VW Split-screen restoration the most valuable Transporter, restored so the repairs read as original
Outriggers, cargo floors, battery trays, front panels and cab steps welded in the right places, period two-tone paint in our own booth, Westfalia and Devon interiors refinished, and air-cooled engines rebuilt on the same road.
A Split-screen is the one camper where how the repair is done matters as much as that it is done. We place the joints where the factory seams were, use full sections rather than patches, keep the brightwork, badges and interior wherever they can be saved, and photograph every stage, because that record is part of what the van is worth when it is finished. Quoted stage by stage, paused whenever you need.
What restoring a Type 2 Split involves, and why originality changes the method
A Split-screen restoration is the same seven stages as any camper, done to a different standard of care, because on a van worth what a good Split is worth the method affects the value. That means full sections rather than patches, joints placed at the factory seams, period-correct paint mixed to an unfaded sample, original brightwork and interior kept wherever they can be saved, and every stage photographed so the next owner can see how it was done.
- Full sections, factory seamsOutriggers, cargo floor and sill sections replaced in full with the joints where Volkswagen put them, so the repair disappears once it is painted
- Period paint, period methodColours matched from an unfaded panel rather than a code, single-stage finishes where the period calls for it, and the two-tone break set from the original seam
- Originality keptBadges, brightwork, lights, the interior furniture and the colour break kept and refurbished, because a modernised Split loses value fast
- Photographed throughoutEvery repair before it is sealed, every stage as it finishes, because on a Split the record is part of the van
The stages are the same as on any restoration and each has its own page: rust repair and welding, bodywork and resprays, interior refurbishment, pop-top and canvas, electrical restoration and the mechanical stage, with the restoration hub putting them in order. The VW campervan restoration page covers the later Transporters, and the Bay Window page covers the van that replaced this one.
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Eight places we probe before quoting a Split
A Split rots from the inside out and from underneath, and every one of these is hidden until the trim, the interior and the underseal come off. A shiny outer sill on a Split tells you nothing at all.
The box sections that carry the body off the chassis. Blocked drains fill them from inside, and they rot where no inspection ever looks.
Under the interior, especially the edges where the floor meets the sill flange and around the seat and belt mounts.
Acid, heat and sixty years. The tray corner goes first, then the panel behind it and the chassis rail underneath.
The step takes water and feet, and the panel under the windscreen takes everything the road throws at it. Damp cab floors nearly always start here.
The inner sill and the closing panel behind it go long before the outer shows a bubble, which is why a probe matters more than a photograph.
The front and rear lower corners, the valance behind the bumper, and the panel under the rear lights.
Inner and outer, and the lip where mud sits. Old filler here is nearly universal on an unrestored Split.
Door skins and the bottoms of the cargo doors, with the drain holes blocked by decades of underseal.
What the strip and assess tells you about a Split. On a van of this value the assessment is worth having even if you never do the work, because it tells you exactly what you own.
Seven stages, and what each one means on a Split in particular
The order is the same as any camper. What differs on a Split is how much care each stage takes and how much of the van is worth keeping rather than replacing. Tap a stage for what happens on a Split, what it decides, and what stays original.
Strip and assess
Interior, trim, glass and underseal off, every box section probed and photographed.
Everything comes out, including the interior, because the cargo floor and the outriggers cannot be judged with furniture on top of them. Every seam is probed and the findings photographed and mapped.
The whole quote, and whether the van is a straightforward rebuild or a bigger project than it looked. On a Split the difference is usually the outriggers.
Nothing is thrown away. Everything removed is bagged, labelled and photographed in position first.
Rust and welding
Outriggers, floors, sills and the front end, in full sections at the factory seams.
Rot is cut back to bright steel and full pattern sections let in, with the joints placed where Volkswagen seamed the van so the repair disappears under paint. Outriggers are replaced rather than patched.
Whether the van is structurally sound for another fifty years, and whether the repairs will stand up to informed scrutiny when it is sold.
Any panel with sound metal stays. We repair a section rather than replace a whole panel where the original steel allows it.
Bodywork and paint
Panels straightened, gaps set, period colour in our own booth.
Old filler comes out, panels are straightened and the gaps set with the doors on. Then prep, primer and the colour, in a single-stage period finish or a modern system, with the two-tone break from the original seam.
How the van reads. A Split with the wrong colour break or a modern metallic looks wrong to anyone who knows them.
Badges, brightwork, lights and lenses come off, are refurbished and go back on. New rubbers throughout.
