Ghia- DONE!

This.....



...this...



...and this...



...go in this...



...and I'm done!

Looks great. How many sleeps do you think till you are finished?

Yogie

Can;t wait to see the finished ghia looks sweet👍😎

What size is the engine and what are the carbs and size keen to carb my ghia but don't now which way to go

About 2 weeks at my current rate, although silly little things keep holding me up so we'll see.

The engine is a 2054 with 44 Webers.

I've been spending a fair bit of time in the U.S. and arranged the engine build, transmission and hide-away exhaust system while I was over there. It arrived this week. One air filter got a little squashed in transit, and first job is to move that in line fuel filter.

I think I got a good deal, but I wouldn't recommend it now the $AUS has dropped.

I'll shoot video of firing her up for the first time and post a link on here.
Stuart

Looks Great 👍 .. looking to strip and paint our 63 over christmas... think you have the same colour as ours.. do you have the code? is it the original colour?

Cheers

Brent

Mines a 59 and half, but I painted it in a 1961 colour, Sierra beige. I wanted that Cal beach cruiser look and love the VW creamy beige colours.

It was badly sprayed a bright red when I bought it- only found a few traces of the original colour and it looks like it was almost Mango?

Dude that looks so cool.
Cannot wait to see it finished.
Absolutely loving this car👍

Nice, makes me miss my old girl, great stuff.

Yes ours i believe is seirra beige as well - but with a white top - love the two tone...mind you love the roof rack on them as well...

are you heading off on the KG cruise next month?

Great looking Ghia, you'll love it when it's finally on the road.
Sorry, but what do you mean by " a 59 and half " ?

It's the first of the non Low light Ghia's, but still has some of the earlier cars feature like the upright (same as oval) fuel tank.

I assembled the rear axles on the new transmission this week. Had plenty of trouble getting the bearings to seal, but success in the end.
I had to take a lot of components off the engine to squeeze it in, but I'm pretty happy with the way she's looking.



Tomorrow I run the new fuel line, fit the muffler and start getting my head around wiring it up. I've been putting off fitting the new loom because I know it's going to be a head f@#k, but I can't put it off any longer. Car needs done!

Awesome work, i'm jealous of your engine bay 😁

Looks good I am a few months behind you in my resto. I hope my detailing is as good as yours well done

sweet looking ghia!
what sort of rims are going under?

I've thought long and hard about that one!
I'm a fan of Speedmaster wheels on Ghia's, but I don't think you can go wrong with stock (see picture 4).

very nice,it's good to see a very well done Ghia.I hope the rest of the work goes well regards les

looking good buddy👍

Might spend the next 2 days banging my head against the garage wall.

A simple job like bolting the shocks onto the new beam turned into a major engineering job to get the things aligned- They were 2" out of upright each side because of my 4" narrow beam. Anyone else heard of shock adjusters? I know all about making them now. Hope the the engineer approves.

Pushed hard today to get the engine wired to run, and nothing but a 'click' from the new out of the box bosch starter. I took the thing back out and bench tested it (something i should have done before fitting) and the thing has a dead short- confirmed by my auto electrician house mate.

These two upsets, and some wrongly supplied tinware has really got me wondering why I'm putting my life on hold for this thing❓🤪

Tomorrow I might just go ahead and fit the carpets- how bad can that be?

Just wait till you first drive it in the sun........ nobody will wipe the smile from your face ! good luck

Matey, THAT is one tasty Ghia, let us know when she's fired up and registered 🙂 Your busted knuckles and bruised wallet will be a vague memory on that first 1/4 mile run or 3 hour drive to get the morning paper and milk....very inspiring

awesome ghia mate, looks great and should go pretty well too. hope you have better luck with the rest of the assembly.

cheers
Matt

Update-

Engine in and running- had to fit oil breather box to ease crank case pressure.
All glass now in.
Wiring nearly sorted, but I can't get charge; might be a faulty (new) voltage regulator).
Carpet in.
Door cards and seats go in today.
Looking for roadworthy before the weekend- tell me I'm dreaming!

Pictures soon...

that's nice... very tasteful

Okay, update.
Car is done and I took her in for the rego last week. Good news, no horrors and no surprises. The garage ironed out a few wiring problems I had, commented on it being a bit low and that was that.

