Rich's 62 ghia build

[Rich62ghia]

Thanks guys,

The video is a little shaky, but the unscripted commentary is great. Given I have now owned this car for 19 years, the family has been very supportive in seeing me finish this project and I have tried to involve them in the build as much as possible, especially since the coupe is not really a family car. Looks like it will be registered as a 4 seater though so whilst it wont fit the whole family, I might be able to take the kids for some short low speed cruises, from time to time.

[Srecko]

Congrats Rich, car looks and sounds wonderful. Love the commentary from the family. Well done mate, I know its been a long time in waiting. Loved your thread and you should be proud of your accomplishments.

[Rich62ghia]

Thanks Sash, and thanks for all the encouragement over the years, its appreciated. I've got the second inspection booked with the engineer(for modifications) next Wednesday, and I am booking my blue slip inspection(safety and compliance) for next Friday, so all going well I should be legal by next weekend

[motorhead364]

Awesome car rich. I can hardly wait to be at this point with mine. I gotta say though. It sounds like a giant PITA to get an old car on the road over there. All the inspections and engineers. I bet it cost a fortune in just that. Thankfully I'm in Texas. I got a title for my car for $62. When I get ready to put it on the road I'll go get the tags and register it as antique. No safety inspection or anything. As long as it has what it left the factory with safety wise ( wipers lap belts lights etc) the cops will pretty much leave me alone.

Beautiful car. I hope mine turns out even close to yours. Congrats and enjoy.
Dustin
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63 ghia coupe

[Rich62ghia]

Thanks Dustin

Yes its a HUGE PITA. Some say that New South Wales is the most regulated state in the most regulated country on earth, and yes it costs a lot, $1100 for the engineer certificate, $75 for brake test, $44 for safety inspection(subsidised). I haven't check yet how much for rego and insurances but I am hoping there is a restricted usage option. I have to also pay stamp duty on change of ownership, so probably not much change out of another $1000. If I had kept it stock standard then I wouldn't need the engineer certificate. But as you know rebuilding these cars is a learning experience and I only found out later in the build. It also means the modifications are covered by insurance, which is a bit of peace of mind.

Having bought a lot of parts and having friends in the US, we are envious of how little, things cost there even after currency conversion.

[Rich62ghia]

I had my second inspection with the engineer today and didn't get the result I was hoping for

We went out to a quiet rural road to do the rolling brake tests, where he hooked up a similar brake tester to what is used on our annual brake safety checks. I think it measures braking/ pedal force and deceleration. Any way that part of the test was fine and the car seemed to brake quite well with the 4 wheel discs. His last check of the brakes was to get the car up to speed and lock up the wheels and make sure that the front brakes lock up before the rear. After a few attempts the wheels locked up and unlucky for me it was the rears, which is a fail.

He has suggested installing a proportional valve to restrict the rear braking but after searching the samba I cant see anyone else with this problem, and I cant be the only one that has installed the Empi disc conversion front and back. Not having a lot of luck with this brand that's for sure. I have also found that the Empi dropped spindles I have used, have about 1-1.5 deg of positive camber built in which pushes the tyre out at the top so even with the narrowed beam I cant have the front very low.

I'm not keen on installing a proportional valve, so I think I will first try installing some decent brake pads, hoping the problem is the pads that came in the kit. I might upgrade to a larger L-model bug caliper as well to get more braking on the front.

Other item I failed on was the exhaust, even testing on the grass surrounded by farms, still had a reading of 96.5dB, so I will have to make up a tip to knock off 1 dB. I think long term I will have to replace the muffler, as its a loud system, nice around town but a bit too much at freeway speeds.

Next available retest is next Wednesday so I have to get it done by then

[c21darrel]

I think I would re-bleed the brakes 1st...then if that was not enough try pads and last a proportion valve. Check to be sure your M/C is working proper and correct for your application. You can find more info about proportion valves if you search in the "Engine/Performance" section.

