TheSamba.com :: View topic

Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:39 pm

that looks like a great base for restore. and i approve of the nongenger name - see: johnny cash. sounds like you are going for the original look. i wonder how many of the ghia owners here had a beetle first. i did and it took me from 1959 to 1962 to make the change. next post, show us a pic of that "growed up" boy.

Sun Jun 19, 2011 3:18 pm

What a better way to spend Father’s Day than underneath a vehicle turning a wrench and getting a tad bit greasy. After church services and a little lunch, Mason joined me in the garage as we were gonna pull Sue’s guts out…

After a bit of research, I knew what needed to be disconnected, labeled, removed, etc. I commenced to surveying the situation.

And under the watchful eye of Mason, I got my fat A under Sue and took out the four bolts that keep her engine attached to the tranny.

Approximately one hour after entering the garage; the beast was out of her home.

She will receive a SCAT engine upgrade taking her from 1600cc’s to 1641cc’s, an generator to alternator conversion and a Pertronix electronic ignition kit. Other than that, standard rebuild with stock style pieces and parts.

I couldn’t have done it without the help of “man-child”…helping his father out on Father’s Day…love it.

Now I can sit back and contemplate the next steps…stay tuned.

Sun Jun 19, 2011 8:20 pm

snookerdude wrote: ...show us a pic of that "growed up" boy.

Grown up shown above..."man child"...15 YO, 6'1", 220#, size 14 shoe and still growing.

Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:58 pm

It's been a long while since my last update so here is where Sue stands...this is from late September:

With the pop-up camper being sold last weekend, the AFE for the next phase of Sue was approved. Mason and I made the trek to the west side Saturday morning to Texas Aircooled...I left them with quite a laundry list that will get Sue's engine purring like a käfer in no time. It will take several weeks for all the pieces and parts to arrive so I have time for the other portion of this phase. Removing the body from the frame and doing as much body work, welding, etc. prior to paint and body - the next phase of the project.

This is how we started Saturday afternoon - re-arranging everything in the garage and which allowed us as much room as possible to move around. I have quite a bit of room in my rental, storage unit, so the loose parts made it there Sunday afternoon.

In order to lift the body, I wanted to remove the doors for weight considerations and other repairs, so that was next. It was quite a feat with some of the hardware that was involved.

With the doors removed, there is a tendency for the body to fold - ever so slightly - upon itself when you pull it off the frame; therefore, I would need to construct a brace that would take the place of the door frames. My new grinder got a bit of a workout...

This may give you an idea of the brace in question...

And the other end...I think the sticker is somewhat ironic here...

And a bit more grinding...

And things went downhill from here. I haven't welded since??? and it is apparent. While not “certified” or “professional” by any stretch of the imagination, I did more than my share and held my own in my offshore days, but Saturday was not my day… I fooled with heat and feed until I was blue in the face. I am enlisting the help of my dad for some OJT.

Once the brackets are welded and secured, there are ~12 bolts holding the body to the frame. I will enlist a neighbor or each corner and we will lift it onto a jig that I am also constructing (…of wood thankfully). The jig will support the body but is made in such a way that it will slide / roll over the frame – only in an elevated state; thus taking up the same amount of garage space…which the family will appreciate. Until next time...

Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:09 pm

And from the first week in January...

I have been on vacation for several days but it wasn't until this past Saturday when I was able to give Sue some much needed attention. If you look back a bit, you will see that I mentioned having fits with my welder…come to find out, the inner sleeve / sheath has a kink in it which was / is preventing the wire from feeding at a constant rate. My dad let me borrow his new wire feed and I was able to put the final touches on the support braces – while the welds are ugly and definitely won’t past a dye penetrant test, I think they will hold for what I need them for.

I also succeeded in removing all the bolts that hold the frame / pans to the body. I removed the gear shifter and the steering wheel and column as well. The fiberglass job that the previous owner did made for some choice words. Removing some the fiberglass also revealed what I had already assumed, the pans will have to be cut out and replaced.

Mason and I were able to lift each corner of the body with minimal effort and I hope to enlist the help of a couple of neighbors to completely remove the body from the frame. This is the rolling jig that I made to hold the body. The dimensions are such that I can roll this jig with the body on it over the frame; thus taking up the same amount of garage space during the rebuild…

After Sunday mass and a nice lunch, it was time to get back to Sue. I enlisted a couple of neighbors along with Mason. We positioned the jig right next to the car…

And after tugging and tugging and more tugging, we discovered “someone” left one of the bolts that connect the pan to the body in?! After this lone bolt was removed, the body lifted off with little effort. Even though the 4x4s were a bit warped, the jig worked like a champ.

The frame is now exposed and will require some work – mainly the pans. I will also be able to easily replace the shocks, master cylinder, perform some transmission work and anything else that strikes my fancy.

And here Sue sits – stacked in two pieces…three if you count the engine.

I may take on some welding on the frame in the days ahead – I have quite a few holes that need filling and I foresee the grinder getting a bit of a workout as well. Until next time…

Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:10 pm

And since my last installment, I did discover that the inner sheath to my wire feed welder had a kink in it...on my front porch when I get home tonight should be a replacement...hope to get back on Sue before too long.

Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:39 am

Lots of work (or therapy).
It's a great Dad Son bonding experience too.
The results will be priceless 8)

Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:20 pm

It has been way too long since Sue was last fondled. I rolled her out this morning and had a few things I wanted to knock out.

Sue – like most Ghias – had a factory dash (which is an overstatement) and a knee pad. You can see both here on Sue when I picked her up in Alabama.

Upon completion, Shannon and I do not want to reinstall either, rather, we are going for a painted dash. In order to get this look, many dash mounting holes have to be filled. I need to locate some steel “blanks” or something similar to put underneath the holes prior to filling them in. Some of these holes approach 3/8” diameter. You can see some of them marked and prepped for welding here.

I also removed these “skirts” that are suspended from the center member. The prior owner’s fiberglass job encroached on these pieces and essentially ruined them.

I found more stuff that needed to be removed / busted out…

Finally, I wanted to start locating the trim mounting holes. For whatever reason, the previous owner Bondo’ed the holes in that support the side chrome trim. This made quite a mess.

Here is the front passenger side quarter panel where the Karmann “bat” emblem will go along with the final trim pieces.

Ever so slowly…but surely…

Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:08 pm

no need to weld up the two pair of holes over the glove box. Earlier cars had a grab handle bolted in there, you can do the same
.