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Ghiaddict
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Joined: November 20, 2002
Posts: 2632
Location: Now in Honea Path, SC
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 Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:20 am Post subject: |
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We found that rubber seal on at least 2 original
late model tops that never had a restoration.
One was a 1974 'vert I used to own.
It's placed on the outside of the top material and
secured with metal insert bars and screws, much like
cabrio door window seals on the top frame.
There are some reasons why we usually opt for placing
the foam seal under the top material at the header bow,
which is original for earlier model cabrios. These include:
The 2-piece insert bars can be HTF. Might have to make your own.
Properly-sized seal can be HTF. Many repros are too wide/thick.
Screws into new top cover and header. Rather not!
Looks cleaner to have the seal hidden, IMHO.
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72Ghia
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Joined: November 11, 2007
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Location: Baltimore Maryland
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Ghiaddict
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Joined: November 20, 2002
Posts: 2632
Location: Now in Honea Path, SC
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| Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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Some extra stitching as insurance is a good idea
where glue is used for bonding things together.
Yes, we do that in many cases.
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72Ghia
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Ghiaddict
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Joined: November 20, 2002
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Location: Now in Honea Path, SC
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| Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 5:42 am Post subject: |
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Just the liner.
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72Ghia
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Ghiaddict
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Joined: November 20, 2002
Posts: 2632
Location: Now in Honea Path, SC
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| Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:32 am Post subject: |
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Yes, we have always replaced the side tension cables.
Correct tension on them is set with the top closed and latched.
The coil springs are usually stretched just a few mm by the cables
when the top is closed and latched.
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OC Ghia
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Joined: April 04, 2003
Posts: 169
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| Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:58 am Post subject: |
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| How many hours would an install like that take and how much does it costs? I was quoted $400 and 1/2 a day by a local VW guy. |
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Ghiaddict
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Joined: November 20, 2002
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Location: Now in Honea Path, SC
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| Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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| OC Ghia wrote: |
| How many hours would an install like that take and how much does it costs? I was quoted $400 and 1/2 a day by a local VW guy. |
For what?
The side tension cables? 
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72Ghia
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NOVA Airhead
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Joined: July 20, 2005
Posts: 5221
Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 12:16 pm Post subject: |
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| OC Ghia wrote: |
| How many hours would an install like that take and how much does it costs? I was quoted $400 and 1/2 a day by a local VW guy. |
That is an excellent price for a Ghia top install. In fact I would make sure the shop is competent and can do it. The price is really low and I think it would take more than one half person day to install.
Several years ago I had a top installed on a Super I used to own. The labor was about $500. I believe a Ghia top is much harder.
I remember reading something about the Karmann factory top installers. IIRC it took two men a full day to install a Ghia top. Now they were performing a lot more hand work back then compared to the kits available now. However they were also highly skilled in their craft.
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Ghiaddict
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Location: Now in Honea Path, SC
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| Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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No way in the world can one person replace a complete top
in 1/2 a day. Also, it's one thing for 2 VW Factory Techs to
build a top when new VS. repairing and restoring something
that's at least 37 years old.
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OC Ghia
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Joined: April 04, 2003
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| Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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| I haven't been to the guy's place yet. I've only been in contact via emails. I believe he works out of his house and works on VW's on the side as a hobby. In the email he said he has done three VW convertibles already. I didn't clarify if he was talking about bugs or ghias. I wanted to get your opinion because $400 sounds kind of low. |
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zepare
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Joined: June 13, 2007
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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Hi all. What is the best method to add 1/4" (or more) to the front of a wood header bow. I am installing a new one and the side clearance is good (2mm) but the middle is 15mm. It needs to be 7mm. Any ideas? Thank you in advance.
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Ghiaddict
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Joined: November 20, 2002
Posts: 2632
Location: Now in Honea Path, SC
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| Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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As Bill stated in the previous (locked) thread, for filling
a gap of 1/4" or so I'd use some dense, closed cell foam
strips to eliminate the extra space.
Sometimes you face a gap even larger than that and that's when
wooden wedges secured with brads and wood glue can be used.
Vendors still seem to be sending out header bows with too
much arc built into them, causing fit problems.
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jbassman
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Joined: January 29, 2004
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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From another thread. The pins are overshooting the holes, and everything else is lined up. The header bow and metal corners are the only thing new to the car. It`s never been in an accident and the heater channels are rust free. The body has been off the frame, and all shims have been used to get the door spacing right.
OK, here is a picture of the pin placement to the frame.
Last edited by jbassman on Mon May 16, 2011 9:32 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jbassman
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| Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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The fit`s good once I loosen the bolts back far enough to get the pins where they should be.
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jbassman
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| Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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One more.
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72Ghia
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Ghiaddict
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Joined: November 20, 2002
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Location: Now in Honea Path, SC
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 5:43 am Post subject: |
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| jbassman wrote: |
The fit`s good once I loosen the bolts back far enough to get the pins where they should be.
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One easy solution would be using the shorter locating pins
in your top because they will probably line up better and drop right
into the holes in the windshield frame. The chrome pins are
available in 2 versions:
As a last resort, you could also use the stop bolt located rear of
the door pillar to shorten the forward motion of the main bow. The
VW manuals will tell you that this is not the proper use of this bolt
and it may result in other measurements needing re-adjustment.
Exactly what bolts are you loosening to get a proper fit? When you
loosen the 6 frame mounting bolts on the door pillars, it also allows
you to slide the entire mechanism up or down to obtain the correct
gap between the body and the ends of the main bow @ the lock pillar.
Doing this also changes the alignment of the chrome locating pins
to the top of the w/s frame, but not by much.
It's all a balancing act because one change you make will usually
have an effect on other components and measurements.
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