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vw karmann ghia

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Q: How do I replace the starter on a 1968 VW Karmann Ghia?

A: Follow what Fish-Eye said, but realize that one of the bolts in the starter is a long bolt with a round head with a flat side on it. The flat side has to face the body of the starter (this keeps the bolt from spinning). The nut for it is a 17mm in the engine compartment behind (or in front, depending on your perspective) the fan shroud. Make sure when you put the new starter in, you put grease on the end of the shaft and gear. Have fun!

Q: VW Bug, or VW Karmann Ghia? Or something else…?
I am a 17 year old driver currently trying to find a good, reliable car. I’m interested in learning to work on a vehicle myself, therefore I’ve been looking into older cars without any over-complicated parts such as ECU’s. I’ve been taking interest in older VW’s lately, particularly the 1970’s Beetle and Karmann Ghia’s, due to the simpler air cooled engine (and also the stylish appearance :) ). Price is not an issue, however I was wondering which would be more better/reliable?
I just want a vehicle that, over time I can actually make mine and not have to rely on mechanics and such to care for my vehicle.
Also, does the Karmann Ghia have an AC unit? I can’t seem to find anything online about it. All I know is that the Beetles don’t.
Answers would be very appreciated :)

A: No one loves the air cooled VW’s more than me, but I have to tell people this all the time – 70’s VW’s were never particularly reliable. Beetles were very easy to fix, so that makes up for it, IF you’re willing to fix it. Karmann Ghia’s are less easy to fix, and parts are harder to find.

If you’re thinking of getting an old Beetle or Karmann Ghia as a daily driver, get two. Get one of each. One will always be broken. As soon as you fix it, the other one will probably break. So, most of the time, you’ll have at least one working car.

You’ll learn a lot about cars, and have fun fixing them, if you’re serious about making them a daily driver. If you don’t have the time and energy to spend a few hours every week repairing your cars, my advice is to avoid old VW’s.

Q: 1968 VW Karmann Ghia?
I bought a Karmann Ghia like this one, but mine is a hard top and beige…

http://www.karmannghias.com/cars/61greenghia/index.htm

Anti-sway bars, larger performance tires 190X65HR15, the handling is incredable!

The freeway flyer transmission, I cruise freeways at 80 mph at the perfect 3,700 rpms for these air cooled wonders.

My 1,700 engine is rated at a conservative 80 hp with dual Delarto carberators and gets 28.8 mpg (yes, it does drip a little oil).

Whenever I drive it, like at the beach, people are always taking pictures of it so I never have to worry about it.

Parts are plentiful and inexpensive too… and if I ever have any questions, the seller always answers them. These VW class of people are wonderful. “True to the spirit” they call it.

http://www.karmannghia.com/home.asp

Recently, I was told I paid too much ($6k). I could not believe this. I get so much enjoyment from this car. But did I pay too much?
I even dream about driving this car.
Thanks! There was only so much room to write my question. I do have an Cylinder Head Temp., Oil Temp, and Oil Pressure gauges… and yes, a 5 qt. oil sump pump for Mobile 1 Synthetic.

A: Too Much> NOT IF YOU LOVE IT!
Get a oil cooler and oil temp gauge though….I’ve lost several VWs to third cylinder overheating, mostly coming back from the beach(200 miles uphill).

Q: Body seam filler in a VW Karmann Ghia – what is it?
Buddy and I are prepping his old VW Karmann Ghia for a much needed respray and bodywork.

PROBLEM / PUZZLED

What did the factory use for seam filler? This shytte looks like lead. We have halted work on the car until we know for sure. Did Volkswagen / Karmann use lead filler on these cars?
And if they did will paper masks be acceptable for working on it?
.
.
thanks to “manuel n”
As I stated, we have stopped work on the car and will pick up the proper materials tomorrow. GOOD CALL !
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A: You are right , they used lead to fill low spots and holes. Use etching primer to seal it and be sure to use foam respirators not the cheap paper ones.

Q: Should I buy a 70’s Porsche 914, VW Karmann Ghia or a Beetle for a project car?
My four teenagers and I would like to start a project of building a VW Beetle or a Karmann Ghia or a Porsche 914. Looking for a straight body that doesn’t require any work and the best value replacement parts. We want something that will have some performance once it’s completed.

