picture of Ghia here

IN THIS ISSUE....

Salute to the Type III Ghia Type 34 Karmann Ghia Registry

A Rose by Any Other ...

Scrooged - A Nightmare of a Story

Osnabruck As Mecca

Questions & Answers: Top Frame Bushings, Locked Boxes, Milky Glass, H
orn Boots

Coupe Headliner Replacement
Make a Window Regulator Split Pin

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thirty years ago, a Karmann Ghia based on the Type III Volkswagen chassis was introduced. Many American owners of Type 1 (or Beetle based) Karmann Ghias don't realize their Ghia has a larger, younger "brother". So, this birthday anniversary seems like the perfect time to explore the history and background of this "other" Ghia. Fortunately, we have the best guide imaginable. Lee Thomas Hedges, newsletter editor and "gofer extraordinaire" for the VW Type 34 Karmann Ghia Registry, has written a fine, concise history of the Type 3 Ghia. He has agreed to share this history with us.

To All Vintage Volkswagen Enthusiasts,

Most of you are well aware of the VW Type 34 Karmann Ghia, the "other" Karmann Ghia, or as the British call it the "razor edge Ghia". Germans call it "der Grosse Karmann Ghia" (the large Karmann Ghia). The Type 34 is a rare and unique model produced by the combined talent of three companies; Volkswagen, Carrozzeria Ghia, and Wilhelm Karmann Coachwerks. The VW Type 34 story is quite interesting, one that very few people really understand. I thought I might share it.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Volkswagen began thinking about a successor to the Beetle in the mid-to-late 1950's. At the time, they were getting a great deal of slack from both the public and press because of the Beetles outdated basic design. VW also knew they needed to enter into the middle-class marketplace. By offering a series of models with more power, comfort, standard equipment, and room than their beloved Beetle, VW hoped to offer Beetle owners an upgrade path. Of course, an upscale car would have a higher price as well. So, to respond to this need, VW designers began, in '58-'59, working on a new series of cars while trying to keep the basic VW principles of economy, durability and functionality intact. The goal was creating a line of mid-market cars. By relocating the fan shroud of the Type I engine and running the fan off of the crankshaft, VW designers came up with an engine layout that allowed space in the rear of the car to be used for an additional luggage compartment. This new "pancake" engine design satisfied the additional luggage space requirement. Stylists squared off the body, allowing for more interior space and comfort. The marketing department also added several features to the list of standard equipment; features that were previously non-existent or optional extras on the Beetle and its low priced competitors. The models that VW proposed for this new VW 1500 series were the basic Sedan (Notchback), station-wagen (Variant or Squareback), and a sports coupe (Karmann Ghia). The plan for the 1500 series included building a convertible based on both the sedan and the Karmann Ghia. Neither of these proposals went into production because of structural problems with reinforcing the topless body. In 1966, the exotic was needed. Italians styled with flair. VW chose Carrozzeria Ghia of Turin, Italy. The Ghia firm had done an excellent job designing the first (Type I) Karmann Ghia.

How to build the car? VW knew they would not be able to handle mass production of a relatively low volume sports coupe at the Volkswagenwerk factory. So, VW turned to an off-site builder, Wilhelm Karmann Coachwerks of Osnabruck, West Germany. Karmann had an excellent relationship with VW, since they manufactured both the Beetle Cabriolet and all Karmann Ghia models (Type I).

Carrozzeria Ghia began working on the initial sketches for the VW 1500 Karmann Ghia in late 1958. Sergio Sartorelli, chief Ghia designer, had three sketches ready only days after the contract was awarded. One design was chosen for continued work, and Ghia took it from there. Sartorelli had a completed driveable prototype ready by the end of 1959. VW agreed to produce the prototype Karmann Ghia, with only a few changes. By the September 1961, Frankfurt Auto Show, which was the premier of the entire VW 1500 series, Carrozzeria Ghia had the final production model ready and on display. The show featured the prototype Cabriolet as well.

The VW Type 34 Karmann Ghia, the flagship of the VW 1500 series, is a notable Volkswagen in several areas. It was the only VW ever available with built-in fog lamps and an electric steel-sliding sunroof (models 345/346). Its styling is, at the very least, controversial.To many enthusiasts and admirers, it is a beautiful and elegant design. While it was never exported to the USA, there are over 100 registered here today.

