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Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:20 pm

Kiwi,
I'm surprised you haven't stained the slats on the roof rack to match the wheel and knob.... :D

Wed Jun 22, 2016 12:25 pm

WooleyNelson wrote: Kiwi,
I'm surprised you haven't stained the slats on the roof rack to match the wheel and knob.... :D

I thought of that! A bit too much, perhaps? The slats do match the Lotus White of the lower body, though, and there should be more stained woodwork in the console I intend to build.

Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:09 pm

reinstalled the engine and started to bolt on the rear bumper

Fri Jun 24, 2016 10:27 pm

That color and car are fantastic -- -- can't wait to see the "finished" pictures

Fri Jun 24, 2016 11:50 pm

Installed rear window louvres:

I still have to adjust them. It wasn't an easy job for a single pair of hands.

Sat Jun 25, 2016 6:30 pm

lasslo wrote: Mounted my rear seat with new fabric 😊

Looks comfy!

Sat Jun 25, 2016 7:10 pm

I've been driving the Ghia on occasion and on trips through the country. I'll have to check, but I believe the engine now has 50,000 miles on it since the rebuild, and is running better than ever. I don't take it to work much anymore (although I did last Friday), as construction has traffic congesting my way home. Although the Ghia is more than capable, I'm uncomfortable being in frequently stopping traffic with some angry guy on a cellphone behind me not paying attention.

Today I loaded the Ghia up with a trunk full of tools, and met a good friend at a rent-a-bay shop to work on his 1986 Corvette. We go to car shows together and hang out when we can, and today we replaced his starter (again), cleaned up the electricals, and fixed a trans leak. They let me pull the Ghia in next to his car while we worked, and people were coming into the shop to take photos of the two together.

Below is a shot my friend took after we had buttoned his car back up. That tripod below the car is a light holder that I made for working on cars at home, but it worked out really well for use on the lift. My wife picked up the tripod at a garage sale, not realizing it was broken, so I cut off the broken mounting plate and made a bracket for the light. The flashlight is a Nitecore EC4S which peaks at 2,150 lumens, but it was more than bright enough at 400.

Sat Jun 25, 2016 7:18 pm

'Tis a thing of beauty...

Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:21 am

Thanks for the kind words Altema and Fiatdude. :lol: "finished"... I like your sense of humor.
Side panels for the engine compartment came back from being hard anodized, so in they went. Thanks for looking!

Mon Jun 27, 2016 6:24 am

crocteau wrote: Thanks for the kind words Altema and Fiatdude. :lol: "finished"... I like your sense of humor.
Side panels for the engine compartment came back from being hard anodized, so in they went. Thanks for looking!

It's fantastic looking. You did a wonderful job. Now take a drive down 611 so I can see it in person. :)

Mon Jun 27, 2016 1:15 pm

That's one pretty engine. Question, what are those blue hoses, vents?

re. my 72, didn't have to do much of anything to it over this past weekend. Gave it a bath and took it for a couple hr cruise. Ran great without any heat or performance problems and it was up near the 90's. Shame it doesn't look as good as it runs. Guess I'll work on that one O' these days :D

Mon Jun 27, 2016 2:30 pm

crocteau wrote: ...Side panels for the engine compartment came back from being hard anodized, so in they went. Thanks for looking!

I think you've proved that even the engine bay of our Ghias can be turned into a thing of beauty. I suspect that many are going to steal ideas from you, and so they should. And so will I.

Mon Jun 27, 2016 3:58 pm

Volfandt wrote: That's one pretty engine. Question, what are those blue hoses, vents Thanks Volfandt! Yes, those hoses are connected to a breather box on the firewall.
kiwighia wrote: I think you've proved that even the engine bay of our Ghias can be turned into a thing of beauty. I suspect that many are going to steal ideas from you, and so they should. And so will I. Thanks Kiwikghia! I consider that high praise in light of your impeccable restoration. My 'skills' are limited to polishing aluminum and stainless steel and of course copying others' ideas. I know you're up north, but next time you go on holiday how about snapping a photo of your Ghia beside Lake Tekapo with Mt. John off to the side or maybe surrounded by sheep to bring back old memories?

