1960 Karmann Ghia restoration

[mblotz]

pulled the pan out yesterday, ive had it leaning against my shop wall for over a year now. this is the original 60 matched pan for the body. ALL original steel, pan halfs have not been replaced. it amazes the hell out of me it survived--ahh--the high desert. been blasted and powder coated, ready for another 55 yrs

shop dog is supervising

[mblotz]

shop dog thinks its starting to look like a fun go-cart

[bobnorman]

That pan looks amazing! Dry desert air...wish we had some of that around here. Love the two tone too by the way, can't wait to see it all come together.
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Air does not freeze. Air does not boil.

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

[mblotz]

pan is built, most of it is new, disc conversion up front, new drums and shoes out back. new brake lines etc etc. time to start getting the motor built now. this mechanical work is so much more fun than body work-ha

[mblotz]

Motor is ready to go, test fit the carbs (40 hpmx) which im glad i did while the motor was out, tin took some massaging to make them fit. out of like 20 VW's i have owned, i finally have the motor ive always wanted since my first bug in '88. for some strange reason i have always wanted a dual carb 1776 motor, call me crazy-ha.

also have Bob at wire works building me a 60 harne$$ for the car. its such a rare year even Bob has educated guestimates on lengths, he has never received a complete harness to copy for a 60.

body should be going on pan very soon

[CiderGuy]

Pan looks terrific, what size is your motor ?
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Cars Currently Owned:

1970 Karmann Ghia Coupe
1973 Karmann Ghia Coupe - Project car for sale
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (Body off restoration)

Timing is everything

[mblotz]

the eagle has landed, or my wife is really strong

its the first time this car has looked like a car in over a decade, 1.5 yrs into me taking on the project. and i now have more room in my shop since 2 cars worth space became 1

[silvertonguedevil]

Awesome!
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-Greg

[motorhead364]

Looking awesome. Did you use base coat/clear coat or single stage for your paint?
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63 ghia coupe

[mblotz]

[motorhead364]

Cool. I'm seriously considering single stage for mine. What brand was it and what did you mix with it?

Thanks.
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63 ghia coupe

[djway3474]

Ive been using those same tire dollys for years Car is looking great and she is STRONG

[Gerald dupraux]

Hello
Very nice job ! Mango are beautyfull !!

[kiwighia68]

You're soon going to have a Ghia that's better than when it was new. Well done and well deserved.

Great colour too. What is it?

Your wife sure is strong! I needed my wife, both sons and their wives to help me lift my Ghia's body onto the pan. Wimps we are down here.
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Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[mblotz]

[mblotz]

[bobnorman]

[mblotz]

ive taken a HUGE hiatus from this project, i think like 5 months. been doing a lot of home renovation projects instead (not my favorite), and since im slef employed--gotta make hay when the sun shines. But Bob at wiring works got my harness done, took him a long time since he doesnt have schematics for a 60 and he did it in his spare time. must say though--lit appears he did a fantastic job. so, i took some time and pulled the wire through the conduit. might have to start hooking stuff up and take her for a spin

[mblotz]

wow, it has been almost a year since i last posted--holy c**p. house renovations and busy work schedule did keep me from doing anything for a long time, but have been bustin my a$$ this spring and it is coming along

finally hooked up bob/wiring works 60 harness, almost everything came out perfect

and the dash started to come together at the same time. i waited 1.5 yrs for the flat four banjo steering wheel to be available--had to test fit it

so this car had its bumpers straightened and rechromed 11 yrs ago when it was taken apart by the now defunct Denver bumper. still in its wrapping. one of the reasons i picked up this abandoned project--things like bumpers already rechromed

sadly one towel bar wasnt quite straight enough, and one was still missing, so i went with the Euro look that i was trying to talk myself out of since i had nice shiney chrome, but i really like the clean euro look (still have everything if i want to go with over riders in the future.)

and since i now have POWER, might as well get the motor ready to go. i ran it off an IV bottle and it fired up first try. set the cam and tuned the carbs--its ready to go when i bleed the brakes. i fought myself hard not to sit on a bucket and ride it around

WELL, guess its time to start the interior so i dont have to sit on a bucket, headliner went it with out a hitch really (i do upholstery as one of my sources of income)

and figured i better get the windows in to hold it in place. on the hottest day of the year so far--ugh. sweat bullits doing this job. oh yeah, i prefer the cal look, I do have the trim if i change my mind later though. didnt sound fun installing the trim either

so there is my late progress report, hope i can keep the momentum going. mostly just carpet (ordered) and upholstery now--which is my forte along with mechanical stuff (moto restorations). maybe ill have it on the road yet this year

[Rbfara]

She is looking beautiful! Keep up the hard work. We're rooting for you to get her on the road ASAP. I'm also gaining inspiration with your posts. I'm expecting my '60 vert back from the paint shop any day now. Gunna need some gumption for the assembly.
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1960 Karmann Ghia Convertible 1385 40hp