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kiwighia68 Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013 Posts: 2867 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 1:58 am Post subject: |
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I've been neglecting my health, my fitness program and my writing, not to mention Emiko and her daughter, stranded in New Zealand without passports, while I've been working long hours on my Ghia.
I have got a book out this year, reaching at least that target, but I have to get going on my next project, which is to turn this restoration into a novel- Saving Emiko, that is.
So maybe just a short advance on the Emiko story here.
Excerpt from the novel, Saving Emiko-
'I'm not your enemy, De Villiers. You should know that by now.'
'I know, Ma'am,' De Villiers said.
'So when are you going to tell me what's going on?' the Commissioner said.
De Villiers played for time. 'I don't know what you mean, Ma'am.'
'I didn't become Commissioner by being stupid, De Villiers,' the Commissioner said with a sigh. 'Don't insult my intelligence and don't test my patience.'
De Villiers said nothing.
'You've been away from your office for ten days now,' the Commissioner began, 'and so has Veerasinghe. You say you're not having an affair with her, but you were in Rotorua together the day before yesterday. What's going on between the two of you, if you're not having an affair?'
'There's nothing between us, Ma'am.'
'Then what were you doing in Rotorua together?'
'We were investigating a case, Ma'am.' De Villiers at first thought of leaving the matter there, but decided to head off further questions. The half-truth came out readily. 'And I've given DI Leighton-Jones the details so that he can take the investigation further. It's a drugs matter and falls within his remit and the offenders are also within his district.'
'I don't understand,' the Commissioner said. 'If's it's a New Plymouth matter, why were you and Veerasinghe involved in the first place?'
For once De Villiers had the truth to tell. 'The shipments come in through the harbour here in Auckland, Ma'am, and since the drugs are coming in form overseas, the matter came to my unit first.'
'Why is there no file, nor any mention of it to the other members of your staff?'
'There's a leak somewhere, Ma'am, and I'm sure that there are some police officers who are accomplices if not regular members of the gang importing and distributing the drugs. And that's why Veerasinghe and I have kept a low profile.'
The Commissioner stood up and started towards the door. 'Well, I am not the leak, and I'll be at your office tomorrow and you and Veerasinghe can give me a comprehensive report then. In writing. And I'll have a lot of questions to ask, make no bones about that.'
'I was wondering, Ma'am, if I could take a week's leave, starting immediately. I'm not feeling too well, and I'm due to see the oncologist tomorrow for further tests and treatment and...'
'Very well,' the Commissioner said. 'And I'll see you in Wellington then, a week from tomorrow. And bring Veerasinghe with you.'
A lot can happen in a week, De Villiers said to himself, and in that time we should be able to get Emiko out of here. But, he would soon learn, the best laid plans of mice and men... _________________ Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015
Last edited by kiwighia68 on Wed Sep 23, 2015 11:47 am; edited 1 time in total |
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John Moxon Samba Moderator
Joined: March 07, 2004 Posts: 13943 Location: Southampton U.K.
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Clatter Samba Member
Joined: September 24, 2003 Posts: 7527 Location: Santa Cruz
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 7:25 am Post subject: |
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John Moxon wrote: |
You're a real tease Chris...nice little twist at the end to keep us dangling. |
^^^^For Real^^^^
OK, I'm sorry i was bagging on your wiring and center console.
I won't do it again.
So, can we see the next installment?
Please?
_________________ Bus Motor Build
What’s That Noise?!? |
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kiwighia68 Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013 Posts: 2867 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 1:00 am Post subject: |
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Did a heap of work today: Speedometer cable installed, warm/fresh air mixing pipe new tubes painted, car off the jack-stands at last. The undercarriage looks good. Lots of seamsealer and POR15 overpainted with a UV resistant paint.
The more I work on the car, the more I realise that there isn't a square inch that I don't know intimately. When I started I just wanted to get the car back on the road; now I'm trying to live up to other people's expectations. Some jobs I've done two or three times over, fearing that someone will notice some imperfection and then I will know it too. And that's the worst; knowing something's nor quite right. _________________ Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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kman Samba Member
Joined: November 04, 2005 Posts: 739 Location: Michigan
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:47 am Post subject: |
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kiwighia68 wrote: |
The more I work on the car, the more I realise that there isn't a square inch that I don't know intimately. When I started I just wanted to get the car back on the road; now I'm trying to live up to other people's expectations. Some jobs I've done two or three times over, fearing that someone will notice some imperfection and then I will know it too. And that's the worst; knowing something's nor quite right. |
I know how you feel. But I come to my senses when I realize that my car is lucky not to be in the scrap heap. |
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NWGhiaGuy Samba Member
Joined: March 16, 2005 Posts: 700 Location: Bellingham, WA
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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kiwighia68 wrote: |
TheFop wrote: |
I have some in stock if you need them? thefops Ghia and Beetle supplies Ltd I can bring them to work if you want them? |
I'm not having a good day. I dropped one of those pesky little rubber stoppers known as window guide rubbers - inside the door - and it has disappeared. My wife reckons it's somewhere in my clothing, but I know it fell inside the door. But it isn't there. It was the 13th out of 14. Must be something about that number.