I have found a 73 914 for $1,000 but needs a new fuse box and possibly all new wiring. The price looks good but I wonder if I would get a better return on doing a Beetle or Ghia instead. The appeal of the 914 is the mid engine layout for excellent balance. Can someone help me decide?

A: The Porsche 914 is an excellent handling car, but parts supplies for it are dicey at best. I would not be surprised that the vehicle would need new wiring, those vehicles ran pretty warm when new and with the wiring now being 30+ years old, the insulation is cracking and the ground circuits are problem prone due to age and corrision. The VW 411/412 suffers from the same problems as the 914 does. Because of the miles of wiring in one of these vehicles, expect to spend a lot of time and effort straightening out the wiring concerns. It is not a job for those of faint of heart.

I like the way the Porsche drives, but keep in mind in order to make it even just a daily driver it will require a ton of work. The fuel injection system used on many of these is now problem prone; it worked well when new, but it was an early electronic system, so time has passed it by and the parts are getting rarer and rarer. Many of these parts are rebuilt only and some of the rebuilders of these parts do a pretty poor job of it… Expect to spend top dollar for many of these parts, especially on Porsche only parts.. If you’re keeping it, for me at least, this would be my choice. If its something you’re going to sell after you finish it, I’d pick something else…

The Beetle is the easiest to restore as a project car. Mechanically bits are easily available from many vendors and tend to be far less expensive than the Porsche. Unless its a late model Beetle with Fuel Injection, they are simple to repair and almost everything is available for it, including new body parts, which certainly isn’t the case with the Porsche. The faults are well known: poor wind resistance, especially cross winds; so-so handling, so-so braking, poor heater and defroster, high noise levels, especially at freeway speeds; and only so-so fuel economy, even with a lot of modifications to the engine. But, you can easily modify the motor to get more performance from it, just don’t expect to get good economy from it. Also, there is excellent independent VW Beetle clubs all over the place and many magazines devoted to the Beetle, so support on your project will be easily found.
Finally, there is someone who will always want a Beetle, so when it comes time to part ways, it will be easy to sell it.

A Ghia has the same basic mechanical relationship with the Beetle.
It has better handling, better wind resistance, somewhat quieter than a Beetle (wind noise), better braking on late models (disc brakes in front), and is an easier vehicle to drive in everyday driving.

It shares the same basic faults as the Beetle, plus special parts that are not shared with the Beetle are harder to come by, as they stopped building the Ghia around 1974 and didn’t sell anywhere as many.
As long as your not looking for body parts, you should be able to restore one of these almost as easily as the Beetle. Think of it as a “sporty” Beetle….

Well, I hope this helps you a little, best wishes on whatever project that you take on as a family project, a car nut

Q: I have a 1971 VW Karmann Ghia. does anyone know if the hubcaps from the same vintage Beetle will fit?

A: rims are the same so they should.

Q: where is the vin number located on a vw karmann ghia? also how can i tell the model year?

A: check the drivers side win sheild. 5th or 6th number should be the year

Q: karmann ghia/ VW beetle similarities?
i need to know what parts from the vw beetle, 60’s ish, could i use on the karmann ghia. im checking out performance suspension parts for the bug and wondering what i could use. the engines im just going to guess are universal, but i need to know about the suspension more than anything.

A: most things are different on a ghia. Wheels are – you can see by rim style. Shocks maybe are interchangeable. Doghouse maybe a different size as well. Really depends on the year differences between the two cars. The nut behind the steering wheel seems to be universal though(and maybe the horn.). Don’t be surprized if alot of it don’t fit.

Q: IS A 1970 VW KARMANN GHIA A 2 OR 4 SEATER?
I have varied responses, take a look at this and tell me what you think it would be?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=695459

A: Four Seater – 2 adults up front and two smallish children in the rear. Can squeeze 2 adults in the back, but it is very uncomfortable. Not to bad with one adult in back sitting across seat.

