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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: Sun Aug 30, 2020 12:54 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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I just have time for a quick post today, but wanted you all to know how much I truly appreciate all the support that's been offered here by so many thus far.
Specifically, ...
@EverettB -
| EverettB wrote: |
...
Screw it, pump up the tires, check the oil/gas/battery and drive it out of there 
... |
Per my usual, I had been overthinking the whole "getting the Ghia moved over to my new garage" thing.
Thanks for making me realize there's a better way than waiting until the wee hours of the morning to push the Ghia the 1/2 mile between the old and new garage.
The oil leak was bad enough to be concerning, but if I top it off before I start it should certaihly make the 1/2 mile journey with oil left over to spare.
@iowegian -  I forgot about some of those silly ideas I used to have about what I could do with things I didn't really need, nor have any place for, but found at an irresistable Clearance price.
@kingkarmann - Thanks for the kind wishes, and Best of Luck to you and your partner in dealing with her mother's Alzheimer's.
It can be so painful to watch the body live past the point where the cognitive functions are lost.
It's often said that a long life is a blessing, ... but that's mostly only true of a long, healthy life.
@Karmann Gheezer - Indeed, Family First. ... but that does also include this wonderful Karmann Ghia community/family.
Thanks for your kind thoughts and words.
@john morris - There is strength in numbers, indeed.
Thankfully my young adult son is always there to support me, and to gently but firmly prod me along when I do get bogged down in the unimportant minutia of life.
Your prayers are much appreciated.
@c21darrel - Freeing my poor Karmann Ghia has been a long time in coming, indeed!
Perhaps I should name him Willy?
As for my Karmann Ghia looking better than you had expected, I'm afraid the truth is that it is much like me in that we are both better looking when viewed from 20 feet away or more.
It has more than its share of dings, minor dents, paint chips and scratches ... but overall not bad at all for a mere 53 years old.
I have not ordered any dropped spindles yet - I was hoping that letting the air out of the tires would get it down into the weeds enough, but I now realize I'll probably have to rethink that whole concept.
and finally, @gatordub - Wow! When I was looking at this photo in your post ...
... I initially thought you had quoted my photos, and I was thnking to myself "That's weird - I don't remember that piece of side trim missing before?". 
I'm just not used to seeing any other Castillian Yellow Karmann Ghias, and the similar garage setting really threw me off.
Seriously, I can only recall seeing photos of one other '67 in Castillian Yellow before.
If you keep posting pics of your Ghia, you may just unseat mine as the first photo that comes up when you do a Google image search for Castillian Yellow Karmann Ghia.  |
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69 GVert
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2014
Posts: 61
Location: San Jose, CA
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| Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2020 2:51 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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Co-incidence?
My Ghia was recently uncovered after 16 years as well. Same story, although the boxes of stuff it was covered with were actually the parts of the car that I removed almost 20 years ago. It needed a full body-off de-rust session back then and in the midst of the reassembly we moved to a larger house. You're probably thinking bigger is better, right? Well, yes, and no. It just meant that my other air-cooled cars could take over more space, and the poor Ghia was neglected for a newer, sexier Porsche obsession or two, or three, OK seven...
Anyhoo, I'm down to just two Porsches and the Ghia and suddenly have plenty of free time to start putting it back together again. (At the moment I'm wrestling the wiper motor in, but it seems like the new speaker is larger than the one I replaced... I may have to get out the angle grinder again!) Still haven't decided on the color yet, but I'm used to the primer after all these years, I'll probably drive it that way for a while.
_________________
Aircooled? Drive one a day, that's all I ask! |
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TRS63
Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2017
Posts: 999
Location: Stuttgart - Germany
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| Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2020 1:10 am Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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Hello Daryl,
Somehow I missed your post.. so only showing some support now!
-Even with a leaking oil cooler seal, no issue for a 1/2 mile and being actually driving it is even going to push your motivation higher!