As to the part I'm looking for: It's not the rubber sleeves that go over the pipes - and sure, you could use bicycle tube for that - and I have those rubbers anyway. But there is a metal part (tube/pipe) that is welded into the end of the fresh air duct here:
Dan Storgaard has sent me a photo of the part in place. This is where it sits on the car - the rubber sleeve will fit over the pipe:
Another view - from Dan - but here the fresh air duct is off the car:
It appears that the part is welded into the aperture on the fresh air duct. However, when I bought the ducts from KGP&R, they came without that piece, and now that my car has been painted I am in no mood to do any more welding. So notwithstanding that Dan has walked a mile to find the parts, I think I'm going to glue in place some aluminium piping or even plastic or flexible hose. And cover my cheating with those rubber sleeves. |
I knew those photos looked familiar! Good job finding a solution. BTW - Your other parts are leaving today.
Dan |
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NOVA Airhead Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2005 Posts: 5221 Location: Richmond, VA
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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kiwighia68 wrote: |
Did a heap of work today: Speedometer cable installed, warm/fresh air mixing pipe new tubes painted, car off the jack-stands at last. The undercarriage looks good. Lots of seamsealer and POR15 overpainted with a UV resistant paint.
The more I work on the car, the more I realise that there isn't a square inch that I don't know intimately. When I started I just wanted to get the car back on the road; now I'm trying to live up to other people's expectations. Some jobs I've done two or three times over, fearing that someone will notice some imperfection and then I will know it too. And that's the worst; knowing something's nor quite right. |
I would not worry about other's expectations. Make sure you enjoy what you are doing and having fun. If you get stressed over this you might as well be at work!
I have other collector cars where people agonized over minor things like markings on bolts. In my opinion the VW hobby is much more accepting of different approached to the cars. _________________ Ghia Owner Emeritus |
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KGCoupe Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005 Posts: 3580 Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 8:26 am Post subject: |
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NOVA Airhead wrote: |
kiwighia68 wrote: |
Did a heap of work today: Speedometer cable installed, warm/fresh air mixing pipe new tubes painted, car off the jack-stands at last. The undercarriage looks good. Lots of seamsealer and POR15 overpainted with a UV resistant paint.
The more I work on the car, the more I realise that there isn't a square inch that I don't know intimately. When I started I just wanted to get the car back on the road; now I'm trying to live up to other people's expectations. Some jobs I've done two or three times over, fearing that someone will notice some imperfection and then I will know it too. And that's the worst; knowing something's nor quite right. |
I would not worry about other's expectations. Make sure you enjoy what you are doing and having fun. If you get stressed over this you might as well be at work!
I have other collector cars where people agonized over minor things like markings on bolts. In my opinion the VW hobby is much more accepting of different approached to the cars. |
x2!
How could anyone possibly find anything to criticize you for when it is blatently obvious that anyone who has taken the time to overpaint the underside of the car with a UV resistant paint has likely put a great deal of thought into anticipating damn near every possible scenario and has taken all possible proactive steps to prevent any kind of potentially damaging negative effects that may result from those scenarios.
(... such as the paint on the floorpan potentially being faded from the sunlight that will be reflected brightly onto it as it sits jacked up and perched over a bed of mirrors on display at all of the local Show-n-Shines and Coffee-and-Cars?
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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kiwighia68 Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013 Posts: 2867 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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c21darrel wrote: |
All I know is if Chris ever rolls this Ghia I will sleep well at night knowing the underside is protected in UV resistant paint. You know what I always say... "Paint it where the sun dont shine". :wink:
When does the driving start? |
KGCoupe: "... to overpaint the underside of the car with a UV resistant paint..."
Several reasons for this:
1. My mother always said that we had to wear clean underwear in case we should have an accident and have to go to hospital.
2. My obsessive-compulsive personality came through when I read on the POR15 label that it was not UV resistant and should be overpainted.
3. I had the spare paint.
4. There was some overspray on the chassis from the body paint.
5. The car was up high on stands and I had to wait for another job to be completed - so I thought, "I might as well use the time to paint the undercarriage with UV resistant paint."
6. The painter guy did such a special job on the body that I didn't want to chassis to spoil the party.
7. Maybe, just maybe, I might have thought that if the KG police should see a sloppy job on the chassis, they might roast me on the Samba. An ego thing.
8. It's like the clean underwear thing: others might never notice, but I will always know.
Probably none of this matters, as I'm perhaps just anal - my sons' diagnosis, but they are biased, vindictive and inexperienced.
