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DILLIGAF08
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2018
Posts: 30
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 Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2019 12:28 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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Houston.... we may have a problem? And yes, I have a freakin mouse in my pocket! With all of the bolts tightened in the heater channel (excluding the front two) I still have a gap in the front as well as an alignment problem with the front two bolts. I didn’t use the the body/chassis gasket while checking this, is that my problem (Of which I have several)? Or is this gap typical in the front?
Looking at the old channel I cut out there is no gap, so I’m assuming I have to to modify the “new” one? You can see in the pic how far the bolts are off from aligning . And by putting a straight edge along the side, there’s at least a 1/4 inch gap towards the front... (And no this old man doesn’t work in metric numbers)
So I’m assuming I need to cut it right here to remedy this alignment problem, would that be correct, Houston you copy? I’m heading back out to the freakin wood pile, I am smart enough to split wood.
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DILLIGAF08
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2018
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 3:07 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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It fits now.... Crisis averted, I think we’re good, but I’m still vacillating on just welding it and having faith in my trusty set up or doing a trial test fit first, Stand back non-believers! I’ve read in several of these threads that each one of these vehicles were hand crafted individually, apparently they have to be restored in the exact same manner, therefore I’m attempting to keep up with the original craftsmanship, hand crafted works of art! I’ve assembled, disassembled, then reassembled over a half dozen times. I’ve cut apart and welded back together, reshaped, beat and tweaked every piece several times, more than once!
It’s not just a restoration project, it’s an adventure!
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Onceler
Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2010
Posts: 1647
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 3:27 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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Helluva job  I like your door jig idea
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1972 Karmann Ghia |
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TRS63
Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2017
Posts: 999
Location: Stuttgart - Germany
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Mellow Yellow 74
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2014
Posts: 1615
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Tue Oct 15, 2019 5:23 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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Even with the various jigs you have made, I am not convinced you are going to get the door gaps correct to allow you to weld the outer rocker and front/rear lower fender pieces on with the body off the chassis.
The problem is that the door gaps change as the whole body bends slightly when it goes on the chassis compare to how it sits on the dolliy/rotisserie/jigs when it is off the chassis.
This is adjusted using shims under the rear suspension mounts, so unless you are trial fitting with the body on the chassis there is a risk that the gaps will change when the body goes back on th chassis.
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1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon) |
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KGCoupe
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Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:23 am Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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| Mellow Yellow 74 wrote: |
Even with the various jigs you have made, I am not convinced you are going to get the door gaps correct to allow you to weld the outer rocker and front/rear lower fender pieces on with the body off the chassis.
The problem is that the door gaps change as the whole body bends slightly when it goes on the chassis compare to how it sits on the dolliy/rotisserie/jigs when it is off the chassis.
This is adjusted using shims under the rear suspension mounts, so unless you are trial fitting with the body on the chassis there is a risk that the gaps will change when the body goes back on th chassis. |
You've got me wondering now - when these cars were first manufactured, did Karmann complete the bodies seperately from the chassis, or did they wait to complete it until after the body was mated to the chassis?
If you look through the 1960 Karmann Ghia Shop Manual - Body section, you will find a section titled "Special Hints" on pages A-79 1 thru A-79 4.
In that section, they include diagrams of "templates" (body jigs) which could apparenty have been special ordered from the Karmann firm back in the day..
Among those diagrams is one for what they call the "body sill template for Karmann Ghia models".
That same Body Manual also includes a detailed section on "Replacing Body Sections", but it appears to be limited to repair of front and rear quarter panel damage and does not seem to cover replacement of the rocker sections.
Having no skill or knowledge regarding body repairs myself, I'm left wondering if that "body sill template" was intended to be used as a guide when working on a Karmann Ghia body shell that has been seperated from its chassis.
If so, then would copying and fabricating a similar "body sill template" be of any great help when replacing the rocker sections of a Karmann Ghia body that's seperated from the chassis?
Whether or not the effort of fabricating such a jig would be any easier than simply mating the body shell back onto the chassis is a whole different question,  ... but I can imagine that there may be particular situations where mating the two back together is not practical/possible for whatever reason.
My intention is not to sidetrack this thread from its intended topic - just tossing out some possibilities for making rocker section replacement better/easier, as it seems as though the vast majority of surviving Karmann Ghias will need that done at some point. |
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Clatter
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Joined: September 24, 2003
Posts: 7546
Location: Santa Cruz
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| Posted: Thu Oct 17, 2019 3:12 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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Love this big, meaty build thread..!
MMmmmm….
Looking at your jigs and fixturing, I think you'll do just fine.
One thing to add;
Because these things are mostly all sheet metal,
You'll have to fit the parts to each other - no way around it.
What I mean by this was illustrated by the Fastback i'm finishing up right now..
Because the car itself was tweaked, when I replaced the floorpans, it ended up where there wasn't anything right.
ALL of the numbers were out the window, and I had to get another complete floorpan to find the correct starting point.
Said another way;
Leave your floorpan together until your heater channels and sills and door gaps and all are done.
Finish the entire body and test fit on the pan during multiple times.
You will have to use the pan as a jig to get everything where it goes.
Sheetmetal can move around a LOT when you cut, and remove rigidity,
and -especially- when things get hot from welding and grinding.
Even if you build a nice jig, like you did..
It's amazing how much these things get to moving around when you start cutting and welding.
Not to mention how far off the aftermarket parts are..
If your jig ended up being perfect,
Your body will fall right on to the pan,
But you'll have to have it together and handy to know for sure.
Don't be like me.
(you're probably smart enough to know already, but humor me  )
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Bus Motor Build
What’s That Noise?!? |
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DILLIGAF08
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2018
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2019 4:48 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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This is completely off topic, but I had too push the Ghia off to the side for a few weeks. My daughter has decided to follow in her dads foot steps and became a weldor. She came to visit from the East coast for a bit and wanted her dad to show her a few of my skills before I forget all of them. We built the smoker I’ve been putting off for years. She’s a better weld than most journeymen I’ve seen, a chip off the old block...Great time indeed...
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c21darrel
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Joined: January 22, 2009
Posts: 8211
Location: San Dimas
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 9:10 am Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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A woman that just builds whatever she wants/needs rather than expecting someone to buy it for her - What man could ask for more!
Congratulations to both of you for a job very well done on building that smoker.
Impressive, Sir ... and Ma'am. |
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DILLIGAF08
Samba Member
Joined: September 26, 2018
Posts: 30
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| Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 3:53 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Karmann Ghia restoration |
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I’ve finally got a little time to give the Ghia some love...
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