Home › Forums › KCW Completed Projects › Pete's 58 Lowlight Karmann Ghia
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70 hp is pretty respectable out of a 36er! But at what cost per pony? 🤪
Looking for project updates, huh? Here’s a couple from the past few months-
Had an oil leak on the 1/2 side. Not bad enough that I had to add oil, but it made a mess getting blown around in the heater sled. Heat also smelled of oil. Thought it was a pushrod tube leak, turned out to be a leak from the lower middle case nut. FML. There’s an oil galley passage just above the lower middle case stud, so there’s oil pressure there. The fix was pilling the head, sliding out the #1 jug, removing the case nut, cleaning and sealing around the stud, sealing back of washer, and installing a acorn nut. It’s been months now and it’s still dry.
I also had my Dell’s rebuilt. I bought them knowing they had been “rebuilt,” but the builder and quality was unknown. They looked good so we went with them. Lately they had been weeping, throttle shaft sticking, and a few other minor things. They got completely disassembled, blasted, ultrasonic cleaned, new shaft bearings, gaskets, etc., etc. Carbs are on point now….car has never run better.
Did you do the dells Pete??
fuck I smile every time
I look at this car, it got lucky when u bought it.
awesome
Thanks Johnny. I’m lucky to own it. You guys did it up right.
Rick Hunt (mcdragracer on The Samba) did the carbs. He’s damn good at what he does.
I did do the sh*tty oil leak fix though. 🙂
Ya that’s awesome on the carbs I have a super shitty set of 40 decks with some broken parts I’d love to chat with him and see what he could do with them??!!
Oil leaks happen glad you got it fixed up.
Our buddy here has a lowlight vert I’ve always found interesting, It makes me want one whenever I look at this car.
How narrow was the beam on this car again???
Beam is 4″….if I were doing it all over again I probably would have gone just a little less narrow. The EMPI disc/spindle adds 0″ to the track….I think I was counting on 5/8″-3/4″ added per side.
I have a set of 356B brakes in my garage….I keep toying with the idea of asking KCW to refresh them and mixing things up. Polished drums, gloss black 356 wheels….hmmmmm…..
Here she is outside my deserted office yesterday, since I’m all “essential” and whatnot. 🙂 It’s been a pleasure to drive with so few out on the roads.
Always good to get a update on this one.
We can handle all of your VW needs Pete. Ship that shit!
We will build it if it comes.
Your car has the look and is perfect!!!!!! 😎 😎 😎 Thanks for letting us be part of it..
Taking this thing to virtual cars and coffee yet?
We will build it if it comes.
Ha! I’m getting by ok without the weekly C&C. I enjoy the drive somewhere, getting my coffee and breakfast, and the drive home…not so much the standing around….so I’m still able to do the parts of my Saturday routine I like by supporting a local coffee shop and running out to pick up breakfast for the family. I do miss taking my daughters along, and they miss going for rides in it.
I’m fortunate that I’m still working from my office, so I have been driving almost every day, with rain days being the only exception.
What’s happening here? Coil works fine, but there’s some beeswax type stuff wicking out of it. Does it mean the coil is getting ready to fail? Or normal for ones mounted upside down?
It means that your engine is too clean. Haha
The coil is oil filled for cooling….It should not leak. Only time I have seen one leak is from being overheated (igniton on, engine not running) or from being dropped.
Gotcha, thanks. I bet this one was dropped at some point. Nothing has overheated. I forgot this one has only been on for a few months when I swapped to it when I was having carb issues thinking it was ignition related….I’ll put the other back on.
Pulled the carpet and installed my Low Light Werks floor mats today. Dark green, like original for bamboo/green Ghias. I like them. Need to get better photos out of the garage.
Those look nice!
I'm at the age where "fuck off", "fuck you", and "fuck it" answer most questions.
Love your car Pete…I really like how you just keep improving it little by little. I do the same with mine but yours is WAY cooler! 😆
I agree…. really like this Ghia. and like Pete’s style… 😎
Had some minor sputtering once the car was warm when taking off at low idle. After checking valves, fuel delivery, and points/condenser/timing/distributor/coil/plugs, I made new wires. Seems to have done the trick. I changed the routing so they don’t take that hard turn between the manifolds and shroud anymore, so now they’re shorter too. I suspect I probably fouled a wire from handling them repeatedly during maintenance. Went with the same Lowbrow 8mm cloth wire, this time in black.
Y’all have a good weekend.
It’s not the wires. It’s the lack of a supercharger.
VWs, food, music, and food
VW Drag Night
July 9-10
www.vwdragnight.com
Germanaire Drag Day and Social
November 12-13
www.germanaire.comMy car has the air vent baskets in the nostrils, but had been missing the flat screen that goes over them. I found a solid pair that were a little grungy and clean them up. I had been wanting to try DIY electroplating so I gave it a go.
Soaked the screens in straight vinegar for several days to remove the crud.
After soaking, before wire-wheeling:
I used two pieces of zinc, vinegar & salt, and a cell phone charger to make a zinc electrolyte solution. After that I connected a copper wire to the screen, then the negative side of the cell phone charger to it. Positive to the zinc bar. Placed it all in the solution and plugged it in, letting each screen go for about 45 minutes, while turning it every so often. Below the solution is cloudy from the bubbles coming off of the screen, which is the zinc being pulled to it.
The screens were sort of a flat gray color when done, and a little splotchy. A very quick pass with 000 steel wool put some shine on and evened them out.
For a first attempt I have no idea if I did this right. They look ok and appear to have a zinc coating, so I guess time will tell if it holds up.
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