TheSamba.com :: View topic - The guy next door just hit my Karmann Ghia!!!

Mon Jul 12, 2004 1:06 pm

So I'm on my way outside to finish of some int rust repair and the guy next door comes up to me and says "Man I'm sorry,I just hit your car"!
I said come again,and he lifts up my car cover and shows me where he nailed it. Damm my freakin drivers side fender was pushed inwards like 5 inches. I felt sick for a moment,being this was the only part of the car that was in great shape. He said why not just take the fender off and I'll get you another one. I wish-I said. It does not bolt up like a bug fender does,all that crap is welded I told him. So at the next point were bangin the thing out with a rubber mallet,most of poped out. But there is still a large crease wich will need to be filled now. I FREAKIN HATE FILLER!!!!!!!
The best part is that the car itself didnt look all that bad-but that my brand new motor is coming tomarrow! So now I will get to drive it around with the new motor looking like shit. It's been a great day.... :roll:

I think at this point I'm ready for a fiberglass front clip due to other damage...Who sells the one peice front clips for Karmann Ghias?
Web address please!!!

Mon Jul 12, 2004 2:12 pm

Props to you for not killing him, and to him for fessing up before you found the dent.

Mon Jul 12, 2004 2:30 pm

http://vwinnovations.com/ghia.html#never

http://markvfiberglass.com/catalog/frontends/frontends.html

http://markvfiberglass.com/catalog/frontends/frontendK110.html

Mon Jul 12, 2004 2:51 pm

Thanks Keifernet!

Yeah,I was biting down really hard on my tounge so I would not go off on the guy. I understood it was a fu$k up when backing his trailler up.
He kept telling me how sorry he was,I said look shit happens in life.
Just a shame it had to happen to a VW :(

He's a friend so I can't kill the guy+he's a redneck so it's just understood-lol

Mon Jul 12, 2004 3:10 pm

You may be able to find a glass front end local, I thought some of the glass manufacturers used to be in FL?

but those 2 I posted are in AZ an NV respectively.

Bummer about him hitting it... I guess he's not wanting to chip in anything? :roll: even though there was other damage to the f-end before... seems like he should feel liable for something.

Welding front clips on a Ghia is pretty tricky unless your real familiar with that type of thing ( read: "experienced" ) and unless you find a whole donor clip in good shape. piece-mealing it is even tougher.

you could always get the f-glass one piece and run it until you can find/ afford to have the rest of the front done. That is providing the rest of the body is worth the effort.

good luck...

Mon Jul 12, 2004 9:17 pm

I've seen a couple of the 'paintless dent repair' guys do some pretty good work on that kind of damage. It might be worth the effort to look one up and show him your problem. Might get it out to where you only need a skim coat of filler.

Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:41 am

He came over later and gave me $100 bucks to fix it. And said if it cost more that he would pay. Like I said we were able to bang most of it out,the rest will have to be filled with fiberglass I guess. I did call a mobile auto body guy,he came over and said it would be $50 bucks to fix it and primer it. Problem is he can't color match the color,I have no Idea who the paint came from or #'s for it. I'm hoping a real body shop can spot paint it for like $50 bucks or so.

What does color matching and spot painting cost about?

If it comes down to it,I may just leave it primed and start to finish off any small dings found+other work and then have it resprayed.
The fiberglass seems like a nice way to go,I have heard that they can come loose and are a pain,but having a front clip is proly more money and just as hard if not more. Pro's and con's on the 1pc front clip besides I hit hard can crack. Wind turbulance factor on highway?

Wed Jul 14, 2004 9:50 am

Fiberglass front end = Lower resale value. Don't do it unless you are going to drag it. Just my .02