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, '69 KG Cabrio, '70 Bus, '71 Bus, '71 KG Cabrio, '74 412, '74 1303 Cabrio, '74 1303 Sedan,
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~ 1971 Karmann Ghia Cabriolet ~ revolksrevolksrevolksrevolksrevolksrevolksrevolks |
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Stunning restoration by reVOLKS.
'Pumpkin' is closer to a family member than simply a classic prize for Dad to keep in his garage. Pumpkin's family wants her returned to her original beauty - What she looked like when she drove all the kids to the beach and when she took Mom out shopping and occassionally assisted Dad in getting his golf clubs to the country club! All these duties, Pumpkin performed flawlessly and all on her original equipment, save for some maintenance items like a more modern exhaust system. So the plans are to keep her colored just as she always has been, but give her a fresh upscale interior and "top-drawer" cabrio roof. On the mechanical side of things, Pumpkin will be finished with a new 1641cc powerplant with a few performance oriented goodies such as HD oil pump with full flow oiling and electronic ignition. New IRS transaxle will be installed. Over-all pumpkin is going to remain close to the original specs that Wolfsburg saw fit to send her off to America with. |
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Here is Pumpkin already a good way into her restoration. (sorry I lost the original diskettes with her previously unrestored pics on them) Her cabrio top was removed and the frame removed for media blasting. It is now already repainted with POR-15 and awaits it's day to be reinstalled. Also here, you see her interior just prior dash dismantling. Pumpkin will be restored to stock form here including the wood grain dash cover. |
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Pumpkin was garaged for more than the past decade, so her rear compartment is in very good
shape. Ditto for her floor pans. While a little wear-n-tear is evident. Nothing bad has
turned up at all. Pumpkin obviously liked to listen to tunes while cruising her native Ohio. We not sure yet what will happen with her large rear-seat "ears" shown here... |
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This Ghia had it's original engine still running strong, but showing 150k miles on the odometer
meant it was time for an over-haul. Plans are not to vary from the original formula set forth by
the volks at Wolfsburg. You can even see that the battery tray never rusted in the engine bay! Now that's rare! What it looks like after the engine has been removed - Very clean engine bay indeed! |
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These three pics tell a little story we're not sure the owner is even aware of. Look at that pristine nose panel from the outside. That is an undamaged nose! Anything that looks like a flaw is either dirt or bad camera operation ;). But wait! What's that inside on the passenger-side bulkhead? Can you see it? A close and thorough inspection inside the inner fender well reveals that Pumpkin was hit in the nose at some point (perhaps before the current family adopted Pumpkin?). The panel replacement and welding were done so expertly, I'd say factory-like. I believe this was performed at the hands of a VW dealership at least by someone that obviously knew exactly where the original welds were done. Work of this accuracy is not common folks. They did an excellent job of correcting what was probably a front-end collision into the rear-end of another vehicle. Closest of inspections wouldn't have revealed this, without the inspector knowing there was some kind of accident in this Ghia's history. |
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Here again we see just how good Pumpkin's original owner was to her. She had suffered a rear-end
collision of some sort, but from the first picture, you cannot tell. Yet close inspection from inside (I discovered this after the engine had been pulled out and I was standing up inside the engine bay facing back). Again, the level of work was very good. Most likely a VW-trained person. |
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In this block of pics, the body has already been corrected for cosmetic problems caused by 'laquer cracking' - tiny, hair-line, cracks that
appeared in the previous paint job. This problem must be removed completely before further work can be done as it will only come back to
haunt any future body/paint werk. Thus, you see grey primered areas - where the laquer cracking was removed back to bare metal. Pumpkin is on the way into the booth for wet sanding....the precursor to final block sanding. |
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Here Pumpkin was rolled back into the shop for some cleaning and the transaxle removal. Pumpkin's over-all condition, didn't warrant a body-off restoration, but still, the frame head and transaxle support areas need some attention - cleaning, degreasing and prep for new mechanicals to be installed. Here you see Pumpkin's original IRS transaxle removed along with the drive shafts, which were later dismantled and restored for use with the new transaxle that will be installed after bodywork is completed. |
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Pumpkin was rolled back into the booth after the transaxle and mechanical removal for final block sanding. Block sanding is done using 'guide' coats of paint. A contrasting paint is lightly applied to the whole surface and then uniformly removed with block sanders. This guide coat helps you identify any place the body is not straight.... |
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This block of pics shows the Ghia after the primer has been applied. After this primer had dried, the body was once again wet sanded
to get an ultra-smooth base for the paint to be applied to. This primer is a typical primer/sealer used when the body has minimal or no body work required. This primer yeilds an almost finished look after wet sanding. |
