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J1
Samba Member
Joined: February 10, 2014
Posts: 698
Location: SoCal
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 Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:41 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the encouragement. I would def not be attempting this without this forum!
Anyway, now that I have the actual channel in hand, I figured I'd share some close ups since I don't recall ever seeing a thorough photo collection of this pretty complex looking thing. That "black line" on retailer websites just isn't that helpful!
The rear part that gets welded to the rear wheel well. The left side is the outer side where the rocker skin goes. The loopy thing at the top is where the carpet tucks into...
The front part with the end plate that gets sandwiched next to the dogleg. 18 gauge? Thinner than I expected...
But I suppose these triangular indentations provide structure. At the bottom is the drainhole...
And the pan bolt hole with nuts welded on inside...
Heater vent opening where the plastic vent cover will go. Design is a little strange...
Y-tube opening where the heat will come from...
AND here is a comparison with the 2"x3" tube I bought before. I'm no engineer nor do I claim to know anything about this kind of stuff, but honestly, the 1/8" thick tube gives me way more confidence in a little fender bender than this 18 gauge animal with all its fancy bends. That tube just feels solid. But I know, there are smart engineers behind this thing and if I'm worried about safety, don't drive this car...
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1971 Ghia coupe. Assume I know nothing and you'll be pretty darn close to the truth. |
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dawerks
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Joined: September 15, 2010
Posts: 2349
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| Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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I would rather have the piece on the left 
The black pieces are pretty terrible. Just a word of warning. If you use the black piece, take out the black 'captive' nuts. They are 100% useless. You will strip anything you put in them. Put in your own nut and weld it in (there's other pro version captive nuts meant to be welded in but regular nuts work well for me).
I would use the black piece as a template and build up your square 1/8" thick piece as the actual structure. It will be more work, but it might actually fit better. The black piece is really really flexy.
Edit; Read the whole thread and you have already addressed the captive nut issue. As for rust treatment, Por 15 is garbage. Ideally, you don't even WANT heat. Heater channels rust out because they are trying to do the impossible (something like carry hot air from the back, which turns to condensation when it cools inside a locked away tube).
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"There is only one sin; disconnection from self." |
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J1
Samba Member
Joined: February 10, 2014
Posts: 698
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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This may quite possibly be the last shots of her complete for awhile. It's been just over 1 year since I got her and the plan now is to prep her this weekend for the grinder. Shots like these make me wonder why I should even do any work on her, but of course it's only strategic positioning and digital camera settings hiding the ugliness.
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1971 Ghia coupe. Assume I know nothing and you'll be pretty darn close to the truth. |
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c21darrel
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Joined: January 22, 2009
Posts: 8211
Location: San Dimas
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J1
Samba Member
Joined: February 10, 2014
Posts: 698
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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Just an illusion, though you made me think twice. Here's a good shot... straight as an arrow. But there are them bubbles...
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1971 Ghia coupe. Assume I know nothing and you'll be pretty darn close to the truth. |
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Zack1978
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Joined: June 07, 2006
Posts: 544
Location: NJ
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 6:09 am Post subject: |
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Best of luck! Very inspirational thread. I think you made the correct decision to go with the reproduction panels. Way back in the early 1990's I had the rust repair done onmy 72 coupe by "Auto Rust Doctors" in NJ...they are out of business (they should have never been in business in the first place).
Well they replaced the rockers with steel tube, and the job was/is horrible! They welded the rockers to the pan, so now there is no way to actually remove the body. All of the body bolts are now gone. I'm sure the value of my car has dropped because of this terrible job. I wish I was smarter in 1992!
Zack
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CiderGuy
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Joined: December 23, 2013
Posts: 1351
Location: Bucks County, Pa
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 7:56 am Post subject: |
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| Zack1978 wrote: |
Best of luck! Very inspirational thread. I think you made the correct decision to go with the reproduction panels. Way back in the early 1990's I had the rust repair done onmy 72 coupe by "Auto Rust Doctors" in NJ...they are out of business (they should have never been in business in the first place).
Well they replaced the rockers with steel tube, and the job was/is horrible! They welded the rockers to the pan, so now there is no way to actually remove the body. All of the body bolts are now gone. I'm sure the value of my car has dropped because of this terrible job. I wish I was smarter in 1992!
Zack |
With all things there is a right and a wrong way to do things. The tube has to be stronger then the bent sheet metal, and rust may not be an issue in your lifetime due to the thickness of the steel tubing. I see the tubing as a great option for the car's heater channels.
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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 |
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NOVA Airhead
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Joined: July 20, 2005
Posts: 5221
Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:27 am Post subject: |
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| Zack1978 wrote: |
Best of luck! Very inspirational thread. I think you made the correct decision to go with the reproduction panels. Way back in the early 1990's I had the rust repair done onmy 72 coupe by "Auto Rust Doctors" in NJ...they are out of business (they should have never been in business in the first place).
Well they replaced the rockers with steel tube, and the job was/is horrible! They welded the rockers to the pan, so now there is no way to actually remove the body. All of the body bolts are now gone. I'm sure the value of my car has dropped because of this terrible job. I wish I was smarter in 1992!
Zack |
In 1992 they probably were not making repro parts. It was either salvage, NOS or fabricate from tubing. However the person doing the work clearly did not know what they were doing.
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John Moxon 
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Joined: March 07, 2004
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J1
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Joined: February 10, 2014
Posts: 698
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I'm honored. But only 200 likes when all those bugs and buses are getting 1000+?!
