Sensational 1957 Volkswagen Camper Type 2 T1 Split Window
Hawing been ripped off by a rogue trader Gene Balyasny put this ’57 Bus build into the safe hands of ‘his people’ and after a full restoration now has the ‘Show Bus’ he’s always hankered after. Words Mark Walker. Photos Andrew Thompson.
SHOW BUS 57 Split Window is the perfect build
This sensational 1957 Volkswagen Camper Type 2 T1 Split Window has everything going on
Gene Balyasny hails from Southern California and has been into old VWs most of his life; he had a 21-Window Split Bus at 17 – back in the late 1980s – and he’s an active member of the Bus Bros club – @bus_bros on Instagram, who are active in the SoCal VW scene. Owning this Bus and a ’59 early seamed gate Double Cab Pick Up, Gene loves to drive his VWs regularly; the avourable climate of Southern California makes this a possibility on a year-round basis.
It was back in 2010 when this ’57 came onto his radar; it was lowered on BRM wheels and the outside was rocking the grey primer look, something which was popular back in the day as it’s a good way of overing up untidy old paintwork. It’s a look that we w embrace as patina and was a stopgap before being inted shiny. I guess if the Bus hadn’t already been primered, we may have been looking at a feature on a patina Bus, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles for some cars.
“The icing on the cake is the twin awnings – one on each side – that are fully collapsible and were built for Gene by Sir Visor who usually makes awnings for Jeeps”
Rogue trader
The first stage in the restoration was to get the body nice and straight and this is where Gene fell foul of a rogue trader: “It’s the first Bus I ever restored from A-Z; I got screwed out of thousands by a body shop, but now I have my people – the ones I use with every build and trust completely,” adds Gene. The first of these trusted suppliers is Russell Ludwig from Old Speed in Paramount, California – a name that keeps cropping up in US Bus features, due to his vast knowledge of suspension and brake upgrades for vintage VWs.
“It’s the first Bus I ever restored from A-Z; I got screwed out of thousands by a body shop, but now I have my people – the ones I use with every build and trust completely”
Russell put together a full running gear package for Gene, which included a 4in narrowed beam and some of his famous hybrid drop spindles up front. These are made using a combination of Bus inner spindles and kingpin assemblies, with outer stub axles from a different manufacturer to make bolting up modern disc brake assemblies and changing the wheel PCD an absolute breeze.
“Eric proceeded to spend four days colour sanding and detailing the whole paint job, inside and out, before applying a ceramic coating product to the Bus to help preserve it”
In this case, Gene ordered spindles with Porsche outers, enabling the use of cross-drilled and vented discs (rotors in US-speak) and Wilwood calipers. Moving to the rear suspension and there are none of the usual drum brakes here; Russell supplied a full straight axle kit, which was bolted up to a custom transmission supplied by Johnny at Transaxle Engineering in Chatsworth, California, which is close to Gene’s home in Thousand Oaks. The two put their heads together for a combo that’d go with the planned 2110cc engine and ended up getting the gearing right on the second try.
The 3.88 ring and pinion they got right the first time, but originally the transmission was built with a Bus 0.82 fourth gear to give a higher cruising speed; this widens the gap between third and fourth considerably though – ideal in a light/aerodynamic car, but not so in a Bus. The fourth gear was swapped for a Beetle 0.89 fourth instead and this combo worked perfectly.
Built right
We should mention at this point that whilst Russell and Johnny supplied all of the parts for the running gear, it was Gene’s buddy Richie at Richie Custom House who was responsible for getting it all fitted to the Bus and dialled in properly. Richie was also much help when it came to the ‘three engine’ debacle. Engine one was a 2110cc, which made good power but dropped a valve seat after not too many miles and caused some carnage. Engine two was a similar powerplant, but in 2180 size; it has an Engle 120 cam, 44 Webers and big valve heads, as well as an external oil cooler and fan, but Gene is now having Russell build him a 2332cc engine for ultimate power and torque.
Having rescued the Bus out from the rogue trader in the nick of time, the blue paint that had been applied to the Bus was looked over by Gene’s buddy Eric of Image Detailing; Eric proceeded to spend four days colour sanding and detailing the whole paint job, inside and out, before applying a ceramic coating product to the Bus to help preserve it. Gene has Eric re-apply the ceramic coating a couple of times a year to keep it in tip-top shape.
With the paint looking great and Richie having worked his magic on assembling everything to his precision spec, the original 1976 Porsche 911 wheels in 15x6in size could be bolted onto each corner; these were fitted with 175/55/15 tyres up front and 196/65s in the rear – all Continentals. Incidentally, when I used to lower Buses for a living, this was the magic tyre combo I tended to favour for a nice lowered stance and great ride quality, especially when compared with the 165/45 or 165/50 on the front of a Bus. The first set also lasted Gene 35,000 miles – pretty good on a lowered VW! The Spax shocks, which are adjustable to 28 positions, also keep the Bus riding smooth as silk.
Just like a Westy
When it came to the interior, Gene bought a kit from RJ Campers in Florida. It’s a copy of the original SO33 Westfalia kit in birch ply, although Gene wasn’t keen on the full height original wardrobe, so had them build a custom lower height one instead. The kit was supplied raw so that Gene could varnish it himself, while Albert Lara reupholstered the Bus in German vinyl, which Gene reckons is better than leather.
It may appear as if the interior is meant for use as more of a day camper and indeed that was originally the intention, as Gene owns a 1970 Apache trailer tent that he usually pulls behind the Bus when he goes camping. Hence the need for the large, torquey engines! More recently though, he’s started to enjoy travelling and camping without the trailer, for a bit more freedom. He’s therefore kitted out the Bus with dual batteries, a split charge system and a 2000w inverter, as well as several mains plugs inside, as well as Bluetooth. This is enough power to keep everything running for three days when he’s camping, without ever needing to plug into the mains.
Custom canopies
The icing on the cake is the twin awnings – one on each side – that are fully collapsible and were built for Gene by Sir Visor who usually makes awnings for Jeeps. This setup, along with the Apache tent, means that Gene can really spread out when he sets up camp, having an impressive amount of floor space and room to arrange all his camping gear. This ensures that, trailer or not, it never feels cramped when the whole family go camping.
The final words on the build go to Gene: “When I bought it, it was lowered and in primer but everything underneath was banging and it was leaking everywhere. I’d always wanted to do a full build and it took around four years to restore – it’s my first and last full restoration. It’s picked up its fair share of scratches and rock chips, but I love driving it all over – I wouldn’t think twice about driving across the country in it, such is my confidence in the drivetrain. As soon as I’d finished it, someone put a six-figure offer on the table, but I wouldn’t sell it for the world.”
“When it came to the interior, Gene bought a kit from RJ Campers in Florida. It’s a copy of the original SO33 Westfalia kit in birch ply”