Full Restoration on a Volkswagen Split-screen Campervan

Such an honour to be able to do the full works on this old Volkswagen Split-screen campervan…

This is a work in progress and this post will be updated regularly with our progress…

This Split initially came to us just for an engine conversion. It had already been repaired and painted in the USA but it soon became obvious that all was not well under the shiny paint and so it was decided to see what lay beneath. After a full soda blasting session what came back was pretty comprehensive list of panels that needed repair, with virtually nothing on the van escaping the need for repair in some form. So we have begun the process of replacing and repairing all those parts.

Our main man on the job Thiago Vidal, has been removing all the dodgy rotten bits. Then he’s either replaced the panels with news ones we have purchased from the likes of Klassic Fab or Autocraft Engineering.. or where parts are not available he’s used his awesome fabrications skills and recreated the panels here in house. Throughout the process we have taken great pains to ensure the correct alignment across the vehicle and maintain the clean beautiful lines.

We have systematically worked round the Split until there’ not a patch of rot left and all is back as it should be.

T is now working his way round it all again this time lead loading in necessary areas, then filing them back to give a clean finish ready for the prep and paint. He is also sealing all the seams.

I make it all sound so simple and straightforward summarising it in just a few paragraphs. In actual fact its months of painstaking, time consuming, noisy, dirty, smelly work – But it’s worth it so see this wonderful vehicle come back to life.

So, that’s where we’re up to… the end of the bodywork is in sight… and we can’t wait to move this project on to the next phase.

What the owner's have to say

When can we drive it?