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Thu Dec 14, 2017 7:24 pm

Since I can't stay away from a VW that's been rotting away in a back yard, I picked up yet another project, and because it's green & sorta mossy, I dub this one the Ghiapet.

The bumper is even still sporting stickers from the 70s.

Fri Dec 15, 2017 1:16 am

Seems like you're experienced enough not to expect too much for a Ghia kept outside under a tarp. Early days yet, hope it doesn't become a Ghiapest. :wink:

Fri Dec 15, 2017 7:28 am

They're all a pest until you get to drive them. :P

The first order of business was to remedy the cause of it's 30 year slumber, a lost key. :roll:

I removed the passenger side door handle to get a key code & just to be on the safe side, I removed the drivers side also to confirm they were the same... Dammit, no such luck. :evil:

So I took both handles to the local locksmith & had keys cut.

For $32.18 I now have a functional key in each door handle, with any luck, one of them will match the ignition.

Fri Dec 15, 2017 11:58 am

Congrats! Looks like she came with the baja Marathon wheels yet no cut wheel wells, nicely done. Is it a respray or Irish green maybe?? 70-71?
Pics with a blue tarp, sheesh, thought you knew better. :wink:
You should be able to swap locksets and have one key for all.
Will enjoy watching your progress.

Fri Dec 15, 2017 1:53 pm

c21darrel wrote: Congrats! Looks like she came with the baja Marathon wheels yet no cut wheel wells, nicely done. Is it a respray or Irish green maybe?? 70-71?
Thanks, It's a 1970, it has been resprayed & it was a brighter green, maybe Irish green? Honestly I bought it for the Marathon wheels, I always kinda liked them, VWs version of the artillery wheels. The body isn't safe yet, I plan on giving John Moxon an entry for the "lifted" part of the suspension, tires, & wheels thread. :twisted:

I plan to make it a sort of period correct Dakar or Australian (although there wasn't any Ghia love in any of these as I can tell.) rally car tribute.

HOT DIGGITY DAMN!!! I checked the keys in the ignition & the key from the passenger handle works! Now I just need to toss a couple of roller wheels on it & drag it back.

Fri Dec 15, 2017 3:33 pm

Not a rally but a Gasser. Do it. :shock:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1713134.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1515/26151578152_24b664eac8_o.jpg

Fri Dec 15, 2017 4:24 pm

Make sure you ask the seller for the Marathon center caps. If you have to, buy him some new ashtrays for his rec room

Sat Dec 16, 2017 4:03 am

TDCTDI wrote: They're all a pest until you get to drive them. :P

The first order of business was to remedy the cause of it's 30 year slumber, a lost key. :roll:

I removed the passenger side door handle to get a key code & just to be on the safe side, I removed the drivers side also to confirm they were the same... Dammit, no such luck. :evil:

So I took both handles to the local locksmith & had keys cut.

For $32.18 I now have a functional key in each door handle, with any luck, one of them will match the ignition.

Not hard to rekey them the same. Especially if you have some extra door lock cylinders lying around.

Sat Dec 16, 2017 5:33 am

70 140 wrote: Make sure you ask the seller for the Marathon center caps. If you have to, buy him some new ashtrays for his rec room
They probably served a dual purpose as shot glasses with this crew :lol:
There's several boxes of parts that come with the beast, hopefully they'll be in one of them.

The previous owner did tell me stories (it took me 5 minutes to buy the car, 5 minutes to remove the door handles & 4 hours of listening to their family history.) of the original owner of the Ghiapet always showing up late to Sunday services & how everyone knew who it was by the distinct sound of the engine.

kman wrote:

Not hard to rekey them the same. Especially if you have some extra door lock cylinders lying around.
Thanks, very simple indeed, the problem was that I didn't have a key to the car at all & I took both handles hoping that one of them was original (and also so I could check that the new key would work in the handles while there.) & that it's key would fit the ignition since it's much harder to get the code off the ignition tumbler, especially without a key.

Mon Dec 18, 2017 8:16 am

Since I will be using a front beam with Thing spindles & trailing arms that I built for another project that's currently on the back burner, I thought I'd catch you up with the work that was put into it.

First I sand blasted the beam & then using a thin cutting disc, I cleaned the seam.

Then I ran a bead on the seam to strengthen it.

After that, I drilled a hole through the shock towers to accept the rod for hook & rod suspension limiters.

Then I installed the rod & welded it up.

Once the rods were installed, I fabricated some reinforcements for the shock towers out of some 1" project steel from a local hardware store.

Here is the beam after installing an adjuster all the other modifications.

Then with primer...

And paint.

Tue Dec 19, 2017 9:21 am

The next order of business was to replace ball joints.

Making sure to mark where the balljoints were aligned originally.

After pressing the old ones out.

And figure out the best combination to press in the new ones.

Here is one completed.

I then turned my attention to reinforcing the spindles, I started by making a template out of cardboard.

