New Zealand T34 Ghia project

racoguy · Last edited by racoguy on Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:16 pm; edited 1 time in total

My T34 interest started some 15 odd years ago when a couple of friends and I visited the US and met up with Lee Hedges, while we were there we went to visit one of Lee's friends so I was offered to drive Lee's Ghia while he took his double cab bus.
At the time I thought.....but you don't know me from a bar of soap, are you serious? Well, no need to ask twice so off we went cruising the streets of San Diego

I'd never driven a Type 3 before and being used to cramped Beetles I was impressed with its interior room and the way it drove but what really took me was the lines of the body and the thin pillars which makes the vast expanse of glass look even better.
But sadly that's as close as I got to owning one till a few years ago when I suddenly felt the need to own a T34 after restoring / building quite a few cars both water and air cooled.
Started looking on the Samba and found a 69 automatic which seemed ok for the money and after a few phone calls the deal was made, the next day I went to make a deposit as agreed and checked my email for the sellers contact details and he'd actually emailed me to say he'd already taken a deposit............even though we'd already agreed on a deal!
Not terribly impressed with his lack of ethics but obviously nothing I could do so I went looking again finding this 63 a few weeks later.

The seller didn't have much info on the car other than that he'd known about it sitting in a garage and kept in touch with the owner so when it was time to sell he grabbed it cleaned it up and put it up for sale.
Bit of a shaky beginning to our dealings but the seller turned out to be a top guy, sent detailed pictures of area's I'd asked about and kept his word so a purchase was made.
I had the car transported from northern San Francisco to LA to be shipped to NZ by a company I'd used before.
Couple of months later she arrived on our shores only to sit out on the wharf in torrential rain for over a week Just as well there were big rust holes in the floor for the water to drain out of!

First impressions were pretty good, the seller had described the car very well and was everything he said it was.
It looks like its only had one blow over in its life, car is 98% complete and still a driver.
Sure there's all the rust issues that they all suffer from but no nose damage and a pretty straight body so I was happy!
Since I was busy with another project I put the Ghia in storage till I was ready to begin.
Hard to believe 2 years have passed but over those years I collected some parts like a set of Gerson's floors, all the seals that Simon makes and a bunch of other parts I got on a trip to the US last year.
With the completion of the other project, 2012 was to be the Ghia's year so yesterday we got her out of her corner where she sat waiting and rolled into the workshop.
Going to begin work on it this Saturday but in the meantime here's a couple of pictures of where she lived up to yesterday.

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DONGKG · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:51 am Post subject:

Wow, that was a one cool story you narrated there, buddy. For sure, everyone here at the Samba shall be looking forward to see the update of the restoration of your T34. If you have any knowledge, how many Type 34's are there in New Zealand? Do you have a list on that?

Keep us posted, buddy..

Dong
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Bobnotch · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:32 am Post subject:

I look forward to seeing this project. Cool

As a T-34 owner, I'm still trying to learn more about them. In my signature, is what I've already done to mine, and it might help you with some of yours. Good luck, and post pics of it as you go. Wink

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t3kg · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:17 am Post subject:

Reminds me of my first Type 34, also white and a '63. Mine was a lot rougher though. Looks like a great starting point for a restoration. Looking forward to following your progress.
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racoguy · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:20 pm Post subject:

Well today was interesting, never taken apart a T34 before.
Had to do things a bit different to what I normally do, I'm used to just tearing apart a Bug convertible and throwing most of the parts in the trash as they'll all be replaced with new anyway but in this case I know a lot of this stuff is not available so I really took my time taking it apart and saving everything no matter how worn out it is.

Few frozen bolts on the doors but the oxy acetylene sorted those out and one wouldn't budge so I just drilled the head off.
Plenty of rust in the C pillars..............as well as in other places but hey the car is 50 years old now and not exactly known for being rust free!
Repairing the rust will be the biggest part of this project and I'm sure I'll need to re make a lot of panels to get her in shape again.

