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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 6:36 pm Post subject: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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I've owned a few air-cooled Volkswagen's but never had the time, money, or space to attempt a restoration project. This will be my first and I'm pretty pumped, even if my wife thinks I'm nuts. But for some crazy reason, the trucker, Luis, decided that Easter Sunday morning was a great day to deliver the car.
An unexpected wrinkle was that the wheel track on the Ghia is barely wide enough to straddle the the trailer. Luis needed my help to push it off (since it has no motor or brakes). At one point the passenger side front wheel fell off the track and it was dangling on three wheels.
Luis used his hydraulics to lift and tilt it back up and we were in business... except the car was crooked and there was no way to roll it back without it falling off the tracks again. After much back and forth maneuvering, we got it to the rear of the trailer.
Luis positioned a big empty truck tire on the street to catch the Ghia since it has no brakes. I also pulled a big piece of 1x12 lumber out of my shed to widen the on/off ramp. And it's a good thing I did because as I pushed the Ghia backwards with the trucker in the driver's seat, it flew backwards faster than I expected and slid sideways off the truck ramp and onto the wood. The wood broke in the middle but the car didn't fall to the ground. Yay, thank you Easter Bunny.
The whole time my snooty neighbors are driving by in their brand new Lexuses and Mercedes with horrified expressions. Anyway, Luis got the car from Washington state to Connecticut in seven days and in one piece. And believe me, no other shipping company wanted to deal with a 50 year old non-op VW.
I kind of like the flames!
I will be posting soon with a million questions and more pictures. I'm sure it's all been seen and done before on this forum so I'll try to keep it interesting. For instance, what is this crazy giant glob of foam in the right rear quarter?!
_________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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Rome Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004 Posts: 9603 Location: Pearl River, NY
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:47 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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It'll be nice to see another Ghia in CT.
The foam inside the right quarter panel is not factory-applied. Most likely it was to act as a space filler for a body repair to the lower section of the quarter panel. The battery was located on the engine compartment panel located to the right of the engine. Over the decades, it is likely that acid from the battery would drip down to the right of the battery, going down into that void and eating away the metal on the inner metal of the quarter panel (above and ahead of the bumper mount) as well as the outer metal of the panel.
In your first photo you can see that the bottom edge contour of the right quarter panel does not match that of the left rear quarter. The right bottom edge is curved downwards, indicating a repair using a generic rust replacement panel. The curve actually corresponded to that on big-bumper '72-'74 Ghias but is not correct for your body era. Normally the bottom edge contour is straight for several inches before curving up gently to the bottom of the taillamps which you can see is the case with the left quarter panel. The correctly-shaped replacement panels have only been available in the last ca. 8 years. Don't worry about it.
In the press photo below you can see the correct contour below the rear bumper. The contour on the right side bottom edge would be the same/mirror image.
Do you already have an engine for it? Do you think you'll have it driveable by summer? |
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djkeev Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007 Posts: 32433 Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:08 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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Rome wrote: |
In the press photo below you can see the correct contour below the rear bumper. The contour on the right side bottom edge would be the same/mirror image.
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Awesome, thanks for the tip. I glanced into the left side and I'm pretty sure it's original German metal but I need to look closer to be sure.
I don't think the car will be on the road anytime soon! I only have one day a week to work on it and it pretty much needs a new everything. _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:11 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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djkeev wrote: |
Sadly, where one finds a little rust, more usually follows.
It can be fixed, it may indeed possibly be more work than you expected but very few Ghias don't have a bit of rust.
When you do find one, it most often sells for many many large.
Have fun!
Please Keep us updated.
Dave |
Yep, I'm sure there's plenty more nastiness to discover but that's all part of the fun. Easter Sunday was not a great day to tear down and inventory the car but I hope to share more later this week. _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 7:53 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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I finally got a chance to start taking things apart this weekend. Gas tank out, a few body bolts, the seats... didn't make much progress actually but my 11 year old son was really into it. He thought the floors were funny. And then winter came back and we pushed it into the garage.
The six bolts I got out were stubborn but surprisingly not rusted. Came out with hand tools.
