TheSamba.com :: View topic - The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted

Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:18 am

KGCoupe wrote: Evil_Fiz wrote: bobnorman wrote:
I Love the name and the script idea by the way, I’ve been toying with doing a similar thing and having a "N_O_R_M_A_N_’S Ghia" script. My IT capabilities in that regard are lacking though, so I figured I’d get the S and the O from an old Volkswagen script and weld it up… The laser cut option is clearly much better.

Here you go bobnorman. I can clean it up some more if you need, the "O" is a little narrow. I am also working on a Dolly model request from a fellow member. I need to rework the model for his needs. Should get KRAKENN on the Ghia in the next few days.

There is a company that will make custom script logos targeted to Porsche owners, ...

http://www.nameyourporsche.com

... I don't know exactly how customizable the font is, but it may be worth checking out ... IF you don't mind paying Porsche prices, that is.

Britt Grannis has a nice B O N N E V I L L E Ghia script on his LSR Ghia. Drop him a PM and ask where it was made: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=8072

Wed Oct 21, 2015 4:46 am

KGCoupe wrote:
... I don't know exactly how customizable the font is, but it may be worth checking out ... IF you don't mind paying Porsche prices, that is.
They're proud of those first five letters, aren't they?

Thanks for the info KGCoupe and John

Wed Oct 21, 2015 5:19 pm

Well... I got Crackin on the K_R_A_K_E_N_N today. The car has Bondo in the passenger rear quarter so I took the grinder with a cup shaped wire brush to it and uncovered the following.

Bondo and Paint removal - 2Hrs. 30Min.

It looks like there has been some inaprpriate touching on this Ghias hiney in the past.

The metal is mostly rust free but is rippled nad deformed. I suspect I will either have to invest in a stud welder and puller or cut the panel out, shape it, then weld it back in.

The fender lip is in good shape but has some deformation. Hammer and dolly?

This is the only rust damage in this area so far.

Rear bumper forward mount hole. This does not look like a German circle. Even with Common Core math that isn't even close to round. I Will need to investigate corrective options.

Bond OH-NO. It is about 3/8 to 7/16 thick at this point.

Please provide suggestions on how to address the above detailed issues.

We're all in this together,
Emil

Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:38 am

Quote: I suspect I will either have to invest in a stud welder and puller or cut the panel out, shape it, then weld it back in.

I recently picked up the $99 Harbor freight stud welder. Im pretty deep in my DC bodywork and it has worked flawless so far. I cant really tell the diff from a buddys expensive one.

Your repairs look manageable. When removing large quantities of filler I break out the propane torch heat and scrape with putty knife. For me that is preferred to all the dust and mess of the grinder method. You are going to need a welder. If you dont own one yet....There was a thread here a month or two ago re the Eastwood gas/mig with pretty good pricing: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7767683

Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:48 am

The bondo on the 70 convertible I am working on is as thick, maybe even thicker then what I see on your car. The car has also been repainted at least twice.

I was still able to remove the bondo and paint on most of a front fender and about 60% of the nose using one of these abrasive wheels from HF in about an hour.

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-in-polycarbide-abrasive-wheel-60571.html

Fri Oct 30, 2015 4:28 pm

Removal of wiring harness and electrical components from the Engine room:
3 Hrs

I can't see the task of installing the wiring harness being an easy or efficient one Unless the guy on the assembly line installing the wiring harness had 8' flexible gangles for arms. It took me three hours to remove the tar boards, the voltage regulator, and the engine room wiring harness all the way back to the cabin area. I managed to get it out in one piece with only minor abrasions to the loom.

The PO began the process of labeling the front compartment wires. I need to photo-document the wiring an finish the removal of the harness.

Progress is progress even when it is slow.
We're all in this together

Sat Oct 31, 2015 12:42 pm

Finished removal of wiring harness, dash electricals and windshield defroster components.
4 Hrs.

Just a few minor items to go and the body will be free of incidentals. While finishing up the removal of the wiring I did notice that I DO in fact have minor nose damage. It looks like it was pounded out semi-successfully and minor if any Bondo was used on the outside. it looks like GAB-FAB may have a new customer.

Center of damage lit from both sides to highlight metal distotion

Top and bottom of damaged area.

I know this barely qualifies as damge compared to some other nose damage I have seen. Expert opinions are wanted as to the best course of action for reparing the damage. Can this be done without the nose repair tool?

Thanks,
We’re all in this together…

Sat Oct 31, 2015 2:24 pm

I bought the nose tool & I'm a little ways off from using it.
I'm anxious to hear a report on it's usefulness & see some real time pics of what it can do. You're a man to get crackin'... so I think it'd be in good hands.

If you take good care of it & pay shipping both ways (~$11 total)... I can send it to you for temporary use (less than a month). If that sounds ok... shoot me a PM.
e

Sun Nov 01, 2015 12:31 pm

The nose tool should that no problem but you will probably need a normal hammer and dolly to the side.

Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:19 am

easy e wrote: I bought the nose tool & I'm a little ways off from using it.
I'm anxious to hear a report on it's usefulness & see some real time pics of what it can do. You're a man to get crackin'... so I think it'd be in good hands.