-Family first as the other said but putting the ghia back to life can be a nice activity giving yourself some distraction from everyday’s stress, and doing it step by step do not require too much time to free in your week’s calendar
-Oil-cooler seals is one afternoon’s work. I understand if you don’t trust yourself alone.. I hope you can find someone of the community near you (I am sadly too far, otherwise I would be on my way!) to give a hand and spend one nice afternoon making that beauty fit again with you!
-when the engine isn’t leaking anymore, control the brakes, change: oil+brake fluids, spark plugs, tires. One final valve check and you’re then back enjoying the ghia !
Keep at it,
Antoine
_________________
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 |
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69 GVert
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2014
Posts: 61
Location: San Jose, CA
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| Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2020 11:35 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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With the brakes it's important to put new hoses from the reservoir to the master cylinder. I changed mine around 1995 while doing the body-off repairs, and it sat since then. Recently I found that the brake lights work fine when pressing the pedal, so there must be some brake fluid in it. After taking the gas tank out I wanted to remove the blue brake fluid hoses to paint around the gas tank area, and the reservoir and hoses were completely dry! No fluid at all. So 25 year old brake hose is no longer any good, even with zero use. (Got new hose today, putting it on tomorrow, then the tank goes back in, maybe some gas too.)
_________________
Aircooled? Drive one a day, that's all I ask! |
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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: Sun Sep 13, 2020 2:45 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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| 69 GVert wrote: |
Co-incidence?
My Ghia was recently uncovered after 16 years as well. Same story, although the boxes of stuff it was covered with were actually the parts of the car that I removed almost 20 years ago. It needed a full body-off de-rust session back then and in the midst of the reassembly we moved to a larger house. You're probably thinking bigger is better, right? Well, yes, and no. It just meant that my other air-cooled cars could take over more space, and the poor Ghia was neglected for a newer, sexier Porsche obsession or two, or three, OK seven...
Anyhoo, I'm down to just two Porsches and the Ghia and suddenly have plenty of free time to start putting it back together again. (At the moment I'm wrestling the wiper motor in, but it seems like the new speaker is larger than the one I replaced... I may have to get out the angle grinder again!) Still haven't decided on the color yet, but I'm used to the primer after all these years, I'll probably drive it that way for a while. |
It may have taken most if my life to learn, but I'm finally catching on to this fact ... when I take something apart, the chances of it ever getting put back together again are directly related to a combination of how many pieces I took off and how urgently I need that thing to operate properly again.
Thankfully I only removed the rear bumper 15 years ago.
There's a pretty good chance I'll be able to get that back together at some point.
If the whole Ghia had been taken apart, my survivors would likely be selling the shell and associated boxed parts to someone else at some point in the future when I'm gone. |
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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: Sun Sep 13, 2020 3:12 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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| TRS63 wrote: |
Hello Daryl,
Somehow I missed your post.. so only showing some support now!
-Even with a leaking oil cooler seal, no issue for a 1/2 mile and being actually driving it is even going to push your motivation higher!
-Family first as the other said but putting the ghia back to life can be a nice activity giving yourself some distraction from everyday’s stress, and doing it step by step do not require too much time to free in your week’s calendar
...
Keep at it,
Antoine |
Antoine - Thanks for your kind show of support, ... even if you were a bit late to the party.
I agree that if I can actually drive my Ghia to my new home, even that short driving experience will likely motivate me a great deal to get it back into proper roadworthy condition.
I have to say that folowing the work that you and so many others have been tackling to bring their Ghias back to life has been a tremendous motivation to finally get working on my own. |
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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: Sun Sep 13, 2020 3:15 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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| 69 GVert wrote: |
| With the brakes it's important to put new hoses from the reservoir to the master cylinder. I changed mine around 1995 while doing the body-off repairs, and it sat since then. Recently I found that the brake lights work fine when pressing the pedal, so there must be some brake fluid in it. After taking the gas tank out I wanted to remove the blue brake fluid hoses to paint around the gas tank area, and the reservoir and hoses were completely dry! No fluid at all. So 25 year old brake hose is no longer any good, even with zero use. (Got new hose today, putting it on tomorrow, then the tank goes back in, maybe some gas too.) |
Thanks for that great reminder about those soft lines connecting the reservoir to the master cylinder - I would've completely forgotten about them otherwise. |
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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: Sun Sep 13, 2020 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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Although no work has yet begun on my Ghia, things have been pretty busy around here over the past several weeks.