Mass production of the Type 34 Karmann Ghia began in March 1962 at the Karmann factory; and ceased in July 1969, after a total of 42,510 coupes were completed. The Type 34 was not a successful sales model for VW. It was high-priced (as much as a Porsche 356); sales weren't boosted by access to the large American market; and the unusual styling, say some, cut demand. Approximately 70% of the 42,510 produced remained in Germany (30,000) and 30% were exported (12,500) to countries like England, Canada, Australia/New Zealand, and other European countries. The Type 34 KG Registry believes that there are approximately 2500 remaining Type 34s worldwide. The high attrition rate is due to rust caused by the salted roadways common to many countries, and to the obsoleteness of replacement parts. The majority of the remaining cars are in original but unrestored condition, with rust in the wheel wells and battery areas. Few Type II Ghias that have been restored to original condition; and so few excellent examples of the "other" Ghia are on the road today. This helps make the VW Type 34 Karmann Ghia a rare and valuable collector's item among those who know of its rarity and history. In the USA, the current value of unrestored Type 34's range from $1500-3500. Restored Type 34's range in value from $4000-7000.

About the Type 34 Karmann Ghia Registry:

As President of the VW Type 34 Karmann Ghia Registry, one of my goals is to inform the many vintage Volkswagen enthusiasts in the major Clubs and organizations about the Type 34 Karmann Ghia. The Registry was first started back in 1987 by Chip Wimer. In 1989, I took over responsibility for the Registry. In three years it has grown from 50 members to well over 300 members in 11 countries throughout the world. We have 175 VW Type 34s registered by chassis number and the Registry keeps growing each month. The 1991 VW Classic, the premier Vintage VW Meet in the western hemisphere, was a special one for the Registry. The Registry was named the Host Club of the VW Classic '91. As Host Club, we were responsible for showing just how active a specialized Club can be, even with a rare VW like the Type 34. The most Type IIIs ever attending a VW Classic was in 1988 with 13 Type 34s participating. The most Type 34s ever in one place, besides the Karmann factory when they were being produced, was the December 1990 Registry Meet in Santa Monica, California, with 15 Type 34s attending! The task of the Registry for the VW Classic '91 was to break the current record for the most Type 34s ever at a Meet, and that would be no easy feat either. However, the VW Classic '91 set a new record! There were 22 VW Type 34 Karmann Ghias at this show! They were in various conditions and colors, ranging from pan-up restorations to bondo's rust buckets, from totally original low mileage coupes to daily drivers. They drove in mostly from Southern California, but also as far away as Boise, Idaho and Seattle, Washington. One Type 34 owner even allowed his original coupe to be driven to the VW Classic by another member, since he was on a business trip in Texas. Only one of the 22 was trailered to the event, which says a great deal for the dedication and enjoyment the Type 34 owners have for their cars. There were more Type 34s than any other model at the VW Classic! The Registry had a table with many interesting items like a Type 34 toy collection, models for sale, People's Choice voting for the most popular Type 34 & the Registry's Photo Archives with photos of most of the Type 34s alive today.

Lee Thomas Hedges, President
VW Type 34 Karmann Ghia Registry

Got a Type III Ghia? Joining the Type 34 Karmann Ghia Registry is a must! For the size of the group, no better Club newsletter exists anywhere in the world.

Bold words! But, it is true. Be it cars, canaries or carnal knowledge; be it xylophones or zithers, whatever the special interest, no finer newsletter, considering the number of members, exists.

Active? Twenty-two cars show up in one spot. It if weren't such a cliche I'd say, "That's incredible!" In case you can't guess, this is a House of Ghia-Two Thumbs Up-Best Buy-5 Star Seal of Approval recommendation.

Contact:

Lee Thomas Hedges

VW Type 34 Karmann Ghia Registry

12345 Old Pomerado Road #7

Poway CA 92064-7712 USA

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER. . .

For nearly two decades during the '50's and '60's, Volkswagen, the company, seemed flawless, all powerful, mistake proof. . . "Super firm". Its success was envied by all and analysed for universal truths in business school case studies. VW's seeming rejection of Detroit's chromed planned obsolescence was applauded by the rational streak in millions of us. "VW can do no wrong; Detroit can do no right" was an easy to reach conclusion shared by huge numbers of Wolfsburg supporters.

Alas, this view was largely illusion.

One effective analysis of VW stated "Volkswagen is a one toot horn" - meaning a one product firm. Hindsight shows us a company in the '60's struggling to prove the cruel boast wrong. The move toward the middle class market began to expose "Super firm's" feet of clay. The engineering of the 1500 series (the Type III) was imaginative, but hardly inspired, and certainly not state of the art. However, it was the styling and marketing effort that most exposed VW's lacks. VW badly stumbled at the most basic element of new car line marketing: naming the cars.

The Economic Hall of Fame

The overall vision was correct: a series of cars sharing mechanical components (and where possible, sheet metal); varying only by recognizable application, i.e., station wagon, coupe, convertible. VW saw this model series as powered by a 1500cc engine.

VW's first major mistake was to name these 1500 series cars after the displacement of the engine. Era Beetle and Type I Ghias used 1200cc sized engines. Sure 1500cc based cars had, because of the name, an upscale image compared to the lower powered 1200cc cars. But, in 1967, total confusion! VW put 1500cc engines in Type I cars. Now, if you owned a 1500 Ghia, did it mean the Ghia with that advertised name (the Type III Ghia); or did it mean you were referring to the new Type I Ghia with a 1500cc sized engine?

Even when the cars weren't named after engine size, they received distinctly different European and American market names. Additional confusion! In the American market, showroom salesmen called the cars one thing; sales flyers and brochures called it by another name; several of the early American market ads didn't name it at all, relying on the contrast in silhouette between the new cars and the famed Beetle; and finally the service and parts rooms began using even a third name. Ultimately, the parts room name stuck.

. . .Goodwill and LUST

Naming a product Tom, Dick or Bruce at whim is no way to build customer loyalty. Worse! Detroit was going stellar. Imaginative, exciting new car lines with solar system names like Galaxie and Nova were sprouting by the late '50's. And VW? It tried to woo the wily middle class market with sexy, prestigious product-line names like Type III Squareback. O.K. Maybe VW purposely wanted to go after the segment of the middle class who considered themselves frumpy, non-glamorous, practical people. The very same backlash, anti-status symbol crowd the Bug so effectively gathered in. Why, then, did VW build into its middle class marketing effort a suicide pill?

Suppose Coca Cola joined VW in using brutally honest, unpretentious product names. "The new Series III Sugar Water" is, Coke's ads explain, "the pause that refreshes". With a big enough advertising budget, perhaps even Series III Sugar Water could be made a success. Why then, throw away all those advertising dollars and accumulated prestige by periodically, every decade or so, garbage canning the name of the product. In the '60's, Detroit named cars after star systems and wild animals. In the '70's, VW became smitten with the names of desert winds, i.e., Scirocco, Passat, etc. Suppose Coca Cola continued in VW's footprints by dumping the Series III Sugar Water product-line after a dozen years, and then, naming a new beverage, Camels Breath.

Ridiculous! True! But, that's the Volkswagen way!

Plowing millions into advertising a product name and then, reaping zip isn't the way to enter the Adam Smith Economic Hall of Fame.

That Vision Thing

Notice how cleverly the master at planned obsolescence and product differentiation does it. (1) General Motors presents the (2) Chevrolet division's (3) Corvair model decked out in (4) Monza trim.

Contrast Detroit with Wolfsburg: (1) Volkswagen (2) Type III (3) Notchback. Trim back the "tree" by two branches and one's left with a bare trunk -- Volkswagen. Have Ralph Nader trim off the "Corvair branches" and one's still left with a GM Chevrolet. In fact, GM has four other solid trunks named Buick, Pontiac, etc. The naming scheme is so well thought out, the Corvair can become box office poison AND the Monza name plate can survive.

