have you ever wondered why we have Danfo buses every where in Lagos especially? that particular bus is not the only bus we have n the world. or even Volkswagen have other buses but that are even better than the buses..what makes this particular bus so special?

Please stay on this thread with me as we try to unravel what makes this bus special..

Please dont mind my punctuation and my spelling..

Thank you

Volkswagen started production of their T3 (or T25 as it’s often known) Transporter in 1979 and moved on to market the Transporter under various names worldwide. In Europe it was known as the Transporter/Caravelle, South Africa knew it as the Microbus, whilst North and South American knew of it as the Vanagon.

and Nigeria is known as the danfo Buses..


before the danfo buses we had T1 and T2 buses below is the picture of the T1 and T2 buses..

we use to have the t2 buses in Nigeria or i think we still have a few on the road but they are not as durable as the T3 and i have once seen the T2 go up in flames a few times...

When this bus was made it was not just made to transport people from one point to the other it can in different designs and uses..

Volkswagen T3 ambulances‎ (8 F)
► Volkswagen T3 campers‎ (3 C, 118 F)
► Volkswagen T3 fire engines‎ (18 F)
► Volkswagen T3 in German military service‎

When this bus was made it was not just made to transport people from one point to the other it can in different designs and uses..

►Volkswagen T3 in police service‎ (8 F)
► Volkswagen T3 pickup‎ (1 C, 14 F)


And so many other designs that i can mention it all...

Here is the breakdown or skeletal sketch of the T3 so you have an idea of where everything is located.

The Engine is Located at the back.

Here is a brief history of the T3.

The Volkswagen Type 2 (T3) was the third generation of the Volkswagen Transporter and was marketed under various nameplates worldwide – including the Transporter or Caravelle in Europe, Microbus in South Africa, and Vanagon in North and South America.

It was larger, heavier, and more angular in its styling than its predecessor, the T2.

The T3 was manufactured in Germany from 1979 until 1990. Production of the 4WD (mostly for official use, like postal service or German army) continued until 1992 at Puch in Graz/Austria, where all 4WDs were built. A limited number of 2WD models were also produced at the Graz factory after German production had come to an end in 1990. South African production of the T3 continued, for that market only, until 2002. The T3 was the final generation of rear-engined Volkswagens.

Here is a brief history of the T3.

With the internal combustion engine and transaxle mounted very low in the back, the T3 had much larger disc brakes in the front, and drums in the rear. Axle weight is very nearly equal upon both the front and back ends of the vehicle. Unlike the T2 before it, the T3 was available with amenities such as power steering, air conditioning, power door locks, electrically controlled and heated mirrors, lighted vanity mirrors, and a light above the glove box (most of which were essentially standard equipment in later models).

The automatic was a standard hydraulic three-speed unit, the same 090/010 unit as used in Audis of the era. These featured a cast aluminium alloy case for the transmission section, and a cast iron case for the final drive section.

The 091 manual transmission was a four-speed unit, featuring a lightweight aluminium alloy case; from 1983 a 5-speed transmission was available as an option on certain models; a 5-speed was fitted as standard on Syncro four-wheel drive models.

The automatic features a 1.0 ratio top gear, while the manual features a 0.85 top gear.

The oil filler tube for the engine is located behind the flip-down license plate door, as is the oil dipstick and the power steering fluid reservoir (when fitted). Most vans had a twist-on/off gas cap right on the outside just under and behind the passenger side door. A locking cap was optional. The spare tyre lies in a tray under the very front of the van (as the engine is in the back), just below the radiator.

Mad Melon mountain Black

Comes to bear

Here is a brief history of the T3.

Engines
Because of the engine placement, a T3 has nearly equal 50/50 weight distribution fore and aft. The early air-cooled engines were somewhat expensive to produce and had some reliability problems. Volkswagen originally meant to replace them with the Golf's inline-four engine but the cost of re engineering both car and engine made them opt for updating the flat-four instead.[6] An overhead-cam design was mooted but rejected as willingness to rev was considered to be of less importance than low-end flexibility and low cost.[6] The new 1.9 L "Wasserboxer" (for water-cooled boxer) was also originally considered for use in certain other Volkswagens such as the Gol, which still relied on the old air-cooled flat-four at that time.[7]

The U.S version 1.9 liter and up water-cooled gasoline engines experienced significant and repeated problems with cylinder head surface erosion and coolant leaks. 2.1 L engines suffered the same, mostly due to not having the antifreeze changed often enough, and the use of phosphated coolant, which caused corrosion in the cooling system.


