TheSamba.com :: View topic

Wed Dec 04, 2024 2:14 pm

^^^ Thanks for the vote of confidence my friend “

This one came with some of the reproduction metal available for the Ghias , I’m considering going that route for the majority of the repairs, it would definitely save me time in making parts.

Mon Dec 16, 2024 10:57 am

Back at it Folks

Mon Dec 16, 2024 11:12 am

You make it look easy!

Mon Dec 16, 2024 11:54 am

I can identify with the headlamp area rust on your Ghia. Here's my '64 after I cut out the rotted areas back in '84-
Being a "beginner" as to metalwork, I patched in a solid driver's side section from a '70 Coupe parts car, and a TABCO patch panel for the passenger side. This was a year later; one of its first drives to a VW meet not far away in Elmsford, New York. I ended up brazing the panels to the body at home with rented equipment.

Is that front blinker the one which came with your Ghia, or a spare you had to test the mounting hole spacing? That style blinker was used on '64 partway into the model year. Sometime into the model year they switched to the "later" style on which the plastic lens screwed directly into the chromed housing. I also have a 8/63 '64 Ghia Coupe that has this early style.

Mon Dec 16, 2024 12:13 pm

^^^ nice job on that repair^^^

That is an early light housing. Just a place holder for the moment

Mon Dec 16, 2024 12:21 pm

VeloMikey wrote: You make it look easy!

Thanks for that man…. I feel like got a pretty good line on these Ghias now.

Mon Dec 16, 2024 7:13 pm

Easy Does It….

Tue Dec 17, 2024 1:33 pm

I like that post modern 'Arty' repair shot :D

Wed Dec 18, 2024 9:49 am

Yesterday i decided its was time to cinch the body down all the way and work with the clearance issue on the passenger side heater channel. It wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated which was very nice. I decided to start hanging the doors and decklid to start setting some preliminary gaps. I fixed some captive nut on the decklid carrier as well. I pleased with the way the body’s ha sitting on the pan so I think I will start the welding process while it’s at this very workable height v

Wed Dec 18, 2024 10:55 am

I'm following your build with a touch of nostalgia. That blue door reminds me of my own before my Ghia went to paint.

I miss the process, resurrecting a Ghia in a nuts and bolts restoration.

Wed Dec 18, 2024 11:04 am

It’s a Blast man. Love doing this. Glad you’re feeling it man….

Did you follow Loren’s 59 convertible build ? It’s definitely a nut and bolt journey of passion.

Wed Dec 18, 2024 11:12 am

WrennMetallWerks wrote: It’s a Blast man. Love doing this. Glad you’re feeling it man….

Did you follow Loren’s 59 convertible build ? It’s definitely a nut and bolt journey of passion.

I can't say I followed Loren's resto but did read snippets of it.

You use the word "passion". It is so appropriate because most of our restorations are driven by emotion rather than reason. If we were rational, we would never invest that amount of time, effort and dollars in these projects.

But oh, the joy when the project advances, one small (and some not so small) improvement at a time!

Good luck. I'm watching.

Wed Dec 18, 2024 12:27 pm

Ok so this is always a challenge when reconstructing the Ghia’s

I have to determine the best way of going about it.

This back half of the body has a bunch of incomplete panels that need love to get back to a place where I could graft on the skin at where it is cut now.

My line of thinking is that since I have such a huge donor piece I want to remove the panels on the body that need all the repairs done to them then I will just try to replace as much of this as I can with one giant donor chuck.

Wed Dec 18, 2024 5:41 pm

Thu Dec 19, 2024 1:12 pm

Roughly harvested the Metall I’m after. Time to do the painstaking part of removing all the unwanted flanges conjoined Metalls .

Thu Dec 19, 2024 4:33 pm

Thank you for taking so many good (lighting & focus!) photos of both the stripped original body, and the repair panel. It's very rare to see so many original details which are usually hidden by the complete assembled body, such as the tabs that held the wiring harness to the body along the right rear wheelwell.

Thu Dec 19, 2024 5:50 pm

^^^You’er very welcome…. Happy to do it. Thanks for following along and sharing your observations. 8)

Thu Dec 19, 2024 5:54 pm

Dialing in the donor

Thu Dec 19, 2024 9:37 pm

All dressed up with somewhere to go.

Fri Dec 20, 2024 5:40 am

I like the approach you took with that. Splitting the wheel tub seems obviously the right way. You've got a really good donor piece.

My cabriolet needed a similar repair but for the opposite corner. The panel I obtained wasn't so good having damage to the tub and rust on the bottom edges. Inserting whole sections wouldn't work like you've managed. Instead the panels were spliced. It worked out well for my project, but you're starting from a better position having such a good donor.

We all see the result will be excellent.

Nicholas