To this day, VW only partially understands product-line naming. Prune off a Rabbit, Thing, Karmann Ghia, or Scirocco vehicle line and all of the prestige, glamour, goodwill and LUST generated by the product dies with it. Trim off a Sting-Ray, L-88, or King of the Hill model and all of the goodwill is still heaped upon the Corvette line.

Even into the nineties, VW hasn't learned its lesson. Product names are dropped with regularity from the VW line, wasting what could be an important and prestigious image. "Super firm's" Kryptonite has proven to be what President Bush so eloquently calls, "That vision thing".

Color Volkswagen Successful! Record sales, bulging order books, highly praised car designs, fawning bankers. Life is good . . . in Europe. Are there problems in paradise? Yep! VW sales in the United States are in near cardiac arrrest.

If VW's current American sales story was a hit box-office movie, it would be titled: Die Hardest, or The Search for a Profitable October, or Flatliners. It would not be called Glory or even Driving Miss Daisy.

Once VW was the U.S.'s undisputed foreign car sales leader. The Beetle allowed VW to tower over its foreign car competition. Often, in the '60's, VW threatened to become the third best selling automaker, squeezing Chrysler from its accustomed role today? Whimp city! VW is often missing from a list of the USA's 10 best selling foreign auto firms.

Did you notice? For the second time in three decades, Renault and Peugot withdrew from the lucrative American market. Yawn! But, I'll bet someone noticed! Nothing causes nightmares faster than the threat of extinction. VW's American headquarters should be full of restless, anxious executives pondering the fate of dinosaurs and dodo birds.

What follows, in two parts, is completely imaginary. After all, no one these days really believes in ghosts.

Scrooged: A Christmas Carol for Auto
Executives
(Part I)

Hey! Get your ugly face out of my dream!

Why should I? I'm, your worst nightmare!

For a ghostly devil you speak in terrible cliches. Who scripts your dialog anyway?

You do!

Afraid of that! Say, you're just the result of the spicy meatballs and jalapeno peppers at last night's party aren't you?

More, much more!

Well, you don't need to be so melodramatic about it. Why, I'd almost think you were part of that Charles Dickens re-run I saw yester. . .Oh, no! Tell me it isn't so!

Isn't what so?

Look buster, this is just some kinda massive indigestion isn't it? Cuz, if it's a re-inactment of Dickens, "A Christmas Carol" with me in the Scrooge role, I refuse to play!

You're not Scrooge?

You know d____ed well, I'm just an American Volkswagen executive! And, I resent your trying to make me or my company seem like Scrooge!

Is your fit of pique and anger over with yet?

You're the sassiest, sauciest spicy meatball I've ever met. Aren't you going to answer my questions?

What questions?

Well, there's not going to be a lot of ghost noises or haunted house sounds in this nightmare, is there?

Eerie noises? Don't be silly! Those went out in Dicken's day. Modern ghosts exert maximum terror by using as background music the sound of a well tuned chain saw.

Chains! I knew it! I knew it! You're the ghost of things as they once were, and you're going to put me into the past somehow!

I can't do it without you!

O.K. Let's quit fooling around! If it's got to be. . .so be it. Take me into the past.

I'm not sure how to do this. I guess. . .close your eyes!

Is that all there is to it?

Open your eyes. What do you see?

Why, I'll be! It's the late '60's and in the States every fifth vehicle moving around is a VW Beetle. Beetles, Beetles everywhere! And, look, that man's reading a joke book filled with nothing by Volkswagen Bug jokes!

Your vision is very sharp.

Hey, you're not gonna force me to read those awful jokes again. I thought punishment came later in this dream.

Tell me about what can't be seen, only felt!

I feel respect. Our cars may be small and ugly, but we've got the public's trust. Why, millions of people think we're the only truly honest car company.

Why's that?

Well, the car is honest. It's pure transportation value and it doesn't try to be anything else. Especially it doesn't try to make a pretentious ego or status statement. And, our advertising is top notch. We're winning awards hand over fist because our ads are, well, that word again, honest. We even poke a little fun at ourselves.

Tell me, I'm curious! What do your recent slogans, "It's not a car, it's a Volkswagen" and "fahrvernugen" mean?

Mean? It means whatever you want it to mean. Clever, no? Gullible Mr. John Q. Public can make it mean anything. It'll say to him whatever it has to say!

