picture of Ghia here
IN THIS ISSUE....
Own a Type 3 Ghia; the "Other Ghia, a European Ghia,
a Type 34, the Grosser Karmann Ghia (German for "the large" Ghia),
the "Razor Edge"* Ghia?
House of Ghia now has a catalog of seals and restoration parts for that
"other" Ghia. Just ask for our free Type 3 Ghia catalog.
*"Razor edge" Ghias got their name because the familiar Type I
Ghia has a flowing, curving body. Type 3 Ghias are the only Ghia body style
whose lines came to abrupt, sharp edges.
Perfection! Look to the recent history exhibited by masterful industrial giants like IBM, Sears, GM or . These industrial firms were once marketplace gods. They could seemingly do no wrong! They were invincible. Their management gushed truth, logic, and wisdom. They were infallible.
When a firm is seen as capable of doing no wrong, an incredible smugness develops. Among corporations, smugness causes blindness. The firm loses its way, loses its vision. Unless smugness is cured, the disease is always fatal. IBM and the other corporate Invincibles have recently swallowed huge doses of humbleness, the antidote to excessive smugness. One firm, a firm all readers of this newsletter care deeply about, is still suffering from a smugness overdose. And, why not! Volkswagen is a huge success in virtually every market except the U.S. You can almost hear VW management thinking, "See! We are a big success in Europe. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with our vision, our view! Thus, it must be the American consumer who is wrong for not liking our product!"
Now, exactly how did we define smugness earlier?
Obituaries are such a drag! Obits are always written after the prime subject is beyond caring. What if a person, or a firm, could read about their life, and analyse it for lessons or truths, BEFORE commiting the stupidities that brought their existence to an end? Right! We'd be reading a lot fewer obituaries! It is in this light that we introduce the alphabet which will be used to construct the obituary of the U.S. subsidiary of Volkswagen.
A is for Arrogance, the face VW/Audi has too often exhibited when questioned about its engineering, quality or value. Arrogance was the look flashed by those VW engineers when grilled on 60 Minutes about "sudden acceleration". The engineers were right! "Sudden acceleration" was caused by dumb, pre-occupied, ill-coordinated drivers, not the machine. Being right and humble may have saved the situation. Being right and arrogant cost VW untold numbers of customers.
B is for the Beetle, foundation of all that was to come. Where is today's broad-shouldered Beetle, a concept strong enough to support an ever expanding automotive empire? Let's see! There's the And, the Don't forget the Yikes! Not a broad shoulder among them.
C is for Corrado. Or does "C" stand for confusion? Analyze in depth the information to be learned from the success of the Beetle or Karmann Ghia. Now, put into practice all of these hard learned lessons. The Corrado would be the last car constructed using these lessons.
D is for Dasher, a well conceived car. It could have been Wolfsburg's Buick, the car to lead VW away from its nearly total dependence on a one car line up. Instead, as untold Dashers threw up a visable smokescreen, it got the undeserved reputation as the Vega of the VW product line.
E is for Emotion. Show affection for a certain brand of sump-pump, septic tank or storm door and one is likely to be committed. Padded room time fella! Yet, Volkswagen is that rare industrial firm who somehow caressed the raw, primal emotion in millions of us. We loved VW for it. But, emotion is a double-edged sword. Face rejection long enough and even blind adoration can curdle, turn sour. Vast numbers of the "faithful", rightly or wrongly, feel VW turned on them in the late '70's. The opposite of love is not hate, an admittedly powerful emotion. The opposite of love is indifference, the lack of emotion. VW! Welcome to the marketplace indifference suffered by a sump-pump.
F is for Fahrvergnugen. Congratulations VW! You came up with an advertising campaign shrilly drawing attention to VW's German roots. All fine and good if one is trying to give your product uniqueness, distancing it from all those Japanese clones. Of course, what you really did was paint a verbal "bulls-eye" on your product for all of those Americans concerned about the outcome of the Trade Wars. How do most Americans translate a term that is harsh sounding and awkward to pronounce? Why, it's simple. They think, "Buy American".