PS I'm trying to get the car on the road by mid-October, just short of two years after I bought it. _________________ Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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TheFop Samba Member
Joined: February 03, 2014 Posts: 302 Location: Auckland - New Zealand
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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kiwighia68 wrote: |
PS I'm trying to get the car on the road by mid-October, just short of two years after I bought it. |
And for the first show of the season on the 18th October, it will be great to have Emiko there. _________________ Rusty 61 RHD Karmann Ghia Coupe - Resto in progress....slowly
Stock 69 LHD Karmann Ghia Coupe - Driver
67 New Zealand Spec Beetle - Being rebuilt
63 New Zealand Spec Beetle - Going Baja!
86 T25 Westfalia - Family Fun car |
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kiwighia68 Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013 Posts: 2867 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2015 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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I've got the windscreen wipers mechanism back in and also installed the water bottle and its tubes. I've taken the wiperarms off for repainting. I had a whale of a time finding the right clips to fit the blades onto the arms. The wiper arms are 6mm wide and have a small hole on the underside which clips into a "pin" on the clip which holds the blade on the arm. Found them on the wipers for the rear window of a VW Polo. _________________ Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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DorianL Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2013 Posts: 717 Location: Belgium
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2015 1:35 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
The more I work on the car, the more I realise that there isn't a square inch that I don't know intimately. When I started I just wanted to get the car back on the road; now I'm trying to live up to other people's expectations. Some jobs I've done two or three times over, fearing that someone will notice some imperfection and then I will know it too. And that's the worst; knowing something's nor quite right. |
Funny - very similar paths. I could rebuild a Ghia from a basket now.
...and when I started, all I wanted was to get it back on the road.
I had no intention of doing a respray or frame off restoration... figures |
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kiwighia68 Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013 Posts: 2867 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2015 10:36 am Post subject: |
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We had a vistor today. My friend Michael came over in his '64 and we were able to compare notes. His New Zealand new RHD coupe has been in his possession since 1985 and had had a body-off restoration. Black top over Lotus White, with a red interior. Those were my car's original colours, save for the black roof.
One of the reasons I went for a Gobi Beige roof and for my own colour scheme for the interior is that I would otherwise have had a car that was virtually indistinguishable from Michael's. There's no room for two sheriffs in a small town like ours.
I understand that I'm not the only one to have had problems with the Cip1 supplied seatbelts. The stalks appear to me to have their end fittings at the wrong angle. I just couldn't make it work - and didn't want to add half an inch's worth of unsightly washers - and ended up buying new stalks, at a cost of the price of the Cip1 supplied seatbelts. So double the price, eventually.
Three big jobs to do this week:
Door rubber and window alignment
Reconnecting electrical wiring in front of the dash
Connecting the speedo _________________ Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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kiwighia68 Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013 Posts: 2867 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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The electrics have kept me busy the last few days. Thanks to Nicholas' excellent sticky on the horn installation (and the two YouTube videos linked there) I now know how to get that part of the job done. I was going to leave it to the VW garage for new week's final check and Warrant of Fitness.
In the meantime, the side trim clips finally arrived from the USA (took 28 days from when I paid!) and I was able to complete the trim installation. Four steps:
1. Ream out the holes - where the paint has added a half a millimetre in the diameter - and treat with POR15. Leave overnight.
2. Fit the trim clips and line them up.
3. I used a small rubber mallet to GENTLY "hammer" the pins into the clips. (My hands and fingers are just too sore to press them in with a finger and I didn't want to use a tool for fear of scratching the paint. The painter guy would kill me if I messed up his (art)work.)
4. Install the trim. The KGP&R trim and clips work well together, I think. The trim clips in with a little pressure from a finger - even a sore one - and the clips hold the trim quite firmly against the body.
My trim is not of the best quality - I used the original ones I found on the car - and I'll replace them in due course. (I'm looking for the stainless steel ones, but can't find them anywhere. Are they still available?)
I'm finally ready to treat the lower inside parts of the doors with Wurth Cavity Wax. (Yes, I'll make sure the slots for drainage at the bottom of the doors are clear.) _________________ Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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motorhead364 Samba Member
Joined: November 04, 2008 Posts: 715 Location: Amarillo Texas
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 8:22 am Post subject: |
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On the trim, did you slide it on or pop it over the clips?
I have the same KGPR clips and trim.
Thanks _________________ 63 ghia coupe |
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CiderGuy Samba Member
Joined: December 23, 2013 Posts: 1351 Location: Bucks County, Pa
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 8:37 am Post subject: |
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I bought these, they are very light weight. While they look good, I was disappointed. _________________ ----------------------
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 |
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kiwighia68 Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013 Posts: 2867 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:59 am Post subject: |
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motorhead364 wrote: |
On the trim, did you slide it on or pop it over the clips?
I have the same KGPR clips and trim.
Thanks |
They clip in. I clipped them in by pressing the lower edge of the trim into the clip from below and then rolling the trim over the top, while pressing down on it with my thumb until it clipped in place. _________________ Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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