Took off all the side glass and trim first being carefull not to wreck anything followed by cutting the screens out, was surprised to find the front screen laminated.........thought for some reason it would have been toughened.
All that aluminum trim is soo delicate, must put that in a safe place.
Stripped the dash, front of the car and also all the lights out.
Car has only had one paint job in its life so that's pretty good and the wiring is also in good shape with no one really butchering it over the years.
The nose on this car is in great shape, never hit and only minor rust around the wheel tray so I'm stoked with that.

Will work on getting the body unbolted next, I'm undecided what I'll start repairing first, body or pan.................hmmm both need an awfull lot of work

averr789 · Samba Member Joined: September 19, 2006 Posts: 133

Cool project. Can you post some close up of the rusty areas? The car really looks solid!

racoguy · Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:41 pm Post subject:

Bobnotch · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:19 am Post subject:

That rust sounds like standard equipment rust to me. I had to do most of those same spots on my 64. Rolling Eyes

Look forward to seeing more pics of it's disassembly. Cool

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Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120

notchboy · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:44 am Post subject:

racoguy-welcome and congradulations on the T34 ownership! Wow that was a long time ago if Lee had his double cab still when you met up with him Shocked

I lived down the way from him back then. We may have even had a beer at his house.

Nice start your off to there. let me know if theres anything yopu need.
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t3kg · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 9:46 am Post subject:

EverettB · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:29 am Post subject:

Looks Beetle. I don't know the year though.

Nice looking car, it sure doesn't look like it needs much rust work.
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Bobnotch · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:34 am Post subject:

racoguy · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:43 pm Post subject:

racoguy · Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:47 pm Post subject:

1600LVariant · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:11 am Post subject:

I remember seeing this T34 on the NZ VW forum and feeling very envious.
Will take a keen interest in it's rebuild.

The lines on the 'razor' are something else aren't they?

notchboy · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:15 pm Post subject:

Lee Hedges · Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:34 pm Post subject:

It's funny how small this world is ... and getting friends together from around the world is one of my favorite activities. I've met so many great friends from so many places!

His 1963 is running the Euro-bulb type headlights (not sealed-beam) so those headlight parts are much more difficult to find. I have spare sealed-beam chrome rings but not the Euro ones. Carsten Klein (Germany) or Jurgen Magdelyns (Belgium) would be his best chances at replacing the chrome outer ring if the original isn't repairable. It's gonna cost you though ...

racoguy · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:41 am Post subject:

This morning was time to brace the body before separating it from the chassis, I made some plates that bolt to the door pillars and striker plate areas and then welded in bracing which I cut from scrap tubing we had lying around the shop.

The bracing is more of a precaution as I'll be putting it in a rotisserie for all the rust repairs so I don't want anything weird to happen to the door gaps when big sections of the sills and pillars are cut away.
With the body hanging in a rotisserie from its bumper mounts all the stress would go into the roof and pillars, seeing as the rear pillars are pretty shot the bracing will stop any movement there.
Anyway rather than groveling on the ground I just lifted the front in the air to be able to work underneath unbolting the body from the floor, quite handy that overhead crane!
That, combined with a rattle gun to get all the rusted bolts out made short work of it, no broken bolts but lots of rust........

Body unbolted and all other stuff disconnected it still wouldn't budge so had another good look and found 4 remaining bolts still attached Rolling Eyes

With those out it was a simple case of up up and away! Sweeeet!

Haha I always joke with people how easy it is to pull cars apart........
With the chassis rolled out from underneath I could start pulling that apart, pretty much removed everything off the chassis and pulled the motor out and front end off also.
Its nearly at its bare bones with only the rear subframe and gearbox left to come out after which I'll store everything away and start constructing a rotisserie out of a couple of engine stands.

notchboy · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 10:04 am Post subject:

Wow, you sure arnt messing about!
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Bobnotch · Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 10:54 am Post subject:


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New Zealand T34 Ghia project
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