G is for Grief. Intellectually, we are all aware of the stages in the grief process anger, denial, and the rest. Few of us realized, until VW in the U.S. went on life support, the potential death of a firm could so passionately affect millions of consumers. So, please forgive me; but, "I hate you, Volkswagen. I wish you'd never been born, never come to this country. Damn! Why did I ever get mixed up with you. I should have bought a Falcon."
H is for Heirs. No doubt about it! House of Ghia is an illegitimate marketplace heir of VW of A. It's amazing! We, and dozens of firms like us in the VW restoration bizz, wouldn't exist, couldn't exist, if Volkswagen had properly serviced the restorer market. Yet, VW views us as vermin to be squashed, rather than gutsy risk-takers to be applauded for our enterprise. So, VW, the entire air-cooled restoration industry salutes you with the following painful and ironic toast, "Thanks VW! We couldn't have done it without you! Your short sightedness, stupidity and stubborness led directly to our success."
I is for Iacocca, King of the mini vans. The royal throne and the lush markets that go with it, were, for 30 years, Volkswagen's for the taking. Instead of consolidating the marketplace, VW dithered. Iacocca, in a bold move, gathered in both the title and the market. Now, VW sucks hind tit in a market it invented.
J is for Japan. Who studied the lessons of the Beetle best? Of course, the Japanese! Who lusted to grow-up and play the automotive game just like Detroit played it? Need you ask? VW's example as set down in the '50's and '60's included: 1) Avoidance of planned obsolescence; 2) An almost shrill emphasis on quality; 3) Factual advertising; 4) Favor function and substance rather than form and frills; 5) A determined attempt to add the terms honest and ethical to a description of both the firm's product and the firm itself. Let's take stock! All auto firms who followed VW's early example seem to be prospering mightily. All auto firms, including VW, who yearned to follow in Detroit's wake as laid down in the '50's and '60's, are floundering. Must be a lesson there somewhere!
K is for Karmann, as in Karmann Ghia. Time was when a true collaboration, between the Karmann firm, master-builder of automotive bodies, and VW, master builder of the stout chassis, brought into existence masterpieces. The famed Beetle cabriolet and the Karmann Ghia resulted from such a partnership. Recently, Volkswagen has been infested with the NIH virus. Not Invented Here thinking has destroyed more good ideas than any human vices except timidity and apathy.
L is for Love. Watch out VW! You are about to turn an enormous asset into vinegar. Your treatment of the American Beetle/Bus restorer has been scandalous. Except for a few pitiful and aborted attempts at cultivating the restorer, VW of A has been actively hostile to its past. Restorers are picky, fussy and demand information. Restorers take up a lot more parts-counter time than commercial body shop accounts. So, most dealerships actively discourage the restoration crowd. Sure, the average Beetle buff has an emotional attachment to the car bordering on mental illness. But, their respect for the firm that brought them this object of devotion, is, because of lack of support, tepid at best. In no time at all, the adoring restorer's attitude could change to: "Love the Beetle, hate VW".
M is for Mad-dog. VW of America attacks like a rabid junkyard dog, any firm it remotely feels is gaining marketplace advantage by using Bug or Beetle in its business name. Well and good! That's called protecting your trademark. But, VW then acts like a Doberman with a jaw full of "seat of the pants" by trotting back to its kennel and failing to ask,"Why". Why are so many business folks risking VW's wrath by "climbing the fence"? Sure! There's a large market in things Beetle; a market VW totally ignores or serves very poorly. Then again, "M" may stand for moronic.
N is for Nearsighted. When a firm's survival is threatened, its vision dims. Now rules! The present becomes paramount. Bean counters and ax wielders abound. The past becomes corrupt, unworthy of rendering advice or direction. The future is ignored. After all, if one doesn't carefully watch each step now, there will be no future. Well, here's a future for you VW! Projecting the last decade's sales rate decline into the twenty-first century means VW will be selling far fewer than twenty thousand cars in the States by the year 2001. For nearsighted "visionaries", for the "now" crowd at Volkswagen, this will be a guaranteed future. Only those business leaders with a firm eye on the horizon, and a clear understanding of how they got to this point, have any chance to change this gloomy projected future.
