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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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 Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 5:35 pm Post subject: 1973 Coupe |
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After 35 plus years away from Air Cooled, i Found nice little '73 Ghia Coupe.
Yup, an autostick
The biggest issue I found (at the time) was this.
The story is, that it was purchased in Luxembourg, French Tax sticker
New York Inspection Sticker
Then was shipped to the Minneapolis area and sat in a warehouse for 30 years.
Last edited by Redlabel6 on Thu Nov 03, 2016 5:49 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 5:44 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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I got it started last weekend to see if the AutoStick still worked. I wanted to know if it did, or if I needed to convert it to an manual.
The Autostick did still work!
The person I bought it from had about 4 boxes of dryer sheets in there "to keep the mice out".
Too late for that!
In the headliner.
And behind the defroster ducts.
And passenger footwell...(I used to keep an bottle of Rum and Trojans there in my old 72 Squareback...)
Did I mention I HATE mice??
Last edited by Redlabel6 on Thu Nov 03, 2016 5:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 5:48 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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So the good news is that the pan is rock solid!
Apparently it was undercoated which is now peeling off, it looks great underneath it!
I plan to pull the body off and get it shotblasted. There is some body work on the drivers side and nose.
I'll have to see how bad it is.
Last edited by Redlabel6 on Thu Nov 03, 2016 7:06 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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bhartwell59
Samba Member
Joined: December 28, 2014
Posts: 792
Location: dallas, tx
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:14 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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Fantastic... autostick central is here:
www.vwar.org
_________________
'74 Zambezi green Ghia vert, autostick, 101k
'87 Jeep Wrangler, 4.2, 330k |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 7:06 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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I want to salvage as much of the original equipment as possible.
Any hints on getting the "tar boards" off the pan so I can re-use them?
The carpet is actually in very good shape, just dirty and stinky.
I plan on using a commercial extractor to clean them. |
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sputnick60
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 22, 2007
Posts: 3916
Location: In Molinya Orbit
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| Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 11:38 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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| Redlabel6 wrote: |
I want to salvage as much of the original equipment as possible.
Any hints on getting the "tar boards" off the pan so I can re-use them |
Yes, Hot air gun or hair dryer to heat them up evenly till they are sticky and then peel them off the floor pan starting in one corner and lifting diagonally.
You can use roofing pitch ( black tar) to rejuvenate then. Lay them in a tray and heat them up till they are soft then pour the roofing pitch on them so it soaks up. After cooling down they'll be like new. It is a messy job though.
I did the small sections of tarboard at the rear of the chassis in this manner and it came out like this.
I did something else for the larger pieces underfoot because I wanted something that would lift out. Mine's a cabriolet and more prone to rain getting in.
Nicholas
_________________
'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! |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 5:21 am Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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Thanks Nicholas!
I'll give that a try this weekend.
David |
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c21darrel
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009
Posts: 8211
Location: San Dimas
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 1:54 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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Given the shape of the rest of it, it's a very odd spot. I thought brake fluid at first, but that would only eat the paint.
No I think that must have been the mouse mothership and the urine ate it out... 
Thankfully a member of the local VW club has a few '70s Ghias that are being scrapped. he is checking to see what kind of shape his are in.
d |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 5:27 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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The battle with mice continues. I was hoping to save the seats. The vinyl was not cracked or torn.
Every time I walked by them I could smell mouse...This is what I found in both of the backs.
When I tried to peel the covers off, the seams started to give... oh well... It's just money right????
Also had mildew and mouse urine on the fiberboard back stiffeners.
The coconut padding looks pretty good, I hit it with the pressure washer. We'll see how it smells once it dries.
I took the carpets and pressure washed them. Then dipped them in a vinegar water solution to soak for about ten minutes. Then a dunk into water and baking soda! Nice fizz from that!
I let them drain, and put them on my custom drying racks.
The neighbors LOVE me!
Found this under the passenger seat when I pulled it out.
I also started building my rotisserie for hanging the body on. Hopefully I'll have that off next weekend.
d |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 4:01 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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The mouse battle continues!
In the rain shield
And behind the passenger side tail light.
I also found some damage to the nose area.
I think once it's bead blasted I'm going to find more.
Almost ready to pull the body from the pan. I'm working out what I need to disconnect from the AutoStick parts and pieces.
I'm hopeful that I will have my repair panels next week! A member of the VW club here is giving me an entire front end.
d |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:47 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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It's been a while, but I have made good progress on my '73.
We have separation!
Body mounted on the rotisserie
More mice.....
Pan ready to go !
Donor vehicle before
Donor vehicle after. All I needed was the Orange under dash piece. The donor car apparently had a heater in it. I'm wondering if I should put one in mine??
_________________
1957 Oval Window Beetle
1973 Karmann Ghia Coupe
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=666792&highlight=73+coupe |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 6:52 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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I undercoated the bottom while it was upside down, and remounted the front beam.
Autotrans cleaned up. I replaced one axle seal too.
Transmission remounted. CV joints cleaned and re-lubed. New CV joint boots.
All new brake system.
On to the engine!
More mice.....
The wheels cleaned up nicely!
Now I need to decide if I want to spend the extra $$ for some nice whitewalls to put back on them....
_________________
1957 Oval Window Beetle
1973 Karmann Ghia Coupe
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=666792&highlight=73+coupe |
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bhartwell59
Samba Member
Joined: December 28, 2014
Posts: 792
Location: dallas, tx
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| Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:22 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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How did you handle the wheels?
I'm thinking of dustless blasting mine and then repainting
_________________
'74 Zambezi green Ghia vert, autostick, 101k
'87 Jeep Wrangler, 4.2, 330k |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 6:27 am Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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The guy that blasted my pan blasted the rust off the wheels and primed them. I seam sealed the "joint" and painted them with Duplicolor HWP101 wheel paint. Supposedly its a match for the factory color.
_________________
1957 Oval Window Beetle
1973 Karmann Ghia Coupe
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=666792&highlight=73+coupe |
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blakedouglas
Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2012
Posts: 3
Location: Pasadena, TX
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| Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 2:06 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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| looks great! |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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| Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 5:22 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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Moving ahead with the '73
I cleaned, lubed replaced the seals on the tie rod ends.
I lined the pan with HushMat, The original tar boards just smelled too bad to re-use.
Finished getting the engine cleaned up and put back together.
Before
After
Anyone know what the numbers on the tin signify?
I bought some raised letter stickers from a Hobby store and used them to recreate the numbers. I couldn't find the exact font, but I think its OK.
Whitewalls came in
Got them mounted
Bled the brakes using DOT 5 silicone since everything was new and put the tires on to get them out of the way.
I need to replace the rear main seal, and rehang the motor. Any thoughts on using synthetic oils in a 40+ year old engine?
I may try to rig up a tank for the transmission pump and fire it up before I put the body on. Of course that could be a year or so out....
_________________
1957 Oval Window Beetle
1973 Karmann Ghia Coupe
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=666792&highlight=73+coupe |
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Redlabel6
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2016
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
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74GhiaConvertible
Samba Member
Joined: December 18, 2016
Posts: 100
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 8:13 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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| Looks like you're busy. Thumbs up on the Hushmat, I used it on my 74 but without taking the body off the frame. Have fun! |
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kiwighia68
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013
Posts: 2878
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:12 pm Post subject: Re: 1973 Coupe |
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You're doing an impressive job there. I'm jealous because I've run out of things to do on my car.
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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