December 58 Ghia cabriolet lifetime restoration project

[DaveB9]

Looking amazing Loren! Congratulations on reaching this milestone, keep us updated as you start attaching bits!

[Loren]

Thanks so much for all the kind words everyone. Right now I am still in a little bit of shock that after 25 years I have a freshly painted Ghia in the garage. I'm also a bit overwhelmed at all the work that has yet to be done. I just need to focus on one thing at a time and forge ahead. I think the first project will need to be the wiring harness and engine bay tar boards.

I'm almost done assembling the engine tins. I hope to have that done by the end of the month, but this engine has been giving me lots of trouble. It seems like I move three steps forward, only to be set back by two. Once it's done it will go back to the engine builder so he can break it in and tune it.

[Loren]

I had some time this weekend to get a few things done on the Ghia. First up was adding felt strips to the fire wall in preparation for the tar boards. I used some 1/4" thick felt sheet and cut it into strips a little over 1" wide by 11" long. I attached them with contact cement. I masked off the firewall so I only applied the glue where I needed it and painted the back of the felt strips with two coats. Once the glue was dry I put them in place.

With that done I could move on to installing the main wiring loom and securing the wires in the engine bay. I pulled the loom from the engine bay to the front of the Ghia. I taped the end wires with masking tape so they wouldn't get caught along the way and I slid the grommet for the engine bay on the end of the loom. It would be to difficult to install the grommet first and pull the wires through it. It all went smoothly! Once the wires were out of the wiring tube that runs through the rocker I slid the grommet that goes on the end of the wiring tube that exits behind the mud plate. I had to use some wiring lube to get the grommet to slide over the harness and into place. The wiring lube worked fantastic! For years I have been looking for this grommet and just recently found out it is also a Porsche part, a grommet for the starter cable.

I bought this harness from KGPR at least 15 years ago when they actually had them in stock. I believe it is a Wiring Works harness.

Here is the grommet for the front of the wiring tube. On the left is an NOS grommet and on the right is the reproduction Porsche one. They are exactly the same. I bought mine from Pelican Parts, but any Porsche parts place should carry them.

Here is the wiring lube I used. It worked great and evaporated after a few minutes with no residue what so ever.

Here is the grommet installed on the end of the wiring tube.

Next up is making the engine tar boards and getting them installed. I haven't been able to find any good reproductions for low lights, so I am going to make my own. More on that soon.

[DaveB9]

Great start Loren! The wiring and felt strips already make the engine bay look good. That is a top tip on the wiring boot as well - too late for me sadly, I had to make do with something less accurate, but great news for others reassembling cars with the wiring tube through the sill. Be sure to get some cavity wax down in that section behind the mud guard while you can.

Keep the updates coming - this is going to look so good.

[dave1]

Great job Loren. As I said in my message to yourself it looks like a work of art. All your skills, fabrication, etc, etc on show & as said you've helped so many people. Me included in sourcing the parts, having the information & photographic details on the forum. Also helped me build up my 356 brake components, ready for my ghia.
Keep it going light at the end of the tunnel
Dave

[Loren]

With the wiring harness installed in the engine bay it was time to install the tail lights. They were harder to install than I would have imagined. I really had to push and pry the gaskets to get the lenses to seat properly and tightening the lens screws was nerve wracking to say the least.

Through the years I was able to assemble this set of NOS bulb holders, lenses and seals. These are the 59 Ghia style bulb holders with the exposed leaf springs. Apparently an improvement over the 58 design. I ended up not using the NOS seals. Though they were flexible they weren't as springy as the set of new seals I had bought from KGPR (Airhead Parts) and they didn't fit the contour of the body very well. They might work better on an original unmolested tail light opening, but mine have both been worked over and may not be as straight as original.

I had to clean the paint off the back of the attaching brackets to make sure I had good grounds. Jason had to remove my brackets to straighten the quarter panels and his welding them back provided a good ground. Often these brackets aren't well grounded, especially if corrosion has occurred between the bracket and the body. I have seen others add a separate ground wires to correct this.

The retaining o-rings are still on the lens screws. This is a tiny detail that is often missed. They are really helpful to keep the screws from falling out when removing the lenses.

[TRS63]

Please continue posting all these assembly pictures, they will be so helpful to me !! The reference of the grommet is coming exactly right in time, I will order it today! Thanks !!!

Bests

Antoine
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Antoine
My 62 ragtop daily driver:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=728873
My 914 restoration&lightweight project :
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9698432#9698432
Resurrecting a 60 ghia : https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=713906
My 52 Standard Zwitter :
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=10086685#10086685

[WrennMetallWerks]

Looking Fantastic Mr Loren !!!

