12. Karmann Ghia Restoration - Side Two

It's time to look at the second side of my 1971 Karmann Ghia Convertible. I was full of hope for this right side as the paintwork showed very little signs of rust and the accident damage that was discovered on the left side of the car did not extend to the right side. Just maybe the right side would be much easier to do than the left. 

Closer inspection showed just a little rust bubbling on the sill and at the bottom of the front and rear quarters, and so it was with great confidence that the task of replacing the right had sill began. 

Colin, of Unit Two Services, Ilkeston, Nottingham, (who's workshop I am still occupying) set about the sill with an angle grinder to see what secrets hid beneath. It was not good news! The strengthening beam had rotted away along with the bottom of the "A" pillar and the rear inner wing. The decision was made to cut away the bottom of the front wing and the bottom of the rear quarter panel and see how far the rot had gone..








The more we cut away, the worse it got. 











Until our hopes of an easy restoration on the right hand side disappeared. Not only was the strengthening beam rotten but also the back of the heater tunnel and the heater tunnel itself.













Until the only decision had to be that another full reconstruction had to be done on this side as well. So everything was cut away, back to the chassis itself and reconstruction had to commence again.

At last a stroke of luck! When Colin made the heater tunnel for the left side, he also made another blank one for the right side, just in case. Now we had got to use it. So the holes were cut in it for the front heater vent and the oval hole for the heater tube under the rear seat. The replacement tunnel was then fitted into place and marked, through the floor pan, for the fixing plates and captive nuts. The new heater tunnel could then be bolted into place along with a new rear inner wing end plate and front "A" pillar end plate.


At the same time the repaired perforated rear heater tube had to be fiddled into place, because once the heater tunnel is bolted in you can no longer fit this tube. Once the tunnel is bolted in, the tube can be welded to the tunnel and to it's mating tube at the other end.

Now once the heater tunnel was back in place, the back of the tunnel and the new strengthening beam could be welded in and the car was now regaining some of its strength.











Now, at last, the new sill could be fitted and welded into place.













It was now time to turn our attention to the "A" pillar. Behind the lower hinge is a shaped box section that adds strength to the bottom of the pillar. This prevents the car bending at the crucial place, where the vertical pillar meets the sill and also supports the door. You would never see this unless you cut away the bottom of the front wing to reveal it. Care had to be taken when rebuilding this to ensure that it was both strong and did not hit the inside of the new bottom wing outer panel.

 The new bottom wing panel could now be fitted. Care was taken to cut this new panel in below the indentation for the Karmann Ghia badge as I still have this badge and want to refit it once the car is painted.


So there it is we are nearly there with the right side. Just the rear  inner wing to construct and a new rear quarter panel to fit and then, at last, we can move onto the rear of the car.

You can contact me on hopcroftscoot@gmail.com

Copyright 14.01.19 all rights reserved.

My Other Blogs:
1961 BSA A10 Super Rocket Motorcycle:
http://60sclassicmotorbikes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/before.html

1961 Ariel Arrow Super Sport Motorcycle :
http://60sclassicmotorbikes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/1961-aerial-golden-arrow-restoration.html

Miniature Land Rover Defender:
http://miniaturelandrover.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/1-miniature-land-rover-defender-idea.html?view=timeslide

Motorcycle Trailers / Caravans:
http://motorcycletrailersandcaravans.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/1-motorcycle-trailers-problem.html