Volkswagen wasserboxer engine
Petrol/gasoline[edit]
There were four general petrol engine variants between 1979 and 1991, with several sub-models. All were overhead-valve push-rod horizontally opposed four-cylinder engines. Available engine options differed between regions. Aftermarket VW specialist Oettinger also offered the WBX6, a six-cylinder version.

Air-cooled (1979–1983) (similar to the Porsche 914)
1.6 L (1584 cc) (50 bhp/37 kW) (Serial # CT) air-cooled, single Solex 34 PICT-4 carburettor (not available in the United States)
2.0 L (1970 cc) (70 bhp/51 kW) (Serial # CU or CV) air-cooled, twin Solex 34 PDSIT-2/3 carburettor or fuel injected (Bosch L-Jetronic) flat-four in the 1980 to 1983 models
Water-cooled (1983 onwards)
1.9 litre engines:
1.9 L (1913 cc) (83 bhp) (Serial # DH) water-cooled (or "Wasserboxer" engine used for the 1983 to 1985 models, which used a fuel injection system known as "Digijet" (Digital Jet-tronic)
1.9 L (1913 cc) (59 bhp) (Serial # DF) 8.6:1 compression ratio, 34-PICT carburetor
1.9 L (1913 cc) (76 bhp) (Serial # DG) 8.6:1 compression ratio, 2E3 or 2E4 carburetor
1.9 L (1913 cc) (55 bhp) (Serial # EY) 7.5:1 compression ratio, 34-PICT carburetor
1.9 L (1913 cc) (89 bhp) (Serial # GW) 8.6:1 compression ratio, Bosch Digijet electronic fuel injection
2.1 Litre engines:
2.1 L (2109 cc) (95 bhp) (Serial # MV) Wasserboxer, used until the end of Vanagon importation into the US in 1991. This engine used a more advanced engine management system known as Bosch "Digifant" which now digitally managed ignition timing as well as fuel delivery.
2.1 L (2109 cc) (90 bhp) (Serial # SS) 9:1 compression ratio Wasserboxer
2.1 L (2109 cc) (112 bhp)(torque 128) (Serial # DJ) 10.3:1 compression ratio, Digijet injection, only sold in European countries not requiring catalytic converter.
The Wasserboxer featured an aluminum case, cylinder heads, and pistons, and a forged steel crankshaft. The Wasserboxer, as with all VW boxer engines has a gear-driven camshaft. It also featured Heron, or "bowl-in-piston" type combustion chambers where the combustion takes place within the piston bowl area, and not just in the cylinder head as would be the case with flat top pistons. The switch to water-cooled boxer engines was made mid-year in 1983. T2 transporters or 'bay window' vans, produced in Brazil until 2013, were switched to inline-four cylinder water-cooled engines and a front-mounted radiator in 2005.

Oettinger WBX6 (aftermarket)
3.2 L (3164 cc) (165 bhp) VW-Oettinger Wasserboxer, fuel injected.
3.7 L (3664 cc) (180 bhp) VW-Oettinger Wasserboxer, fuel injected.
Diesel engines[edit]
In contrast to the standard flat-four gasoline engines, all diesel engine options were of an I4 inline configuration.

1.6 L (1588 cc) (37 kW / 50 PS / 49 bhp) (Serial # CS) Naturally aspirated Diesel I4, available in the US on 1982/83 models only.
1.6 L (1588 cc) (51 kW / 70 PS / 69 bhp) (Serial # JX) Turbocharged I4.
1.7 L (1715 cc) (42 kW / 57 PS / 56 bhp) (Serial # KY) Natural aspirated I4.

Ok Leaving work now will continue Later when i get home or tomorrow.. please like and add comments for encouragement...we have not gotten to where it gets interesting....

Are you a Danfo driver?
May he rest in peace


[quqote author=onward4life post=82954996]Mad Melon mountain Black

Comes to bear[/quote]