Those lights are so nice!!!
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[Loren]

The engine is finally back together. Unfortunately, I am having issues with the driver side NOS VW heater box. I had the boxes cerakoted and the first time I actuated the flap lever it broke off. I had to bend back the tabs to get it open and once I got it apart you could clearly tell the factory spot welds weren't very good. I got those fixed, but when I put it back together the tabs I bent back broke when I pushed them back in place. Now I need to get the tabs welded in place and it will be good to go. I have had so many issues with this motor. Nothing major, just little stuff that sets me back. Once the heater box is fixed it will go back to the engine builder so he can break it in and tune it. Hopefully he doesn't have any issues.

Here are the specs for the engine:

WW Okrasa kit
WW 69.5mm crank
WW high performance crank
NOS KS 77mm pistons
OG VW honed cylinders
NOS push rods
NOS rod and crank bearings
AA 200mm 8 doweled lightened flywheel
Sachs clutch and clutch plate
NOS Melling deep oil pump
Airflow Systems aluminum oil cooler
OG rebuilt Solex 32 PBIC carbs
CSP bolt on carb linkage
Vintage Speed 36hp sport exhaust (cerakoted)
NOS Bosch 6v coil (repainted)
NOS Bosch spark plugs
Rebuilt VJR4BR25 010 distributor
Rebuilt VW fuel pump
Rebuilt generator (date coded 11p)
Rebuilt solid state regulator (date coded 11p)
Speedwell cast iron pulley
Ross Wulf pulley nut
Gold Plug magnetic oil drain bolt
Stailess push rod tubes
Joe Bence throttle tube kit (modified)
NOS heater boxes (cerakoted)
NOS About Time oil filler
Porsche 356 venturi cooling ring

I really liked the quality of the WW Okrasa kit overall, though it does have some issues. I had the manifolds port matched to the heads and I had to sand the carb ends of the manifolds flat. One was really warped and needed work. I also had a 3 way valve job done on the heads. I have heard several complaints about the valve leaking when used out of the box. I also replaced the WW carbs with Solex ones. I have heard complaints that they leak at the throttle shafts and some have complained about the float and main jets. I had Joe Ruiz rebuild and rebush mine, so I'm hoping I don't have any issues. Joe also provided the over size fuel line to fit the Solex carbs.

The pistons and rods were all balanced and I used a stock VW cam gear that was machined slightly to improve oil flow. The crank was balanced along with the flywheel, clutch and clutch plate. The AA flywheel mated up to the crank perfectly, but I had to have the center hole machined slightly to fit the VW gland nut.

I had the heater boxes, shoe boxes and muffler cerakoted for durability. I especially wanted to coat the muffler to reduce heat radiation. Coating the shiny stainless steel will reduce the reflection radiation and keep the rear apron area cooler.

This is a vintage NOS About Time oil filler. They were made in Las Vegas, Nevada. I really loved the practical nature of this part and having it made here in Nevada was a major plus. Unfortunately, they never really took off and you used to be able to pick them up cheap. Currently, the prices for OG ones are crazy and someone here on the Samba has started to make them again. The VW cap is a bus fuel cap.

Speedwell cast iron pulley with a Ross Wulf bolt

I really like these nuts. They have a 10mm head and are great for tight spaces, like the manifolds and exhaust. I bought them here on the Samba.

Here is the throttle tube from Joe Bence. I put one on a 67 beetle I used to have and I really liked it. Unfortunately, it didn't fit the 36hp fan shroud, as you can see in the photo above. I contacted Joe and he told me these don't fit 36hp shrouds. He offered to refund my money, but I decided to keep it and see if I could make it work. I ended up cutting off the attaching flange, turning it upside down and sanding the back to flush it up to the shroud. I think it turned out great.

Here is the modified version. We'll see how it works once the engine is installed and the throttle cable is hooked up. Hopefully the cable doesn't rub.

Here is the Porsche 356 Venturi ring. It was removed from a 356 shroud and I had it welded to mine. With the balance tube running across the back of the engine it was impossible to install the stock cooling ring. The Porsche ring is supposed to improve cooling slightly, so any improvement in cooling is worth it.

[Karmann Gheezer]

Modified slightly but stock to perfection. Simply beautiful, Loren.
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[John Moxon]

[Loren]

I hope you enjoy yours. It makes it so much easier to pour oil into the engine. It's a shame they didn't do well because they are a great product. Bad promotion I suspect. I remember 10 or so years ago someone had a lot of them and they were super cheap. Not any more. I just saw one sold here on the Samba for $350! At that price I would buy the reproduction for $65. I really like the original logo, since it has the outline of the state of Nevada on it.