Step 1: Park it
Anyway, she has gotten her last view of the beach and palm trees and is now parked strategically in my garage so as not to disrupt our daily lives too much. I decided to put it up on blocks (literally) and pavers, which are evidence of home projects I've left undone in order to play on the ghia. The sill is now at about 2 feet height instead 1 foot which my back will appreciate.
So aside from all the research and purchasing parts and supplies, I'm considering this step 1 of this project... and it only took 5 pages of this thread to get there. I think you call that a "long runway".
Btw, those bikes are a sampling of my gateway drug into the ghia. I used to be somewhat preoccupied restoring classic bikes and though I'm still a "bike guy", I must admit I am becoming more obsessed with rust panels than lugged tubes.
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1971 Ghia coupe. Assume I know nothing and you'll be pretty darn close to the truth. |
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NOVA Airhead
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Joined: July 20, 2005
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Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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| J1 wrote: |
Well, I'm honored. But only 200 likes when all those bugs and buses are getting 1000+?!
Step 1: Park it
Anyway, she has gotten her last view of the beach and palm trees and is now parked strategically in my garage so as not to disrupt our daily lives too much. I decided to put it up on blocks (literally) and pavers, which are evidence of home projects I've left undone in order to play on the ghia. The sill is now at about 2 feet height instead 1 foot which my back will appreciate.
So aside from all the research and purchasing parts and supplies, I'm considering this step 1 of this project... and it only took 5 pages of this thread to get there. I think you call that a "long runway".
Btw, those bikes are a sampling of my gateway drug into the ghia. I used to be somewhat preoccupied restoring classic bikes and though I'm still a "bike guy", I must admit I am becoming more obsessed with rust panels than lugged tubes.
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Just a word of advice. Do not rely on those blocks to support the weight of the car. Blocks can fail and if you are under the car that would not be good.
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c21darrel
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moogie32
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Joined: April 06, 2005
Posts: 663
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:07 pm Post subject: |
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| NOVA Airhead wrote: |
Just a word of advice. Do not rely on those blocks to support the weight of the car. Blocks can fail and if you are under the car that would not be good. |
x3! Good luck and most of all be safe!
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RIP HBB (1984-2009)
Du liefst so gut
Du warst so schön
Doch leider musst du von uns gehn
Last edited by moogie32 on Fri Mar 20, 2015 4:35 am; edited 1 time in total |
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J1
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Joined: February 10, 2014
Posts: 698
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2015 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the tip. I'm not too concerned though because... forgive my annoyingly over-analytical tendencies  ... car is 2500 pounds I believe, so being generous the most any corner will bear is about 1000 pounds. The way the pavers are sitting on top, there is about 36 square inches of the block bearing the weight at each corner. That equates to about 28 pounds psi of downward compression being exerted on the blocks. They are rated at 1900 pounds psi.
BUT I realize it looks pretty hairy and all I need is one faulty block to turn my life terribly upside down... so I do have jack stands under the torsion tubes. I will be careful!
Step 2: Remove door
Had to buy a #4 phillips bit. Got it at Napa based on another Samba thread and I couldn't find at other tool retailers...
Straightforward removal of door. Fortunately the PO apparently resprayed recently and the bolts have been on and off so I just needed a firm twist. I've read horror stories here so good luck to those who have crusted on bolts. Also removed the sill plate...
Pulled the carpet strip off the channel and here's a nice view of the rust through the heater vent and a hole near the dogleg that couldn't withstand just a gentle finger poke...
And here's a closer look at the front-of-door section. SOOO curious what it looks like inside. Btw, that black tube running along the right of the sill are the wires going up to the front...
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1971 Ghia coupe. Assume I know nothing and you'll be pretty darn close to the truth. |
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c21darrel
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djway3474
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Location: The Real NDK So Cal
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| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Have you looked at the bottom of the A pillars behind the mud plates? |
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J1
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Joined: February 10, 2014
Posts: 698
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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Wrestled the side trims off from front-of-door and torsion cover section. Labeled since they are slightly different lengths...
If you have these plastic clips too, the only way to remove is to punch in the middle "dowel" and then pull out the clips with pliers. But if you can't retrieve the dowel, they are no good anymore. I'll figure out how to put the trim back on later...
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1971 Ghia coupe. Assume I know nothing and you'll be pretty darn close to the truth.
Last edited by J1 on Sat Mar 21, 2015 10:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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J1
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Joined: February 10, 2014
Posts: 698
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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Step 3: Brace door
When I first got my welder, my eyes opened up to the vast possibilities of scrap metal. So I held on to parts of a wrought iron gate from my friend's church expecting it would come in handy one day. Gate meet door brace.
I had to buy bolts since the actual hinge bolts were too short for this design so fyi, they are size M8 with 1.25 pitch.
What I learned in this step is that my welding skills remain superbly inadequate. The good news is it's just the brace and I think it's good enough for this purpose. I'm saving my energy for the real work. Took me "only" about 3 hours... a pro would whip this out in what, 30 minutes?!
Anyway, all the prep work is done and the actual cutting of the car will be next 
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NOVA Airhead
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| Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 7:14 am Post subject: |
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Those plastic clips look like aftermarket. You should be able to buy replacements from KGPR.
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c21darrel
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In your driver side pic...almost looks like she is bending in the middle 
