New to me 67 ghia coupe

[rusty57]

The first VW I ever bought was a 1969 Ghia. I've had bugs, buses and even type 3's, but have always longed for a ghia after i sold that car. I've been contemplating purchasing another VW for a while now. I checked craigslist and the internet auction site. Found this one about an hour ago and placed a bid. I won the car. So, it has some issues, but it's a runner. California black plate car, originally sold in Ventura. Guy I got it from told me that he purchased it from an estate sale and was included with other vehicle's parts (non-vw). He happened to be a VW guy and knew he could sell it. He replaced the rear apron and passenger half pan in the short two weeks he's had it. The car was parked back in 1999. Turns out the car needed a fuel pump. It fired right up and runs strong. So, that's all i know for now. I'll see the car soon. I plan on making sure it's mechanically sound, but i will not wait too long to have it painted. I always wait and end up getting rid of the car before paint. Not this time. It's my retirement from the military gift to myself. (with my wife's consent). I will have it painted pretty soon. I'll worry about the interior later. I'm thinking silver with black trim. No chrome on this one. I hope to fit 17" Porsche style wheels. But, of course we'll see. I'm finally back into ghias and hope to learn a lot from you guys on my upcoming journey. Take a look and see what you think.

















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67 Ghia coupe
www.TagDefender.com

[1badghia]

wish my car was in that good of shape,looks like a good project.

[slafa]

Welcome back to Ghia's I remember your earlier post about wanting to get one and that one looks pretty good from here.
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'63 KG Roadster proj.
'70 KG Coupe.

[Ghiaddict]

1967 is one of my favorite model years.
Best of luck with yours.
Looks pretty good from here.
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Karmann Ghia & Beetle parts available.
Convertible tops installed.

[rusty57]

In order to install, 17" wheels, will I need a narrowed beam? I would like a lowered stance, i'm thinking German Look here. I've searched the forums and can't find a build thread with 17" wheels. The father/son project runs 16", but I really think 17" wheels are the route i'll take.
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67 Ghia coupe
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[rusty57]

I found this picture of my first Ghia. It was a 69 coupe. I sold it back in 1998 before I left Hawaii. Someone took the picture and added it to the gallery. I loved that car. My wife thinks I should do my new 67 to look like that one. hummmm....


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67 Ghia coupe
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[GhiaNut]

1967 Ghias do not take well to wheels wider than stock. The front isn't the problem. The rear axles are 1" wider than on other years, and you can end up with significant interference issues at the rear wheel wells. Even the stock rims for a 67 are very narrow; 4" instead of the much more common 4 1/4".

PM me if you run into 67-only questions or parts issues.

[rusty57]

So, if i would want (thinking maybe stock, vintage look now) to go with a 17x 7 wheel, i'd have to change the axles to shorter ones? What if i wanted to go with an off the shelf BRM or Empi 5-spoke? Besides changing the drums/disks to the wide-five set up, how involved would it be and can it be done for a reasonable cost? If i'm going to spend big bucks, i'd rather go the 17" x 7" route. I spoke to the PO and he said the car needs a decklid latch. the receptacle end as he installed the pin already. Side trim is also in the parts list as well as a whole interior, body and paint, etc...I was hoping to spend about 1k on the entire wheel set up, 1k for the interior, and 2k for body and paint. I know I will end up spending a bunch more, but that is what i have to work with now.
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67 Ghia coupe
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[58lolight]

Here are the best looking 17" wheels on a Ghia!!!!!!!



Rich

[rusty57]

That's the look i'm talking about. Mostly stock with big wheels and a little lower. What do I have to do to get a stock 67 to that wheel/stance look?