You seem very proud of your current slogan.

Darn right! And, our slogan has the added value of being usable anywhere in the world. Try humming a few bars of. . . It's the heartbeat of East Lithuania for me. Ghastly!

You said in the past the VW offered value?

You bet! Why for nearly a decade the cost of the car fluxuated between $1300 and $1500. A beginning teacher's salary in the mid '60's was $5000. A brand new teacher could buy nearly four Beetles with a year's income. Now, a new teacher starts at nearly 4 times their '60's income. Except for the nearly non-existent Fox, a first year teacher could buy fewer than two of our base cars with their salary. Today, for a teacher to buy our top of the line car on credit amounts to involuntary servitude. They are yoked to a money lender for eons.

Oh! I get your point! Teachers are underpaid.

My worst nightmare and the fates give me the dumbest ghost that ever existed. It's not fair!

Don't get mad. I'm trying. Let's see. From your examples, you must be saying, "Teachers are prisoners of the propertied classes!"

Idiot! I was just trying to show you right now why VW is currently in such a world of hurt. Our cars no longer offer exquisite value. Presently, VW is. . .Oh, I get it. You've taken me from the past into the present. Pretty sly!

This is the present?

Yeah! And, it's not a pleasant sight.

What's wrong?

Wrong? Nothing except we're selling fewer cars by the minute. We sold nearly 600 thousand cars a year in the U.S. during the good 'ole days. Now, we're lucky to sell one fifth of that amount. For nearly a decade, VW in the U.S.A. has had a NEGATIVE growth rate of about 10% a year.

Well, I'm no genius, even you say so, but it seems to me, you guys are very successful!

SUCCESSFUL! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?

Your purpose is to drive VW of America into bankruptcy isn't it! After all, no businessman worthy of the name could start with what you had and end up where you're at without. . . .

Hey, that's uncalled for! Even in nightmares they don't hit below the belt. Besides, I don't think we were incompetent. NO! You'll never make me believe that! Never!

So, what happened?

Well, maybe we were a tad mulish. We kinda tried to make the marketplace fit what we wanted it to be instead of the other way 'round. Then, there was the Audi 5000 incident with sudden acceleration.

I saw that on TV. You guys didn't come off looking mulish. You folks looked arrogant with a capital A.

Enough of this! I'm tired of VW's now. Take me to the future.

You sure?

Just do it!

Open your eyes. What do you see?

Nothing. Just get on with it, would you? I don't see anyth. . .Oh, no! You're not trying to tell me. . . .

I've learned I can't tell you anything.

But, I don't see any future for our firm.

Well, so be it!

Look, you're not going to leave me here! I mean, this has got to have a happy ending. Tiny Tim and all that!

What do you mean, a happy ending? You guys turn cabbage into coleslaw and then want me to put it back the way it was.

Well, at least show me what to do. Tell me how to live a virtuous life. A bleak future doesn't have to come true, does it? After all, this is a re-run of the Scrooge story isn't it?

You sure expect a lot from one spicy meatball! O.K. Let's attack the problem analytically. What part of the firmwas most successful at the end? Maybe we can build on success.

Well, it's hard to know who's successful when a company is failing, but, at the end the busiest division was legal.

Legal? You mean the lawyers?

Sure! Hundreds of mom and pop garages and parts firms started sprouting up, all trying, in some cutsy way, to use our Bug and Beetle trademarks.

Oh, goodie! I hoped you were going to say that. You fought trademark abuse so vigorously because VW intends to bring back the beloved Beetle.

Are you crazy? The Bug is dead. DEAD! And, as far as VW is concerned, if we ever hear that word again, it will be too soon!

Aren't you just a bit testy?

Sorry, but Volkswagen is in the business of selling new cars, not worshipping a 50 year old design. Some people can't seem to get that straight.

Well, O.K.! So, you sued the Ba_tar_s and took over that ripe, luscious new market they had exposed.

What are you talking about? Of course, we threatened to sue. We made them squirm and "twist slowly in the wind". They all backed down, and changed their name. But, the only new market I see is for sign painters.