The bad news?
After dropping her off I went to Queensland transport to get the word on how fast the paperwork at that end would take. It seems I need an L02 inspection - Pre 1972 imported vehicle safety compliance inspection.
(My car is originally a U.K. Ghia that I brought over 4 years ago)

Queensland transport have given me the list of guys up this way that are qualified to do the inspection, one! Once I get it inspected it's back on the trailer to take her to Q.T. so that they can eyeball the plate

After talking to the L02 guy on the phone it seems he is willing to do the inspection after his day job one evening at my house, but there is a further problem. He asked about year of manufacture and on my import documents for the vehicle I have discovered that the date of manufacture of my car is wrong. Long story short, I've had to send my documents back to Adelaide to get the mistake corrected. This takes a minimum of a week!

It seems that whether manufactured in 1959 or 1960 is a big thing when it comes to imported vehicles and the safety regulations including seat-belts front AND rear, child restraints etc. Front belts for me are a must, but I really don't want to put my car through the rest of the scrutiny and butchery of rear belts when it's most definitely not going to be a people carrier. Proving it's a 59 car gets me out of that.

The inspection guy also mentioned specific measurements to determine if the rear of the car is for carrying passengers or a luggage shelf??? I think I'm going to load it up with suitcases for when he comes by! This inspection is starting to worry me, so I'm lifting her up a few inches before he comes round too.

So, she's sitting in my garage waiting for the postman to bring me a letter. If the weather clears up I'll get some pictures.

Hope it all goes well. just took mine out for a run & scared a few walkers !!!!
got waves from 2 hot rods as well. (its formal time )
Cant see why the seat / measurements would be a problem, they are all the same...even the ones from here.
it is a 2 + 2 anyway.

The manufacture date is often on the speedo,wiper motor and I think fuel sender in early ghias and beetles. This date is usually about 3 or 4 months prior to assembly. This may help.Regards Les

Sorry I was forgetting that you have gone 12 volt ,How about chassis number to verify manufacture Regards les

Thanks Les,
Yeah, I verified the date with my VIN/chassis number- 2859682 - 1959
The fact that it's not a low light, and any cars none low light are commonly referred to as 1960 and after.
All good though, received the new paperwork today.

Brilliant we can expect her on the road shortly then. I don't see why it would need rear belts as they are a coupe 2 door 2 seat. Although I have carried 4 adults at various times in the past (35+years ago) with luggage behind rear seat.I must admit she sat a little low in the bum. Still a beautiful little car.

Inspection tomorrow at 9 am.
I raised her up a little today to keep everyone happy- she's been up and down more that a fiddlers elbow!







If everything goes well then it's on the road for Monday😉

I still have some trim to finish, wheels to dress and some other bits and pieces to sort.

It's looking a lot better than it used to!

nice rides lads


Seatbelts weren't made legal in Aus until 1967 (front only) so what's the go with 1959/60?

Any vehicle imported into Australia that was manufactured after 1960 has to have seat belts retro fitted- that's what I've been told?!

Not sure how recent the law was brought in, I'll find out more from the inspector tomorrow.

Good luck mate.
Lookin sweet.

Dude that looks so nice.
Such nice work, car looks simply amazing.

Thanks Guys.
I got the plate on the weekend; on the road today / tomorrow.
I hope to be at the Gold Coast show on Sunday.😵‍💫

Hey Sam,
Forgot to say thanks again for sending me the reference pictures of your car all those months ago.
They were invaluable when it came to fitting all the quarter window trim.
Thanks Mate!

axlepressbutton wrote:Hey Sam,
Forgot to say thanks again for sending me the reference pictures of your car all those months ago.
They were invaluable when it came to fitting all the quarter window trim.
Thanks Mate!

Not a problem. Glad I was able to help out😁
Good luck with the inspection, should be fine I'm sure.

Done, on the road and will be at the Gold Coast show this Sunday.😉

She drives pretty well, if anything it's all a little too tight. As everything is so new it is all going to take time to loosen up and settle in. A 2 hour run down the coast will do it good.

It's feeling a little over fueled at low revs, but once it picks up it just wants to go! Once she's run in I'm going to tinker with the carbs and see if I can't set them up a little better.
Oh, and it's loud as hell to drive! I spent a fortune on sound proofing, but I think it's going to need something more.
It certainly gets noticed.