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Here you see Pumpkin after she received 3 coats of the base coat color. Notice how the paint is sort of dull looking close-up... This is because this paint is the first stage of a dual-stage paint system. The paint we used here will have a clear coat applied over it. It's the clear coat that adds the depth and shine. What you are "shooting" for with a dual-stage system is to get the base coat on clean and evenly. Little or no texture is ideal. This paint job came out better than factory finish, with ultra-smooth application. The clear will make this look very deep once completed. |
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In this block everything comes together in the paint booth. The first image shows the body after the first clear coat is applied. Then you see it after the 3rd clear coat was applied. When I rolled Pumpkin outside into the daylight, Wow! Did she shine! Just check out the sparkles in the paint job! I was very happy with this results. Several clients that have stopped by have commented how pretty this color is. It sort of grows on you. I kid them, that they'll need suntan lotion with an SPF factor of at least 35 to stand next to it :) The last two pics show how clear the finish is. Keep in mind that this finished has not been color sanded or even polished yet. After polishing, you'll be able to read the daily paper in the reflection! |
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Well her days in the paint booth are now over for many years to come. Back into the shop where chassis and mechanicals will make their way back into this lovely Ghia. |
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Here the front suspension and steering components are being removed; preparing the front end for restoration. |
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In these pics you see Pumpkin getting the first body seals installed as well as some of the body trim and lighting. Also in these pics the beginning of the fuel, braking and emission systems are being installed. |
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Here the front beam has been completely rebuilt with new components. Hey! What do you think of those beautiful EMPI Sprint Stars?! Those are the real McCoy! Stamped with the same production date even (a set). The owner doesn't actually want them, I just wanted to photograph them on the car that they were MADE for! |
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Well, I told you the restoration process goes quickly once the paint has dried! Here you see that lovely German Squareweave carpeting - a close-up detail of the carpet and the canvas binding. The dash gauges have all been restored and installed at this point. The wiring is about 95% completed now too. The final picture here shows the new header bow after it has been sealed to protect it for another 30 years of use. Also you can see the frame had been removed, sandblasted, cleaned and painted with POR-15 providing it a solid basis for another 30 years of operation too! :) |
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This block of pics shows some activity surrounding the the front trunk. The dash wiring gets closer to completion, the fuel delivery system and emissions tubing is reconnected. |
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Well, it's about time to bring Pumpkin's owners "up to speed" with the motivational parts of this restoration :) The old transaxle was still working fine with over 100k clicked by, but it was decided to replace it anyway. TRANSform in California was called for a replacement (seen laying on the floor). After the IRS transaxle was installed it was time to move onto the engine.... |
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Pumpkin was moved onto the rack to have her wheels removed for some needed restoration work and
while she was immobilized, the cabrio roof was tackled. In these pics you see the bare frame after it was installed into the body and the new bows were installed and alignment was completed. Next the headliner is installed. The final picture here you can see through the perforated headliner (the light above shines through). |
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After the headliner began installation (it's not completed in the same step), the padding
kit is installed over top and then it's time for the roof fabric - canvas in this case! :) This roof is looking good already! Note in the foreground of one picture that Pumpkin's engine was being built. |
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The wheels came back from media blasting and were prepped and painted then sent out to have four new hoops mounted and voila! Pumpkin can roll again :) |
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Here you see Pumpkin's new engine being built. The new engine is 1679cc (using 88mm pistons & cylinders with some extra's like heavy duty oil pump and EMPI oil filter system. Also running with electronic ignition and a semi-custom exhaust system. This engine started right up and runs very smoothly and surprisingly quiet in spite of the exhaust header and sporty muffler. |
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Gee! Are we nearly finished another restoration? You bet! The owners will be flying-in later this week and driving this beauty to their summer home in Ohio (Pumpkin's owners prefer Florida for winter months)... The home-stretch for this beauty begins tomorrow! |
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Well, if this isn't the most rewarding part of restoring early model Vdubs; I don't know what is? The engine which was previously run went in like it wanted to....no resistance and easy hook-up. There were a few minutes to ensure all electrical connections were set, the new battery was secured and then it was time to put the first mile on the odometer :) The last picture shows Pumpkin coming back after mile 1. The hood and deck lids are left off until the very end, just in case there are any electrical or mechanical adjustments to make - shortly after the last pic was taken, the brakes were adjusted and the canvas top began the last of it's installation with the window seals. Stay tuned! the last 5 items on the completion punch list are in site now :) |
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Pumpkin is done and the call is made to the owners to arrange pick-up. A final check is performed with our 'ground crew' giving her approval too :) |
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Project Delivery! See for yourself. This is one gorgeous Ghia! |