My Father's body finally just reached its "Best If Used By date" after a solid 95 year run.
Mom and I were able to keep him home and care for him ourselves up to the very end, which was her greatest hope and, I'm certain, his greatest comfort.
He died peacefully in his sleep on August 31st.
The weeks leading up to that were obviously filled with constantly being ready and available to meet the next challenges as they developed, and the week that followed was filled with all the final arrangements and the new challenges that COVID brought to all of those.
Now that I've had a chance to catch my breath and begin to move forward, I've been busy with cleaning out another bad hoarding area over at my former residence - the home office room.
For now, I'm just bringing all of the contents over here for sorting and eventual disposal or storage.
Unfortunately the only "staging area" available is the new garage, so it will be another week or six before I can get it clean enough to bring the Ghia over here.
... did I mention that the garage here already contained a fair amount of crap that my father had accumulated, and that I will now have to sort through all of that as well. 
One thing at a time, right?
It's all Good, and with a little luck and some perseverance I'll finally be able to get to working on the "fun" stuff.
My goal is to be able to eventually think of all my old possessions the same way that I seem to think of written words - I don't seem to have any trouble tossing out as many of those as I can, ... as often as I can!
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Marcdeb
Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2019
Posts: 3031
Location: Vermont
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| Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2020 5:10 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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Daryl,
My sincere condolences. Very sorry for your loss. Congratulations on being there to help care for him.
It can 've very tough but also very meaningful.
I lost my father 20 yrs ago when he was only 65 and I miss him a lot, especially when working
on my Ghia as he was also an auto enthusiast.
You are dealing with many things all at the same time. Make sure to take time for yourself.
And yes, one thing at a time, and one day at a time.
_________________
Marc
68 Karmann Ghia Cabrio Autostick
71 Karmann Ghia Cabrio
Previously Owned:
2011 VW EOS Hard Top Conv
2008 Saab 9-3 2.0T Conv
2003 Saab 9-3 SE Conv
2001 Saab 9-3 Conv
1998 BMW 3 Series Conv
1997 Saab 900 Conv
1997 Mazda Miata
68 Ghia Vert Survivor with 22,350 miles: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=768107&highlight=
71 Ghia Vert Restoration: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=726710&postorder=asc |
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moogie32
Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2005
Posts: 663
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:31 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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Hi Daryl,
I am so sorry to hear about your dad - I lost mine 5 years ago and not a day goes by that I don't think of him and my mom. I echo everything Marc just wrote - take some time to heal and reflect - anything which needs to be attended to will be waiting for you when you are ready to deal with it. One day at a time...
Hugs,
Diane
_________________
RIP HBB (1984-2009)
Du liefst so gut
Du warst so schön
Doch leider musst du von uns gehn |
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John Moxon 
Samba Moderator
Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 13952
Location: Southampton U.K.
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c21darrel
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009
Posts: 8211
Location: San Dimas
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CiderGuy
Samba Member
Joined: December 23, 2013
Posts: 1351
Location: Bucks County, Pa
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| Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:54 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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| John Moxon wrote: |
| Well Daryl, you're a good son. The right result in everyone's life is to be there when you're needed and to have someone there when you need them. You're a winner. |
Perfectly said. |
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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: Fri Oct 16, 2020 10:48 am Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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Unfortunately I have not yet been able to start doing anything that would help get my Karmann Ghia back on the road yet.
I have been "visiting" it quite a bit lately, though.
Although I've never named a car before, I've definitely decided to name my Ghia "Willy" for these reasons ...
- I had an uncle named Willy who acted as my dad's "father figure" and was an extremely important figure in my life as I was growing up
- there's the whole "German car" bearing the same name as a former German Kaiser (Kaiser as in German leader, not the U.S. car marque) thing
- it just seems appropriate and fitting, as in "Will he ever get around to fixing up that awesome old Karmann Ghia?"