I then transferred that to a piece of project steel from the hardware store.

And spent some time trimming it to fit.

And glued it all together.

And tossed it into the blast cabinet.

Sat Dec 23, 2017 12:03 pm

Once the balljoints were pressed in, I reassembled the beam to see where to set the limiting hooks.

I found where the balljoints started to bind at full droop & full compression & tacked onto he hooks onto the trailing arms.

Then disassembled everything & covered the bearing surfaces to keep them from getting damaged by welding spatter.

And then welded the hooks on & made some gussets for them.

Once all that was done, I purtied it all up.

Sat Jan 06, 2018 9:02 am

I finally extracted the Ghiapet from the previous owner's back yard. The PO requested that I not tear up his yard & since the ground was rather soft, I waited until it had frozen for a few days. Initially, I was waiting for the ground to dry, but weather & ultimately a leaking septic system :x kept this from happening, let's hear it for the "arctic bomb cyclone" :roll:.

Instead of rolling around in the septic sludgecicle, I decided to drag the car out to the driveway where I could swap another wheel on & hook up the tow bar. It took a few tugs to break the car free as it was frozen to the ground.

And then in the parking lot at the shop.

Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:41 pm

Today I decided to see if I could start the process of getting this turd to move on it's own power. First step, rotate the engine several times by hand, done. Second step, remove the carb & rebuild it...

Here goes nothing.

Ewww, it's been a minute since this thing's seen fresh petroleum. (In fact, so long that there is no odor?!?)

So now I just have to continue disassembling the carb...
Judging by the throttle stop adjustment, it must have been running at 1/4 throttle (or on two cylinders.).

Then remove the accelerator pump diaphragm.

And scrubbing, and scraping...

And removing the accelerator pump jet.

Thu Jan 11, 2018 2:07 pm

Good pics, good advice, thanks this is a unique build thread.

Thu Jan 11, 2018 3:14 pm

c21darrel wrote: Good pics, good advice, thanks this is a unique build thread.
Thank you sir.

I removed all of the jets, adjustment screws, & diaphragms and then using a couple of stripped copper wire, I cleaned & scrubbed all of the passages before hosing them down with carb cleaner & blowing them out with compressed air.

And the main jet.

The only passage that I couldn't clear was for the accelerator pump. The check valve at the float bowl was fine so I just removed the one under the jet.
First, I removed the retention pin...

Then inserted my wire scrub brush to clean up the passage & then tipped the carb over to catch the ball.

After that I cleaned & blew out all of the passages & started reassembling the carb starting with the main jet.

Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:21 pm

The last step was to replace the diaphragm for the choke.

And then reassemble everything & adjust the throttle plate, here is the carb all back together.

I reinstalled the carb & turned my attention to the storage side of the fuel system. I removed all the crap on the tank & tossed most of it into the spare tire well for the moment & revealed everyone's worst nightmare, an aftermarket gas tank :evil:

I'm really glad that I didn't just dump some fresh fuel in it, when I lifted the "funnel" I found that this was where the previous owner filled the tank.

The tank fit so poorly, that the filler wasn't attached & this is where the put fuel in.

So I pulled it out.

And then scavenged the original tank out of the same project that is donating the beam & tossed it in.

I then dumped a couple of gallons of fuel in and went back to the engine to rotate it a few times by hand, & removed the battery from 2007.

After installing a fresher battery, I cranked it a few times to build up oil pressure & fill the carb & then fired it up.

Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:37 am

Having never seen fuel completely dry up at ten years I was a bit surprised at how everything was dried up, apparently the battery from 2007 was the last attempt at revival, here's the last time that it was inspected.

That explains it!

After firing it up, I couldn't get the generator light to go off, so I tried to polarize the generator with no luck. I poked around at the brushes to find that they were seized.

After several failed attempts to remove with needle nose pliers, I wedged a flat blade screw driver between the brush & the terminal & pried it out.

Mon Jan 15, 2018 1:16 pm

Brush looks like brand new!! not.

Purrs like a kitten.

Mon Jan 15, 2018 4:39 pm

c21darrel wrote: Brush looks like brand new!! not.

It looked a lot better until I started trying to remove it, they're quite soft & brittle.

The new brushes came in today so I thought I'd toss them in :roll:
Someone, for whatever reason, pinched the brush carriers so that they were binding the brushes so after a few trial fits & gentle prying with a screwdriver, I got the brushes to slide freely.

The first thing was to reinstall the tension springs, I use a small pair of 45* needle nose pliers...

Once the springs are back in, I put the screw in the connector on the brush & use the pigtail on the brush to guide the screw to the contact in the generator, then using a piece of coat hanger with a 90* bend in it, I gently lift the tension spring up enough to insert the brush.

Then release the tension spring.

After that, I fired it back up & the generator now charges & no more light :D

Oops, let's try the correct position of the brush pigtail :oops: