Had some time for my '58 low light today

[Porschedave]

Good morning

As I continue down this resurrection road more questions pop up. I'm looking for your assistance please.

1. In the thread The Idiot's Guide to Original Karmann Ghia Interiors there was a post about the waxed paper that covers the inside of the door panels. Does anyone know where can we get this stuff?

2. I was told that the front carpet in my low light should not go behind the air pipe (as I showed in a picture above) but rather there is a floating kick board that covers this tube. However, many pictures show the rubber mat molded to the air pipe. Do we know when there was a change to the kick panel?

3. Is the vinyl over the rear package tray glued at the at the edges so that the vinyl looks smooth over the surface? Was there an underlay?

Thanks again for all your support.

Dave
_________________
1977 911S
1958 Karmann Ghia build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=571683
1965 Sunroof Notch build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5600139&highlight=#5600139

[John Moxon]

[Loren]

Many years ago I bought some of the red wax paper for the door panels in the Ghia classifieds here on the Samba. It does not have the cheese cloth layer, but it is very close to the original in color and feel. I don't know who I bought it from, but if you are interested I can see if the paper is in the original packaging with the name of the seller? Maybe he can tell us where he purchased it from.

I believe the vinyl on the rear parcel shelf was attached to a piece of cardboard or hardboard.

[Porschedave]

Hi Loren

Thank you. Yes I would appreciate it you were able to get a source for that paper. And I'll look at some hardboard for the rear tray. That makes sense.

Dave
_________________
1977 911S
1958 Karmann Ghia build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=571683
1965 Sunroof Notch build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5600139&highlight=#5600139

[Loren]

I found the deleted ad for the paper:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=973043

It was sourced by Luis (who is making the low light mats). You might contact him and see where he got the paper from. He might even have some left.

[Porschedave]

Howdy Folks

Well, it is the new year but we're still with this "old" covid thing and getting kind of tired of it all. But that means I can simply spend more time working on projects, like my Ghia. Here's the latest situation

A local VW friend did some interior work for me and here are a couple of pictures form the back seat:

It looks pretty darn neat I think.

And I've begun to glue in the carpet in the foot well as well.

And today, my friends Dave and Phil came by and we got the windscreens installed.

I still have to put in the chrome strips but overall the car looks pretty good. And it is so nice to be able to check off some of those items.

Dave
_________________
1977 911S
1958 Karmann Ghia build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=571683
1965 Sunroof Notch build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5600139&highlight=#5600139

[c21darrel]

As i recall, its easier to put the chrome trim in then put all into the window opening.
Looking Good!
_________________
GhiaBuild
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=481184
1967 DC build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=693583&highlight=67+dc
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[TRS63]

looks good getting completed

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

[Porschedave]

Hey Folks
Well, the front and rear windscreens are in place. It was not too much of a challenge but having two friends along to help made it easier. However, getting those pesky chrome strips in place, with the C-channel, was a huge PITA. I watched videos, used lots of lubricant and so on but it still took a number of hours to get them all in. Having said that, well, they look nice and certainly finish off the windows.

Does anyone know if you can buff out the old scuff marks on the front windscreen from the wipers? I had heard that you can use a polisher and some fine grit polish to get them out. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Now, I'll go back to the installation of the carpets.
Dave
_________________
1977 911S
1958 Karmann Ghia build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=571683
1965 Sunroof Notch build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5600139&highlight=#5600139

[Marcdeb]

[djway3474]

[Porschedave]

It's encouraging to hear that it can be done - thanks for the comments. I looked at your build thread and saw that you had done the side windows. Did you also do the front? And I looked at Amazon for diamond stone polisher discs and there were a bazillion. You mentioned 400 and 600 grit. I have a variable speed polisher. Was your DA sanders variable speed? Do you have any idea which rpm you used? Do you have a sense of the challenges working on a curved window and not adding to the scuffs? I'm nervous about this challenge and I certainly do not want to make them out - it was too much of a PITA to install.

Dave
_________________
1977 911S
1958 Karmann Ghia build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=571683
1965 Sunroof Notch build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5600139&highlight=#5600139

[calexican]

Looking beautiful. Getting the windows in with trim is big step that really makes the project feel like a car. Excellent work, I have enjoyed this thread from the beginning.

[djway3474]

All 6 windows were done.
The windshield was the worst
Don’t use the stone polishers, they caused more problems than they fixed.
I used some very course paper on the deep gouges then worked up to 2000 then the cerium. There is an adhesive you use to hold the wet dry onto the rubber pad.
I had running water on the glass at all times to keep the heat away.
I used a DA some of the time and a drill and a buffer, whatever worked best for which medium I was using. Heat is the main issue. Most work was done with a drill with the extra handle so I could control it. Speed is not necessary.
I accidentally buffed off Sekruit on one piece of glass.
I will probably be replacing the windshield with aftermarket since I don’t feel comfortable polishing in place and I am no longer striving for 100% original. The waves are right at my eye level being tall and I would rather have clear vision. I will keep the glass and try again someday, maybe.

[Porschedave]

Great DJway

Thanks for the comments. At this point I'm in no rush as there remain lots of other things to do with the car. I might decide to live with it. I'm not even sure I could get a replacement window a car this old.

Dave
_________________
1977 911S
1958 Karmann Ghia build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=571683
1965 Sunroof Notch build thread here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5600139&highlight=#5600139

[CruisinMark]

I tried polishing a scratch from a modern Toyota windscreen using a polishing compound supplied by a local glass company. I used it wet with an electric polisher. It was in my line of sight and I ended up with a cloud across my line of vision. I had to replace the windscreen and the company who replaced it stated that the screen should never have been polished. Apparently the polish I had been supplied with was intended for shower doors.

It wasn't a big deal for me as the screen was wrecked with the scratch anyway and an old Toyota Matrix is a very different beast to your beautiful Ghia.

I don't know much about glass, and whether the modern compound in a laminated screen is much different to an old VW screen, but I suggest speaking with an expert before you get started. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but I'd hate to see you damage your windscreen.

Awesome job on the car and thanks for posting your story. It looks fantastic.

[lonotch]

This is my humble opinion from a 30 plus year glazier, if you can feel the scratch with your fingernail then forget about doing it yourself and if it’s that bad that you want to keep that glass have a professional do it. Glass is a very hard substance to work with.

If it was me doing it I would do a light polish to get the small stuff out and leave it as is, think about a body man doing body work, they can sand and fill where needed, glass can’t, any sanding/polishing will remove material that can’t be replaced so you will get waves in the glass by only working on those particular spots.

Again, JMHO.
_________________
It's not about the window, it's about the people.

German Folks

[djway3474]

Early windshields are not laminated.

[lonotch]

[kiwighia68]

Dave, when I look at your car, I see an exceptionally beautiful colour combination with the interior on the way to match that quality. If you want the glass to be at the same level, I think, you're going to have to get the professionals in.

I had deep scratches removed from the roof of my Porsche 993 Targa, and it took effort, time and money, and the square foot where they polisher operated was noticeably smoother than the rest of the glass roof. I asked the same guy to polish the 45 year old glass of my Ghia, but to just give it a light polish everywhere, rather than to dig into the scratches. While the glass isn't perfect - you can find blemishes if you look hard - I think the quality of the paint job leads the eye away from the glass. And all my glass is original.
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015