My question is these door panels. The interior is toast and will be replaced but I didn't know it was possible to fit later style door door handle. Is this the wrong year door on a 64 or am I overthinking?
And before I yank the carpets out (aftermarket and trashed), is there any reason to try to preserve the nasty padding in the rear parcel area and over the center wishbone? I've mostly seen that removed and replaced with modern sound deadening material. _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:02 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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Yeah, I was just wondering if the door itself had been swapped out. I wasn't sure if the original door latch mechanism is compatible with a later style door handle and door card. Either way it's rotten so it's gotta go.
The West Coast Classics Restorations look amazing. If the final paint and body work comes out equally great I may go in that direction. But I'm getting way ahead of myself. _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:31 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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Great, thanks my year is a 64 so that makes sense.
Maybe I can sell those incorrect interior door handles for $5. That will pay for 1 square centimeter of a West Coast Classic interior! _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 5:01 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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Well, I ran into my first head scratcher. I bought this 1500 motor locally and didn't pay too much attention to code and it's.... blank?!
I looked it up on thesamba and I guess I have an exchange engine that was sold by VW as a replacement with "no identifying number stamped into the block." But I'm going to assume that "H" means it's a 1500. It came off a 68 Beetle convertible.
Right now the tin is missing the thermostat, flaps, and preheater tube which I've tracked down. I may also decide to put the right muffler and heater tubes on it. Those J tubes and that muffler might be worth a few dollars to someone.
My main question is getting a 1500 motor into a Ghia that originally had a 1200 motor. I posted an ad for a rear apron and someone responded and told me that what I need is a 1500 apron from a 1964 bus. That would be a perfect fit for a 64 engine bay so I wouldn't have any gaps.
Does that sound right? _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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djkeev Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007 Posts: 32433 Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 5:54 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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It’s hard to see in the picture but there’s what I think is a VW recycling symbol before the H. So I think it was rebuilt and sold by VW.
Don’t know if it’s dual relief, I’ll have to check when I get home.
Still confused by this tear tin issue! Was a 1200 rear tin wider in the back or side to side? _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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EverettB Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 69734 Location: Phoenix Metro
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:11 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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Yes, it's a dealer rebuilt engine, my '63 Bus has one too, 1500cc:
If you mean the rear breast plate tin, the tin that goes around the 2 heater tubes then this part is the same width on the outside edges, etc. as a 40hp piece.
It's wider inside itself so that it fits around the slightly wider 1500cc muffler heat risers (hope that makes sense).
63-66 1500cc Buses use that piece of tin, if you want a tin that also has the smaller hole for the pre-heat tube on the left-hand side.
This
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:16 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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Yes, rear breast tin! That's what I meant. Thanks for the clarification.
Waiting for a response from a seller on this part. _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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Peter D. Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2004 Posts: 718 Location: Stamford, CT
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:05 am Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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Ha, I wish... no, I bought the motor locally from a guy who added the alternator, new carb, wires, etc. Just a refresh on an old motor. I don't have the budget to go whole hog on a rebuilt motor.
This one seemed like a good deal even though I need to find the right tins now.
I'm also debating about whether or not to put heater boxes on it. I will never drive my Ghia in the winter (I live in CT) but I might want heat at some point? Maybe in the fall weather or just for the sake of originality? The I would have to change the muffler too. This is getting expensive! _________________ 2019 Golf Alltrack, '65 Ghia Coupe Restoration in Progress |
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c21darrel Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009 Posts: 8206 Location: San Dimas
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Evil_Fiz Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2011 Posts: 1031 Location: Jacksonville, FL
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 12:00 pm Post subject: Re: 1964 Ghia Coupe Restoration |
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Peter D. wrote: |
...This is getting expensive! |
...and it's stillllll early
Enjoy the ride. Six months after your'e done you will have forgotten how much you spent.
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Emil _________________ “…It's not just about what's interesting. It's also about what's helpful, and it's helpful even if it helps just one other guy working on a Ghia.”
kiwighia68
See my build on TheSamba at:
The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted |
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