O is for Olives. VW's Board of Directors should insist, "All employees who wear a tie must pick up a wrench at least once a week". Of course, greasy fingernail types don't guarantee a car company can be saved from itself. But, management types whose hobby is golf with a martini are likely to day-dream solutions to problems with as much substance as how to build a golf club that dispenses olives.
P is for Pennsylvania. VW long played the irresponsible parent. Even when, decade after decade, nearly 50% of its cars were sold in America, VW still didn't produce vehicles in the States. Finally, in the '70's, after protracted foot dragging, VW built a successful plant in Westmoreland Pennsylvania. But, VW's heart wasn't with its American off-spring. The early '80's were a period when the dollar was King, heftily lording it over the Mark. Bean-counter types fed management's reluctance; and so, nearly to the hour and day when the dollar reached its zenith, VW abandoned its Pennsylvania experiment. Today, with the dollar "in the toilet", and the Mark as exchange rate King; wage rates in Pennsylvania would be financially like hiring Third World workers. VW could combine European engineering and American labor to produce, technologically and pricewise, a car to beat the Rising Sun. As it is, VW is partly being forced out of the American market by the incredible strength of German currency. Irony of ironies! Japanese auto firms are also faced with a strong yen. But, Toyota, Honda and the like built American factories and stayed. Now, guess who are the lowest cost producers of Japanese cars. Sure! American factories! Without U.S. output, Japanese cars in the States would cost thousands more. A price differential that could have, and may yet, push several Japanese firms from the American market. VW will never admit it, but management's slogan should have been "Pennsylvania, we've come to stay!"
Q is for Quark, the sleazy character on Deep Space Nine, the Star Trek spin-off. Quark is the ultimate capitalist. He oozes greed, breathes deception, promotes paranoia, and sees only the possibility of profit or loss in any situation. So, what's Quark doing in a VW alphabet? I wonder?
R is for Re-enter. Twenty years from now, when VW may want to re-enter the U.S. market, wouldn't it be priceless public relations to have the new invasion forces met at the shoreline by a welcoming army of Beetles, Buses, Ghias and Rabbits? Think about it! Peugot and Renault have each TWICE tried to invade the American market since 1950. How many millions would these firms have gladly spent to have enthusiastic owners of their previous models greet them joyously at the invasion beachhead? What would it take to have a re-entry effort met at the shoreline by an angry legion of stone-throwing restorers? Thanks to VW, we just may find out!
S is for Smile. Remember when VW was the only automotive firm - make that big firm, period- who could laugh at themselves and their products. Even a glimpse at a Beetle could unleash a sly smile. VW's warts and all advertising once brought sincere chuckles; and that rarest of all advertising emotions, anticipation of the next ad. When, and why, did the laughter die?
T is for Tattoo. Save for a certain motorcycle, the VW corporate logo has inspired more ink and needles to adorn more flesh than any other industrial symbol. In the soap and toilet paper wars, ad executives would kill to insure their product generated tattoo loyalty. And, VW? Does it analyse? Does it probe? Does it try to recreate the mood? Hardly! Like an embarrassed teenager with a hickie, VW feels if it ignores this fanatical response to its products, the "fad" will go away! Yes, indeed! Ignore it long enough, VW, and the public's unquestioning adoration of things "Volkswagen" will surely go away.
U is for Unimportant as in "There are no unimportant parts". At the autopsy of VW in the States, many factors will be seen as contributors to the firm's demise. But, no one cause will loom more important than a simple valve stem seal costing mere pennies. There is almost no way for a new car to visably announce, by itself, "I am a clunker". What could it do? Trick the owner into painting "LEMON" on its flank? Trust VW to find the one way that would announce to tens of millions of potential customers, "Our new car is flawed". VW did it by allowing nearly half a generation of water-cooled cars to throw up a hefty, oily smokescreen. There are no unimportant parts!
V is for Viking trade policies. Volkswagen, in its dealings with the U.S., has adopted the trade techniques of ancient Norse warriors. Land unexpectedly in force. Emotionally arouse the local populace to a frenze. Ship back home absolutely every scrap of booty. Leave nothing behind but illegitimate heirs. Of course, those well-known Viking trade pillagers, the Japanese, were imitating Volkswagen strategy until they were forced to leave at least some of their booty behind in the form of factories and suppliers.
W is for Wolfsburg. Once merely a place, Wolfsburg has become, like the term "Detroit", a symbol of a mind-set; a shorthand way of describing the VW empire, and often, the entire Germany auto industry. Recently, it has not been a term of flattery.
X is for Exchange rates, the all-purpose "goat" upon which VW apologists blame their troubles. A strong Mark and a weak dollar suddenly means a Dasher that sold for $4,000 in 1974, costs $12,000 for a virtually identical car in 1980. That's a recipe for marketplace disaster. Faced with being priced out of the market, did VW use its vast profits from America to build a broad, stable economic base in this country? Did it try to pump orders, and therefore Marks, from Germany to the U.S.? Nope! It acted like a teenager sharing a two straw milkshake. When the resource is noteably diminished; DRINK FASTER .
Y is for Youth. Attend a Model T or Model A old car meet. rightly assume the next vehicle many Model T restorers will be in the market for is a hearse. Now look at the tens of thousands attending a VW meet! Are these restorers middle-aged yuppies? Are these the folks who dated and mated in Beetles during the '50's and are now reliving their youth? Are these restorers who drive to the parts store in a Lexus or Caddy in the search for items for their VW "Garage Queen"? These people are young! Young! They are committed to VW's as only youth can give itself up to a cause. And, they will be the car buying public well into the year 2040! So, how does VW treat this priceless treasure that's fallen into their marketplace lap? Need you ask!
Z is for Zero, which stands for the impact VW's leaving the American market will have on the U.S. business world. Number of state-side VW factories that will close - zero. Number of bankrupt American factories supplying OE parts - zero. Number of newly destitute Americans left holding expensive regional francises to sell VW cars - zero. Change in the U.S. gross national product, unemployment rate and dividend collection rate - zero. An industrial giant walked America's business landscape and barely left a foot print. Sad!
NEWSFLASH! After this alphabet was written, VW, the mother firm, announced it lost over 950 million dollars in the first 6 months of 1993. In addition, hiring the "Grand Inquisitor" away from GM has daily placed questions about the VW firm's ethical standards onto the front page of the world's newspapers.
HUMBLENESS:
It may yet become a Volkswagen characteristic.
If the following story doesn't make you cry, make you emotional, you need to spend more quality time with your wallet. Someone sent me copies of the Karmann Ghia section of a 1965 Glenn Mitchell Collision Estimating book. You know. The book body shops go to when calculating the repair costs of a fender bender. Here's what you would have paid in 1965 for the following parts:
| 1958-59 | Tailite Lens | $ 6.95 | Today $175 and up |
| 1960-69 | Taillite Lens | $ 6.95 | Today $ 69 and up |
| Any year | Side Molding 12 pieces |
$14.30 | Today $120 and up |
| Any year | Front Fender | $51.00 | Today $800 if avail. |
| Any year | Nose Panel | $43.00 | Today $800 if avail. |
| Any year | Horn Boot | $ 2.25 | Today $ 30 and up |
| 1956-65 | Swan-necked mirror |
$ 5.40 | New ! - Jillions? Today, repro $40 |
To me, the saddest story is the cost of a complete front bumper. Everything you see illustrated for an American market bumper, with tubes, would have cost $120. When last available in the late '80's from VW (and even then not all parts were available), the cost was over $2,000.
We've listed only a few of the parts needed to rebuild a Ghia. Still, on the average, prices for all parts seem to have jumped about 10 times. What about the less than $2500 price of a brand new 1965 Karmann Ghia? Keep in mind, the Ghia was, for years, priced at about the cost of an entry level Buick. Well, the same 10 times price appreciation would put the Ghia in the $25,000 range today. So, looked at in that light, the price increases are not the result of gouging or fiscal rape. In fact, some parts are relative bargains. A top cover for a convertible in '65 cost $124.85. A superb quality US-made top cover costs less than $250 today. A mere doubling of the price. And, windshield glass, made by a U.S. company in 1965 would have cost $65.90! Today, U.S.-made Ghia windshield glass often costs less than $150. (Surprisingly, in '65, U.S. made glass cost about $4 more than German glass, but American-made glass was always safety glass. German glass tended to be plate glass.) Many of today's quality repro seals cost only 3 or 5 times what new German seals cost in '65. And, rust repair panels are also a relative bargain at only 4 to 5 times the 1965 price. Remember, if the cost of the lowest priced VW had only gone up 4 times in the intervening years, today's Golf could be purchased for under $5,000.
So if this nostalgic "Blast from the Past" didn't generate
a few twinges, a slight state of wistfulness; a minute amount of longing;
then you have an unreasonably low regard for money. You probably have yet
to learn how to finish the following quote, "A fool and his money are
soon _____".
Q #42 - (Deck Lid Luggage Rack): I want a rear deck lid chrome luggage
rack for my Ghia. Do you have one?
Super common phone question
A: #42 - In my youth, raging hormones once caused an instant flash of genius. High octane testosterone led to an idea so probable, so seemingly achievable, it took years for its flaws to become apparent. I lusted for my first glimpse of a three-breasted Playboy centerfold. After all, more is better! It's part of the American way. Bummer of an idea!
I'm afraid a rear deck lid mounted luggage rack is another of those, "At first glimmer. . ." ideas. Mounted on a Mustang rear lid? Attractive and practical. Mounted on a Ghia rear lid! Almost instantly destructive.
Install a rack AND luggage on the engine lid cover of a Ghia! Not if Volkswagenwerks had to warranty the engine. Those loovers, covered up by the stuff strapped to the rack, are the ONLY source of air to the engine (in a correctly sealed Ghia). Air for combustion. And, more importantly, air for cooling. Think of luggage strapped to a Ghia's rear deck rack as putting a cork up each of your nostrils and then, running a marathon. Both you and your engine would run out of air.
Volkswagen, never approved ANY Ghia deck lid mounted luggage rack. (Silly VW! They assumed the purpose of a luggage rack was to carry luggage. They had never heard of the, "It looks bitchin!" crowd.)Some national VW franchises, (like VW of America) may have made such a thing available, but be assured, VW would have considered a rear deck lid rack an illegitimate accessory. The Mother Firm did approve a roof mounted luggage rack. It used wooden slats and mounted to the rain gutter. Practical? You bet! Handsome? If you think the sensible mounting of one's briefcase on one's hat compliments nearly any wardrobe, you'll love a roof mounted luggage rack.
Luggage racks do show up on rear lids. One popular German made universal rack was sometimes adapted to Ghias by private individuals. It only required drilling a few holes. That particular model is very rare today. In The States, Ghia owners of the era adapted racks made for other marquees and sold by firms like M.G. Mitten. A very high number of these universal racks achieved simplicity and good looks because they were bolted to the deck lid.
Modernize the Mona Lisa by drawing in an earring? Of course not! So, how many restorers could stomach drilling four 1/2 inch holes in the deck lid to mount something VW considered a bastard item; an item to be discouraged at every opportunity.
As time goes by, mounting after-market luggage racks to a Ghia is going
to become, I predict, unfashionable; about as popular and politically correct,
I suspect, as showing up at a feminist convention wearing a cast iron chastity
belt welded in place by one's mate.
Q #56 - (Custom Touches-Suicide Doors): I've been a fan of Ghias
for the last two years and I like your Ghia Gab. Unfortunately, I won't
be able to drive a Ghia for another year until I get my license. But, that
gives me all the more time to plan and think about the kinda car I really
want. . . Tell me about suicide doors. Can they be fitted to a Ghia? Do
you have the hinges and parts I'd need?
Ron H, Alameda CA
A #56: Ron, thinking ahead and planning for your first Ghia, why I think that's great. We, here at House of Ghia, would love to have pictures of your machine -- both before and after shots.
Suicide doors are possible on a Ghia. I'd look to putting them on a coupe rather than a convertible because of the greater strength on a coupe's front of rear quarter panel area -- the very spot where the new hinges will be located. Suicide doors are well beyond the abilities of first time panel beaters. Hiring out the work would be fantastically expensive. No production parts are made for this installation.