Pop-top or roof
Westfalia and Devon roofs, hinge mounts, canvas and seals.
Where the van has an elevating roof, the hinge mounts are repaired, the seams sealed and new canvas fitted in the right pattern. A tin-top Split gets its roof seams and gutters sorted instead.
Whether the van stays dry, which on a Split matters because the cargo floor underneath is the expensive part.
The roof mechanism and fittings are repaired rather than replaced, and Westfalia parts are still available in the correct pattern.
Interior and trim
Westfalia, Devon or panel van interior repaired and refinished.
Original carcasses are repaired where sound, re-veneered or refinished, seats and beds re-upholstered in period fabric, headlining and flooring renewed, and everything goes back exactly where it came from.
How the inside reads, and a good chunk of the value. A period interior refinished beats a new one on a Split every time.
As much as possible. Cabinets, catches, hinges, the table, the layout. Only ply that has gone is replaced.
Electrics
Loom repaired or replaced while the shell is empty.
With the interior out and the panels off, the original loom is repaired in sections where the copper is sound or replaced in full with a correct-pattern loom, the earths renewed and the fuse box replaced.
Whether the van starts, lights and charges reliably, and whether the next owner can follow the wiring.
The routing and the colours. A correct-pattern loom looks right under the bonnet as well as working.
Mechanical and MOT
Brakes, steering, suspension and an air-cooled engine rebuild next door.
Brakes, steering and suspension rebuilt on our ramp, and the air-cooled engine assessed and, where the compressions say so, rebuilt by our sister garage on the same road before final assembly and the road test.
Whether it drives as well as it looks. A Split with a rebuilt front end and a fresh engine is a genuinely lovely thing to drive.
The engine number and the original specification wherever the rebuild allows, because matching numbers matter on a Split.
Most Splits here are restored over two or three years, one stage at a season, and used between the paint stage and the interior. The order never changes so nothing is undone, and the photographic record builds up as it goes.
What arrives in the bodyshop, and what leaves
Six jobs cover nearly every Split-screen restoration, and each is done in a way that suits a van of this value. The photograph on each card is a van in the bodyshop or the part the job belongs to.
Outriggers and chassis
What arrivesBox sections full of water from blocked drains, rotted from inside, sometimes with a plate tacked over the evidence by a previous owner.
What leavesNew outrigger sections let in at the factory seams, seam-sealed, primed and cavity-waxed, with the drain holes cleared so it never happens the same way again.
Rust repair and welding →
Cargo floors and battery trays
What arrivesFloor edges gone where they meet the sill flange, seat and belt mounts corroded, and a battery tray corner eaten by sixty years of acid.
What leavesFull floor sections and a new battery tray welded in, mounts reinstated to the original positions, and the whole underside sealed and protected.
Welding and floors →
Front panels and cab steps
What arrivesA cab step that has been repaired badly at least once, a front panel rusted along the bottom, and a damp cab floor that started at both.
What leavesStep and panel sections made or bought and let in properly, the cab floor repaired, and the water path dealt with so the new metal stays dry.
Damp and water ingress →
Period two-tone paint
What arrivesFaded original paint, a previous blow-over in the wrong shade, or a colour break set an inch out by someone who did not know.
What leavesPrep, primer and colour in our own booth, matched from an unfaded panel, with the two-tone break taken from the original seam and the brightwork refitted.
Bodywork and resprays →
Westfalia and Devon interiors
What arrivesSwollen cabinet bases from a damp cargo floor, split period vinyl, a bed that no longer folds, and missing catches.
What leavesCarcasses repaired and refinished, period upholstery remade, correct catches and hinges sourced, and the layout put back exactly as the converter built it.
Interior refurbishment →
Air-cooled engines
What arrivesLow compressions, oil pressure that drops when hot, and an engine that has been apart before with parts that do not match its number.
What leavesAssessed on our ramp, rebuilt by our sister garage on the same road where the measurements say so, refitted, set up and road tested.
Mechanical restoration →A Split is the one van where we will talk you out of work as often as into it. Original paint that is sound is worth more than a respray, an original interior beats a rebuilt one, and a patinated van that is made structurally sound can be worth more than a shiny one. We give you that view at the assessment. Send photographs on WhatsApp and see the classic camper restoration page for how we treat originality generally.
How a Split-screen is priced, and what makes it different
The rate is the same as any restoration. What differs on a Split is that the standard is higher, the panels are plentiful but not cheap, and the interior is usually worth restoring rather than replacing. Every figure excludes VAT, which is added at 20%.