Mon Jun 27, 2016 4:07 pm

crocteau wrote: Volfandt wrote: That's one pretty engine. Question, what are those blue hoses, vents Thanks Volfandt! Yes, those hoses are connected to a breather box on the firewall.
kiwighia wrote: I think you've proved that even the engine bay of our Ghias can be turned into a thing of beauty. I suspect that many are going to steal ideas from you, and so they should. And so will I. Thanks Kiwikghia! I consider that high praise in light of your impeccable restoration. My 'skills' are limited to polishing aluminum and stainless steel and of course copying others' ideas. I know you're up north, but next time you go on holiday how about snapping a photo of your Ghia beside Lake Tekapo with Mt. John off to the side or maybe surrounded by sheep to bring back old memories?

That's a long way down my friend - and cold! - but on my Bucket list. Yes, Rangitoto just doesn't cut it, when I could have the lakes and the mountains down south in the background.

Mon Jun 27, 2016 4:16 pm

crocteau, Do you have a build thread going on on your car? If so I dont remember the details on your motor. That thing looks really nice and well planned out. Lots of cool parts and detail work.

Tue Jun 28, 2016 8:26 pm

Sold It to fellow VW enthusiast so that it can get the attention it deserves.
now on to my next project..........
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Fri Jul 01, 2016 12:16 am

WooleyNelson wrote: Kiwi,
I'm surprised you haven't stained the slats on the roof rack to match the wheel and knob.... :D

You made a lot of work for me Mr Nelson.

I had to sand the rails (dowells?) back to bare timber.

Then I had to stain them, with several coats and sanding in between.

Finally, on the roof, after 3 coats of marine varnish - and light sanding in between:

Just to match the gear lever knob and steering wheel.

But a good idea anyway, Mr Nelson. Sometimes I need a kick in the pants to see the light.

Fri Jul 01, 2016 4:43 am

Nice work on the roof rack! Is that ewe winking? :lol:

Fri Jul 01, 2016 6:06 am

kiwighia68 wrote: WooleyNelson wrote: Kiwi,
I'm surprised you haven't stained the slats on the roof rack to match the wheel and knob.... :D

You made a lot of work for me Mr Nelson.

I had to sand the rails (dowells?) back to bare timber.

Then I had to stain them, with several coats and sanding in between.

Finally, on the roof, after 3 coats of marine varnish - and light sanding in between:

Just to match the gear lever knob and steering wheel.

But a good idea anyway, Mr Nelson. Sometimes I need a kick in the pants to see the light.
:lol: Being a perfectionist can certainly be a real inconvenience sometimes, can't it?

On the bright side, at least Mr. Nelson didn't ask if you were planning on hand crafting a matching wooden handle for the parking brake lever ... or ask you whether you planned on hand crafting a pair of matching wooden arm rests for the door panels, or if you were simply going to use some of that left-over matching upholstery fabric to sew up new covers (with fancy French seams, naturally) for the black arm rests that you already have.

( :wink: :wink: , nudge, nudge )

Fri Jul 01, 2016 1:13 pm

crocteau wrote: Nice work on the roof rack! Is that ewe winking? :lol:

Ha-ha! As you know, we have blow-up sheep down here - a grandchild's toy that one, and it's a ram I can tell (but not show}!

KGCoupe - You've given me some ideas, but I'm taking a break to visit friends in England, Scotland, Italy and Sweden first. Seeing that the UK Pound is so affordable these days. (Now where did I see that wooden handbrake lever advertised?)

The sun is out after a week of storms, and I'm taking my Ghia out for a nice long drive on winding roads along the coast and through some forests. Pics to follow.