Pete's 58 Lowlight Karmann Ghia

[Willy]

#64108

Ooo! I like this new personality for this thing!

[Pete]

#64494

I faBROcated a baffle for the Sebring.  It’s basically an open header and LOUD.  2.5” stainless perforated pipe off eBay, shaped to oval and flanged, added a silencer in the center, wrapped in muffler fiberglass.  Seems to help a good bit.

[John Jones]

#64501

Nice… A1’s are loud…. but make the power!!

Been a wild ride, but it got me here 😎

[Scott Sain]

#64508

Pete wrote:

Thanks guys. I need to get them all boxed up and out to KCW. I have three fronts and two rear….should I pick the best two fronts or send them all?

 

Ummm…spare. Send them all!

VWs, food, music, and food
VW Drag Night
July 14-15, 2023
www.vwdragnight.com
Germanaire Drag Day and Social
November 17-18, 2023
www.germanaire.com

[Scott Sain]

#64509

Pete wrote:

I faBROcated a baffle for the Sebring. It’s basically an open header and LOUD. 2.5” stainless perforated pipe off eBay, shaped to oval and flanged, added a silencer in the center, wrapped in muffler fiberglass. Seems to help a good bit.

 

What in the North Carolina is going on here?

VWs, food, music, and food
VW Drag Night
July 14-15, 2023
www.vwdragnight.com
Germanaire Drag Day and Social
November 17-18, 2023
www.germanaire.com

[Pete]

#64510

Scott Sain wrote:

Pete wrote:

I faBROcated a baffle for the Sebring. It’s basically an open header and LOUD. 2.5” stainless perforated pipe off eBay, shaped to oval and flanged, added a silencer in the center, wrapped in muffler fiberglass. Seems to help a good bit.

What in the North Carolina is going on here?

The resonating is so bad the entire car vibrates like a tuning fork.

[Vwsarent4hippies]

#64523

What in the North Carolina is going on here?

no

[Pete]

#69200

I bought some 356B brakes a couple of years ago and planned on having them refurbished, but my interest in them has waned.  I guess the idea of the rebuild cost, sourcing and restoring 356 wheels, replacing disc spindles to drum, etc. wasn’t something I was getting excited about.  Maybe it’s laziness.

Anyhow, I went in a slightly different direction…it’s basically the same, but different.

I have always loved the look of negative offset rims, so I bought 4 polished EMPI Deep 6 Fuchs….while they’re not exactly negative offset, they do have the deeper dished look.  I had the front rims narrowed 1.5″ so they’re now Deep 4.5’s.  Did some DIY detailing on them, and wraped with some vintage-looking Michelin ZX and XWX tires on the front and rear.  With the 4″ narrowed beam the front wheels are centered better, with full turn and no rubbing (the original 4.5’s with the positive offset would rub slightly on full lock turns).  It’s something slightly different than the norm, which I like…it might not be for everyone but I’m very happy with the end result.

Not the best photos since the car is filthy – we’ve had non-stop rain here for the past month, so it mostly been sitting in the garage collecting dust.

A friend of Scott Sain’s caught me rolling to work yesterday-

 

[cookiemonster131]

#69201

A. Scott doesnt have friends so it is not nice to tease him

B. wheels look killer

 

[tlambert]

#69202

Nice Pete! Looking good.

Tim

[JWDII]

#69212

Looks good Pete! Nice work.

[John Jones]

#69213

That ghia HAS THE LOOK!!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Been a wild ride, but it got me here 😎

[Franz]

#69216

Nice dude! Who did the work on the wheels? They are fun to mask for detail paint, eh?

What are the plans for the Porsche 356 brakes that you have/had?

[Pete]

#69217

Thanks everyone!

Franz wrote:

Nice dude! Who did the work on the wheels? They are fun to mask for detail paint, eh? What are the plans for the Porsche 356 brakes that you have/had?

Yeah, loads of fun to mask! 😉

Eric Vaughn Machine in CA did the narrowing.  Since the original barrel is sloped, he cut where needed and used non-sloped hoops that he stocks.  $250 per wheel which included shipping back to me.  Old school guy in his 70’s, been narrowing and widening wheels for decades…no email, pay by check only, direct and to the point…he was great to work with. https://ericvaughnmachine.com/Home_Page.html

I need to sell the 356 brakes and move them along.  I have 3 front complete sets and 2 rear complete.  If anyone is interested I can take detailed photos.  I love the idea of my car with them, but I drive the sh*t out of it…I think long term the disc front/VW rear will be much easier on me to maintain.

[Pete]

#74180

Not much of an update…just driving the wheels off of it.  The only thing high on the list to tackle is the tie rod ends need replacing.  Also considering adding a pair of Stefi.G’s 36hp rocker shafts…he’s made some that add springs to the outside, so the exhaust valves aren’t floating around…should be really quiet.  Pretty slick design I believe.

[Author]

Posts