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How to make a good enough Ghia better?
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dixiegem
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Joined: June 07, 2009
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Location: Nashville, TN
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 4:01 pm    Post subject: How to make a good enough Ghia better? Reply with quote

I have a mechanically dependable, relatively rust free (good pans, minor surface rust bubbles) '70 ghia. It has repaired nose damage and the engine cover has been replaced, paint job is not outstanding but is good enough and the bumpers could stand to be rechromed. Dash pad and mask replaced within the last 5 years and look great, seat skins and pads replaced, carpet in good shape, fuel guage jumps around and clock runs when it wants to.

Problem? The doors (and therefore windows), hood and engine cover don't line up with the body by any stretch of the imagination. You know that old commercial where you can roll a ball bearing along the fit of the body panels? Won't happen with this car. If the hood is lined up on one side it sticks up on the other. If the top of the door lines up it's out of line at the bottom. I'm not looking for a car that's going to go on the concourse at Pebble Beach, but this is ridiculous.

Why is this happening and what can I do to fix it?
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Loren
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I doubt there is an easy fix to your situation. If the front was hit bad enough it might have affected the hinge pillars and changed the door alignment. The hinges might be bad allowing the door to sag and the door latch or catch might be worn and not allowing the doors to seat properly. You might need to adjust the body, adding shims in the back per the Bentley manual. As for the decklid it was likely replaced due to an accident (it could also be that your replacement decklid was tweaked in an accident). If your car was hit in the rear the fenders could be damaged, the hinges could be bent or the fire wall damaged. You really need to crawl all over and under the car to see where the damage might be and see what you can do to correct it.
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70coupyel
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like you have front and rear damage. There is a reason the rear deck lid was replaced. Being able to find out what is really wrong and then finding a way to make it better for a daily driver.
No easy fix like Loren stated. Search around here and learn some more about what some folks have done here to fix there body's.

Can you post a bunch of pictures?
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dixiegem
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 3:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are some pics:

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[/img]
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Altema
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks like it took quite a hit and was not put back together carefully. There are a number of issues which will not be, um, inexpensive to repair.

I'm not an expert, but from what I see in the photos...

Pic 1: Front hood was bent and was forced back to "almost" straight. Front and rear bumpers are also not aligned... the part that wraps around should be parallel to the rockers.
Pic 3: Decklid leading edge is too high and needs to be adjusted via the hinge mounts.
Pic 4: The inside edge of the decklid looks like it is rusting internally and swelling the seam, forcing it to not close properly.
Pic 5: Either your door is bent, or the rear jambs have "mushroomed". This is where the tops of the rear of the door opening have bent outward. This is more common on verts, but has been observed on coupes as well. Only way to confirm is to measure the distance from side to side, but I don't have that specification.
Pic 6: Radius of engine compartment opening was poorly shaped with body filler. You will need to fix this before you can adjust the decklid height properly.
Pic 7: Similar situation here on the front radius of the trunk opening; filled or hammered, but not correctly. Also, it may be due to the reflection, but it appears the back corner of the trunk opening is depressed (physically, not emotionally Wink ).

She needs time and TLC to make the difference between a car that looks good at 50 feet and one that looks good at 10 feet.

Paul
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dixiegem
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was afraid someone was going to say something like that. How does one go about repairing mushrooming or am I going to be sorry I asked?
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Altema
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dixiegem wrote:
I was afraid someone was going to say something like that. How does one go about repairing mushrooming or am I going to be sorry I asked?

First you have to make sure what the actual distance from side to side should be (marked in red in the diagram below), then compare it to yours. They will also need to measure the doors to make sure they are not bent as well. If your is indeed mushroomed, then the technique involves a puller between the sides. It's a no-material repair, but the shop doing it must be precise to get both sides pulled in the correct amount, and the car should be reasonably solid in the rockers and lower body. If rusty, the risk of cracking will be a serious issue.

Paul

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Last edited by Altema on Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:08 pm; edited 1 time in total
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58lolight
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My advise is to accept the car for what it is and enjoy it.
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