Hi All, I am new to this forum. I have a 1962 Karmann Ghia coupe which I have had for 10 years. It is in pretty reasonable original condition. I am considering having it stripped down and restored from scratch. Any advice on who does the best work in Sydney or Melbourne?
vw54 ·
whats yr location Sydney or Melbourne
which ever it is you should be close to the place so you can check and monitor the progress and make decisions etc etc
What ever work you can do yourself will make the job cheaper so if yr handy with tools i would strip the car to a bare shell and have it dipped to remove all paint and rust
the ghias have 3 skins and hidden body sections which only a chemical dipp can get into
as for panel work wait untill you get the shell back to decide the next step
dont do anything else untill you get the body stripped and dipped as you may find its not worth it or bigger and more costly than you expected
do you have any idea of a budget ???
kg1962 ·
vw54, thanks for your reply.
I suspect that the restoration work would be quite expensive, but I want to do it properly. I would guess at $15k to do it from ground up.
I am pretty handy mechanically and have my father who is a mechanic as an helper. I am however exceptionally busy at work so it would be more cost effective for me to have it done from the ground up by a professional outfit.
I reside in Newcastle (2 hours north of Sydney), but spend a reasonable amount of time in Sydney and make occasional trips to Melbourne.
I have also considered getting it restored by "The Karman Ghia Company of Australia" located in WA, which has at least a good internet presence. Do you know if they are any good?
Nikos ·
Good Luck with your $15K.
I've also looked into this for my Karmann Ghia. Realistically I'd imagine you would at least be looking at double that figure as a start. esp if you're looking at a body off resto.
When I was doing my research I also considered shipping my car over to Gerry in WA. I'd be confident that the job was done right as that is all they do.
Your other options locally would be the likes of Monster Garage out west, Wayne Penrose down south, and possibly Mike at CBB (Penrith)
I've gone for the slow approach, and rather than go all out, have got Richard at V-Force building a complete new 1776 with new case. He is also going to sort out and upgrade all my mechanical issues at the same time, such as new brakes and suspension. All I'll need to worry about then is the body/paint, and interior. I just want to start enjoying the car safely, and worry about cosmetics down the track when I can afford it.
Good luck I'd be interested to hear what you decide and how you go.
Nikos.
vw54 ·
Body ad Paint is going to be the BIGGEST expense
Like i said get it dipped n stripped back to bare metal to seee what you have to work with
Yes i know Gerry he does some good stuff but if u want a good job the dip first
yes 15K wont take you far especially if yr paying a shop to do all the work n running around proabbly doubl;e would be more close to the mark
kg1962 ·
Nikos,
Thank you for the sobering thoughts on my $15k and advice on companies that would do a good job.
I have had the car for 10 years and am pretty certain I want to do the ground up restoration, even if it is $30k.
Doesn't really make economic sense does it, but I guess that's classic cars for you!
I will keep you posted on what I decide.
vw54 ·
Step 1 Strip the car body from chassis doors and engine lid and bonnet off remove all wiring and trim and any heavy deposits of gunk your self
step 2 box all the bits up and make list of anything that may need replacing
step 3 send body and panels for stripping
step 4 find a panel beater who is interetsed in doing the job near your place
step 5 start handing out the money
Step 6 get a box of bits out and start cleaning and replacing where necessary ie the doors and runners and winder and locks these all take time to check and fix if necessary you carnt pay someone to do this job
kg1962 ·
vw54,
Thanks for the advice.
Any tips on:
1. Where to get the car dipped
2. Who to get involved in the body work
3. Where to get good chroming done
vw54 ·
1 Redi Strip at Blacktown
2 hard choice but some one who is willing and interested in doing the job may be hard to find
3 Talk with Boris at Vintage but as the KG bars are 3 piece i think it will prob cost you arnd 2K to have them straightened and re chromed using a copper base this is most important so they wont rust with cheap chrome there are no repros so if the bars are good then that will turn out 10 out of 10 make sure they sit straight and level on the car before you remove them sit car on flat level surface and et out you tap measure and check them out do they fit the contour of the body work etc etc lots of things to look at also check out the brackest and infill bracket sections body to bar lots of work there
newghia ·
Hi kg1962,
i have gone down this path recently,
I agree with getting it stripped first, but i would locate a good body repair person before you go any further,
seek out someone local to you who restores / repairs presige cars , if they cant help you, they should be able to point you in the right direction, also, being local to you allows you to check on progress more often & make sure it is going the way you intended.
Good luck with it.
grumble ·
Hamilton chrome did the bars for my 1961 Ghia recently and I am hapy with the work,there were a couple of rust holes and driving lights had been fitted previously,these areas were repaired .I have also used Coffs Chrome in the past successfully.interested to follow your progress Cheers Les
kg1962 ·
Hey does anyone know how to find out the history of a vehicle from the chasis number. I have already figured out that my KG was actually built in 1963, but was a 1964 model. I wanted to establish whether it is in it's original colour and trim. Any ideas on sources of information?
