Keeping a classic 1976 VW Kombi on the road means facing the ultimate test of vintage van life. In this episode, we are driving to a specialist workshop to finally tackle a massive, ongoing mechanical issue with Ruby’s rear suspension and rusted chassis.

After years of full-time overland travel, a historic chassis rust issue completely threw our torsion bar out of position, leaving Ruby unlevel and putting immense strain on the suspension. We’ve tried fixing this twice before—first with two different welders in Colombia who couldn't quite get it straight, and then in Ecuador, where a mechanic cut out a section of the chassis and inserted a giant metal tube to try and correct the positioning. Unfortunately, the end plate wasn't welded straight, leaving the torsion bar completely uncentralized.

Watch as Willow strips down the rear suspension to reveal the damage, before sitting down with the garage owner and chief welder to engineer a real solution. It takes some precise cutting, drilling out the tube for clearance, and a meticulous reweld of the end plate to finally get our vintage Volkswagen camper sitting level again. Classic car restoration and DIY camper maintenance are never straightforward, but giving up isn't an option when you live on the road.

📌 TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - The Reality of Vintage Van Life
1:23 - Cleaning our VW Bus
2:11 - Willow Strips the VW Rear Suspension
2:43 - Other Problems With our Kombi
4:57 - Explaining the Torsion Bar & Chassis Damage
8:42 - Removing The Rear Hub
13:29 - Discussing The Best Repair Strategy
14:49 - Swapping Our CV Joints
18:47 - The Plate Has Been Removed
19:13 - Discussing The Final Best Solution

vw kombi, vintage van life, classic car restoration, vw suspension repair, torsion bar fix, chassis welding, volkswagen camper maintenance, full time travel, overlanding south america, van life breakdown, diy mechanical, ruby the kombi, fixing a classic van