TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Aug 16, 2011 9:25 am

Thanks much, had seen Julian's ads but had not heard of his quality, good to know! Im working on bumper fitting prior to paint and trying to figure it all out....yours look really, really good!

Thu Aug 25, 2011 7:55 am

I've been dealing with the Heater tubes this week.

This is how it looked before.

This is under the car covered in that sprayed Bituman

This is under the back seat almost under the hinge covers

This shows the tubes with all the covers and insulation foil removed

I had a pile of badly aged plastic insulation to replicate. It was all wrinkled and not in particularly good shape

I cleaned up the various pieces. The internal ones were fairly easy to clean up.

The external ones came out ok using a heat gun to melt of much of the tar and a little bit of petrol as a solvent to remove the remainder

I traced out the foil pieces on Graph paper as best as i could knowing that the Germans would have used nice round numbers in Milimetres

And I obtained a length of adhesive heat reflecting foil that is stable up to 300 degrees C.

Afer cutting out the various shapes, I lined the inside of the plastic pieces with the foil.

..and proceeded to mount the plastic covers back from where they came. The view under the car

.. and the view under the seat.

So that's going to stop heat leaks under the back seat

Nicholas

Sat Dec 17, 2011 6:51 am

I got the lathe going on some polyethylene and tuned that grommet around the ignition key. The original one was split and looking tatty. Turning a plastic
piece this thin was tricky and I ended up have to make several attempts.

the keyhole hole bored out.

the raw piece before I polished off the burrs

Installed . That ripple I've managed to smooth out so it look better than in this photo.

Nicholas

Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:01 am

Holy cow! I had no idea there was a grommet on the ignition! Yours looks great, any chance you'd make some more for those of us who just found out they exist?

Sat Mar 31, 2012 6:31 am

Actually there has been plenty going on but I haven't been able to photograph it because I broke the LCD in my Camera. So last night after the new part arrived, I got it installed, the camera is working and now I have photos for you.

First up, I have been preparing a new wiring loom. This Ghia will try to have stock wiring. The complication here is the RHD conversion with US standard wiring on a car registered to ride on Australian roads. I can't use the stock US loom on a '66 being the first year for the loom down the interior LHS it turns out to be too short under the dash for RHD whereas earlier years could be shortened for RHD. Another thing is the marker lights are part of the headlight for Australian (Euro) standards. There's also the Hazard flasher that wasn't part of the Euro spec '66. So I have to make up a hybrid of the Euro & US loom. Towards that aim I've found a guy in Melbourne (Aust) who can make up such a loom replicating the original VW style. We've been exchanging details and I expect the front half of the loom to show up in a few days. The other parts will arrive later. I'll post details on that in the coming weeks.

Second up is the special windscreen I ordered. It is the tall 17.25 inch glass made up with the logo correct for the year. I haven't installed it yet because the C-channel trim needs to go to the electroplater. I have to go there myself and deliver it because I don't trust it can survive a courier. Here's a photo of the replica etching that makes it so special. The powder on the glass is French Chalk which is the old school way of making rubber slippery.

Third up is the rear seat and carpet around it. I would have preferred to install it later but there have been many delays in the program. The glass took a longtime to arrive and the work with the wiring is slow. I also have an issue with the steering & suspension that needed the final set of wheels and tyres installed. So I got busy with the Upholstery instead. Getting the back seat was a trick. I discovered that there are two types of hinges for the folding seat. I had ordered a new pair from Vince (GhiaAddict) a few years ago because one of mine was broken. As it turns out there are extra fastening holes on the old one so the part from Vince wasn't compatible. However, they are made of stainless steel ( very malleable) and are painted black (can hide hammer marks). I was able to pull the broken one apart, straighten it on an anvil and get the pivot crimped in place again. It freshly painted black, works just fine now and is hidden under the carpet out of sight.

Finally the tie rod lengths can't be set until the final set of wheels and tyre are installed. Last week the ENKEI rims arrived from Japan (via Germany.. don't ask why). They look great! I chose a set of Dunlop 195/60R15 tyres to go on there and it seems to fit under the guard just fine. The adjustable beam is at it highest setting and the 2" drop spindles have the wheel under the guard well enough. The Wheels are 5.5 wide and have a +12mm offset. I notice there is more gap between the tyre and guard on one side than there is on the other. Coach built car I guess. Hopefully this won't be a rubbing problem. The rolling diameter is 24.3 inches only slightly smaller than the stock 24.5 inches.
Front

Rear

The wheel nuts will be replaced with Chrome Dome nuts with a conical taper rather than the stock ball taper. A 1cm pinstripe is also expected to go on the rubber. I'm yet to set the final ride height at the front and the back is sticking up in the air because there is no engine weight holding it down. I will sort out the tie rod length, the steering box position and the bump stops for the pitman arm that sets the steering wheel lock to lock range. This is only a problem now on account of the RHD conversion, non stock wheels and narrowed beam being a departure from using stock parts. This is the first moment everything has been assembled and we can get it adjusted just right.