Dyno ·
AutoMuseum in Germany can send you the birth certificate for the car which will give the production date, model, colours, options and destination country for a fee. They are quite often incorrect on combinations for trim and M codes as they do not have the early M codes recorded. Alternatively, you can post up pics of the interior, original painted parts of the car(under back seat, inside doors, etc) so we can get an idea of its original colour and whether or not the interior is original(some of us have the factory interior combinations for the colour options of the cars). If yours is a 1500s which it should be at this age, it will have had several unique body, electrical and mechanical differences to the later 1500s which I can go into once the true age of the car is brought to light with a chassis and engine number.
kg1962 ·
Hi Dyno,
I have done a bit of research online and from the chasis number established that it is a 1964 model built in late 1963. I think the car is in its original two tone colours (sea blue / blue white), with matching 559 vinyl / cloth interior.
The engine would have originally been a 40hp 1200cc. I have some documentation about the vehicle's history including a receipt for conversion to a 1500cc unit at a VW dealership in 1966. Unfortunately, I have only recently figured out that this engine is no longer in the vehicle. From the current engine number, I think someone has put a 54hp type 2 or 3 engine in the car.
I have contacted the AutoMuseum in Germany and am waiting to receive the "birth certificate". I plan to do a body off restoration to original specification, except the engine. Given the original engine no longer exists, I figure its a good excuse to put something with a little more power in, unless someone out there knows where to get a 40hp 1200cc with numbers that are consistent with the vehicle.
See pic of car below.
vw54 ·
nice colour scheme 4 a Ghia
grogy ·
i got a paprika ghia, but i reckon blue is the best looking color on ghias
karmann54 ·
I have a '63 model (built late '62) Ghia I've had for about 6-7 years now I guess. Mines Pearl White which is pretty boring, I'm thinking about the sea blue or the Emerald colours with the off-white roof. I'll get around to it one day!
The one shown is an Emerald Green car from Belgium, this is the colour I'm leaning towards.
grumble ·
Looking at the car it is a twin for my 1961 Ghia, it is sea blue with a white top,the trim is cerulean blue cloth with ivory vinyl. Mine does not have the bumper overriders .Cheers Les
helbus ·
Where I work we do $100K, $200K, $300K restorations on some real exotic and rare cars. It is all possible, and good work is available. We did a 356 Porsche $60K panel and paint restoration. PM me if you are interested. We only do the best work, no "resprays"
kg1962 ·
Grumble, post some pics of your 1961 Ghia!
Karmann54, I have posted a pic of a solid emerald green 1963. I think it looks awesome. Here's a link to the car online. There's about 40 pics and a good story.
kg1962 I will have to get barls to help me with the pics.there is one at his wedding on the forum under Thanks to Ian & Rose late last month. I repainted the little car Electric blue about 20 years ago.i notice the green ghia is LHD,have you converted ?Cheers Les
kg1962 ·
Grumble,
There are pics of 3 different Ghias on this thread. Mine is the earliest post - Sea blue, blue white roof and no bumper over riders. It is an Australian delivered RHD vehicle.
isky ·
hi kg1962,
Beautiful car! So whats wrong with it? what needs to be done? Just by looking at your pics it looks to already be in great shape. Unless its full of rust and covered in bog like the 1960 Ghia i just bought i see no reason why your initial budget estimate shouldn't hold up. Nice car mate!
Anthony
kg1962 ·
Hi Isky,
Thanks for comments.
Problem list:
Paint looking pretty tired - Its largely original
Carpets stuffed
Front seats not original - Wrong trim only I think
Interior trim pretty tired generally, but think its all original
Engine non-original 1500cc, and I'll probably change it for something more powerful
Funny electricals - Currently 6V with 12V converter, and battery doesn't charge particularly well
Wheels non original colours, so want to change that to original specification. I also want to get a set of sprinstars.
Non-original radio, so am getting a Blaupunkt of appropriate period
Broken interior light
Missing fuse box cover
Good parts:
No obvious rust of note
Pretty much complete car, with only minor missing bits
Will keep you posted on progress. Am just trying to collect up bits and pieces at the moment until next year when I plan to do body off restoration. I just want to dig deeper so to speak to see if there's any hidden rust or bog and then paint and protect it, so I get another 45 years out of it.
isky ·
mate your lucky! Id love it if the 1960 Karmann i bought last week had no rust. Im about to buy a second Ghia in 2 weeks. Its in need of some attention but luckily the rust isnt as big an issue 🙂 I look forward to seeing your progress!
Go slow, take your time (like it looks like your doing) and im sure your budget will cover it 🙂
.....then come give me a hand 😂
kg1962 ·
Isky,
I may well have rust but not know about it. Will keep you posted.
Post pics of your Ghias.
grumble ·
kg1962 your blue ghia is the one that I was referring to when I said it was a twin for mine,the differences are that I have clear front flashers and a side mirror from one of the 1600 datsuns.That and the fact that it is now electric blue.
isky ·
lol ill try and work out how to post pics first....
kg1962 ·
Birth certificate arrived! Car in original colours and trim! Let the restoration fun begin!
isky ·
Ahhh congrats mate! you have an old baby Ghia 🙂
Nice work, how did you go about receiving this? I know its the Auto museum but how do they take payment and how much does it cost mate? Do they have a dedicated request page or do you just email them...Ive tried previously to look into this...Cheers
kg1962 ·
Hi Isky,
I wrote to the Stiftung Auto Museum in Germany and they sent me some instructions. I have pasted them in below. Cost is 35 euros. When I wrote back, I asked if they could include the details of the interior and whether the car had a two tone paint job. If you note on the certificate I photographed, they have included those details at the bottom, with asterisks. I don't know if they do this routinely, so make sure you ask for the information you want. Cheers, Bruno.
We are pleased to research data of your Volkswagen and to draw up a birth certificate with the recorded data regarding colour, date of manufacture, port of destination...
The price for this service is 35 euros or dollars which you have to pay „cash with order“, please. Our terms of payment are: via Visa / Mastercard / American Express – card number and expiry date.
or you send the credit card number via fax, our fax number is
+49 - 53 61 - 5 20 10.
Do not forget to inform us about the chassis number of your vehicle and the engine number. Because of data protection we are not allowed to inform you about the original engine number. However, we are able to proof if the engine number you will give us correspond to the chassis number of your vehicle.
Please inform us about the name of the vehicles’ owner and the complete address where we should send the certificate to, please.
We need approximately four weeks for the research.
New: You also can order a birth certificate directly about our internet homepage www.volkswagen-automuseum.de. There you can find the link “Urkundengenerator”.
We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Roswitha Hendel
AutoMuseum Volkswagen
Dieselstrasse 35
D – 38446 Wolfsburg
We do not accept checks or money orders for organisation reasons. We ask for your understanding. Thank you.
isky ·
Thanks Bruno....Very interesting. Good tip about asking for the extra details. I like a lot of others now wait in anticipation for the resto to begin mate 🙂
melolly ·
I hope my birth certificate comes as fast as yours did. I was unsure if I was putting all the credit card stuff in correctly (language barrier) and am worried that mine will never come.
I only ordered it on the 8th....
kg1962 ·
Hi Melolly,
I ordered the birth certificate on the 23rd of April and it arrived on the 26th of May, so it took a bit over a month to arrive, so I wouldn't expect yours to arrive for another 2 weeks or so.
phaeton ·
Hi kg1962 😎
I have a similar vintage KG that I would like to restore; have decided I wont restore to original (but as close to as possible) as it costs heaps as you found out in earlier on in this thread.
So far its finding the time to do anything and as the KG is my daily I would have to buy another vehicle if I were to do a similar restoration.
Anyway good luck with your resto, IMO yours is perfect 😀
kg1962 ·
Just received some Karmann Ghia books from Amazon. Pity the Bobbitt book is the German translation of a book originally written in English. Perhaps I should of paid a bit more attention. At least it has some good pics. I might have to buy an English version. The Meredith book is small but has some good pics and information. The workshop manual is for types 11, 14 & 15 and is huge. Over 1000 pages, and has a lot of info on how to work on the Ghia. Its a reproduction of Volkswagen's original workshop manual for the cars. I have attached some pics.
isky ·
phaeton your ride looks as in great a condition as kg1962! nice one mate.
kg1962 ·
Am annoyed at the moment. I posted pics of Karmann Ghia books I bought. They are visible on my last entry when I am not logged in, but I cannot see them once I have logged in! Can anyone else see them when they are logged in?
isky ·
yes mate i see them....how weird!
kg1962 ·
Hi All,
Just reviving my thread, with a question.
Anyone know of places in Melbourne that do restorations on Ghias, as I'll be based there for work for 6 months from July?
Is Volkommen Art any good?
sputnick60 ·
look here for info on getting a birth certificate for your Ghia..
I have done a bit of research online and from the chasis number established that it is a 1964 model built in late 1963. I think the car is in its original two tone colours (sea blue / blue white), with matching 559 vinyl / cloth interior.
The engine would have originally been a 40hp 1200cc. I have some documentation about the vehicle's history including a receipt for conversion to a 1500cc unit at a VW dealership in 1966. Unfortunately, I have only recently figured out that this engine is no longer in the vehicle. From the current engine number, I think someone has put a 54hp type 2 or 3 engine in the car.
I have contacted the AutoMuseum in Germany and am waiting to receive the "birth certificate". I plan to do a body off restoration to original specification, except the engine. Given the original engine no longer exists, I figure its a good excuse to put something with a little more power in, unless someone out there knows where to get a 40hp 1200cc with numbers that are consistent with the vehicle.
See pic of car below.
To clarify your interior correctly; the code 557 is a dealer code for the all leatherette interior not the colour code of the Leatherette, the colour is a K series leatherette called Ice Blue.
Again the 559 is a dealer code and is for the combination leatherette and Hounds tooth cloth, the cloth is a P series Turquoise/Cerulean Blue hounds tooth.
Sorry, my records to date have been compiled for the early lowlight models and are a bit sketchy on the later model Ghia’s precise P code numbering for the Hounds tooth cloth.
I have this Hounds tooth in stock and could have the material dyed to a close match, I can also have the Ice Blue vinyl remade if you want the car to be factory original, but it's not cheap for small runs.