Current restoration work: '54 Oval-Beetle Sliding-Ragtop, '59 Beetle Sedan, '60-'59 KG Cabrio, '60 KG Coupe, '63 Notchback, '64 KG Cabrio, '64 Notchback, '65 Beetle Sedan, '65 13-Window Bus, '66 21-Window Bus, '68 KG Coupe, '69 KG Cabrio, '70 Bus, '71 Bus, '71 KG Cabrio, '74 412, '74 1303 Cabrio, '74 1303 Sedan,
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~ 1968 Karmann Ghia Coupe ~ revolksrevolksrevolksrevolksrevolksrevolksrevolks |
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Restoration being completed by reVOLKS.
This Ghia to came to us us by an Oklahoma owner....to be completed properly.
This 'restoration' began some 3 years ago when the Ghia was taken to a company for body work and paint. The owner is a very gracious and trusting woman with one simple request - "please restore my lovely Ghia!" Of course we said "Sure!" Everyone that knows us, knows we _L_ _O_ _V_ _E_ Ghias! :) The plan is to recover from all the damages that happened to this lovely Ghia since it was left to weather in an open windy field with a harsh tarp scratching the paint unbearably. Complete the restoration even though most of the "'68-only' Ghia-unique parts" (and a whole doner Ghia) are missing. The owner (being as gracious as she is) has been more patient in her descriptions of the previous companies then we would be given the circumstances.
Placing her trust in reVOLKS certainly came with some hesitation, but as you'll see
we are bringing 'Georgetta' back in style and as the owner wished - stock beauty - simple and clean!
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Here is Georgetta as she began the 'final leg of her 3 year journey' :) The over-all appearance was good. The body work that had been done was of good quality and the paint appeared to have been applied well though you can see that it lacks any real shine. You can see that we had already begun the braking system install as is evident by the presence of brake fluid resevoir and new German 'blue lines' connected to the master cylinder (the master cylinder was broken and _glued!_ by the previous company) |
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This block of pics highlights the interior work. The door's vapour barriers were installed after the door mechanicals were lubricated and confirmed good. Next the carpet kit was installed and then the functional elements began to find there way in too! This process took longer than 'usual' due to the missing pieces. After completing the carpet install, the door thresholds were installed. |
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This block shows how abused the paint was. This is actually 'new' paint that was applied very well too.
Unfortunately, the company that was to do assembly left the freshly painted Ghia under a rip-stop nylon
tarp in a windy field....for a YEAR! :( The owner was "lead to believe" the paint was a dual stage PPG... Unfortunately, it is not dual stage. The pic of the hood really shows the hazing - the hood looks dirty but that's how scratched it is :( |
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These pics show the lower 1/3 of the Ghia. Specifically the body trim.....Notice anything unusual? :) This is a commonly made mistake - inattention to detail. The trim was put on both upside down and also in the incorrect position. Something else you see here.... How nice the paint _DID_ look. Look at the reflection! The person that painted this, obviously knew how to paint and the results show here, if you can see past the field debris that gathered upon the surface after a year 'out to pasture'. |
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Here the body trim (what trim there was) had to be removed to correct for problems created by previously
installed work. The headliner had to be removed and reinstalled too. |
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The wiring got underway and was fairly problematic but resolveable.
Unfortunately, the 'other place' lost the whole steering column!!!! So a replacement was restored and keyed correctly
then wired into place - without 'twisting' the wire for connections :( The restored dash gauges were installed. Here you see the speedometer which had to be replaced outright because the provided unit was broken in it's casing which was difficult to correct because it was a 1967-only unit! This speedo is actually correct for 1968 - notice the absence of 1/10 mile indicator on the odometer. Hey look at those radio knobs! Cool or what? This is a neato little thing that the reVOLKS interior queen does. She always makes our restorations special in some way ;) The interior was finished using some of the upholstery that was already purchased some 2 years ago. The balance of the interior was restored and installed including a freshly restored steering wheel. |
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Well, lots has happened at this point. The paint job was buffed for many hours to recover the original beauty. The engine was rebuilt using the original (pictured) single port long block. You can see a few chromed components because those original items (along with 90% of the cooling tins) were missing. You can also see Georgetta awaiting the engine installation on the car lift. Notice the engine's generator? Neat custom trick - polish the casing & clear coat it for lasting shine! The engine is seen after installation into the Ghia is completed. |
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Can I say 'Gorgeous Georgetta'? .... Can you? :) This is certainly a beauty shot if ever there was one. This Ghia is just about ready to drive home. All that is needed at this point is for the bumpers to be installed and some final mechanical work such as adjusting the brakes. Ain't she sweet? That stack of chromed shiney stuff are the bumpers. This owner bought several sets before reaching this stage and fortunately she had a nice set rechromed! Look as the front bumper is assembled in pieces loosely and finally straightened and tightened up - ready! |
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Another Gorgeous Ghia Folks! You gotta love the way this beauty came out. You also have to hand it to the owner who persisted through over 3 years to see this Ghia completed! When picking up Georgetta, the owner admitted, she figured it would be at least another year before she would get the chance to drive her :) Next weekend is her first car show! |