Late 1969 Ghia vert preservation/ restoration

[mcdonaldneal]

I'd got hold of a tool bag from EBay for peanuts. It's been through the washing machine but retains a grubby 'patina'!
I dug out some tools to fit in it, although the top wheel brace is for a Nissan! Gave them a cursory clean with Gibbs and wax and bundled them up with the fanbelt I've just taken off. It's just for looks really, once the trunk is finished.

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

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[paul_round]

What's the plan for the paint, is it just a re-fresh or will it be a full on paint job?

[mcdonaldneal]

[mcdonaldneal]

Slightly frustrating news. The Kombi is going to take a bit longer in paint, because there has been difficulty in getting the panels to colour match, so the guy is going to spray the whole side.
Bottom line is that there won't be enough time to swap the Ghia over when the Kombi is done and get it back before the big diary date, which is the KGOC(UK) annual International rally, which is being held in Scotland (in June).
Soooo, I've decided to delay the whole front trunk paintwork until the Autumn and put the car back together again. It's a pain, because I could have done this months ago if I'd known, but there you go!
So, today I put some adhesive foam tape on the underside edge of the fuel tank, ready for it to go back in.
Then I fed back in the brass/copper tubing that houses the control wires for the fresh air vents. What a pain! It basically has to feed in through the passenger side window, through the glove box, and weave in, under and over various wires and tubes in the correct order. Incredibly fiddly, but got it done eventually.
Last off, I used some wiring from a spare harness I have to create an extension to the bundle that comes from the right headlamp, which will help to make the wiring a bit tidier when it all goes back together.

The other thing I've been doing these last few days is converting a plastic glovebox to accept the cable hood release (we've always had an aftermarket pull knob, which looked terrible, and didn't work very well!) It is also going to be painted, to make it look a bit more like the cardboard original, but I'll post up the whole process when I've done!
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[mcdonaldneal]

I have had a slightly long term project to improve the appearance of the Ghia glovebox. My original has gone, and the ABS replacement sticks out like a sore thumb! This is an old picture.

I couldn't source an original replacement and, being cardboard, their lifespan seems pretty limited. My front trunk release is a hack job, with the button/pull poking through the metal under the dash. You can see the black cable, just this side of the wiper motor. I'm keen to get a fairly original looking setup and searching produced some solutions...

Fibreglass Ghia glovebox

I also found some pictures of genuine original glove boxes, which will serve as a reference for the hardware and colour...

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[mcdonaldneal]

I decided to utilise the black ABS plastic box. It's solid, fits well, and will give a good base for the bonnet release.
I figured I could paint it a similar colour, but painting straight onto plastic can be problematic. The plasitkote and similar plastic paints did not have a colour anywhere near original and the textured, stone effect finish I also saw did not seem like it would wear well under use. I did find a plastic primer though, which would allow a wider range of colour choice.
First though, I wanted to prepare the shell for the fixings. The release lever needs a fairly large hole to fit through and measuring to try and make it as small as possible still meant that I had to enlarge it before the lever fits in place.
Got there eventually though, and drilled holes for screw headed bolts (the original has pop rivets, but the bolts will be tighter).

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[mcdonaldneal]

Next, there needs to be a clamp for the cable sheath. I had two, so figured I would use them both together to make things more secure.
The clamp has a tab that fits through a slot in the shell, and a bolt hole to tighten the clamp.

The clamps I have are fractionally different sizes, so each needed a personalised pair of slot and holes. I had the idea of sharing a bolt hole between the release lever plate and the sheath clamp.

Annoyingly though, having the clamp so close to the lever meant that the control wire is bent quite sharply, which I thought would make the action stiff and prone to failure.

Measure twice, drill once?

So, made another slot and hole for the clamp. Much better!