Let me get this straight. You quite rightly defended Volkswagen's Bug/Beetle trademarks, but don't view the trademark as having any current value and desperately hope the public stops seeing VW as the Bug firm.

It sounds kinda cold when you say it!

If you wanted to waste money, why didn't you just burn it. Giving it to lawyers like that only encourages them. Besides, you don't yet see the ultimate stupidity in all this.

Just because you are vicious stomach gas doesn't entitle you to treat me like this. If I wake up, where would you be?

I'm calm! Tell me! The Bug hasn't been sold in the U.S. in any real numbers for nearly two decades, right! Suddenly, hundreds, maybe thousands, of small business people independently start risking their life savings on a Bug/Beetle oriented businesses. With justice and right on your side, you squash the fledging firms; but ignore the market these small ma and pa bizzes exploit. Worse, when VW in the States needed any market just to stay alive, you ignored. . .?

Hey, we responded to the market. We innovated! The Rabbit set the standard for front wheel drive econo boxes. The Dasher was an attractive, Italian styled upscale car. We even beat the Japanese. Eat your heart out Infinity/Acura/Lexus! Two decades ago Audi was the first new upscale marquee added to the American market since the Edsel! And you know what happened to the Edsel!

Yeah, you guys got a lot to be proud of.

Don't stop me now, I'm on a roll. Imagine Iacocca boasting he invented the mini-van. Our Type II based vehicles, the Bus, Camper and Pick-up were available four decades ago. Want macho-looking, utilitarian, rugged, off-road vehicles to go back to the land with the Yuppie migrations? We were nearly first. Why, our "Thing" models were so practical looking, they were cute. . .well, at least useful. Let's talk diesel. VW's diesel engine is the only one with a listing in the Price Guide Bluebooks that ISN'T followed by an asterisk saying, "Deduct $1500 for diesel models". Now, there's a compliment. And, what about those all-wheel drive passenger cars. Most cause nose bleeds because of excessive height. We developed sleek 4-wheel drive cars. Then, there's passenger car based pick-ups. The Ranchero and El Camino were dying of corporate neglect as we struggled to keep this important niche alive. There hasn't been a more creative auto firm over the last two decades. We've been "firstest with the mostest".

Marvelous! You've got my juices flowing! Show me your latest creations. After all, a ghost can appreciate fine machinery, the purr of a well tuned engine. Show me your latest macho utility based vehicle. You know, today's THING.

Well, we dropped that after two years. . .

Oh! It doesn't matter. Let's see your newest passenger car based pick-up!

Gave that up in the U.S. market after a few years also.

Never mind. Let's drive your current, low priced econo-box; the vehicle that's the successor to the Beetle. If there's one thing VW is good at, it's producing an everyman's car.

Um! Well, we don't actually have a Fox on any dealer lots in North America, but I can show you a picture of one.

Oh, that's all right. Let's see? I got it, show me today's version of the economy mini-van. You know, the low priced, practical, boxy station wagon you guys did so well. Every middle class family of the '60's knew they could afford one of these immensely practical rigs.

Ah! Umm! There's a problem here!

What? You stopped building a mini van?

Not quite. We just stopped building an affordable van.

O.K., what about a 4-wheel drive sporty car.

Well, ah, um! You can't actually buy oneon this side of the Atlantic. But, there are a few cruising the Black Forest.

I'm beginning to see the picture! You guys told your innovative product people to be creative; but the bean counters, the green eye shade types, had a short fuse and aborted most of the product department's new ideas before they could mature!

A modern firm must be accountable to its stockholders. Well, doesn't it!

Of course, but VW was famous for letting its car models run on for decades. The Beetle lasted four decades. The Ghia lasted 20 years. The first series Bus lasted almost as long. Why, among air cooled models, the car that died the youngest was the Type 3 Karmann Ghia. . .and, it lasted 9 years. Lots of people have head colds that last longer than some of VW's current car models.

Don't you exaggerate just a bit?

If this was a TV talk show with Doctor Ruth, the sex therapist, Volkswagens problem in the US would be diagnosed as premature ejaculation.

Why I never. . .leave markets early. . couldn't be. . .Say, where do you get off talking to me like that. I've a good mind to . . .

