Saving Emiko: 68 RHD Restoration in New Zealand

[kiwighia68]

[kiwighia68]

[Marlonius]

Wow, you work fast!

The colour is "Sea Sand". It's original to this '66. The mirrors are from a later year of car as I prefered the look of them and their slightly larger size for safety reasons. The bases are the originals though - that part didn't change.

[carl4x4]

[kiwighia68]

Excerpt from the novel, Saving Emiko -

When De Villiers arrived at home the girls were asleep and Emma and Emiko were in front of the television watching a program about women giving birth. There were drips and tubes and needles and De Villiers winced. He kissed Emma on the cheek and fetched his dinner from the oven. He took a seat with his back to the TV.
'I need to talk to you about something,' he said to Emiko.
'And I want to tell you something too,' Emiko answered.
De Villiers tried to ignore the screams and shrieks from behind. 'Could we turn the volume down just a little? This is important.' he said to Emma. Emma pressed the mute button on the remote. They can watch later, De Villiers thought. It's probably a recorded program.
He took a mouthful of lasagne. He was hungry. It had been a long day.
'We are going to take down the gang that abducted you and your baby and I need your help,' he told Emiko.
Emma showed her disapproval with a slight shake of her head. It was in her eyes too.
De Villiers kept his eyes on Emiko. 'Would you be willing to help us?'
'Is it going to involve anything that is dangerous?' Emma asked.
'No,' De Villiers. 'Just a subterfuge, nothing more.'
'Yes,' Emiko said. 'Even if it's dangerous. Those people stole four years of my life. And four years of my child's life. And they killed my husband.'
'Good,' De Villiers said. 'I'll explain in detail tomorrow.'
He stood up to check whether there was anything sweet in the fridge. 'Can I tell you something now?' Emiko asked.
De Villiers was tired. 'Can it wait until tomorrow?' he asked. 'I want to say goodnight to the girls.'
'Okay.'
De Villiers went upstairs with a bowl of icecream. The girls were fast asleep in Zoe's bed, with Zoe cradling the little one in her arms, both mouths open, sweet and innocent.

It had been a long day, but one which invigorated De Villiers. He was in combat mode, in the planning stages of a major operation. He started by buying a cheap cell-phone and some airtime and phoned Barefoot Matt.
'I need you in Auckland ASAP in full kit,' he told Matt.
'Yes, Colonel.'
'Bring Anonymous too.'
'Yes, Colonel.'
'Charter a small plane and have the pilot fly you to Ardmore Aerodrome. It's on the outskirts of the city. No security checks of baggage and no customs or police.'
'I know Ardmore, Colonel.' A pause. 'What do mean, full kit?'
'We're going to a literary festival, Matt. A reading of Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. The first 47 pages.'
AK47s, thus, Matt deduced.
'Tell the pilot we'll pay cash at Ardmore. And he has to be on standby for three days to fly you back. We pay full fees for the flights, services and downtime.'
De Villiers allowed Matt to condider the logistics. 'I think we can make it work if we bring guitar cases and say we are a band with a couple of gigs in and around Auckland,' Matt said.
'Good idea,' De Villiers said. 'Text me on this number when you are about to land.'

De Villiers rode his motorbike to Auckland Airport and parked the BMW 1200 GS Adventure in front of a security surveillance camera. Time to make use of the gang's ill-gotten money, he muttered as he opened the pannier. Hy pulled out two bundles of notes, $10 000 each, and stuffed them in his pockets.
The flight to New Plymout took an hour in the small turboprop Fokker. De Villiers slept for 55 minutes. Rule Number Two of combat missions: Sleep when you can, because you don't know when you'll get the opportunity again. Rule Number One, he remembered as he stood at the urinal at New Plymouth Airport, was to "swing the tube", empty your bladder, before any action. You don't want to p*ss your pants when the bullets start flying, the instructor at the SpesForces school had said.
That was a long time ago, he said to himself as he zipped up his pants, but old habits die hard.

'Where is Whatever?' he asked the girl behind the counter.
'And who might you be?' she asked. De Villiers looked her up and down. Posh accent, probably from the UK, and a good school to boot. Red hair, pale skin, attitude. Must be Scottish or irish.
'A cash customer,' he said and pulled a bundle of notes from his pocket.
'She's at the back fitting a camera to a drone.' She waved him through to a back room.
So Whatever was a woman then?
Not quite. Whatever was bent over a low table fiddling with a drone's electronics. The hips were not those of a girl.
He looked up at De Villiers. 'Oh no, not you again! What is it this time?'
De Villiers explained. 'I want the best surveillance equipment money can buy to be installed in a car, like yesterday.'
'Legal or black-market?'
'Which is best?'
'Black.'
'Black it is then.'
'It will cost you.'
De Villiers put the $10k next to the drone.
'That enough?'
Whatever stopped counting a a thousand. 'More than enough.'
'Let's go then,' De Villiers said.
'I can't just up and leave,' Whatever complained. 'I have a business to run.'
'This is business,' De Villiers said. 'Serious business,' he added, 'and I've paid half your fee upfront, haven't I?'
'Half?'
'You heard right. Half.'
'I need an hour to get all the equipment and my tools together. How many cameras do you need.?'
'I'll leave that to you. I want a 360 view from a car parked in a workship.'
Whatever pocketed the money and said. 'I'll see you outside in an hour.'
De Villiers waited in the car. He slept for another 50 minutes.
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[kiwighia68]

[kiwighia68]

[quote="carl4x4"]

[kiwighia68]

What's the quickest way to lower the front of a Ghia by, say, 2"? Advice please.

No, I'm not lowering my Ghia. I need the information for my story.
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[NWGhiaGuy]

[kiwighia68]

[kiwighia68]

FINALLY!

My "Light vehicle repair record of certification" arrived by courier minutes ago. The certifier, after recording what needed to be done and what has been done, added the following note:

"This vehicle has been restored to an exacting standard - the very best I have been involved in."

I'm pleased as punch.

I'll take her in on Monday for the Warrant of Fitness. Don't look for me after that because I'll be on the road and unable to answer the telephone.
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[VeeDubWolf]

[DorianL]

[carl4x4]

Big congratulations on the certification! and many thanks for investigating the trunk liner, I will follow that up today.

Oh and for your story the quickest way of lowering a Ghia by 2" is dropped spindles but please don't do that to your car because it looks perfect the way it is
_________________
1969 UK Karmann Ghia build http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=518789&highlight=

[kman]

[sputnick60]

[John Moxon]

Surely the hero in one of your novels would be a bit of a Maverick Chris. A "dare to be different" type, in other words, someone who would keep it stock.
_________________
John.
Judson Supercharger Information on The Samba
My 1958 Shorrock Supercharged Karmann Ghia
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[scotty timmerman]

another quick way to lower the front would be to pull a few spring slats out of the beam.
_________________
71 ghia coupe: Build thread http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=511738&highlight=
71 type 3 fastback auto
71 type 3 fastback manual
73 super beetle
57 oval: build thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8616563#8616563
63 beetle reassembly: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7458619#7458619
2332cc engine build: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8608429&highlight=#8608429
84 vanagon westfalia wolfsburg edition

[kiwighia68]

I took my car in to the Vehicle Inspection New Zealand testing facility this morning and met 'n nice young man from Prague - he's to do the testing. I also received my alignment certificate in the post. I'm afraid the numbers don't mean anything to me, and I'm of insufficient intellectual capacity to follow the guide in John Muir's book. A job for professionals, no doubt.

It's time, perhaps, for a few before and after photos:

I'd forgotten what a mess my car was. The mind plays tricks with us, erasing bad memories one by one.
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[djway3474]