What did you do to your ghia this week?

[Marcdeb]

[Rome]

[rbsurfguy]

Dude, since you and I grew up in So Cal, it is inevitable we will always go for the Cal Look, unless we find a really nice condition stock, then even I wouldn't mess with it. The good thing now is we are older, more experienced, and hopefully better off financially so we don't have to buy everything from Pep Boys and order through the JC Whitney catalog of crap!! Although many of the good parts shops are still around, and close enough to drive to if needed in So Cal. I miss that living on the East Coast, no good ACVW parts stores or repair shops...Relive the old days!!
Jeff
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1971 Ghia convertible (Body off rebuild)
2019 VW Atlas 4Motion
2012 Passat-Sold


See my build on The Samba at:
Jeff's 71 Vert Restoration/Reassembly http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=

[Big Bill]

I dont know overboost, I really like the direction your going with your Ghia. I would love to find one in about the same condition as yours. I think it will be a pleasure to drive when you get to the vision you have in your mind.

[overboost]

[overboost]

My neighborhood put on a Fall Festival with a Classic Car drive-in this morning. Took her out for a little air. I parked in the German section with a few Porsches.

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The older I get... The faster I was...

[kman]

After going out to get gas one night I decided I needed to upgrade.

New Hella LED headlights from Vintage car leds.

Also put in a new fuel tank recently and a dash pad.
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71 vert build. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=572951&highlight=dead

[rbsurfguy]

Hi Kman, I've seen the ads for these lights and I was wondering they required some type of voltage drop or rewiring. Do they come with everything needed?
Thanks, Jeff
_________________
1971 Ghia convertible (Body off rebuild)
2019 VW Atlas 4Motion
2012 Passat-Sold


See my build on The Samba at:
Jeff's 71 Vert Restoration/Reassembly http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=

[Marcdeb]

[kman]

[rbsurfguy]

Awesome, Thanks Kman!
Jeff
_________________
1971 Ghia convertible (Body off rebuild)
2019 VW Atlas 4Motion
2012 Passat-Sold


See my build on The Samba at:
Jeff's 71 Vert Restoration/Reassembly http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=

[Car32]

Never, never, never use Rust-oleum spray cans to re-paint your Ghia ...

... unless you want it to turn out not too bad.

(Removed turn-signal housings and put LED amber blinkers in the fresh-air vents)
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First Car = 1970 Westfallen Typ II
Second Car = 1966 Baja
Nth Car = 2006 Cayman S

1971 Karmann Ghia Coupe

[Rome]

[Car32]

The car originally wore "light ivory" and had been resprayed once in white.

I didn't want to go to bare metal since there was plenty of -- if not good -- paint on 'er already.

I hand-sanded nearly all the white respray off the car, arriving at a dark, grey primer between the two white coats. The second painting of the car was bad and had checkerboarded and crosshatched badly.

Since I love green cars, I chose Rust-oleum's semi-gloss Hunter Green. Not knowing if I'd like it, I painted a Premier Protein box in it and held it next to my Porsche phone-dial wheels (coming soon to a Ghia near me), the same color I painted the bumpers and chrome pieces. The box came out great so I thought the car would.

Not.

My wife called it a turtle, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. "I like turtles," as the meme goes, but the semi-gloss was mangy at best, too bright a green to look good but not intentionally flashy and, therefore, "accidental-looking." Also, the sheen was more irregular than Charlie.

To my rescue arrived Rust-oleum 2X in Moss Green. I like it better. Maybe I'm on my way to building a tribute car to the Gunther Werks Greenwich series of 25 special 993/911s.

How many cans, you ask? Ten of the final, Moss Green and eleven of the Hunter Green underneath = 21. But, that's just for the body. I've yet to paint inside the engine compartment, doors, sills and frunk.

Also, I went through 3 cans of Duplicolor anthracite/gun metal to do four wheels and the bumpers, et al mentioned above. By the way, the wheel paint is soft and I doubt it will hold up well.

The photos I uploaded reflect an in-progress state as I need to color-sand to even out the sheen (which will get a bit glossier as I go). Also, astute minds will notice the overspray here and there, especially on the trim and windows but they'll clean up.

Not asked: how much work? Too much but it's over so I'll forget the pain and say it was worth it. 45+ hours so far with another 5-10 to go to finish painting and cleaning up. Say 55 hours x $0 per hour and that's approximately $0. Figure about $150 in paint and supplies. The car was super-fugly before so I had little to lose and I've probably increased the value of the beast (unless folks really dislike green, which is how I felt about the white it wore).

Filling in the turn-signals on the front took about 4 hours, total. It was easier than I'd have thought: a couple pieces of sheetmetal, some shears, fourteen swear words and a MIG welder plus help from Mr. Bondo. I like the less-cluttered look.

Thanks for asking and for reading.
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First Car = 1970 Westfallen Typ II
Second Car = 1966 Baja
Nth Car = 2006 Cayman S

1971 Karmann Ghia Coupe

[todmeg]

Finished the rear drum to disc brake conversion. Hubs that came with the kit were wider just enough to make my 185/60/15 tires rub. Bummer. Went with 165/60/15. A little smaller not not enough to make it ugly. Next week come with installing the big bore master cyl..
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1770 DP Bad ass heads dual weber 40mm 010 headers and glass pack. Rivieras. 1971!!!

[HBGhia]

Made some of these things. Not sure what they're called, dust seal maybe?

Got the vapor barrier on the big part, smaller one is separate piece I left off to show the side molding holes covered with putty. And the felt for the door pull rod. (very small piece just under the plastic vapor barrier). Drivers side next after I fix the broken crank mechanism! Progress!

Still gotta figure out the round hole just in front of the door pull. Needs to be sealed somehow. I thought I saw pics of some kind of rubber fit into it. Maybe just extend the vapor barrier up to cover it as well.
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Can't have everything.....where would you put it?

[overboost]

[sputnick60]

I got a flat tyre...

Actually it wasn't me, it was Jane. Jane was taking the Ghia for an exercise run at the time but she had the wherewithal to pull over and attempt changing it herself... she got the jack sorted lifted the car up and then discovered the wheel nuts didn't match the wheel brace. That was my oversight. I have a nicely kitted garage and use the tools there, I completely forgot to check compatibility of the nut size and wheel brace. Jane managed to summon help from a passing motorist and the spare was rolling in a few minutes.

Nicholas
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'66 Karmann Ghia Cabriolet...
'65 Porsche 356C Coupe...
2005 Mecedes Benz C180 Kompressor Estate
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[blue72beetle]

Finally got around to installing my new door panels. That was kind of a pain...

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-Andy-
-1970 Ghia-
-1971 Bus 1776 Microsquirt EFI-

[kiwighia68]