Karman Ghia

[otto_kretschmer]

I was thinking of goiing back in time

I find my 944 can be a real head ache to keep on the road. Many of the simple problems are not that simple to fix. I did the clutch about a year ago and that cured me of doing any more clutches on these cars. Now I'm dealing with oil leaks. I'm half way into the front main seal and its not that bad but if the head gasket is leaking, or the oil pan is leaking I may just donate the car if I don;'t feel like having a shop do it.

So I was thinking of buying a Ghia.

no smog,

easy to fix

there is a VW shop close by

I have a low milage 1.7l from my 914 that got crunched by some punk not paying attention

I rebuilt the motor myself so I know whats in it, just need to do an up right conversion

maybe put the seats out of my 88 doner 944 into the Ghia and seat belts

anyone have a Ghia before?

[trekkor]

I had one with a 1776cc motor and Engle 120 cam. Dual carbs.

It was between 914's.

Got rid of it quick and got back into my 914 that is now a SIX conversion track car.

No regrets.


KT

[widebody911]

Yes, I restored '56 a few years ago

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by widebody911

Yes, I restored '56 a few years ago

wow,

thats nice,

but too nice for my use

I need basic transportation

maybe I should just buy a honda Civic

[HardDrive]

Otto, why don't you get a used Nissan 350Z?

If I were going to buy an air cooled VW to commute, I would get a bug. They've never lost their cool, easy to work on, parts are cheap, handle reasonably well with some tweaking.

[aigel]

It is a glorified bug. Flimsy and small as it gets IMHO. I would not want to daily drive one - you'll be ground meat if anything hits you. I'd look a little newer if it had to be an Euro car, of if it had to be a classic / pre-smog, go American.

G

[Brando]

I had a pearl white 73 and loved it. Too bad I lost it to a head-on collision. I walked away just fine. The guy in the SUV lost it and had some injuries.

I had just a stock 1600 with dual Kadrons. Before that it was a 2.2L that was a beast to drive. It was my first car and needed to be reliable and predictable. Not "idle" and "full-throttle" only.

If I could have another, probably a mid 60s with a TIV.

[genrex]

Karmann Ghias --

They are beautiful cars and very fun to drive, but some parts are becoming hard to find (headlight rings, for instance). Most of all, there is a lot of misinformation about air-cooled VWs out there, and your biggest challenge will be finding people who actually know what they're talking about.

The local VW shop -- Do they work on Karmann Ghias? What is their name? Do they have a website? Do they have a bulletin board with cars for sale?

Do you plan on doing much highway driving? The maximum cruising speed of a stock air-cooled VW is about 65 mph. If you like to cruise at 70 mph, the engine is at risk of seizing up and needing a complete rebuild. Yes, there are stock air-cooled VWs cruising at 70 mph.... but not for long.

John Muir's "Compleat Idiot Book" is the gold standard in repair manuals for a/c VWs.... nothing else even comes close.... and you will be amazed at the things you can do yourself.

_

[Nostril Cheese]

You think a 944 is a headache to keep on the road? Get a Z-car

[widebody911]

Here's my newest project: 1963 Type 3 Karmann Ghia (aka T34)

[Mark Henry]

Chassis and engine are beetle, every beetle I've every built (for myself) can drive 90mph all day long.
The only thing I don't like about ghias is they are hard to lower properly. I find if you lower beetles 2-3" it totally wakes up the handling. Add good power and you have a poor mans 9-elebin.

My newest creation will have a 901 transmission and a type 4 engine, all the hard work is done, I just need to finish putting it together.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

where did you find that?!

Originally Posted by widebody911

Here's my newest project: 1963 Type 3 Karmann Ghia (aka T34)

[GH85Carrera]

The biggest problem with the Ghia is it is an OLD car. To make it a decent driver by today's standard is going to cost a lot. Do you really want a car with bad heating and no AC that does not stop? They are cool cars, but it was a cheap car long long ago. I can't think of any car from that era that I would want today as a daily driver. Lots of the cars from that era are cool toys. And my daily driver is a 27 year old vehicle.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

where did you find that?!

I have 2 of these now; I bought them both in the Bay Area.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

if you ever find another, and don't want it for yourself, please let me know.

[widebody911]

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by genrex

Most of all, there is a lot of misinformation about air-cooled VWs out there...

Yes, there are stock air-cooled VWs cruising at 70 mph.... but not for long.

John Muir's "Complete Idiot Book" is the gold standard in repair manuals for a/c VWs....

As a matter of fact, there's some misinformation right there...


First of all, a later-model a/c VW will easily cruise all day at 70 with no problem. As a matter of fact, I drove a '62 Bug (40hp 1200cc) cross-country on Rt. 80 without incident. Remember...these cars were built to run on the Autobahns.
Although an interesting read and somewhat helpful, John Muir's book is hardly the "gold standard" for repairing an a/c VW. The factory manuals or the 'blue" Bentley manual are far more useful.

I've had several Karmann Ghias and enjoy them a lot. Coach-built body, simple mechanicals, great build quality and fun to drive. That being said, I'd hesitate to recommend one as a daily driver. They're really not that safe and they lack ALL of the modern conveniences found in even the lowliest econobox. Although they can be easily modified to go faster and stop quicker in an effort keep up with modern traffic, the lack of safety features is hard to overcome.

If you're intent on finding one for yourself, try to find a rust-free example with a good body. Body work on these cars can be quite expensive but mechanical parts are readily available and you can do most any repair right in your driveway with a just a handful of tools. The later models ('72-'74) would probably make the best daily drivers as they have the most power, better safety features and a few more creature comforts.


This is my '67...

[genrex]

The best source for unbiased technical info on the air-cooled VW engine:

Gene Berg Technical Manual

RARE Gene Berg Parts and Technical Manual Volkswagen VW Bug Bus | eBay

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[BE911SC]

Originally Posted by rcooled

Boy is that a gorgeous KG. Blackwalls were the right call here.

[RWebb]

the Karmann Ghia has been called the closest thing to a 356 that was made later on

it's great to see them driving around town, but I wouldn't own one