With all that said, Ron; I have another obligation. Do you know the background behind that seemingly magnificent expression, suicide doors?
In the late '20's and early '30's, completely enclosed car bodies were very new. Some body designers saw the windshield/firewall area as the strongest cross member in a closed car body - perfect for mounting the door latches (striker plate). Let's suppose you drive a car with doors hinged at the back edge (so-called suicide doors) into a Mack truck. Let the speed be rather moderate - say 40 mph. Visualize the bumper collapse, the grille give way, the radiator crush and rent on its mounts; all this in the first milli-second. Next, the front hood begins to deform and pop loose from its catch. The front fenders buckle at the top of the wheel arch. (Believe me, this graphic description of an accident is important - stick with me.)
By now, the impact seems to be moving rearward like a giant wave thru steel. The center and rear edge of the fenders begin to wildly flutter. Finally, the crushing blow of the accident reaches the back edge of the fender.
Think about it. All that crash energy wants desperately to move onto the doors. But, there's a gap separating the entire front from the back half of the car. It's the door opening. Nearly the only path for impact energy to use as it flows along the side of the car is thru the door latch. It's as if a twenty lane wide freeway was suddenly necked down into a one lane foot bridge. The pressure on anything bridging the gap will be tremendous. Not occasionally or even often, but always does a suicide door pop open. Will the unlatched door swing inward? Hardly! It swings out!
Now, imagine you are the driver of this wreck! The fenders have gone from 30 to zero mph in an instant. But, you, dear driver, are still traveling forward at 30 mph. You are nothing more than a human pop-tart, being launched by the laws of physics right out the impact opened door. You go straight into the teeth of a huge Mack truck!
Why should it matter on which side of the door you're thrown out in an accident? Think of the door as a tennis racket. If you come flying out of a car that has doors hinged in front, (conventional cars) you'll be batted like a Mach I tennis serve. Guaranteed to not feel good, but survivable. Now, visualize yourself being thrown between the tennis racket (the door) and the on-coming Mack truck grille. That's right, a door so hinged becomes a gigantic flyswatter. Truly a suicide door. No wonder the popularity of "suicide doors" dropped dramatically in the early '30's.
Some custom car gurus swear modern technology has solved the latching
problem. Bank vault stout! Still, as you can see, keeping a suicide door
latched in a crash is fighting physics. Why fight? Ron, House of Ghia suggests
you find a less lethal way to practice self-expression and individuality.
Q #52 - (Rear of body bolt): Boy, am I frustrated! I've been trying
to take the body off the pan on my '69 Ghia. I found all the bolts along
the edge of the body (13mm), the four large (17mm) bolts at the frame horn,
the two bolts (13mm) just in front of the gas tank opening toward the nose,
the bolts under the rear seat. I was even smart enough to remove the wires
going from the battery to the starter. BUT, the body does not want to lift
off the frame. Have I missed a bolt?
Sam R, Plano TX
Q: I understand I can put an early Ghia body on a late Ghia pan(or
frame) easily. Almost no sweat, no pain. What does almost mean?
Telephone call (Common question, uncommonly phrased)
A #52 - Both of these vastly different questions are, without knowing it, referring to what I'll call the rear-most body mount bolt. The location of the bolt can best be found by supporting the rear of the car and removing a rear wheel. (See the diagram.) Often dirt has been packed into the area and it must be cleaned out to spot the 17mm bolt head.
So, by far, the most forgotten bolt is this, the rear most body mount bolt. It is also the bolt whose bracket must be slightly modified to put an early body on a late pan.
The mounting pads on the rear suspension of the late chassis are about 1 1/4 inch higher than on an early chassis. So, the mount will have to be shortened by about an inch and a quarter.
Look at the diagram of the mounting bracket. It is a relatively easy operation to cut out 1 1/4 inches of the triangular shaped bracket or channel. Of course, it requires a power saw of some type and welding. The surgery does not need to be of molecular tolerances because a slightly compressable rubber spacer can be inserted between each metal pad or "foot". In fact, the gap width between the back of the door and the quarter panel can be modified by placing spacers between the brace and the cast-in pad on the rear suspension.
Now, some of you are asking what's an early body? What's a late pan? Any body, coupe or convertible from 1956 thru 67 will fit a 1969 and later pan. All that's needed is the surgery described earlier. Of course, a '69 or later body will fit perfectly on a '69 thru '74 pan. Just as surgically, the heart from a 90 year old man could be transplanted into the chest of a teenager with a bad "pump", a reverse swap is possible, a late ('69-up) body can be installed on an early pan ('56-'67). But, why George, why?
Those with keen eyesight have noted I avoided talking about '68 model
Ghias altogether. That's because, depending on plumbing, a '68 Ghia could
be an early body or a late body. Sixty-eight autostick cars already had
the IRS suspension that didn't show up on all Ghia models until '69.
Q # 50 - (Rear deck cable): Recently bought a '71 Ghia coupe. Love
it (but,) rear hood won't easily unlatch. I looked closely at the entire
system, with its cable and protective tubing, and couldn't figure out why
things wouldn't work. Then, it dawned on me! As I slowly pulled the cable,
I would see it move inside the (clear) housing. When the taunt cable reached
the insides of the plastic tube, the cable began flexing the tube! No wonder
the cable couldn't trip the lock. In effect, the soft tubing was making
the cable's journey longer because the tubing was flexing and compressing.
Did the factory set things up like this, or has my Ghia been diddled with?
Floyd M , Newark NJ
A #50 - Several Volkswagon parts specialists, who should know better, sell a length of clear poly-vinyl tubing (fish-tank tubing) as a rear deck lid cable housing. If only 18 inches or two feet of the tubing is grafted to the original, it sort of works.
But, these vendors send 8 feet of tubing without directions, and many
customers replace all of their original nylon housing with eight feet of
clear soft poly-vinyl tubing. Now, flex and compression become real enemies
of a smoothly working rear lock. With fish tank tubing, the deck lid never
pops up like it once did. Worse! The lid threatens to not come up at all.
Ghia buffs with rear deck lid opening problems, often use the following logic. I just replaced the housing, right? So, the problem just has to be the lock! A perfectly good rear deck lid lock is thrown away and a replacement is found. But, it doesn't seem to work any better than the original! By now, frustration is very great. Everyone and everything gets blamed; while the real culprit, whimpy plastic tubing, is ignored.
Other problems: The color of the original tubing varied. Often the color of a factory rear deck lid cable housing was "natural" nylon, a dirty ivory. Perhaps it looked milky white. It could even have had a hairy textured surface. And, 1967 Ghias had a black nylon cable housing. But, always the factory used the hardest, commonly available, nylon tubing for the housing. No sidewall flex. No compression. (An eight foot nylon poly-vinyl tube, even if its length could be compressed only one percent, would shrink in length by nearly an inch. A correctly operating rear lock doesn't need even an inch of travel to trip the rear lock.)
Another problem with just buying a coil of tubing. It doesn't fit. Look closely at the rear lock. On the left front side of the lock (as you look toward the nose of the car) is a stout, horizontal cup about the size and length of the first joint of any finger. The cup bottom has a hole in it so the deck lid cable can pass thru. But the hole is too small for the housing to go thru. So, the housing is stopped by the metal cup. Egad! The inside diameter of the cup is much greater than the outside diameter of the tubing. No sweat! The factory designed a half inch long sleeve to slip over the end of the nylon tubing and fit tightly into the metal cup. Vendors selling vinyl tubing don't provide this sleeve. Nor do they provide a way to join the new tubing with your old tubing.
As a replacement for the cable housing, VW parts-counters would provide a length of hard nylon tubing, a 6 inch long metal adapter to capture the end of the tubing and bolt it to the base of the rear seat frame, and the special sleeve to adapt the tubing to the metal lock The cost? About $70. House of Ghia provides exactly the same pieces, except our metal adapter is made of brass instead of mild steel. (Brass won't rust.) The cost is less than $20. If customers just need to repair the cracked and shattered last 2 feet of the original cable housing, House of Ghia has a repair kit. Two feet of correct hard nylon tubing, a special lock sleeve, a way