New guy

[misterh]

I've restored a number of Beetles and 914s in the past, but it's been 30 years or so. I've still got all the tools I need, etc., assuming I can find them.

A few weeks ago, I ran across a '72 Ghia convertible that's been stored in this guy's barn for 20 years, and took it off his hands. Now its in my barn, waiting for cooler weather (it's too hot to spend any time in the barn here in central Texas).

Here's the car:

I plan to do a full restoration on it, but I'm not in a hurry. My first thought was to make it into a more modern auto, increasing the power, installing an after market AC, putting my left over from many years ago, original Fuchs alloy wheels on it etc.

However, I may just restore it completely original (or close). It would be kind of a hoot to make it just like the day it was new.

Obviously, all the soft materials, rubber, fabric, plastics, etc. are cracked and hard and will need replacement, but there is very little rust. What rust there is, is surface rust inside the spare tire area, around the battery mount, etc. This will actually be the easiest restoration I've done.

If I go the "give it more power" route, it turns out I've got an engine sitting around from a horse trade some time back, with aftermarket case, 041 dual spring heads, Eagle 110 can, counter weighted 69mm crank, and some other goodies. The stories about the history of this engine vary, but it appears someone rebuilt it as an 1835, but pinched a main bearing and locked the crank, got disgusted and traded to a friend, who left it out in the rain, ruining the P&Cs. There's no carbon in the combustion chamber, so I don't think it ever ran, after the rebuild. I may rebuild this as a 1915, and store the original engine in plastic wrap, in case I later decide on the "keep it original" path.

Anyway, if anybody's got any words of wisdom, I'm all ears.

[TDCTDI]

Welcome to The Samba!

With a car as complete as yours appears to be, I would suggest keeping it original as it will be worth more in the long run if the next potential buyer doesn't have to undo all the crap that seemed like a great idea at the time.

Driving an old VW requires you to accept it for what it is, a 40+ year old, outdated, econobox. The more you do to "improve" it, the more that will be required to make it safe for those improvements to work with the rest of the platform.
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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.

[misterh]

Yeah, that's the way I'm leaning.

I used to be into auto-crossing 914s, so you pretty much did everything you could afford that the rules allowed.

However, the chief purpose of this car will be driving on a country road to a winery on Sunday afternoon. I'll have no reason to pass anybody, and will probably put under 1,000 miles a year on the car.

[djkeev]

[TDCTDI]

Ultimately, it's your car, do what makes you happy. If you want to race, hotrod, or modify a car to your liking, sell this one as/is or do what it takes to make it roadworthy again, sell it & buy a rougher example to do what you will. I dug one out of a back yard & have been doing what is necessary to get it on the road again & will be rally-crossing it. It was far from a complete car & now I can pound the dogsnot out of it & not really care about what the potential of ruining it (because I have).
_________________
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.

[KGCoupe]

First of all Welcome to the Samba's Karmann Ghia Forum, and Congratulations on scoring what appears to be a very nice late model Karmann Ghia Cabriolet!

Please post up some more photos when you get the chance as it's always fun to see exactly what others have been lucky enough to find in dusty old barns.

Your question of whether to go "Custom" or "Stock" is IMO primarily a function of what you expect to do with this Karmann Ghia.

Do you plan to use it as often as possible as a DD?
If so, then perhaps it would be more comfortable to do so if you made some custom upgrades such as swapping in a more powerful (and/or more "reliable") drivetrain and adding a few modern convenience features such as A/C, power windows and door locks, LED or HID lighting, etc..

Additionally, if you plan to keep the Ghia for the long haul then you may as well go ahead and paint it whatever color pleases you most and have some more luxurious/more comfortable custom interior pieces made up for it as well.

If you plan to flip it very quickly after your done working on it, then in the current market situation the Karmann Ghias that are fetching the highest prices are those that are restored as close as possible to the "factory stock" configuration.

If you're not yet certain exactly what your plans will be for the Ghia, then perhaps a "RestoMod" would be the "smart" route for you to take.
Keep the color the same as it was when it was originally delivered, and limit any changes/modification to only those things that can be easily reversed at some point in the future (either by you, or some other future new owner).
Obviously, keep any original items you "upgrade/customize" so that they could potentially be used to return the Ghia back to "factory stock".

Which ever way you eventually decide to go, you should make the effort to get a copy of your Karmann Ghia's "birth certificate" as it will verify the original color and options it had when it left the Karmann factory.
Be sure to include the serial number stamped on the engine currently installed in it, and then they will be able to verify whether or not that is the same engine that was installed at the factory.
(Instructions for ordering the "birth certificate" can be found in one of the Sticky threads, or use the Ghia Forum thread "Search" feature located on the far left hand side of the web page just above the list of thread titles.)

[udo dreisoerner]

Keep it original
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Searching for a 1956 lowlight karmann ghia with a VIN number between1273054 and 1273440, and the matching engine with an Engine Number between
1525510 and 1525519 PLEASE OFFER ME ONLY THE CARS THAT I'M LOOKING FOR, THANKS!!

[Braukuche]

Only modification I would do is to the engine in such a way that it wasn't noticeable. The 1600 is anemic and in today's traffic, depending where you live, not fun to drive in.
i built a 1800 type 1 based engine using stock exhaust and a modified stock 34PICT carb for my bus and it will do 70mph. Such an engine in you Ghia would look Bone stock yet give you better performance.
Why would you want AC anyway when you have a convertible?
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Go Reds! Smash state!

Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now

[djkeev]

[kiwighia68]

I agree in the main with Udo and Braukuche - in keeping it as original as possible having regard to (1) your planned limited use of the Ghia and (2) modern road and traffic conditions.

Modify if you will (bigger engine, etc.) but keep the original parts. I have the original mirrors, clock, MPH speedometer, radio and radio aerial, taillights, reversing lights, front seats, wheels and even a year- and model-appropriate engine block with all of the original top of the engine parts stored and ready to be re-installed. But not by me. I've turned my Ghia into the car I want to drive.

Do as you please knowing that there will be support for you here on the Samba.
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Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[misterh]

As far as the "AC in a convertible" thing goes, where I live in Central Texas, AC is almost a requirement if want to drive the car in summer. A couple of weeks ago we hit 110F.

Ironically, it appears this car was equipped with dealer installed AC. The evaporator is still installed under the dash, and the hoses (which are probably no good) are in place, but the condenser and compressor are missing.

I'll likely leave off the AC at first, then add it later, if it looks like I'm going to be driving the car much in the summer. It's not going to be a daily driver, so if I'm wanting to tool around on the back roads some hot weekend, I can just take the wife's car.

[Evil_Fiz]

Based on your stated goals and use case I will go against my own process and vote keep it original with some hidden, tasteful upgrades for performance, safety, and comfort.
To partially quote Samba member busdaddy's signature: "...stock never goes out of style."

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Emil
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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

[Larmo63]

Not to be repetitive, but I'd keep it bone stock. You can do engine upgrades that don't show, but these are becoming valuable cars. This advice is coming from someone who just finished a 2.4L S spec /6 Porsche engine dropped into a '73 914, so it's your car, do what you want.

Irish green is a great color too.

My $.02
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Lawrence
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
‘61 Mango Green Single Cab
'62 Pearl White Ragtop sedan
'66 Ruby Red Cabriolet
'86 Porsche 911 Carrera

[olspeed]

It would be entirely up to you but my vote would lean more to a resto custom...
better motor better brakes and so on, if you want better more comfortable seats better radio why not just don't throw anything away. Yes these things are becoming more valuable but unless you are restoring it to original to sell it build what you want and are comfortable with and drive the hell out of it.
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66- Ghia
76-Beetle

[Braukuche]

[sputnick60]

[pennacook]

[sputnick60]