Ive read a few times that Bus CV's are a viable replacewment for the NLA teen'er CV Joints.
Are they a direct replacement or is there mods necessary along the lines of Andy's 944 abortion...err, updates?

The bus CV's and the 944 CV's both have the same spline, bolt pattern, and spline length. They may be the exact same CV or the balls may be a different size.

They are not a bolt on replacement for the 914 CV.

A small VW Rabbit inner joint might work if you drill out 2 of the bolt holes to match the 914 drive pins.

i have bus cvs in my car, i think that they are a mil or two wider....but they work fine

QUOTE (pete-stevers @ Mar 30 2006, 01:22 PM)

i have bus cvs in my car, i think that they are a mil or two wider....but they work fine

Bus or Bug? Take a look here
CV 101

I am using type II axles on my V8 conversion. Type II CV's are 6 bolt and the axle assembly is shorter than the 914. You need adapters to make it work. Renegade Hybrids makes a kit but it is $$$. They won't sell just the adapters. The Type II axles are cheap, so I had some adapters machined and saved some money.

VW bus adaptor examples:

alone

Okay, a few questions.

1) To use those adapters, I'm guessing you first bolt them (via 4 countersunk holes) to the stub axle or output flange, then you bolt the CV joints to the adapter (via 6 threaded holes). Is this right ?

2) Are there two gaskets at each end : CV-adapter and adapter-flange ?

3) What kind of bolts to use for the first part (adapter to stub axle/flange) ? Seems like the stock 914 bolts are gonna be way too long, and those bolts are normally some special design with weird-ass heads and washers.

4) I've seen EMPI bus axles (new, not rebuilt) on EBay for around $170/pair. Is EMPI a decent brand ?

Bump for myself

I've been reading back through the archives, and re-reading this thread, and I've got one more qustion. It sounds like the bus CV will fit directly to the 914 stub axle (no adapter) if two of the bolt holes in the CV are drilled out to accept the roll pins.

Q) Is this really true ?

In the photo of the adapters in this thread, it looks like the bolt circle is not quite the same, but Porcharu says the bolt pattern is the same. And Porcharu, if the pattern is the same, then when you say that it is not a bolt-on replacement, do mean because of the width (thickness) of the bus CV joints and the need to drill out the roll pin holes ?


I'm thinking of this for a Subie tranny, so the axle length issue would be made up at the inner CV adapter.

QUOTE (joefri187 @ Mar 30 2006, 05:45 PM)

I am using type II axles on my V8 conversion. Type II CV's are 6 bolt and the axle assembly is shorter than the 914. You need adapters to make it work. Renegade Hybrids makes a kit but it is $$$. They won't sell just the adapters. The Type II axles are cheap, so I had some adapters machined and saved some money.

Check out my signature on non-OEM engine conversions. Us conversion guys will have a meet this summer...

QUOTE (jsteele22 @ Mar 31 2006, 04:48 PM)

Bump for myself  ;) I've been reading back through the archives, and re-reading this thread, and I've got one more qustion.  It sounds like the bus CV will fit directly to the 914 stub axle (no adapter) if two of the bolt holes in the CV are drilled out to accept the roll pins.   Q) Is this really true ?   In the photo of the adapters in this thread, it looks like the bolt circle is not quite the same, but Porcharu says the bolt pattern is the same.   And Porcharu, if the pattern is the same, then when you say that it is not a bolt-on replacement, do mean because of the width (thickness) of the bus CV joints and the need to drill out the roll pin holes ? I'm thinking of this for a Subie tranny, so the axle length issue would be made up at the inner CV adapter.

Look a little bit more closely - I said the Bus and the 944 CV's are diminsionally the same only the ball size is different.
Look at the web site I posted lots of info there.
I also cover what I'm doing for axles in my suby swap pretty well in the "subaru transmission possibility" thead

FYI, you ARE correct with the bus cv joints..

Everything would have to be custom made to fit.

Andrew

Bus axles with bus cv's need adapters. Adapters need to be 15mm thick and drilled as in renegades pictures shows. I used 10.9 M8 bolts which were 20mm long. I had lots of problems with adapter bolts backing up and loosen. Luckily they cant totally loosen because of the cv is on their way. It didn't help to use glue so i welded the adapters to stubs.
ever since those have worked fine.
Adapters are really easy to machine.

Mika

QUOTE (pete-stevers @ Mar 30 2006, 01:22 PM)

i have bus cvs in my car, i think that they are a mil or two wider....but they work fine

Well, Steve, you've managed a feat of engineering unknown until now. Bus CVs, and Vanagon ones, too, are 100mm OD, and 914 units are 93mm. The bolt holes are correspondingly different, as well. What you've done is the equivalent of me fitting my 36 inch waistline into a pair of size 30 Levis, and zipping them up. Ain't no way, as we sometimes say. One has to surmise you've been misled about the actual origins of your CV joints. Good news is they'll slip right onto the axles, though. (Of course there's always the possibility you have some of those elusive "offset bolts"! The Cap'n

Okay, think I got it now.

Mika, glad to hear about your experiences. I was imagining that those "hidden" bolts might be a problem, and it sounds like indeed they are. ( Of course maybe you drive your car just a little harder than me ) Welding the adapter to the stub axle sounds like a great solution - as long as the strength/hardness aren't compromised. (I'm just guessing here; don't know much about welding or metalurgy. Not yet )

About those adapters : anybody know why there is a hole in the middle ? I'm thinking that the hole just creates a need for another gasket. Given Mika's experience w/ bolts coming loose, would it make sense to weld a blank disk onto the stub axle, then machine it to its final dimensions and drill/tap ? Seems like an easy enough operation, and then you'd have a solid 914/type-II stub axle.

The hole in the middle eliminates that big chunk of heavy steel on your rotating assembly..

QUOTE (Andyrew @ Apr 1 2006, 06:09 PM)

The hole in the middle eliminates that big chunk of heavy steel on your rotating assembly..

weight in the middle is WAY less of a concern than weight on the outside

physics 101

albeit it helps your unsprung weight

Okay, I didn't think of that. Hard to imagine it matters that much, but OTOH, you'd just know thqat extra weight was there... Maybe I'll machine down to a membrane of a few thou, or tap for a screw-in insert of magnesium, or ... Hell, screw it - I've still got steel wheels....


BTW, for lovers of strange and probably untrue facts.. I was reading up on sinuses this week (see my YASC thread for details) and not one but several different web sites claim authoritatively that the reason we have sinuses in our heads is to reduce weight. Google it. Can you imagine all the species that dead-ended because they couldn't check left/check right quickly enough.... I'm sayin' we have sinuses 'cause they're a great place to store up snot. End of discussion. Back to bus CVs.