If you take good care of it & pay shipping both ways (~$11 total)... I can send it to you for temporary use (less than a month). If that sounds ok... shoot me a PM.
e

Here's a thread showing how well the tool can work for you.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...p;start=20

Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:05 pm

I see you used a wooden piece to brace the body. If you have a minute, could you post a couple pictures of the inside area on the door latch side. I see it is easy enough to use the hinges on one side, but what is holding the other side of the body to the wooden 2x4?

Thank you!

Sat Nov 14, 2015 3:03 pm

HolyRoller wrote: I see you used a wooden piece to brace the body. If you have a minute, could you post a couple pictures of the inside area on the door latch side. I see it is easy enough to use the hinges on one side, but what is holding the other side of the body to the wooden 2x4?

Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: My rockers and heater channels are sound so the amount of bracing I had to do was minimal.

I don't own a welder yet so in order to get started on the project I improvised. My plan and recommendation is to make the brace out of metal, hinged at the "A" pillar and secured to the lock pillar using the strike plate mounting screw location. It is also a good idea to triangulate the brace using the upper and lower door hinge locations in conjunction with the strike plate location.

having said that, my brace is as simple as it gets and is built and used as follows.
1) Cut a length of 2x4 of about 1" longer than the opening. In my case the horizontal distance from the top hinge to the top strike plate screw is 38.75"

2) Rip the 2x4 down to 1.5" x 2". This makes for a better compression fit. We will refer to this piece as "the brace."

3) Mount the upper hinge to one side of the brace. Loosely align the outer edge of the brace with the hinge plate side of the hinge pin channel and attach with wood screws using the outer most (closest to the pin) screw holes.

4) Loosely attach the upper hinge to the "A" pillar using the inner most screws. Swing the brace towards the body and mark the contact point on the brace.

5) Remove the brace from the car and cut to length erring on the side of “too long. Cut the brace a few degrees from vertical for a better fit. Another option is to "rough cut" the brace and then shape the lock pillar side with bench sander.

6) Attach the brace to the car and close. Steps 4 and 5 may need to be repeated until the brace has a tight fit against the body.

7) Insert the upper strike plate screw leaving it proud of the lock pillar to act as a vertical stop for the brace.

I hope this addresses you question. PM me if you have any questions or concerns.

We're all in this together...

Sat Nov 14, 2015 6:49 pm

That is an excellent explanation sir. I commend you.

My rockers are pretty poor. I will need some kind of hinge or plate on the "strike plate"

I don't want the body moving at all once I have it off the pan.

Again, thanks for the explanation. Very helpful.

Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:46 am

HolyRoller wrote: My rockers are pretty poor. I will need some kind of hinge or plate on the "strike plate"
I don't want the body moving at all once I have it off the pan...
Here is an excellent example of proper bracing taken from Scott Doonan's thread "Scott's 59 Cabriolet." I highly recommend reading through, and following, this thread as it provides a wealth of valuable information on the restoration process.

...and some pictures of his tilt dolly/pseudo rotisserie.

For additional support and rigidity you may consider adding a second horizontal "X" brace just above and inboard of the heater channels, and diagonal bracing between the corners of the upper and lower "X" braces. The diagonals may be overkill but why take chances.

Wed Nov 18, 2015 3:25 pm

Not directly Ghia related but it had to be done. Took a week and a half.
My garage was a mess of "14 Yr. old boy's room" proportions and completely uninspiring. I raided the stack of 2x6's at mom's house, bought 3 sheets of 1/2' OSB, or as I like to cal "outside board," and built some shelves to store all the crap that inevitably ends up in the garage. I also relocated my toolbox from just inside the left side of the garage door to the back wall. Now I have room to work, a small counter-top to place tools while I work, and most importantly tunes. I re-purposed my old home theater system which has been stored in the garage since I moved into this house in March 2012. Here are before and after pics.

Before

After

My apologies for hijacking my own thread. Back on track now.

We're all in this together...

Wed Nov 18, 2015 3:38 pm

Making space to work on a Ghia is such a good motivator, isn't it? And you told your wife you were doing it for her?

Irma la Deuce? Great movie. I must watch it again.

Thu Nov 19, 2015 7:36 am

Evil_Fiz wrote:
After

How did you manage to pack ALL of the Ghia in those shelves. It's totally hidden :shock:

Nicholas 8)

Thu Nov 19, 2015 7:54 am

I used 4 dimensional lumber which allows the Ghia to remain in place 20 Min. in the future and floats one Cm. above the 3rd. dimension. The problem is that I have misplaced my Tesseract so the Ghia is out of reach at the moment :oops:

Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:19 am

I ended up buying a 14 x 26 shed/garage to make room in our 3 car garage to get my Ghia in and have addition room to actually work on it. The back of two bays in our garage has work benches and larger tools, which wouldn't allow for much storage. Hell the garage even has a second floor attic, filled with "stuff".

Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:24 am

Evil_Fiz wrote: I used 4 dimensional lumber which allows the Ghia to remain in place 20 Min. in the future and floats one Cm. above the 3rd. dimension. The problem is that I have misplaced my Tesseract so the Ghia is out of reach at the moment :oops:

LOL. Best quote on the internet today. :lol: :lol: