'59 Karmann Ghia fever

Loren · Samba Member Joined: January 10, 2004 Posts: 1701

I dug through some old emails and found what I was looking for. Dwayne did indeed buy a set gauge trim rings from KGPR and he said they would require some cutting to fit and he didn't like the finish. It sounded like they were made from aluminum not brass? and chromed like the originals. He ended up re-chroming a set of used ones for his 58. If nothing else the ones you just bought will be better than none at all.

Let us know how they look and fit when you get them.

Trylon · Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2023 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Loren · Samba Member Joined: January 10, 2004 Posts: 1701

I know who you are talking about. A real blow hard if you ask me. Thinks he knows everything. He has a post in the stickies comparing original low light parts to reproduction low light parts. A useful thread actually. Shame it doesn't have more posts from other users.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=442643

Trylon · Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:35 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Trylon · Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 2:07 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Widening the test drive radius, drove up to the next town and back. About an 40 minute round trip. Our car feels so civilized. Steering responsive, shifting smooth, comfy ride. The closer to stock it gets, the better the driving experience.

One thing that we can’t seem to shake though is a gasoline smell, not overpowering but present. Had replaced the cork seal long ago, thought perhaps the new valve might make a change. I think it is worse the more full the tank is. Also seems to smell more as it sloshes around turns. Gave around the cap a whiff after the ride and though there is a bit, it is less than inside our car. Haven’t clamped the fuel line from the tank so there is always that. I haven’t seen any fuel dripping. Will have to go over front to back and see what’s up…
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire

More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel!

oldslow · Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Fumes, yes it happens when heating and cooling causes fumes to enter the trunk. My ‘59 Ghia from olden days had an accessory vent installed. It was a small nipple attached to the gas cap riser. It allowed fumes to be carried from the tank through a small plastic tube which exited below the trunk. The whole kit included a non vented gas cap, the tube, a clip to hold it, and the nipple. Saw some for sale in the classifieds a few years back.
_________________
- better to drive a slow car fast than fast car slow -

Trylon · Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 4:16 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

TDCTDI · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 7:41 am Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Your gas cap is the issue. Early fuel tanks used a gas cap that was vented. It had an air leak that allowed air in to keep the fuel tank from creating a vacuum as the fuel was consumed, as this would cause drivability issues (stalling/hard start, or a collapsed tank in a worse case scenario). Since your vented cap is on the right, you are probably experiencing more fumes while the fuel sloshed up the neck on left hand turns.

Later cars (early ‘60s) had a vent tube on left side of the the tank, with a hose that looped up, & then down & through a hole in the body, just above the steering box. While this was an improvement, fuel would still be forced out during aggressive or long right hand turns, and fuel would be smelled since it coated the beam & pan head.

As the cars got newer, the venting system got more complex, to include venting from both sides of the tank (filler neck), to having a fuel separator (on Beetles) & a charcoal canister that resided in the engine bay (Ghia) or right rear wheel arch (Beetles).

You can make your own version by getting a fuel cap that you can sacrifice & drill a hole in it to accommodate a vent tube & attach a hose to it that you can route under/behind the passenger compartment.
_________________
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.

Trylon · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 7:50 am Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

TDCTDI · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 7:54 am Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Gasoline, oil, and exhaust odors were a given in just about every vehicle up until the late ‘70s.

Almost all cars vented the crank case to atmosphere before the mid ‘70s, anyone born before the ‘80s can remember the oily, black streak, just to the right of center, on all of the roads & highways. Look up vintage photos of highways.

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.

Trylon · Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2023 8:45 am Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Season prematurely warm— and taking advantage!

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Bezels arrived:

I am assuming clock and speedometer are the same size.
I did not know how they were installed— thought they just slid in from the front magically. No such magic occurred.

Checked and found out you need to remove the gauge, slid in the bezel, bend back the tabs (assuming here, just enough to keep them from getting pushed back out), then put the gauge back in.

If the bezels don’t fight me, it seems like the clock will be easy… and the speedometer a pain— so much stuff in that tight space. Still need to attache the wiper motor again as well. The e-clip i got seems like it is one iota too small and popped off on its own. All of this might be easier with another pair of hands so I’m going to see if I can enlist Alex’s help again. He od’ed on car work last season so it remains to be seen if he will be willing…
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire

More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel!

oldslow · Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 5:17 am Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

I’m pretty sure that Ghia bezels have a different wedge profile compared to beetle bezels. Early ones are chromed brass, not aluminum.
_________________
- better to drive a slow car fast than fast car slow -

Trylon · Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 5:22 am Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

I wonder if what was on there when we got it was correct. I will hunt for the one I have and compare…
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire

More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel!

Trylon · Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 4:40 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

“‘Tis the season to be greasy”

Have had a couple of stretcher drives— went to lunch about a 1/2 hour away today and an hour away and back with a bit of highway driving at night a couple of days ago!

Remarkable how solidly it performs. Some sort of adage here about when you put it back the way it was it will work the way it did.

Steering was dancey particularly on the highway the other night. Some wind but clearly needs to be properly aligned— steering does not center after turns.

I turned down the steering box adjustment 1/4 turn after today’s run and gave it a quick whirl. I think that might have taken off the dancing shoes, happy to say.

Got some car shows planned, a trip to Stockbridge, and Lime Rock if they will have us again.

Hasn’t gotten old yet!
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire

More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel!

Trylon · Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 3:44 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Surprised to see my parking buddy the other night.

_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire

More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel!

Rome · Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 4:26 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Hey- a BMW 600 in right background! Very Happy

Trylon · Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 4:39 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Trylon · Posted: Mon May 22, 2023 3:10 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Well, it seems that an entire album has come out of my collaboration with John Convertino (and my son Alex):

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ko2mm37Hk5GuqErPlOKYH-xtWp0KS_jyY

(using the artist name Michael Snow)
_________________
1973 Porsche 914 2.0
1959 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit
1973 Volkswagen Bus
1970 MGB-GT
1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire

More tomfoolery on
The Karmann Ghia Fever YouTube Channel!

Rome · Posted: Mon May 22, 2023 3:31 pm Post subject: Re: '59 Karmann Ghia fever

Congratulations, Michael and John!

For your next collaboration, how about an album cover shot of both of you sitting on opposite fenders of your lowlight Ghias? Somebody good with Photoshop like John Moxon could blend the shots together so it gives the appearance you and the Ghias are next to each other, despite being a half-country apart.


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'59 Karmann Ghia fever
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