The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted

[Evil_Fiz]

[swavananda]

Looks slick ,But...
Don't let my paranoia trigger your paranoia.......

Can a EMPI (china empi ) oil cooler handle a constant 160 PSI ? The AC condenser you mentioned seemed a better plan, Meant to hold compressed gas. I would at least gone with a Setrab. . But seriously, I accidentally ran over one of those years ago and saw how thin walled they are.

[Evil_Fiz]

[Evil_Fiz]

I don’t have any vehicle specific progress to report yet so I will take this opportunity to follow through on my commitment to transparency and sharing. I have made two costly mistakes so far during the reinterpretation of The Krakken. The first was the purchase of a used air compressor with unknown maintenance history and the other was the use of 3” casters on the body dolly.

The compressor: -$200
I purchased a used Craftsman compressor for $200 which I ended getting rid of. That saga is outlined above so I won’t rehash it. Suffice it to say I now have $800 invested and $600 worth of compressor to show for it.


The dolly: -9 Hrs
When I built my dolly back in 2015 I opted to use a $25 set of casters intended for a Lowe’s/Kobalt tool cabinet. It seemed like a good idea at the time since funds were short and after all wheels are wheels. NOT! It quickly became apparent that although the wheels rolled fine on the garage floor and the driveway, changing direction or going over the expansion joint between the driveway and the garage was a labor intensive and cumbersome process. Fast forward to the weekend of 8-19-17. After discovering that reasonably priced 5” casters could be purchased at Harbor Freight I decided to replace the four 3” swivel casters with two fixed 5” casters up front and two 5” swivel casters out back. Fortunately for me, size does matter. After spending nine hours working alone in a stale air, 90+*, 90% relative humidity garage I had the new casters under the car, rolling smoothly and effortlessly. The fixed casters up front means I can now point the car in the direction I want to go in and get there without the it wandering sideways.

The wheel replacement process was filled with even more mistakes. I built a two-piece dolly to hold the chassis in the hopes that I could transfer the body from the body dolly to the chassis as a temporary holder while I changed the wheels. Long story short, I was able to rest the back of the body on the chassis but the front had to be supported on jack stands. I Also struggled with the gantry crane I had built because it cleared the garage door at the outer edges but not the center where the door sags. In my defense the crane was built to be used outside where there is no height limitation. My crane has no wheels which makes it cumbersome to move without assistance.

The chassis dolly will work as intended with a few simple tweaks and the 3” casters will be used under the shortened crane when the time comes to install the new floors.


Conclusion:
1) To quote Scott Doonan: “If you take time to do it, do it right and don't be so damn cheap.”
2) If you buy a used air compressor, make sure that is verified to be structurally sound or that you have full confidence in the maintenance regiment kept by the previous owner. At a minimum confirm that it has been hydrostatically tested to twice the tanks rated pressure. You should also have it tested for corrosion and cracks in the tank. It’s only a good deal if it doesn’t try to kill you one day.
3) Use the biggest casters you can afford when building a rolling dolly. 8” pneumatic wheels are great for rolling on uneven, softer terrain (grass and gravel) but 5” or 6” rubber casters are ideal for hard surfaces.
4) A mix of fixed and swivel casters will make it easier to roll the dolly in the direction you want it to go but four-wheel swivel casters will make maneuvering in the garage a bit simpler.
5) If you build a gantry crane for body removal, make sure it will clear your garage door and put swivel casters under it; three casters on each side should work fine (one on each end of the horizontal legs and one directly under the uprights to prevent flex.)

Chassis and Body Dollies

Chassis Dolly Front

Chassis Dolly Rear

Old wheel

New Wheel rear

New Wheel Front

…we’re all in this together.
_________________
“…It's not just about what's interesting. It's also about what's helpful, and it's helpful even if it helps just one other guy working on a Ghia.”
kiwighia68

See my build on TheSamba at:
The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted

[euro911]

I had a '66 Ghia 'vert' back in the 70's ... sorry I ever sold it
_________________
Mark S.,
So. Cal, So. Bay
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'70 Karmann Ghia Coupe
'84 Vanagon Westfalia Camper ("Eileen")

[Lo Cash John]

How's the Ghia project coming?
_________________
www.LoCashRacing.org
More brains than bucks...Believe it or not!!

If you actually drive your VW, you need www.AirMapp.com

My boss told me I need to work on my mutli-tasking. So now when I use the bathroom at work I surf The Samba on my iPhone.

[Evil_Fiz]

[Evil_Fiz]

Minor update:
I have been working on garage organization and adding additional lighting. I also started the rebuilding process on the front beam. This led me to post "Spring pack stuck in ball joint trailing arm – suggestions?" in the Ghia forum since it is kind of a show stopper. The rebuild process may be more an exercise than forward progress since after speaking with fellow Samba member LowCashJohn I may go ahead and get a 2" - 3" adjustable narrowed beam, built locally by one of John's contacts, to compensate for the lowered spindles I plan to install.

Feel free to chime in with ideas for removing the spring pack from the trailing arm.
_________________
“…It's not just about what's interesting. It's also about what's helpful, and it's helpful even if it helps just one other guy working on a Ghia.”
kiwighia68

See my build on TheSamba at:
The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted

[xzener]

Do you have the drop spindles already? I have a brand new set, installed them momentarily and found they would not work with my 17" rims. Took them off and posted them for sale. Have since reinstalled the stock spindles.

