axle Shafts: Long axle shafts sourced from a 1967–1968 Type 1 Beetle or Type 3.
Axle Bearing Caps: Early Volkswagen Beetle inner axle bearing caps (OEM Part Number: 311-501-311).
Brakes & backing plates (compatible with pre-1964 Type 1 Beetle drum setups or select aftermarket brake options).
Fresh gear oil and high-temp wheel bearing grease.

Step 1: Teardown and Removing the Reduction Boxes

Prep and Support: Safely raise the rear of your Split Bus and support the chassis securely on jack stands. Support the transmission/engine assembly with a floor jack.
Drain and Disconnect: Drain the oil from your reduction boxes and transmission. Disconnect your emergency brake cables, pull the rear drums, and unbolt the backing plates.
Remove Factory Assemblies: Unbolt the spring plates from the reduction boxes, unbolt the reduction boxes from the transmission output horns, and slide the entire heavy reduction box and axle assemblies away from the vehicle.
Deep Clean: Take this opportunity to thoroughly clean the transmission horns, torsion housing caps, and surrounding chassis. A clean work area prevents contaminants from entering your transmission during reassembly.

Step 2: Preparing the Transaxle and Axles

Differential Check: Ensure your transaxle setup matches a standard swing-axle configuration (such as a flipped ring gear or stock swing layout depending on your specific trans configuration).
Inspect the Axle Shafts: Clean and inspect your sourced 1967–1968 Type 1 or Type 3 long axle shafts. Check the splines for any wear or twisting, and thoroughly clean the bearing surfaces.
Assemble the Housing Tubes: Slide your new conversion tubes over the axle shafts. You will need to check and adjust the tension on the tubes a few times to get it right. .

Setting Axle Tube Bearing Tension with Gaskets

Unlike modern sealed setups, vintage Volkswagen swing axle tubes rely on the paper gaskets between the bearing retainer plate and the transmission housing to set proper end-play and bearing tension. If you pack too many gaskets in, the axle will have excessive end-play; too few, and the bearing will bind.

Measure Without Gaskets (Dry Fit): Slip the axle tube with the flange, axle, and bearing onto the transaxle housing without any gaskets, lightly snugging the four mounting nuts evenly.
Measure End-Play: Use a dial indicator on the end of the axle shaft (or check by hand) to measure axial play.
Select Gasket Thickness: Add the supplied steel shim, and keep adding paper gaskets incrementally until you achieve the factory-specified end-play spec (typically between 0.004" and 0.009", depending on your specific transaxle manual). The axle must spin freely with zero axial binding once fully torqued down.
Sealant: Apply a thin coat of high-quality gasket sealant (such as Permatex Aviation Form-A-Gasket or Hylomar) to both sides of the paper gaskets during final assembly to prevent gear oil leaks.

Step 3: Installing the Conversion Spring Plates

Your Type E kit comes complete with heavy-duty, adjustable dropped conversion spring plates—meaning zero cutting or modifying of your original factory plates, and no core charges required.

Remove stock spring plates: Once you have the spring plates off the bottom stop, use an angle finder to measure the stock no-load angle. Write that number down. Next wiggle the stock spring plate off he torsion bar.
Slide Into Position: Carefully slide the large spring plate portion onto the torsion bar, followed by the splined half of the spring plate. You will need to use the angle finder, and set the new splined part at approximately the same angle the stock spring plate was.
Set Initial Angles: Use an angle finder to ensure both sides match evenly. You will later use the adjuster bolts to fine tune you ride height.
Pre-load Check: Double-check that your torsion bar indexing is correct side-to-side before tightening down the housing caps.
Spring Plate Caps: Use the stock 4 bolts to re-install the spring plate covers. You will need to add the supply "boomerang" spacer under the cap before you put the bolts in.

Step 4: Final Assembly, Bearings, and Brakes

Mounting the Bearing Caps: Bolt the assembly together using your early Beetle inner axle bearing caps (Part # 311-501-311). Torque all mounting hardware to factory specification.
Brake Installation: You can use drum brakes, or a Type 1 rear disk kit that was intended for an early swing axle beetle, such as this one. https://type-emotorsports.com/collections/type-1-rear-disk-brake-kits/products/rear-wide-5-disc-brake-kit-with-e-brake-zero-offset-vw-5-x-205mm-58-67-bug-ghia?variant=42671553839163. Install your chosen brake assemblies onto the housing ends. Route and secure your brake lines carefully, ensuring they don't bind through the suspension travel range.
Gear Oil Refill: Fill the transmission with fresh gear oil up to the proper plug level. Give everything one final visual check to make sure brake lines, boots, and shock mounts have proper clearance.

Step 5: Shakedown and Alignment

Drop and Settle: Lower the bus back onto the ground and roll it back and forth (or bounce the rear end) to let the new suspension settle completely.
Check Alignment: Check your rear wheel alignment, particularly toe-in. Because this kit replaces reduction boxes with a clean swing-axle geometry, getting your alignment dialed in ensures straight-line stability on the highway, and minimal tire wear..
Torque Check: After your first 50 to 100 miles of driving, jack the rear back up and perform a quick safety check: re-torque your axle nuts, and spring plate bolts.