Q: Vw Karmann ghia Stalls and shuts off?
so my karmann ghia is having problems, lately the car has been Driving good without any problems but one day on a red light it wanted to shut off so i give it gas to keeping it on and once i started moving on the green light it began to stall and it seemed it ddidn’twant to respond when i put it in first and second. i cleaned the gas filterbut that’snot the problem i messed with the carburetor throttle and managed to keep it with out shushuttingf but the car is to accelerated and sometimes it lags when i make it run, its not giving the power it used to im thinking the carburator is cloged but im not sure. what can i do or who can i take it to, to carburate it right and get my points to were they should be.? thanks

A: first thing i would check is the green wire going from the coil to dizzy. once mine was loose and i didnt know it, needless to say it fell off when i went over railroad tracks and the engine shut off. make sure you have a tight connection there. also check your point gap should be .016″ or .4mm. next check for vacuum leaks (mostly from the advance on the dizzy to the carb), check timing, adjust valves (intake and exhaust to .006″ for a 1600cc motor and .004″ for a 1500cc) etc…give her a good tune up.

Q: what kind of oil should i buy? i have a 73 vw karmann ghia!?
I’m getting a oil change by a friend 2day! Help fast!

A: karmen ghia and other vw’s require straight 30weight oil ,do not use 5w-30 or any other mixed blend ,these vehicles engines were made to run straight 30w oil and the reason for this is engine heat ,the amount of heat these engines produce,so do yourself a favor and buy straight 30weight and a good fram filter

Q: 1967 convertible vw karmann ghia?
would like to know if the 67 was a 1 year only model
i mean was it the first year with front disk breaks,it had an off set ignition switch

A: what do you mean by that? in 1967 VW made 19406 coupes, 4183 verts and 2819 type 34 ghias.

no, 1965 was the first year for disk brakes on the ghia

Q: Better ‘Daily Driver’: 1970 VW Karmann Ghia coupe or 1973 Porsche 911 T?
Which would be more reliable? cheaper to maintain? easier to find parts for? Is either of these even worth considering as a good-weather-only daily driver?

A: Either car could make a decent daily driver, and each will have similar issues as they are old cars. Both are about as reliable as you can expect from a car of this age, and they each have their charms. Both can be costly on upkeep, though either are also fairly easy to work on. I know the Porsche side of the equation better than the Ghia. I know the Ghia has an enthusiastic following with some, and that there are some parts here that are not shared with other VWs, which will mean some extra expense. On the Porsche side, there are quite a few exhangable parts between most 911s, which could make it’s overall cost of ownership closer to the Ghia (but probably still more expensive).

A good condition 911T can be somewhat pricey, and if you are planning to use this for alot of driving, you might be better served looking an a 911SC (which should run in the same price range as a 911T and would be very reliable).

Q: VW Karmann Ghia/Beetle 67?
Hello,
I’ve spent the day trying to repair my wipers to no avail. Any help would be appreciated. I’ve disconnected the whole unit and can run it when not bolted on, by running an earth wire from the centre hole that bolts onto the chassis, (the only part that holds it on apart from the wiper spindles) to the hole it bolts through, this works fine but when I put it all together it won’t work, I’m figuring its something to do with the earth but can’t figure out what. Anybody had any similar problems??

also do you know which way the wires run, I have them (left to right as you look at it black/yellow, brown, black and yellow/purple at the front? (I did write it down but put B + B for black and brown!?)

thanks

A: Sounds like you may have an internal break in the ground wire itself. Check continuity with a VOM meter, and by moving the wire around. So maybe replacing the wire may do the trick.

Q: conversion: 2.0 Porsche motor in my 69 VW Karmann Ghia?

A: You’ve gotta mean the 914 Type 4.

Check this out:
www.nextgen-usa.com

Converting a Type 4 engine to upright fan & sticking it in a Beetle or Ghia isn’t too hard, just a bit of fab work. Type 4 engines are still fairly easy to find too. Hit a wrecking yard for a 74 or newer Bus, a 411 or 412, or a Porsche 914 or 912.
You’ll need a second set of Type 4 rear tin, and the Generator, stand, fan & shroud from your old Type 1 motor. You’ll have to have the flywheel refit with a smaller pilot bearing too.
The weight penalty is only 40 lbs.

I’ve done several, works great!

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