My ex had another dumpster dropped off (BTW, these are "just" half size dumpsters ... as if that makes my mess sound any less "bad"), and it was packed tightly with more crap taken out of the basement and the garage attic.
This company slogan was painted on the side of the dumpsters ...
| Quote: |
| Bin There, Dump That |
... and although I've never gotten any tattoos before, I'm seriously considering getting that slogan inked somewhere on my body as a reminder to never allow myself to collect huge amounts of completely worthless crap ever again. |
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Trylon
Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2019
Posts: 4853
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:07 am Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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And Willy is Graham Nash’s nickname... Well maybe you didn’t need to hear that.
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire
More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel! |
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John Moxon
Samba Moderator
Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 13952
Location: Southampton U.K.
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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: Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:12 am Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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| Trylon wrote: |
| And Willy is Graham Nash’s nickname... Well maybe you didn’t need to hear that. |
Graham Nash - does he Stills drive a Crosby, or was that just when he was Young? |
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Trylon
Samba Member
Joined: August 16, 2019
Posts: 4853
Location: Connecticut
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| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 11:17 am Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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| KGCoupe wrote: |
| Trylon wrote: |
| And Willy is Graham Nash’s nickname... Well maybe you didn’t need to hear that. |
Graham Nash - does he Stills drive a Crosby, or was that just when he was Young? |
For what its worth, dontcha know they’re riding on the Marrakesh Express?
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire
More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel! |
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iowegian
Samba Curmudgeon
Joined: February 16, 2005
Posts: 9829
Location: Somewhere between Dubuque and Keokuk
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| Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 1:47 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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| KGCoupe wrote: |
Unfortunately I have not yet been able to start doing anything that would help get my Karmann Ghia back on the road yet.
I have been "visiting" it quite a bit lately, though.
Although I've never named a car before, I've definitely decided to name my Ghia "Willy" for these reasons ...
- I had an uncle named Willy who acted as my dad's "father figure" and was an extremely important figure in my life as I was growing up
- there's the whole "German car" bearing the same name as a former German Kaiser (Kaiser as in German leader, not the U.S. car marque) thing
- it just seems appropriate and fitting, as in "Will he ever get around to fixing up that awesome old Karmann Ghia?"
My ex had another dumpster dropped off (BTW, these are "just" half size dumpsters ... as if that makes my mess sound any less "bad"), and it was packed tightly with more crap taken out of the basement and the garage attic.
This company slogan was painted on the side of the dumpsters ...
| Quote: |
| Bin There, Dump That |
... and although I've never gotten any tattoos before, I'm seriously considering getting that slogan inked somewhere on my body as a reminder to never allow myself to collect huge amounts of completely worthless crap ever again. |
Now you can say you are going over to the ex's garage to play with your willy.  |
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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: Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:06 pm Post subject: Re: 1967 Ghia Coupe Buried 15 Years In Hoarder's Garage Uncovered |
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| iowegian wrote: |
| KGCoupe wrote: |
Unfortunately I have not yet been able to start doing anything that would help get my Karmann Ghia back on the road yet.
I have been "visiting" it quite a bit lately, though.
Although I've never named a car before, I've definitely decided to name my Ghia "Willy" for these reasons ...
- I had an uncle named Willy who acted as my dad's "father figure" and was an extremely important figure in my life as I was growing up
- there's the whole "German car" bearing the same name as a former German Kaiser (Kaiser as in German leader, not the U.S. car marque) thing
- it just seems appropriate and fitting, as in "Will he ever get around to fixing up that awesome old Karmann Ghia?"
My ex had another dumpster dropped off (BTW, these are "just" half size dumpsters ... as if that makes my mess sound any less "bad"), and it was packed tightly with more crap taken out of the basement and the garage attic.
This company slogan was painted on the side of the dumpsters ...
| Quote: |
| Bin There, Dump That |
... and although I've never gotten any tattoos before, I'm seriously considering getting that slogan inked somewhere on my body as a reminder to never allow myself to collect huge amounts of completely worthless crap ever again. |
Now you can say you are going over to the ex's garage to play with your willy. |
OMG weegie! 
You are just too funny. |
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