[obus]

Im in love with that engine.
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July 1959 Mango Standard Bus aka Obus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256592&highlight=
June 1973 Pumpkin Orange Thing aka Othing
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=711775&highlight=
1960 Paprika Red Karmann Ghia Convertible aka Schatze built 5/20/60
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
March 1956 Beetle convertible https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=10419731&highlight=#10419731

[Loren]

With the Ghia back in my hands I'm going to try to get something done every week and post my progress here on the Samba.

This week I decided to tackle the pull strap for the driver side door panel. I ordered "hair cell" vinyl from SMS Fabrics for my seats many years ago, so I cut a small piece for the door strap. I had an original one for reference and it was good to have on hand since it had a few small details that I would have overlooked.

Here is what I used for reference:

The photo above is of an original strap on the door panel of my 59 Ghia coupe. The following images are of an old spare strap I had in the parts bin.

Notice that the vinyl extends onto the metal strap end piece. This small section will be clamped against the door panel when it's installed and will help keep the vinyl from lifting from the leather strap down the road. If the vinyl was cut straight across there would be nothing keeping it from curling up if the adhesive was compromised.

On the top piece you can see some of the old vinyl and how it comes down the side of the strap and onto the strap end piece. This ensures that you don't see any of the black leather strap once the vinyl is wrapped around the sides and the chrome end caps are installed.


Here is the final product. The vinyl looks brown, but it's actually brick red:

[DaveB9]

Superb attention to detail as ever Loren, keep it coming, this is an incredible resource for anyone restoring a car of the same era.

[stale air]

That door pull turned out awesome, great work, and like was said above, attention to detail.
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[Loren]

I was able to get a few things done on the Ghia this week.

First on the list was to wrap the vinyl on the dash grab handle and install it. I used contact cement to glue the vinyl in place. I have an original grab handle from a 60 Ghia and it has a piece of rolled up vinyl in the groove on the under side of the handle, so I duplicated that on mine. It locks in the ends of vinyl wrap and keeps them from delaminating. I rolled up a piece of vinyl that was as wide at the vinyl cover and 1.75" wide. I used contact cement to keep it rolled up, taking care not to get glue on the outside of the roll. When it was ready to install I put glue in the groove on the underside of the handle, stuffed the roll in the groove and clamped a curved piece of wood over it until it was dry. Once it was all done the handle was bolted to the dash.

The ends of the vinyl cover are folded over for a clean edge. I cut the corners out so there wasn't a double layer of vinyl on the back side.

Here is the piece of rolled vinyl for the groove. I put it in with the seam side down into the groove. Notice there is no glue on the outside of the roll.

I cut a 1/4" wide piece of maple and curved one side to match the curve of the handle. It was thin enough to fit in the groove and really push the vinyl roll into place. I let it dry over night before I removed the clamps. Even with rubber ends on the clamps they made a depression in the vinyl cover. I was worried at first, but after some time the vinyl relaxed back into place and the dents disappeared.

Here is the handle with the two rubber seals for the ends. I bought these a few years ago from Dwayne. He made a small batch of these because he needed a set for his restoration. I don't know if anyone is making these rubber seals now or not. There is a seller here on the Samba who makes them out of resin, but I don't know how pliable they are or how well they fit.

[Loren]

Next up was installing the side badge and nose badge. I used 1/8" brass chrome plated dura collars to keep them in place. I bought these from an R/C hobby store. The nice thing with these is that I can easily remove them if I need to. I used some anti-seize on the set screws for added insurance and I cut down rubber end caps to slip over the collars to keep water out. I think this is especially necessary for the exposed one holding the fender badge on.

The side badge is a reproduction from Jerry Heldt in Australia. It's a really nice repoduction.

Here you can see the dura collar in action and the small allen head set screw

I used a cut down 6mm rubber end cap to cover the collar

With the side badge on it was time to install my NOS nose badge.

I used a nose seal from Cip1 and it fit perfectly. I had another seal that I bought many years ago and it was too small. I can't remember where I bought it from.

Now that these are done it's time to tackle the fresh air vent controls and restore and install the glove box.

[DaveB9]

Those dura collars are a neat idea. I just used the circular rubber covered clips used for engine lid badges, but I like the look of those.

Good luck with the vent controls! That wasn't my favourite bit of re-assembly, though at least with the colour of your car it will be easier to see into the corners behind the dash.

[John Moxon]