Great work mate, you must be very chuffed!

Looks great. It looked a good solid car to start with as well. Only surface rust appears in the photos. Unusual for a ghia so you are fortunate to have found one as good to begin with.

Enjoy it and I should see it on Sunday.

Cheers

Yogie

Well done man. congratulations 👍

mate well done - is the colour Savana Beige?

Thanks Guys.

Colour is Sierra beige. Was looking at Savana Beige as an option. Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone that way, but in different light you couldn't pick the difference anyway.

Yogie- solid car it wasn't!

I bought it in 1996 in the U.K. drove it for 6 months rough as anything and then took it to a Bug-Jam. Once I saw so many beautiful cars there I decided to tidy her up a bit. What I uncovered was a nightmare. The nose was a patchwork of sheet steel repairs covered with 12mm of bog. Rotten wheel arches front and back, inner and outer sills, both floor pans etc, etc. It has a replacement nose and front wings that I bought from the U.S. and had grafted on.

It took me 4 years off and on (with travel and work) to do the metalwork, then I rolled it into a barn and emigrated to Australia.

In 2004 I was visiting family back home and (because I hate an unfinished job) decided to ship it to Australia.
I had a nightmare with the shipping company, and it was nearly crushed by customs when it arrived as I didn't have the correct papers.

The surface rust pictures you can see above are of the car when it arrived in Australia 4 years ago.

Because of a road accident last year I've been off work recovering and have finally managed to put some serious time into it to get it done. I don't know how people do resto's in evenings and weekend and still have a family. Some days I worked 12 hours straight on it, and felt like I'd accomplished nothing (mind you, I was on crutches).

I should be back to work soon, so my next project will probably to take me 12 years to complete as well!

That's another Karmann Ghia on the road well done mate that looks sweet as👍👍😎

Nice one! Restoring a Ghia is a memorable achievement and has scarred many!!
Well done.
Have you lowered it again? They must be low!
See you on the coast sometime.
John

Mate I love this car and one day hope to have mine looking something like it. But dude one thing.

GET SOME CHROME IN THAT BACK WINDOW. LOL.

You need the chrome. That cal looks crap just doesn't cut it.

But mate well done she looks unreal.

I know!! If you knew how badly I wanted chrome trim in the back window!!

Firstly the set I ordered came from the States with two left hand sides. Then when I had the window guys fitting the glass they spent over an hour trying to fit the back (the front went in in 20mins).
First they blamed the rubber, then they blamed the trim. In the end they were giving up so I had to get them to put it in with a Cal look rubber I had spare.
I spoke to Vintage Vee dub and they said it is not a job for the faint hearted and if I ever take the car down South then bring the parts and they'll fit it. Expect 2 people and 2-3 hours work!!
Until then, fat rubber it is 😢

Yes and by the time you've got the glass in your hands a red raw.
15 years ago I was able to buy three pieces of original chrome from Germany and Mike (VintageVD) shaped the forth from a front section. It took him all night!!
He loves working on Ghias!

looks very nice mate, well done👍

great looking Karmann. I think you may now be responsible for my wife's desire to own a Karmann Ghia going through the roof!! She came home the other day after visiting her mother on Bribie telling me all about this cream Karmann she had seen up that way (and a white one) and how great it looked, even caught her telling my sister about it as well. She won't drive the Kombi so maybe a Ghia will convert her to air??

Bobby

Thanks John. I remember reading all about Blue Vision in AVW and thinking what an awesome car. Then I saw it at a Dubs at the Pub. Beautiful work!

Sorry about that Bobby- but can't understand why your wife won't drive the Kombi; it looks awesome!

sorry to pry but who did your carpet, headliner and seats/door trims?

I did the interior a little on the cheap. The seats had been re-covered when I bought it and so they were in pretty good condition, and the colour I wanted.
The carpet I bought cheap from ebay (was for a left hooker) and I fitted myself. Door trims the same- ebay purchase and added a little bling with door handles and chrome. The headliner I had made up by a guy that does them for all makes and models and fitted that myself too.
The interior is one part of the car I cut corners with, but plan improvements now it's on the road.