I am impressed with the desire to own these vehicles that those who must pay thru the nose and go thru all the inspections/tests/certificates...
In California (highly regulated and taxed state) ...We have absolutely nothing like that. Build car, go to DMV pay less than $100 for regis, get insurance, drive.
You folks have some serious passion, props to you all.
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GhiaBuild
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=481184
1967 DC build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=693583&highlight=67+dc
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[Mellow Yellow 74]

Yes it sucks and is expensive, but I don't really think it is unreasonable to expect a 54 year old car that has been totally restored and modified to have to prove it is safe to drive on a public road. There have been a couple of posts saying that none of this is required in the US, including a member from Texas where government regulation of a lot of things is not really required.

Don't forget that it was only 2 years ago that there was a massive fertiliser factory explosion in Texas that caused multiple fatalities plus a lot of damage and injuries, which was found to be due to inadequate regulation by the government. So maybe some regulation for the public good is not such a bad thing after all.
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1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Rich62ghia]

[Rich62ghia]

What a busy couple of weeks its been, but finally after 19 years of ownership and 39 years off the road the ghia is registered and driving again.

To get the brakes operating correctly I fitted a set of Girling L-model calipers with the larger kidney shaped pads and re-bled the brake system but it didnt make much difference. I think the rear pads in the EMPI rear disk brake kits are just too big and bias the rear alot.

So in the end I had to fit the brake proportioning valve in the rear circuit which had its own challenges. But a few late nights and another test with the engineer and all was good.

I ended up making a tip which at first didnt seem to make a huge difference to the sound level. When I tested with the neighbour the note was different but there is a hell of alot of noise coming from the engine bay and carby's rather than the exhaust. But it ended up passing the sound test with the tip so thats all that matters. It might fall off though down the track as it aint that pretty.

]

After getting the enginner report I booked in for blueslip, which was easiest blueslip I have ever done. Probably makes a difference that the engineer has already gone over the car. But it seemed like nobody wanted to get in the way of getting the ghia on the road

And one final indulgence

Have only been driving it a little since registering. The gearbox growl is pretty distracting so I need to get that fixed. Apart from that engine temps are good and happy with the motor combo so far. Lots of bottom end for apparently such a large cam. A few other little things to do such as carb dyno tuning, patching up the old side mirror holes, but no rush for these. Hope to get some out and about pics up soon..

[motorhead364]

Man that's awesome. Congrats on passing everything and getting legal! We're gonna have twins when I get mine painted.

Awesome job on the car! I've enjoyed watching you build it. Thanks for taking the time to document it for us.
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63 ghia coupe

[kiwighia68]

Wow, you have certainly demonstrated the Aussi can-do and never-give-up attitude we see so often on the sports fields and in the swimming pool. (And as I write, batting, and batting, and batting in Christchurch.)

The more difficult the road the sweeter the ride.

Enjoy.
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Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[Rich62ghia]

[Rich62ghia]

[sputnick60]

Rich the car looks great. I'm looking forward to running with it on Lawrence Hargreaves Drive and over the Sea Cliff Bridge. I'm almost finished.

A question on Rego. What seat belts did you use to get past inspection? If you used a stalk type buckle what length did you end up with?

I'm getting a set made up with dark blue webbing and I need to know sizes

Nicholas
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'66 Karmann Ghia Cabriolet...
'65 Porsche 356C Coupe...
2005 Mecedes Benz C180 Kompressor Estate
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[carl4x4]

[Brassneck]

can you post a pic of the back end? You may need to do a bit more adjusting on the rear left side to pick up the front right side... or adjust up on the rear right side to lower the front left side...which ever you prefer.

[Rich62ghia]

[Rich62ghia]

[motorhead364]

Hey Rich quick question. How did you get the front trunk lid to sit so nic?. Mine sits way high with the rubber and and it refuses to get any lower. My seal is from KGPR.
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63 ghia coupe