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Mon Aug 31, 2020 3:57 am

I did not post anything here since a long time but wow, now those are amazing progress ! Well done and thanks for sharing, this ghia is lucky it found you!

Cheers

Antoine

Mon Aug 31, 2020 4:11 am

TRS63 wrote: I did not post anything here since a long time but wow, now those are amazing progress ! Well done and thanks for sharing, this ghia is lucky it found you!

Cheers

Antoine
I have to agree, the workmanship is excellent.
Nicholas

Mon Aug 31, 2020 7:59 am

After viewing the fantastic quality of your work I may not be able to go back in my garage, where my Ghia sits unfinished.

Sat Sep 05, 2020 9:26 pm

CiderGuy wrote: After viewing the fantastic quality of your work I may not be able to go back in my garage, where my Ghia sits unfinished.
Au Contraire!

Just looking at all these pictures and seeing things that I had to do to my '69 makes me realize how lucky I was to have less than half the rust that this one did. Kinda makes up for the wrong year front clip and poor attachment of that.
Makes me want to order some new rocker panels to replace the mess I made of mine back in the 90's when I first got it. It looks OK from the outside, but I know what's under there... :evil:

And all this free time has got me working on it again! :D (Just found out the Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio that came with it works great after a switch cleaning and a new speaker, so now I have tunes while working!)

Mon Nov 03, 2025 7:32 am

It’s been a little over five years since my last post. Back then, we had just bought a house — and if possible, it turned out to be even more of a project than this car. So most of my time went into tackling all sorts of projects in and around the house, leaving no time to work on my Ghia.

But after a few years, things have finally settled down a bit, and here’s some good news for the car: I now have a bigger garage! :D

Five years ago, just before we got the keys to the new house, I welded up the rear quarter panel, assembled the rear transaxle, front axle, and fitted four wheels. Since we only moved about 500 meters from the old place, we were able to push the car to the new house. I sat behind the wheel, a couple of friends pushed — and just like that, I drove the first 500 meters in my Ghia!

A fresh start for this project — let’s see if I can actually finish it within this decade!

Mon Nov 03, 2025 8:55 am

Welcome back, five years is not long in most Ghia restorations... :lol:

Sun Nov 09, 2025 12:39 pm

The first job is on the right rear axle. About a year ago, I noticed some oil underneath the right rear wheel. I managed to ignore it for a while, but now it’s time to fix it. I removed the wheel and brake drum, and there was oil on the inside of the brake drum. After a careful inspection, I found the source of the leak: it’s coming from the washer/bolt that holds the axle bearing cap. The gasket itself is leak-free.
Any suggestions on how to fix this? I’m thinking of removing the bolt, applying some sealant to the bolt and washer, and reinstalling it.

Wed Nov 19, 2025 2:26 pm

I ordered some temperature-resistant liquid gasket and applied it around the washers and bolts to try to fix the leak from the axle bearing cap bolts. Then I refilled the transaxle with oil. Let’s see if it holds up.

A few years ago, when my main priority was simply getting the car moving again, I reinstalled the front axle but didn’t treat the left front wheel arch with seam sealer and coating. I’ve done that now. I also ordered a can of the same coating (called RX5) in RAL 3002. The car will eventually be repainted in its original Bahia red, and this RAL color seems to be the closest match. I’ll use it to paint the spare-wheel area in the front. After that, it’s time to start sanding and filling, and sanding and filling, and sanding and… :D