I'll keep you posted.

Nicholas

Sat Mar 31, 2012 9:45 am

Etching on the windshield is some serious detail work, very cool.
My grandmother had plastic on her living room couch too.:).
Wheels look awesome, red pinstripe? Really nice work!

Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:59 pm

c21darrel wrote: My grandmother had plastic on her living room couch too.:).
I'll get advise on that from my mom. :lol: She might like the practical ease of cleaning it affords.

There are few more things to show you.

I've installed the steering column with the rubber buffer. This piece is a cleaned up one from the original LHD dash I had to reuse because I couldn't find a new one. I think this same piece is used on a Kombi as an end stop for the seat. I'll make do with this old one for now since it looks OK and is squeezed in place buy the column.

I used, for the interim, some stainless bolts because I've mislaid the original Kamex ones. They'll show up somewhere I hope or I can just leave these.

I cleaned up the original fuse box. It was in pretty good condition at the onset and required only a little brushing with contact cleaner to make it as good as new.

The Euro headlight was mounted. This is one is from Karmanghia.de here
http://www.karmannghia.de/artikel.php?set_artnr=941039B
Unfortunately the black ring wouldn't fit over the lip of the front bucket. Prior to paint I could have fixed that but after paint I was not prepared to bend anything and risk putting hairline cracks so water could creep in and cause rust. To solve that issue I found some OG rings from Vic the Aussie. They fitted perfectly and I don't mind the slightly scuffed look that will be hidden by the dress ring.

More to come soon I hope.

Nicholas

Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:05 am

Let it be a lesson ye lads! Learn that unplanned deviations will bring a dear penalty if ye be wanting things working right.

Ok so the original plan was for four wheel disk brakes with chromed Mangels and a 2 inch narrowed beam. I was on track with that until I became enamoured with those 5 Spoke Enkei rims from Flat Four. So I get them and put on Dunlop 195/65R15 and discover there isn't really enough clearance for them. Well, not enough so I am comfortable with it. It won't take much to chew out a guard on some bump at speed. So I have agreement with the Tyre shop to swap the rubber for 185/60R15 but the clearance is still going to be tight. This all needs to be revisited. I hate reworking things... its such a drain of funds and money.

In truth I wasn't really 100% happy with the way the front beam turned out. The adjusters were set too low and I couldn't find "stock" height or anything near that. Add that the steering end stop wasn't in the right spot and needed relocation that allows the car to turn left and have a reasonable turning circle.

So I had to replace it all with a 4 inch narrowed beam which meant taking out the old one and starting again.

But there is the problem of the shock towers already being almost against the inner guard. So the shock towers needed a recessed slot added on the inner face.

This shows the cut on the inner face.

While it was open like that some metal ready was swished about and later POR15.

This is the cover plate made from 3mm angle and cut to shape before being welded in place.

And this is the final result freshly painted and about the go on the car.

With four inches of reduction some of the springs had to be disabled to ensure the ride remained about as soft as before... shorter springs of the same material will need more force to produce the same rotation.

Now the beam will handle the wider wheels and the disk brakes on the dropped spindles without touching the outer or inner guard. If I wake up and realise it is all a mistake I can relax knowing this is all reversible. Ah! A new back up plan.... so this has been just an expensive diversion.

Nicholas

Tue Apr 24, 2012 10:59 am

"Let it be a lesson ye lads! Learn that unplanned deviations will bring a dear penalty if ye be wanting things working right."

...Nothing more true. Once you move away from stock you can bet that there will be 1,2, 3 or more changes/adjustments/purchases that will have to be made to complete the first "upgrade".

I had the same issue with the beam and arch interference. That was a very nice mod on the shock tower, i trimmed the arch on mine. Yours looks very well done! Also had the same "adjusters too low" issue on my beam. When it was built i told the guy I was getting my drop from the drop spindles I wanted the beam indexed high...car ended up lower than I wanted.
"I hate reworking things... its such a drain of funds " ...time and energy...

Sun May 13, 2012 7:39 am

So this marathon is in sight of the stadium. During the last couple of weekends I got the old engine up on a bench and we started pulling it at part.

My friend Peter Caldwell, a mechanical engineer has decided he wants to help. That's not a bad idea considering his long racing and engine development experience back in the UK during the 60's and 70's.

Here he is with one of the heads

We're having a ball pulling it apart and cateloging the parts. This motor is the one that was in the car when it was delivered. I have that written in both the birth certificate and in the original service booklet that came with this car. The obvious thing to do is to rebuild this particular motor as 100% stock. I'll deviate only where it has to run as 12Volts. At first glance its seems not too badly worn.

Once it is run-in it will get a Judson added. I've gathered the tin work and its off this week to get stripped, cleaned and repainted.

Should be fun!

Nicholas

Wed May 30, 2012 3:49 am

One job that's been waiting for a while is the license plate light. This weekend I managed to get the chrome trim installed. I finally worked out that a pair of long nose pliers was good enough to twist the stainless tabs and lock them in place. I made replacement buffers to go around the tabs in between the chrome strip and the painted surface. It worked out well and will stop the chrome rubbing through the paint.

Some time ago I had the metal reflective surfaces re-silvered like new and they've spent several months wrapped in tissue paper in a drawer. I popped them in place and assembled the other parts around them. For a simple function this thing is rather complex.

There is the back view with the bulbs, gaskets and lenses ready to go on. they look great!

Here is the whole set up mounted on the car.

I'm not very confident with the earth contact this stock setup is going to make for itself. I will test it to ensure there is light but I suspect I will need to add an earth wire between the mounting screws and self tapping screw in the decklid to absolutely guarantee a solid ground connection. There is a similar idea in the stock headlight bucket arrangement that should work here.

Nicholas

Wed May 30, 2012 9:03 am

sputnick60 wrote:

I'm not very confident with the earth contact this stock setup is going to make for itself. I will test it to ensure there is light but I suspect I will need to add an earth wire between the mounting screws and self tapping screw in the decklid to absolutely guarantee a solid ground connection. There is a similar idea in the stock headlight bucket arrangement that should work here.

Nicholas

Funny that you would doubt the ground capabilities of this setup. When I installed mine, I had a heck of a time getting the lights to work until I discovered that the lights weren't grounded. I scuffed up the paint under the washers and it's working now, but I may have to resort to your idea of a separate ground wire.

As always, you do top-notch work! :D

Tue Jul 10, 2012 7:04 am

I finally got the windscreen done this evening.

I used the blocked rubber from HOG. It is the type with the "C" channel. I had the "C" Channel re-chromed Cu Ni Cr. I had a windscreen made up with the original VW etching in the corner. It is the larger 17.25 inch tall glass that goes with the C channel and matching rubber.

Here is a picture of the chord inserted in to the rubber's groove. I over lapped the ends so the middle section would not inadvertently by missed while I was pulling the string to get it over the lip in the frame

I got my friend, Bob to come and give me a hand. This is absolutely a two person job.

Here's the finished result.

It took about an hour and a half to do. We had to start again half way through an earlier attempt because the chrome was twisting out of the rubber on the top. I had to get the chrome back in with took a fair bit of rolling an kneading the rubber to get it locked back in place.

I'm pretty happy with the result and look forward to doing the dash soon

Nicholas

Tue Jul 10, 2012 7:11 am

Congrats Nicholas...the windscreen install is a notable milestone...everything after that is a piece of cake. :D

Tue Jul 10, 2012 6:46 pm

Nicholas, who 'made up' the screen for you?
Very nice work on the car

Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:36 am

Ian Godfrey wrote: Who 'made up' the screen for you?

Hi Ian,

I had the glass made up by Ralph Moore Auto Glass.

Contact details are...

Ralph Moore Autoglass Pty Ltd
6 John St
Mascot, NSW 2020
Mon-Fri 8:00am- 5:00pm
Sat 8:00am- 1:00pm
Tel: (02) 9667-1933
Fax: (02) 9669-6605
Email: [email protected]

He ordered the Glass from the UK and shipped it with one of his regular bulk orders. I gave him a sample of the etching I wanted and he made up a laser mask to match it. This he used to sandblast the VW markings onto the inner side.

It was expensive but worth it.

Nicholas

Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:20 am

So far I've installed 2 sets (front and rear) of C-channel blocked seals on cars - it's a bit of nightmare to install C-channel in rubber and keep it to not pop out while install glass on the car. But I've seen a clip over the internet that shows how to install C-channel AFTER glass is installed on the car using a string - pretty much the same as you install glass on the car bit inversed (sorry can't find that clip now :( ). Didn't tried that yet, but soon I'll have the opportunity and may be will give it a go.

Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:45 pm

Disc wrote: I've seen a clip over the internet that shows how to install C-channel AFTER glass is installed on the car using a string.

Disc,
If you find that video please do post a link to it up on the Windscreen threads linked in the "How-to" stickies at the top of this forum.

The hardest part of the job was the trim. I can see why the "Cal" look became popular. Excluding the trim turns out to be easier, quicker and therefore less costly. For some would proclaim the missing brightwork as a feature. A cynical view I admit.

The glass went in without difficulty just using the lessons learned from the many who have commented in the windscreen threads. I've never done this job before and found success. Beforehand I did a lot of research to make sure the glass, rubber and chrome are compatible. If I had the shorter glass it would have been less of a success.

Nicholas

Sun Jul 15, 2012 2:51 am

Awesome build mate any updates?

Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:18 am

looking good, how close to getting her on the road are you?