Welding, bodywork, paint, roof, trim and electrics, the same rate for every stage, shown as hours per stage on the quote.
The first stage, quoted as hours and told to you when you book. On a Split it also gives you a straight view of what the van is worth as it stands.
A look at the van where it stands, anywhere in the North West and North Wales, with no mileage charge.
Each stage invoiced when it is finished and photographed. Most Splits are restored over two or three years.
| Stage | What decides the hours on a Split | What it adds to the van |
|---|---|---|
| Welding | How far the outriggers, cargo floor and inner sills have gone, and how many previous repairs have to be undone first | Structural soundness and the confidence of any future buyer. The single biggest line on nearly every Split |
| Paint | Whether the original paint is sound enough to keep, and whether the two-tone break and colour need matching from an unfaded panel | A correct period finish. The wrong colour on a Split costs value rather than adding it |
| Interior | How much of the Westfalia or Devon furniture can be saved and refinished rather than remade | More than the work costs, if it is kept original. This is where restoring beats replacing |
| Engine | Compressions and oil pressure, and whether the engine number matches the van | Drivability, and matching numbers where they still match. Quoted by our sister garage |
The restoration cost page sets out the worked examples and everything that moves a quote. Ring 0300 124 6982 with photographs of the outriggers and the cargo floor and we will tell you what you are looking at.
From the first photo to the handover, in four steps
A Split is rarely a quick job and it is nearly always worth doing properly. The process is the same as any restoration, with more care at each stage and a photographic record that stays with the van.
Outriggers, cargo floor, battery tray, cab step and front panel, plus the year and the conversion. We reply with an honest first view and a date.
Interior, trim, glass and underseal out, every box section probed, and an itemised quote by stage with a straight view of the van’s value.
You approve a stage, we do it, you get the photographs and the invoice for that stage, and you can pause for a season before the next.
Brakes, steering, the engine and the road test, then a handover with the photographic record, the paperwork and the paint code.
Four things you get with a finished Split.
The full sequence and the stopping points are on the campervan restoration page. Thinking of buying a Split rather than restoring one? A campervan pre-purchase inspection puts a probe into the outriggers at the seller’s address, which on a Split is the difference between a good buy and a very expensive one.
Restored in St Helens, collected from anywhere in the North West and North Wales
Every stage happens in our own bodyshop on Boundary Road in St Helens: welding, paint, trim and electrics, with our sister garage on the same road for the air-cooled engine. Bring the van yourself, or we collect it by trailer, which is how most Split projects arrive.
The bodyshop, 230 Boundary Road, St Helens WA10 2PZ
Ten minutes from junction 7 of the M62 and a short run from the M6 and M57. Come and look at a Split with its floor out before you commit to yours.
- Welding bay, paint booth, trim shop and ramp under one roof
- Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm, Saturday 9am to 12:30pm
- Air-cooled engine rebuilds via Fastlane Group on the same road
Collection from your address
A Split that has not run since the 1980s comes in on the trailer, and we would rather move it than have you drive it on sixty-year-old brakes. Across the North West and the whole of North Wales.
- Collection quoted with the assessment, no mileage banding
- We need the keys, the V5 and somewhere the trailer can reach
- Send the postcode and a photograph of where it is parked first
Where the Splits come from
Every town has its own campervan restoration page, and the map further on carries all thirty-two. Not listed? We still collect. See every area we cover, or the regional pages for the North West and North Wales.
Eight places a Split belongs, and thirty-two towns we collect from
Yellow pins are where the region’s Splits gather and get photographed, each with what that place asks of a sixty-year-old van. Navy pins are the towns we collect from, each with its own campervan restoration page. Hover or tap a pin.
Southport and the Marine Drive
Classic vehicle events on the wide promenades, half an hour from the bodyshop. Sand and salt in every seam on the way home, so the cavity wax matters.
Split project near here? We collect from this area every week and quote after the strip.
Campervan restoration Southport →Blackpool promenade
The Tower behind a two-tone Split is the photograph every owner wants. Also why Fylde vans need their outriggers doing first.
Split project near here? We collect from this area every week and quote after the strip.
Campervan restoration Blackpool →Chester and the walls
Weddings, shows and Cheshire lanes at Split speed, which is the right speed. Farm barns on the plain still hide unrestored ones.
Split project near here? We collect from this area every week and quote after the strip.
Campervan restoration Chester →Windermere and Bowness
A Split on the lakeside is worth the slow climb to get there. Brakes and cooling both get tested on the way.
