19 year Old restoring a 73' Karmann Ghia! Help Needed!

[Speedster73]

Hello Everyone! I need much help on figuring out almost everything for my VW. I am 19 years old and own a 73 Karmann Ghia. I recently acquired the Vw from my oldest brother that is now in prison. It was sitting there rotting away and I have always wanted to have it back on the road in good shape. The first thing I did was get a new 1600 cc motor for it because the motor was completely blown by my brother driving on Highway 1. The car hasnt been driven since 8 years. The next thing I did was do a complete overhaul in the brakes, new tires, and new rear axles. Of course I got a new battery also. I bought a new gas tank to replace the old one but it did not quite fit. So I soaked the old one in Vinegar to remove the rust. My next step is flushing out the old 8 year old transmission fluid out the transmission and replace it with new transmission fluid. Any advice? I also ordered a new 34 pict 3 carb online so I will be replacing my old carb that is a Solex. My speedometer doesnt work at all so I also wanted some advice on how I can work on the dash board! I dont have a pops and my brother is in prison so this is a learning restoration. Did I mention this is my first carrito.. Any advice on what I should tackle next on it to make sure it is a reliable VW? Thank you for your time and any advice is welcomed!

[Abscate]

Feel for you, you shouldn't be dealing with that at 19. Let's do some therapy


There are no new German carbs made and some of the online stuff is junk. You are much better off having one of the three people here rebuild your original carb here than buying new, so don't put that new one on yet

Brakes steering tires all are first things to put right before you hit the road
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.ssS!

[scottyrocks]

Okay, so it's a '73, and not your 73rd Ghia. At only 19 that would be quite an accomplishment!

Good luck with it, it looks good. And yes, safety first.

[KGCoupe]

Welcome to The Samba Ghia Forum, Speedster73.

From the two pictures that you have posted, it appears that your Karmann Ghia's body is in pretty good condition ... well at least pretty good condition for a 44 year old body, anyway.
Of course with these cars, you never really know what you've got until you begin to strip back the paint.

From what I can see, though, you certainly don't "need" to strip back any paint nor begin any extensive restoration on the body and that puts you way ahead in the game.
I suggest that you just replace those missing side trim pieces, wash and wax it thoroughly, and then enjoy it "as is" while you slowly make any necessary mechanical repairs.

As for the inoperative speedometer, I would suggest first checking that the speedometer cable isn't broken and that the end is securely held in its proper place in the center cap of the driver's side front wheel.
If the cable doesn't appear to be broken, then perhaps a little lubrication may help things.

If you haven't already done so, buy yourself a copy of the official Bently repair manual and perhaps a copy of John Muir's book
How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Complete Idiot as well.

The "Stickies" threads found at the top of the Topics list also hold a wealth of information, and the Forum Search feature found just above the Topics list on the left side of each forum page can help you find the necessary information you will need to complete almost any repair.

Good Luck!

[KidKarmann]

I have a '73 as well I'm doing a body-off resto on. The pans are solid, but the exterior has had a rough life and needs some love. Looks like you have a clean fat chick to start on. I look forward to seeing your progress.

[c21darrel]

As far as the trans...
There is a 17mm allen head oil drain plug on the bottom, just remove and drain. As long as it does no appear to have metal shavings or water or anything else odd, refill. Here you can see the fill plug (same look as drain) fill til oil is level with fill hole. Its not trans fluid, ATF, its gear oil. Im not particular, I use 75-90 weight, syn blend. I topped mine off this weekend, got you a pic.

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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
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[Speedster73]

Three days ago I replaced the Gear oil in the transmission. Today I proceeded to do a whole manual shifter rebuild. I started with removing the old shift coupler in the back of the seats then I proceeded to remove the Shifter itself. Then I went to the front of the Ghia in the trunk and found the exit plate and removed it. Unfortunately I ran into I believe the "Oil Cooler". Haha Im pretty sure it is but not 100 percent. There are two hoses running to the driver sides inner fender.If anyone can help me out on confirming that it is the oil cooler and if there is an easier way to take it off properly? Should I buy a new one? Where online do they sell oil coolers for Vws that are reliable? Thank you for your time and patience!

[Speedster73]

Thank you for everyones advice! I appreciate it! Slowly but surely I will have the Ghia in good shape !

[NOVA Airhead]

Did this car have AC? The one picture appears to be a dryer for an AC set up - particularly since its in the front fender.

The second picture could be the AC heat exchanger.

Where do the hoses go?
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Ghia Owner Emeritus

[sjbartnik]

[sjbartnik]

[Speedster73]

The AC gave me a hard time to uninstall but I finally did it. Then I installed the new plastic bushing in with the metal ring. I pushed the shift rod back in but it got stuck. It was frustrating because it took me a good while to take it out and rethink whats going on. Any advice for the shift rod to go in smoother? Is there something blocking it that I should know of? So close to finishing this job.

[c21darrel]

I grease the front bushing.
Is the shift rod hitting something? look (with mirror) from front or back to see the path it needs to take. Sorry been a while since i did this, trying to picture what you hit in the tunnel.
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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
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[xzener]

I recall having similar issues, kept hitting something. I just kept going at it at different angles trying to keep the shaft from hitting anything... I was finally able to fish it through. Keep at it.
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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]

Check out this thread for ideas and process instructions: Shift Rod Bushing replacement - cheater method
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“…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

[chrisflstf]

I just did this on a 58. The shift rod needs to go in with the socket head facing the right - horizontal, to get in the front frame head. Next obstacle is the shift rod bracket. The shift rod needs to stay up and to the right side to navigate. Then the E-brake bracket. same - up and to the right. The last obstacle is the Ebrake cable tubes, but if the shift rod coupler is off, you can reach your hand in there to get it the last foot or so. The ebrake cable tubes arc up from the floor to the top inside of the tunnel, where they exit. Use a cut up coat hanger or wire to act like a hook to manuever. It took me 3 hrs . NowI could do it in 15 min

[Speedster73]

I finished the Job Finally! It took me a bunch of tries to get the the Shift rod through. The shifter feels like new now! My next step is working on getting my Carb rebuilt or buying a new one for the mean while I get my Solex rebuilt. When I turn my ghia on it sounds good then in mid drive it sounds like it wants to turn off and slowly it turns off. Can it be the carburetor? I wish I was able to post a video of my Ghia running so you guys can hear it. Thanks for everyones help! You guys give me great advice!

[Speedster73]

Here is the video of my Ghia running!
https://youtu.be/i_61n4bsGIc

[Speedster73]

[bhartwell59]

in your vid it sure sounds like the carb. need to monkey around with the bypass screw and idle mixture screw.

I used this vid to tweak my 34pict3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kmf8Ip3hRc
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'74 Zambezi green Ghia vert, autostick, 101k
'87 Jeep Wrangler, 4.2, 330k