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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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 Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2019 6:12 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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| KGCoupe wrote: |
Interesting, Yes ... but not nearly half as interesting as the all wheel drive system from a Schwimmwagen!
The fold-down propeller would be a bonus, too, and would keep everyone really wondering if the Ghiapet has any limits at all.  |
Yeah... not so much, the idea behind the Ghiapet project was to build a daily drivable car that used the best of the VW/Audi/Porsche parts bin (and scrap bin), on the cheap, from crap that I had laying around. Seeing as to I don’t have Schwimmwagen or Kubelwagen stuff laying around, it ain’t happenin. 
I took the short cut down the power lines again.
Link
And I even tried to get someone in a lifted 4Runner to follow me down the path I showed yesterday & sure enough, he bailed at exactly the same downhill, off camber ridge that I suspected most trucks would try to avoid. 
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 7:05 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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Today I had to grab another load of plywood & put the Ghiapet to work again...
After offloading it all, I found another recently cleared path that led to a retention pond.
This area was cleared with a tracked vehicle that cut all of the saplings down effectively making thousands of 2”-4” tall Punji sticks.
Fortunately, I only tripped about a dozen times before I got back into the car & moved it to this spot.
It’s fun watching people’s faces when I just make a hard turn off the road & into the woods without slowing down.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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sputnick60
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 22, 2007
Posts: 3916
Location: In Molinya Orbit
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 5:54 am Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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| sputnick60 wrote: |
| This is one of my favourite Ghias. |
Thank you sir!
| sputnick60 wrote: |
It has huge amounts of character.
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This sounds like "...she has a great personality.." when talking about that unattractive chick.
Just like that overweight/ ugly girl, the Ghiapet is great fun to ride, low maintenance, & ALWAYS ready to go.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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c21darrel
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009
Posts: 8211
Location: San Dimas
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2019 8:02 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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| c21darrel wrote: |
Not only that, the pet is getting almost TOO NICE and picture quality is also getting quite high, artsy.
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Thank you sir! I try to improve upon it every chance I get but I’ve mostly just been driving it.
Speaking of which, I rolled yet another 1,000 miles today.
This puts us at 21,000 miles since last July 11. The actual number is probably closer to 23,000 or 24,000 if you take into account for the 15% discrepancy due to the tire size.
Anywho, I started making another template for the other half of the torsion housing truss.
Initially, I thought I could modify the first one to make the second but the engine mounting horns change pretty drastically in the two inches where the truss will be attached, here’s the two of them together.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2019 2:33 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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Today we played! I took the Ghiapet to another SCCA rallycross & met up with another VW.
The other VW owner took this video of me on course, everyone was quite impressed with the aerodynamics of the Ghia.
https://youtu.be/5IZeA9OQxVM
I’ll be back with more video after I can download it.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.
Last edited by TDCTDI on Sun Jul 28, 2019 1:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2019 7:42 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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As promised...
Link
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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olspeed
Samba Member
Joined: May 01, 2008
Posts: 489
Location: In the shadow of Denali, I still don't give a damn how they do it outside
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| Posted: Sat Jul 06, 2019 9:34 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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Cool deal!
I did the pavement version back I the 80's with mine and it did really well I even got a trophy. but I do have one question for you, who turned a better time you or the Bug?
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66- Ghia
76-Beetle |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2019 1:04 am Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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| olspeed wrote: |
| ...but I do have one question for you, who turned a better time you or the Bug? |
The Bug, it has about twice the HP & he’s a longtime rallycross/autocross vet.
However, he was excited about the fact that his new skidplate saved his deep sump several times this weekend, I never got close.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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c21darrel
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009
Posts: 8211
Location: San Dimas
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2019 6:35 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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| c21darrel wrote: |
| So glad you got the GoPro! Thanks for letting us "participate". |
Thank you sir!
Unfortunately, I don’t keep the GoPros in the car so you’ll have to settle for the crappy iPhone vid of another hidden trail that I found.
Link
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2019 1:19 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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More crappy video of me taking the Ghiapet where 4x4s wouldn’t even go. (I think that I need to invest in a cordless chainsaw.)
!!!!WARNING!!!!
If you’re squeamish about the whole nails on the chalkboard thing, you might wanna turn the sound down. I now have a lot more natural racing stripes.
Also, to avoid bogging the thread down, I’ll just post the links.
Part 1...
https://youtu.be/fvhI8NN02mw
Part 2...
(Apparently, if you start recording with the phone vertical, it will continue recording it vertically even if you turn it 90°  )
https://youtu.be/FSEBciOj6c0
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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didget69
Samba Member
Joined: July 22, 2004
Posts: 4927
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
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| Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 8:05 am Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
If you’re squeamish about the whole nails on the chalkboard thing, you might wanna turn the sound down. I now have a lot more natural racing stripes. |
... your version of "rubbin' is racin'..."?