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[mcdonaldneal]

So, getting there!
Next step was to sand smooth the new holes and lightly prep the whole shell with ?240 grit sandpaper.
Sprayed a first coat of the plastic primer and, infuriatingly, although the aerosol lid is grey, the primer is clear, so I laid it on too heavy and got a run on the inside.
Sanded that away and sprayed at least two coats of the primer, inside and out, leaving it 24hrs between coats.

Then, a slow few days spraying with the final colour; inside, outside, leave to dry for a day and then repeat. Probably four thin coats overall.
Quite happy with the look overall. Not exactly like the original, but at least it won't draw attention to itself like before!

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[wcfvw69]

Nice job!
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[bobnorman]

Great stuff! I had wondered about dealing with this myself, thought about some kind of flocking or cardboard mache to paste over it. This solution looks great.
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Air does not freeze. Air does not boil.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=289807

[mcdonaldneal]

[mcdonaldneal]

I've been out of action for a few weeks. Shona had been unwell and was in hospital with pneumonia, but is slowly getting better.
We both went out to the Ghia today to see if it's feasible to get it on the road and through its MOT road worthiness test before the KGOC international meet in Scotland in two weeks time.
The main things are electrical, steering alignment, glovebox and trunk release, and reinstalling the bumpers.
We swapped out a dud headlamp relay, wired up and reinstalled the wiper motor, and fitted the glovebox...
The deadline really hinges on how much free time I have in the next couple of weeks, but I'll see how things go!

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[mcdonaldneal]

Managed to get back to the car later today, with a big list of things to do!
It will be familiar to anyone who has reassembled bits of Volkswagen, but of course, nothing went smoothly!
I tried to take the car out of the garage, and it wouldn't start. After a systematic track down, I found that the trigger wire from the ignition to the starter had become disconnected. Sorted, and then gave the paintwork that is normally hidden by the bumpers a wash, polish and wax.
Then, took a deep breath and spent a fiddly hour installing and trimming to length the new bonnet release cable. The worst bit was the roll pin that attaches the cable to the release lever couldn't be pushed into place until I disassembled the whole bloody lever and clamp assembly and fed it through into the cockpit! (See pics!)

Then a steady succession of installing the gauges and instruments, and tracing the wiring, and reconnecting the terminals that I had knocked off
Definitely made a lot of progress, hampered only by tracing the blown fuse that was stopping the hazard flashers from working (guaranteed MOT failure, that one!)
Tired and stiff. It's time for bed!

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[NOVA Airhead]

One thing you may want to consider is a back up release for the hood. I have a wire that goes around the catch through a small opening at the inside of the passenger front fender. Its tucked way up there but can be reached in the event the glove box release does not do it - its happened to me.
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Ghia Owner Emeritus

[mcdonaldneal]

[NOVA Airhead]

It could be as simple as some crud in the relay.

If its an original unit carefully pry it apart and give it a cleaning. I use "Tuner Cleaner" which one used back in the days when televisions had a dial for changing the channels (and you had to get up go over to the television and change the channel).

It may be a bit hard to find these days. I used to buy it here in the US at Radio Shack stores - but they are gone, at least where I live. Perhaps you can find it online.
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Ghia Owner Emeritus

[paul_round]

I think that's what we in the UK call 'contact cleaner'

[mcdonaldneal]

Got it!
I'll probably use IsoP alcohol as a residue free cleaner (like I do for most things!)
I'll see whether it behaves itself over the next week or so!
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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[paul_round]

Carbon tetrachloride used to be the go to for this before it was banned.

[mcdonaldneal]

Trying to get a few things done before the MOT test, which is booked for Monday.
Fuel tank reinstalled. Like many Ghias, ours has had a beetle tank as a replacement, which is difficult to get into position without scratching paintwork in the trunk.
Rear seat and carpet reinstalled. Front bumper was already part installed, and to be honest the rear is an easier job. The lateral sections can be fitted first, then the centre part, then the overriders. Still took a good hour and more to get it on. Minus the towel rails, but they can be done another time!

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!