But, i also like this color (with a white, silver or black top), and the classic look of BRMs is great. Anyone know what color this is and how (if) it's been lowered? thanks


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67 Ghia coupe
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[GhiaNut]

[rusty57]

I agree that i will only buy wheels if i can try them on and they fit. I have yet to look at the car in person. It looks like it has chrome replacement wheels already. I'm not a big fan of these and would rather run stock (painted) wheels than the ones currently on it. I was looking through the gallery and other forums and saw a square back on old zenith wire wheels. I know you have to get hub adapters and run knock-off spinners,etc...But if done correctly, I think the Ghia would look good with that classic look. I'm sure that would be a clearance nightmare though. I will see that car in about a week or so. The anticipation is killing me. I've sold my car, so we are down to a single vehicle. I'll have a month or so to get any issues worked out on the Ghia before it needs to be a daily driver. So far, i only have around $4000 to work with. I'm thinking paint/interior first and possibly wheels later. I will go through the motor/brakes/tranny and electrical first to make sure it is up to daily driver duty.
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67 Ghia coupe
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[sactojesse]

[rusty57]

The car was delivered to my father-in law's house. He does not know anything about VW's, much less a Ghia. Said he saw one back in the 70's or something like that. He is storing the car on his land until I get there and decide what to do. So, upon asking him about the car, he said there are pin holes on the driver's side floor. Nothing too bad, but there along with tons of surface rust. He mentioned that the passenger quarter window is in the back seat. Turns out the quarter window pillar is probably gone. Said it needs a window crank or two. And the most serious absentee is the rear bumper. Last I spoke with the PO, it had a rear bumper. Guess he forgot to drop it off when the car was delivered. he mentioned to my in-law that he would bring it by later. I emailed him about that and other missing things. I understand that being a 67 can get though on year only part hunting. My father-in law did mention that the car sounded great and when it was taken off the trailer and driven up and down the street, it looked and sounded impressive. My father in law is 6'4" so he said there isn't much to the inside of the car. It also needs all new rubber, so an order to WCM is soon to come. I'm piecing a few parts from the classifieds and already spoke to a VW restoration place in Bakersfield. I'll get a quote next week and decide if they'll do the work or i'll take it elsewhere for paint and i'll tackle the rubber and other bits. More to come...
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67 Ghia coupe
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[rusty57]

Moved to Bakersfield today!!! I'll go see the car tomorrow and take stock of the situation. Then, sometime Monday, I'll get the car's VIN verified at the DMV to make it legal. And later, after a job interview, the paint shop.
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67 Ghia coupe
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[rusty57]

Well, i saw the car today. The brakes are non existent, but the car runs good. I need some new rubber, but some was included and brand new. There is some sort of canister in the passenger front wheel well with metal lines going under the car towards the back and one that goes to the gas tank area. There are a couple holes cut in the trunk that enter just under the dash. I think the car used to have some sort of aftermarket AC or something. The wheelbase looks odd because the rear has giant 185's and the front has tiny 135's. It looks like the car has a narrowed front end, but i can't be sure. The body looks pretty solid. Driver's door window won't roll up, so i have to check that out. Passenger rear vent window is in the back seat. The window pillar is broken, but a new one is included as well as all the rubber for it. There is a complete carpet kit in it, but it's black and I think i want it gray. The rear shelf is rusted as I think the rear window seal failed and water pooled back there. It's only surface rust. The VIN matches the original title both on the pan and body badge. I need to figure out what o do about the giant hole cut in the dash for an aftermarket radio. It has both bumpers and they are in decent shape. Well, time to start the parts hunting and ordering.
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67 Ghia coupe
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[redlineprecision]

I just got back into assembling my 67 recently. I will be lowering both ends real soon as well as adding wide-five discs all around. The rear wheel clearance issue is haunting me right now, but I believe the hot ticket is to switch to the shorter axles. I'll be putting in a 3" narrowed beam with dropped spindles. Wheels will probably end up being the 5 spoke empi style, or porsche--15". I haven't heard of any clearance issues with this setup, but speak up if you know anything I'm not thinking of. I don't think it's necessary to go with a 4" narrowed beam.

[rusty57]

Please post your results. I'm in the middle of a home purchase and military separation, so the car is in limbo for a few days.
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67 Ghia coupe
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[rusty57]

I just got quoted $4500 for body and paint. Seems a bit high, so i'll be breaking out the tools and cutting costs. I was hoping to have the car as a daily driver for that much. Adding rubber and interior will add a lot more, so i have to cut the fat from somewhere.
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67 Ghia coupe
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[vdubzen]