"Belly Pans" were standard VW Bus features on earlier buses w/ either
skylight/walk thru & or double door options. The pans strengthened the body
to compensate for the rigidity removed in the roof & bulkhead/optional side
doors. They were welded in from the factory, & unlike Bell Industries
updated version, non removable, IIRC.
That I am sure increased the top speed considerably in a 36-53 hp bus!

YMMV,

Mr. BZ

On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 7:08 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:

> Nice Nice Nice. I am confident as I am sure you are that it will keep
> things clean under there. But what I want to know, and you will eventually
> find out, is what does it do to your top speed and gas mileage? Seems to me
> on a vanagon there is as much to gain cleaning up the airflow below as
> there is above.
>
> Jim, who has been messing with boat bracketry lately and not Vanagons.
>
> President, Felder Enterprises. Quality for the gentry, priced for the
> common man.
>
>
> On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 5:35 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>
> > Mr Miller, I need to thank you for the nice welding equipment bearing
> your
> > name that was used to make the "bell belly belt".
> >
> > I couldn't have cinched in my underparts without it :)
> >
> > Alistair
> >
> >
> >
> > > On Nov 20, 2013, at 3:27 PM, Mike Miller <mwmiller6@att.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > The Bell Belly Belt?
> > >
> > >
> > >> On Nov 20, 2013, at 3:14 PM, Alistair Bell wrote:
> > >>
> > >> finally finished, mostly, the light underbody protection plate I
> > started some weeks ago. It is meant to protect the coolant lines, heater
> > lines, and the shift linkage from flying debris and build up of
> slush/ice.
> > It is not meant to protect against boulders :)
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> http://shufti.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/vanagon-syncro-more-underbody-protection-pretty-well-finished/
> > >>
> > >> alistair
> > >
> >
>

--
Tom Buese