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Disc
Samba Member
Joined: September 24, 2009
Posts: 624
Location: Europe
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 Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 1:48 am Post subject: Just like back in the day... |
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I just wanted to share my excitement with you. Restoring a Lowlight convertible, using the materials and methods like some 60 years ago!
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The glory never gets old, just need new paint.
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Nick |
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John Moxon 
Samba Moderator
Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 14166
Location: Southampton U.K.
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Braukuche
Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004
Posts: 11178
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| Posted: Sat Jun 22, 2019 12:15 pm Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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That's super hardcore doing it that way. Good on you.
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Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
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
1989 Westfalia |
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32983
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2019 10:44 am Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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| John Moxon wrote: |
Not only will your Karmann Ghia look like it should, it will also smell like it should. Nothing like the smell of an old car...love it.  |
No doubt the smell of a vintage VW is very unique and (to me, at least) appealing.
My son even commented about how he really liked the smell of my 20 year old Audi just the other day.
I don't know what it is that makes those smells so appealing, but if some clever individual could bottle it they could sell it as a "magic love perfume", guaranteed to attract any vintage auto fan. |
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Karmann Gheezer
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Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 447
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| Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2024 6:46 pm Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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Nick, can you post pictures of the Ghia finished? Would love to see the convertible top.
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Disc
Samba Member
Joined: September 24, 2009
Posts: 624
Location: Europe
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| Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 11:56 pm Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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Sure!
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The glory never gets old, just need new paint.
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Nick |
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Braukuche
Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004
Posts: 11178
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| Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2024 9:29 am Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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Looks great, has more of a dome shape than the foam based pads.
_________________
Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
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
1989 Westfalia |
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obus
Samba Member
Joined: March 08, 2001
Posts: 11533
Location: just off Garden State Parkway Exit 81
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kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4420
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| Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2024 11:53 am Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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Nice 
Somehow I think it might have taken a bit longer ....
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'40's guy
Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2021
Posts: 50
Location: Spo-Kane Wa
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| Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 8:15 am Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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| What color is that gorgeous car? |
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Karmann Gheezer
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 447
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| Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2024 8:05 pm Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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Nick, the top looks fantastic. Did you do the convertible top installation yourself or have someone install it for you? Where did you order the top from?
Thank you for posting the pictures.
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Disc
Samba Member
Joined: September 24, 2009
Posts: 624
Location: Europe
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| Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2024 2:57 am Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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Thanks everyone for the kind words.
The color is Cardinal red and the top was fitted by me, but that is a long story. I've installed a lot of Karmann convertible top for the last 15 years, so the knowledge is here, but the problem with the top was the supplier. For a long time now we source our tops from a German company called KHM (www.cabrio.de). Not bad products overall. But some of the templates that they have a little bit off. I've been in their facility few years ago and they refuse to make changes  . This one especially they supply in an unfinished state, as well for Karmann Ghias up to 1964. You need to finish it and that is not something that everyone can do - you need the right equipment and skills. I don't have photos of that but I know that they do the same for early Bugs tops too and there is a photo of how the top looks like once you have it (on a Bug, but looks the same for Ghia)
And here you can see more details:
https://boxerville.se/forum/viewtopic.php?id=15386&p=70
At the end it's an hard process and something that I don't look to do again.
PS just found some pics of other top that I have done with the same supplier unfinished top.
In middle of the "fitting" procedure:
Almost done:
Finished!
Just uploaded photos here, cause initialy I didn't realise that they a not visible.
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The glory never gets old, just need new paint.
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Nick
Last edited by Disc on Wed Nov 27, 2024 12:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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paul_round
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2014
Posts: 517
Location: UK
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| Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2024 4:53 am Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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| Where did you get the padding from? |
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Disc
Samba Member
Joined: September 24, 2009
Posts: 624
Location: Europe
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| Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2024 6:58 am Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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Most of the padding was original to the car. I added some more for shaping the top with padding saved from previous original tops. If that wasn't a Lowlight if could probably ended with modern materials, but in the past I saved original materials for a car like this one. I've done the same for an Oval convertible in the past.
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The glory never gets old, just need new paint.
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Nick |
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Karmann Gheezer
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 447
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| Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2024 5:37 pm Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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Nick, thank you for posting pictures of the Bug convertible. I'm still looking for a good supplier for a top for both the Ghia and Bug that is reasonably priced. I have been working on this 1960 for many years and now all it needs is carpet, seats, and top.
1960 Cabriolet with NOS 36 hp motor:
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sputnick60
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Joined: July 22, 2007
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paul_round
Samba Member
Joined: October 17, 2014
Posts: 517
Location: UK
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| Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2024 5:40 am Post subject: Re: Just like back in the day... |
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| Thanks Nicholas. |
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