Bryan
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I never found the need to impress people with any mechanic certifications, trophies or track wins... unless it was for Mom to post on the refrigerator door. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:09 pm Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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WE NOW RETURN TO OUR PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING
After hacking away at a section of donor steel & paring it down to the desired rough shape...
I used my templates to transfer the pattern to the steel & started by drilling holes to clear the frame horns.
Then I continued whittling away at them & bending them ever so slightly..
Oh, hey! I apparently have landed on that pan a few times. 
Once they were close-ish, I fitted them to the housing, lined them up & marked them so I could make them one with each other.
I then tacked them together & then ran a bead down the inside...
After that, I flipped it & stitched up the other side. Unfortunately, it seems that I could not make a straight line.
Screw it, that's what the grinder is for.
I then drilled a drainage hole in the center.
And finally, I took it over to the press, set it on a large socket & used a smaller socket to make a dimpled low spot in it...
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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rbsurfguy
Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2008
Posts: 1757
Location: Fairfax, Northern Virginia Formerly Huntington Beach, SoCal
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| Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:10 am Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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"Unfortunately, it seems that I could not make a straight line. "
Looks perfect to me, of course I don't even know how to weld, so why point it out??
_________________
1971 Ghia convertible (Body off rebuild)
2019 VW Atlas 4Motion
2012 Passat-Sold
See my build on The Samba at:
Jeff's 71 Vert Restoration/Reassembly http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight= |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:47 am Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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| rbsurfguy wrote: |
"Unfortunately, it seems that I could not make a straight line. "
Looks perfect to me, of course I don't even know how to weld, so why point it out?? |
Because if I didn’t, someone else would.
So... in the spirit of trying to make some of the videos more interesting, this fumb ducker decided to give y’all a new perspective of the trails, and, well, it was really cool while it lasted.
(She was airborne at the :35 second mark.)
https://youtu.be/RBABgxHFfkc
We’ll just say that I shoulda known better...
I thought that showing the suspension in action would be neat & that if I mounted the GoPro to the engine cage, I might be able to keep the tires on the high side of the ruts, no such luck. I will say that the GoPro is a tough little bastard even though I cracked & scratched the lens cover.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2019 8:32 am Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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So, for y’alls viewing pleasure, I repositioned the GoPro, went back to the trails & tried it again. Unfortunately, the image is sideways but this will be the last undercar footage...
https://youtu.be/fF5KV_YEmYA
In hopes of not damaging the GoPro any more, I did slow down a bit & got slowed even more as I came across a pack of 4-wheelers that were in total shock & awe that there was a car back in the trails.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2019 6:15 am Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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Well... two weeks before my West Virginia trip, I started to hear the ominous sounds of impending speedometer failure & before I could disconnect the cable, the unit locked up. So this forced me to finally get around to pulling the unit, disassembling it & getting it functional again. Unfortunately, I probably put another 2,000 miles on the beast in that time.
The little white backlit markers around the perimeter is actually a white plastic ring behind a notched sheet metal trim piece. Upon disassembly of the cluster, this plastic ring fell out in eleven separate pieces, I spent an hour honing my SuperGlue-foo.
I should have move the needle a bit to the left to compensate for the tire size, I'm probably doing closer to 65-68.
After getting the speedometer back in, I took it for a quick drive to discover that it still did not work. When the speedometer locked up, it sheared the cable. I removed the cable & found that it wrung off the drive end at the wheel. Fortunately, there was enough of the ferrule left that I could insert the cable & peen the ferrule to make it functional again. 
Anyway, now y’all don’t have to see the needle laying in the bottom of the speedometer any more.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2019 9:59 am Post subject: Re: Introducing the Ghiapet |
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Today I decided to address something that I've been threatening to do for about a year & a half, pilfer the 944 axles from my old Baja project & install them into the Ghiapet.
At full droop, the axles were at 21*, way beyond the CVs suggested maximum limit of 17*. This was causing noticeable binding when jacked up for brake adjusting & the like.
So I unbolted the axles & removed the inner flange off the Baja...
And then did the same to the Ghiapet
Here's the difference in the inboard flanges.
Then installed the flange.
And the new sealing cap.
While removing the outer axle stub, I though that I might finally get around to treating the bearings to some new axle grease.
Here's the difference in the flanges on the axle stubs.
And here's the difference in the CV joints.
While I had that corner apart, I decided to address the slightly seized brake adjuster.
It’s amazing that these looked like this only a year & a half & almost 27,000 miles ago. 
Dammit, it looks like Ima gonna need new brake shoes again.
After getting it all back together, the wheel spins easily now. Now I just have to wait for another drive flange seal to do the other side.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.
Last edited by TDCTDI on Sat Sep 07, 2019 3:54 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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