1962 Aussie RHD Resto

[Mellow Yellow 74]

Hinge pillar dodgy previous repairs and rust:

Rear heater channel dodgy previous repairs and rust:

Hinge pillar dodgy repairs and rust removed:

B Pillar with heater channel removed:

Rusted out rear support removed:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

The repro hinge pillar panel and the old one:

The stiffener behind the hinge screws on the repro panel was different as seen by showing the repro passenger panel with the original stiffener next to the repro driver panel:

Since I used the door hinge screws for the body brace I was not replacing the hinge screw area so could not use the repro panels as they were. So I unfolded the old stiffener and used it as a template to make up new ones:

Repro hinge pillar panels with original style stiffeners ready to be spot welded on:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

Using templates and trial fitting, I made up new panels for behind the hinge pillar panel:

Trial fit with heater channel and sill in place:

New hand made panel welded in place then new modified repro panel spit welded on top:

I welded the hinge pillar panel on before the heater channel but as I found out I should have waited until the heater channel was spot welded on first because the panel limited the locations of the spot welding of the heater channel.
_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

I made up a new panel for beside the repro panel at the rear:

New handmade panel and repro panel welded in - lots of measuring and trial fitting to ensure the centre of the torsion bar access hold is in the right place:

A trial fit of the new heater channel showed the oval cut out for the heater tube was totally wrong:

So I had to make up new patch pieces using templates and weld these in - modified passenger heater channel with the unmodified driver heater channel:

Then the heater channel was welded in position using spot welds at the hinge pillar, spot welds on the flanges at the rear as well as MIG welds at the rear and around the heater tubes:

Trial fit of sill panel (not spot welding on until inside sill and outside of heater channel primed):

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

To install the bottom of the dogleg I had to cut a hole in the panel in front and drill out the spot welds on the old dogleg:

The shape of the curved piece on the new dogleg had to be re-thrown to make it fit:

After the dogleg was welded on I made up a patch piece and then it was welded it on:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[TRS63]

Really nice update, keep up the good work!

Antoine

[djkeev]

How many clapping hands can I post for this build thread?

EXCELLENT WORK!!!!!!!




Dave
_________________
Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Mellow Yellow 74]

The driver side hinge pillar was worse than the passenger side - very poor previous repairs plus rust higher up:

So it all needed to be cut out:

The rear had been patched before but with very poor welds:

So it was removed as well:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

I made up a patch panel for the upper piece and tacked in place:

I made up a lower panel similar to the passenger side and had welded in place:

Modified repo hinge pillar panel installed (note I installed this after the heater channel was spot welded in position as discussed earlier).

Rear panels installed:

Heater channel spot welded in position before MIG welds:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

Cross section of a piece of the original heater channel that wasn't rusted (note the two layers of the sill panel):

I used the early style heater channels made by Wagner Blechteile in Germany which I believe are the only ones available to suit the cross section of the early doglegs at the front:

They are good quality and fit well (apart from the cutouts for the heater pipe as noted earlier) but do not have any drain holes (the original one had recesses) so I need to do something about this. I also bought the early sills with the wiring tube from Wagner Blechteile. He uses a Dansk sill panel and adds the wiring tube:

However, the wiring tube was in the wrong location and fouled on the hinge pillar panel so I had to remove it and start again - it was flush against the top of the sill but needs to site under the step in the sill. Instead of reusing the light weight copper tube Wagner used, I used a steel tube the same thickness as the curved end section I bought from Danny Gabbard. I had to weld up the round hole Wagner had done at the rear and do a new oval shaped hole to suit the tube and also make up new mounting clips:

Trial fit in position (not installing until after primer):

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

The rear seat platform on the driver side was rusted so I removed it:

I disassembled the old one and used the pieces to make templates to make new ones - lots of good learning how to use a bead roller and folding brake:

Trial assembly:

Spot welded in position:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[xzener]

You should rename this thread... "Build Your Own Ghia". Keep up the amazing work.
_________________
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>!

[Mellow Yellow 74]

The rear seat kick on the driver side was rusted out and had been welded to the pan:

I removed the kicks on both sides and cut the damage off the driver side:

I was going to make up a patch piece for the driver side but decided to make up a whole new one (original passenger side on top, new driver side on bottom):

Trial fit and screwed in position:

Both sides screwed in position before welding - I had to plug weld rather than spot weld due to limited access:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[CiderGuy]

Fantastic work, please post all the pictures you have in your gallery.

[djkeev]

I'm putting this in the the Ghia Restoration Sticky!

Oh Wait! someone already put it there!

Anyway..........
This is one fantastic read.
And the pictures! They are up there with the best I've ever seen

AND

HE HOSTED THEM ALL ON THE SAMBA SO THEY WILL NOT VANISH!!!!!!

Sadly many good build threads have become useless and should probably be removed because of bad photo links.
This one will endure until the site vanishes completely!

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=433370

Dave
_________________
Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Mellow Yellow 74]

The rear inner wheel wells were rusted and had previous accident repair on the driver side, plus I mangled them even more when I removed the battery trays:

The rear outer wheel well on the driver side had poorly repaired previous accident repair and poorly previous made rust repairs:

So I cut the damaged sections out:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

I made up the new inner wheel wells - the following photos are a mixture of both sides at different stages.

Using the old wheel well:

I made a template on paper:

Traced the template onto sheet metal and cut it out oversized:

Bent the metal to shape:

Checked the shape against the original panel:

Used a blocking hammer and bag to roughly put some crown in:

Used the English Wheel to smooth out the blocking marks and shape more:

Checked the shape against the original panel:

Started to turn the edge:

Shrinked and stretched edge to help it around:

Almost finished (just need to tip the edge around the base):

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[Mellow Yellow 74]

Trial fit with clamps:

Cleco in position:

Trial fit with new Danny Gabbard battery tray:

Welded in place (along with a patch piece above the engine seal channel):

Same on other side:

Both sides done:

_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia
1974 Deluxe Microbus
1985 Caravelle (Vanagon)

[xzener]

I think you might have been a black Smith in a previous life. Building armor for the knights of the round table. Simply amazing.
_________________
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>!

[Exaktaphile]

Most of us struggle to find a clear descriptive picture of anything on a Ghia. This thread kicks it up a huge notch and reveals many important and unseen views of a restoration in progress.

I appreciate the extra man-hours you've put in to take/edit/post all these great photos. The pictures are a second job on top of the bodywork. This thread alone will improve the quality of many future restorations. What a great archive!

Thanks for your dedication!