Hi everyone, Simon here.
I'm joining in somewhat unfortunate circumstances. My father, Malcolm, passed away a couple of months ago. Dad and I both loved VW, in his garage is a '15 Touareg V8 TDI R line (dad's daily), MK IV golf R (mum's daily), 62 Ghia and 66 type 1.
At the most recent day of the Volkswagen, Dad entered the Ghia and won best in class, it was the Porsche Polar Silver one with red leather and 911 style fan if anyone saw it. That car was Dad's pride and joy, a 60th birthday present that took about 14 months to build, full bare metal respray, new interior, the works... He was only able to enjoy it for about 12 months.
Dad kindly gifted me the type 1, which was my first car (I had it resprayed, new interior, etc...) but when it became impractical, I sold it to Dad who owned it for the last 10 or so years.
Mum is going to keep the Ghia and I hope to attend plenty of shows and events with her as a tribute to Dad. I'm now the caretaker of Dad's VW legacy and I want to do what I can to help Mum enjoy the car as much as Dad did. I took Mum to the servo tonight to put some petrol in the Ghia, she loves the looks and people who ask about the car.
I'm concerned about the driveablility of the Ghia however, and this question may be better suited to a new thread but I'll ask away nonetheless.
The Ghia has a 2276 in it with 48 IDF's and a C95 cam. The clutch is heavy-ish, and the throttle response is insane (breathing on the throttle flares the engine to 2K RPM in an instant), second gear and up is fine but getting off the line with a small friction point and the crazy throttle response is difficult, it doesn't like low revs either, which makes first gear a necessary evil when at roundabouts and the like. It's also a pain in reverse, lots of clutch slip and finesse is needed. Basically I'm worried mum wont enjoy or be able to get used to it. Although Mum drives an R, she doesn't have a heavy right foot.
The beetle has a 1000km 1835 in it, twin solex carbs, mild cam (unsure which one) and what feels like a stock clutch. It's much easier to drive.
I'm taking both cars to the mechanic next week and I'll discuss the options with him, but I'm considering an engine swap at this stage. The Ghia has a bergmann fan on it, painted to match the car. My thought at this stage is to swap the 1835 and 2276, keep the exhaust and cooling system on each car and just do the 'guts' of the motors. Is this going to be an issue? I suppose the alternative is to build a new 1600/1776 for the Ghia with a mild cam, smaller carbs, lighter clutch.
I appreciate any input you guys and gals can provide. Dad wasn't really involved in the scene much as he was very private, but he loved going to shows and checking out what everyone was up to with their air cooled cars. Dad's next project was a Kombi, that will be my next project now.
Dad was a VW man from the start, his first car was a white '66 type 1, with red vinyl interior, identical to the the aforementioned car I bought as my first. He helped me build that car, I'm eternally grateful for that, and for him generously gifting it to me.
I look forward to meeting you all at shows and cruises, and hearing the symphony of a group of air cooled VW's, a sound Dad loved and described as a 'lawnmower on steroids'.
I appreciate your input.
Simon.
mynicknamerocks Learner Dubber
4 posts · joined Jun 2016 ·