Split project near here? We collect from this area every week and quote after the strip.
Campervan restoration Windermere →Llandudno and the Great Orme
Victorian seafront, period camper. Marine Drive is gentle enough for a sixty-year-old van and pretty enough to be worth it.
Split project near here? We collect from this area every week and quote after the strip.
Campervan restoration Llandudno →Beaumaris seafront
Georgian colours behind a pastel Split. Exposed and windy, which a tall old van feels more than most.
Split project near here? We collect from this area every week and quote after the strip.
Campervan restoration Beaumaris →Abersoch and the beaches
The traditional VW summer, and a long way from any restorer, which is why Splits sit there for decades.
Split project near here? We collect from this area every week and quote after the strip.
Campervan restoration Abersoch →Morecambe promenade
Art deco seafront and a line of classics on a summer Sunday. A natural home for a Split.
Split project near here? We collect from this area every week and quote after the strip.
Campervan restoration Morecambe →Manchester
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Manchester for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Manchester →Liverpool
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Liverpool for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Liverpool →Preston
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Preston for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Preston →Warrington
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Warrington for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Warrington →Wigan
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Wigan for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Wigan →Bolton
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Bolton for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Bolton →Stockport
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Stockport for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Stockport →St Helens
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around St Helens for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration St Helens →Lancaster
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Lancaster for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Lancaster →Kendal
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Kendal for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Kendal →Keswick
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Keswick for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Keswick →Wrexham
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Wrexham for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Wrexham →Conwy
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Conwy for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Conwy →Rhyl
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Rhyl for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Rhyl →Prestatyn
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Prestatyn for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Prestatyn →Bangor
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Bangor for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Bangor →Caernarfon
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Caernarfon for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Caernarfon →Holyhead
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Holyhead for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Holyhead →Pwllheli
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Pwllheli for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Pwllheli →Porthmadog
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Porthmadog for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Porthmadog →Llanberis
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Llanberis for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Llanberis →Barmouth
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Barmouth for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Barmouth →Dolgellau
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Dolgellau for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Dolgellau →Bala
VW Split-screen projects collected in and around Bala for restoration in our St Helens bodyshop: outriggers, floors, period paint, interiors and air-cooled engines, quoted stage by stage in writing.
Campervan restoration Bala →Every town on the map:Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Warrington, Chester, Wigan, Blackpool, Bolton, Stockport, St Helens, Southport, Lancaster, Kendal, Windermere, Keswick, Morecambe, Wrexham, Llandudno, Conwy, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Bangor, Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Holyhead, Pwllheli, Abersoch, Porthmadog, Llanberis, Barmouth, Dolgellau, Bala. Somewhere else in the North West or North Wales? Send the postcode on WhatsApp. Once it is finished, a yearly campervan service keeps the underside and the cavity wax right.
WhatsApp us photos of the outriggers, cargo floor and cab step, and the year
Three things and someone from the bodyshop comes back with an honest first view, what the stages would be, and a date for the assessment. On a Split the first view is worth having before you buy as well as before you restore. No forms, no call centre.
Tell us about the Split and where it is
Year, whether it is a Westfalia, a Devon or a panel van conversion, what you know of its history, and photographs of the outriggers, cargo floor, battery tray, cab step and front panel. Ring 0300 124 6982 in opening hours, or send it on WhatsApp.
- Our own bodyshop in St Helens, collection across the North West and North Wales
- Labour from £95 + VAT an hour, panels quoted separately, every stage in writing
- Joints placed at the factory seams, and a photographic record kept for the van
Around a Split-screen restoration
All by the same team, in the bodyshop or at your address.
VW campervan restoration
Every Transporter generation in one place, from the Split to the T5.
VW restoration →
VW Bay Window restoration
The van that replaced the Split, and the one with the best parts supply.
Bay Window →
VW Westfalia restoration
The factory conversion, its roof and its furniture.
Westfalia →
Classic camper restoration
Bedford, Commer, Transit and the British conversions.
Classic campers →
Restoration cost
How a Split is priced stage by stage, with worked examples.
What it costs →
Campervan pre-purchase inspection
A probe into the outriggers before you buy. From £179 + VAT.
Pre-purchase inspection →Buying a caravan, motorhome or campervan? Get it inspected before you pay.
An independent engineer at the seller, dealer or park, anywhere in the North West and North Wales. Damp, gas, electrics and the rest tested, written photo report the same day, from £179 + VAT.