The front end rebuild has been a pain in the arse for me, although my leaf springs came right out of the control arms no problem. I installed custom through rods for air ride... But again changed my mind and just bought some 2" narrowed leaf springs from air-cooled.net. They claim they are 10% softer springs to compensate for the 2" narrower length.

Lemme know if you're interested in the dropped spindles... I will let them go for a better price than listed. Good luck with the front end.
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My 70 beetle was totaled Now to build the Ghia I always wanted. Rest in peace Ruby, I will miss you. Hello <insert Ghia name here>!

[Evil_Fiz]

Still here

I have been doing some garage rehab work and parts cleaning.
My foray into household electrical upgrades once agin finds me in the garage. I decided to address the anemic lighting I had by going "Captain Overkill" on the situation. All the electrical wiring was run through surface mounted PVC conduit and two-gang boxes. I'll spare you the details and the "Blue Word" count. I will be adding at least 3 more 48" lamps over the Ghia (Left bay.)

I cut two access holes in the tunnel to reinforce the clutch tube and run two 3/8" NiCopp fuel lines for a Subaru fuel system. I am leaving the existing line in place to be used as a boost gauge line if I go turbo. This work is on hold until the 25' roll of NiCopp tubing arrives.


BEFORE
Six 3 way, 60 Watt Eq. CFL Ceiling fan fixtures mounted directly to ceiling electrical boxes. The picture represents what the garage looked like to me with the equivalent of 600 Watts of light before the upgrades. I am night blind and no amount of light will ever be enough.

AFTER
The above, plus five, 2 way x 48" fluorescent lamps (3 spanning the right garage bay), one, 2 way x 24" fluorescent lamp, and three 2 way x 24" fluorescent lamps over the newly added work bench.

Cheers,
Emil
_________________
“…It's not just about what's interesting. It's also about what's helpful, and it's helpful even if it helps just one other guy working on a Ghia.”
kiwighia68

See my build on TheSamba at:
The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted

[Evil_Fiz]

I have been up to no good lately, but first a word from our sponsor:
Please check out my "Request for help" post in the Body/paint forum at:
Heater/Rocker Channel – Evaluation and recommendations

I have stripped the paint off the rocker skins and external heater channel surfaces, and mostly vacuumed out the Heater and Rocker cavities.

[c21darrel]

Is option #1 to cut small patches where the holes are? To me it is much easier to make 10 small patches and not remove the rocker.... You just need to cut enough to get to metal thick enough to weld.
I just did some repairs to the gates on my truck, similar to the rocker panel its boxed metal. After repairing my areas (like your above) I flooded the cavity with phosphoric acid, let it sit and flood it again (i used a submersible pump and hose to pump the phos acid up and let it rain down). Then rinsed, blow dry and then poured a thinned quart of rustoleum (home depot) to coat the inside. It covered very well, dried hard. I figure to get another 50+ years out of them.
_________________
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!

[Evil_Fiz]

^^^ I am planning on doing just that once I do whatever repairs I settle on. I had not thought of the recirculation via pump. Consider the idea stolen borrowed.

- Are you reusing the cut-out metal after repairing or replacing with new metal?
- Any suggestions on how to minimize the kerf on the cut-outs? I thought of welding in an extension to the pieces I remove, grinding flat, then cutting to fit tight before welding in. What can of worms am I opening with that one?
- What is you opinion of the extent of the damage? That is the part I most uncertain about.

Thanks
_________________
“…It's not just about what's interesting. It's also about what's helpful, and it's helpful even if it helps just one other guy working on a Ghia.”
kiwighia68

See my build on TheSamba at:
The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted

[c21darrel]

[Ian Godfrey]

as far as I can see your rockers are generally in VERY GOOD condition. I second cutting out only the damaged areas (rectangles mostly) and this will also give you new access places to continue cleaning.
When done, weld in new steel and rust proof. I use recycled VW steel also. (an old door skin)

[Evil_Fiz]

@c21darrel, here is the long version of my question.
Removal of the panel in the picture would be necessary if I chose to remove the entire rocker skin intact with the convertible brace attached to it. The cut line would apply to any reusable panels suck as a partial removal of the rocker skin, i.e. If I drill the outer spot welds on the top of the rocker skin along the outer door sill and cut just above where the vert brace is spot welded to the rocker skin. Vertical cuts would be made just inside of the front and rear seams.

If I remove the panel in the picture by drilling out the spot welds and cutting along the dashed line, I will end up with a 1/16"+ gap when I try to fit the panel back onto the car. My cutting wheels are 1/16" thick. Assuming I cut a perfectly straight line (not likely,) I will have a ~1/16" gap between the removed piece and the panel on the car. It is my understanding that a 1/32" gap is ideal. Given my lacking welding skills I am afraid I would do more harm than good when trying to re-attach the cut piece to the car with a 1/16" gap.

How can I address this problem?
My thought was to weld in a strip at the cut edge, grind it flat, then cut to size leaving a 1/32" gap. Worth it? better way to do it?

BTW, I saved my removed floor pans so I could harvest metal from them if needed.

_________________
“…It's not just about what's interesting. It's also about what's helpful, and it's helpful even if it helps just one other guy working on a Ghia.”
kiwighia68

See my build on TheSamba at:
The K_R_A_K_E_N_N : a 70 Ghia Convertible reinterpreted

[Evil_Fiz]

[c21darrel]

[Onceler]

[Mellow Yellow 74]

I would cut out the rusty areas and see what you find inside - just avoid the urge to go nuts and cut too much out because based on my experience it is much easier to cut too much than it is to repair too little.
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1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)