Get the right to talk like this? Remember buddy! I'm your alter-ego, the true you, the man you'd be if stripped of your blue suit and red tie. Take away the corporate uniform, the executive dance steps, the boardroom brainwashing and you'd be ME!

Now, don't get cranky! I was just . . . well, shocked. Besides, if

(Next time - Part II)

OSNABRUCK AS MECCA

Last summer, House of Ghia toured Germany. We visited two large German Bug-In type events; three auto-museums and four old time Volkswagen parts specialists. I know! I know! But, before you ask your question, be advised that all the Ghia parts we bought came home with us in our luggage. Their value didn't touch off customs limits. The only items we shipped back to the States were two cuckoo clocks.

Now, puh-leese, don't start rumors about my sanity. Sure we were in the homeland of the Karmann Ghia. And, yep! Once very part for a Ghia was made in Germany. But, your conclusion about my mental condition is invalid.

Believe me! I tried to find large stashes of rare parts. The truth is places like Albany, Oregon, and suburban L.A. are now the center of the Karmann Ghia world. Currently a larger number of Karmann Ghia body parts are being produced within 100 miles of the Pacific Ocean than are being produced within 5000 miles of Wolfsburg. Incredible.

A few observations on our trip to Germany

Observation 1: What you've heard is true. The speed limit on the German freeways exceeds Warp 7. Cruising the Autobahn at nearly 200 kilometers per hour is an experience

guaranteed to get the juices flowing. Even at that speed, our rented Audi slowed the flight of the occasional Mercedes and Porsche. (P.S. 200 K.P.H. is over 120 M.P.H. which is just flat out D.U.M.B.)

Now, statistical types at the auto buff magazines can probably prove fewer deaths per mile/kilometer on the German Autobahns than on the LA freeway system. But, I'd like to see a comparison using the "Spoon Index". You know, the Spoon Index measures the degree to which car accident victims are poured into their coffins by the spoonful. Pedal to the metal driving on the Autobahn must create more spoon work than any task this side of being a whiz-bang inspector at a fireworks factory.

Observation 2: We are all creatures of habit. Culture induced habit. When we are emersed into a slightly different culture, it's strange which of our old habits come back to tantalize us. By the end of our German trip I was positively lusting for ice in my Pepsi. To the German taste buds, an ice cold drink is one that is less than armpit warm. On the other hand, I have trouble dining when my beer and my sausage are the same temperature.

Observation 3: We were determined to surround ourselves in things German for the duration of our trip. Who wants to become brash, loud buffoons with an invisible "tourist" stamped on their foreheads because of their actions. Crime number one on the list of behaviors guaranteed to promote a hate America attitude is ignoring the local foods and eating at plastic fast food joints decorated with well-known arches, buckets or bells. We vowed, no ugly American stuff for us. We didn't take into account human nature and our inability to read German. Imagine looking at menus printed in Swahili or Mongolian. Day after day you must order from such a menu some unknown gastric surprise. Why didn't the waiter tell you the potatoes were covered with a sauce that etches metal. Or, how dare our host describe as merely seafood a dish of boiled fresh water eel. Worse! Each person is supposed to pick out his/her own live, writhing entrees from a huge, glass, "live" tank. "Oh, just give me that slimy, slippery, ugly brute over there, Helmut."

Even logic can't save one from a 'Maalox moment '. If the list of ingredients for 24 different pizza toppings always contained the German word for tomato paste and this unknown other word, what conclusion would you reach? Sure! It's got to be cheese! Nope! It means onions. Huge onion rings. Onion rings so gargantuan and plentiful they could substitute for jewelry and thus gladden any Watutsi maiden's heart.

After two weeks of gourmet roulette, we spied a set of "Golden Arches". Captain Kirk, using all the power of the Enterprise's tractor beam, couldn't have guided us aboard that MacDonalds any faster than the lure of a Big Mac. It was a delight to know, in advance, what one ordered would taste like. Yes, we gave in and dined with that bozo, Ronald MacDonald. The flesh is weak.

Observation 4: What a difference a law makes. Over a century ago, the various Homestead Acts changed the very look of America. An obscure passage in the Homestead Laws, designed to prevent outright fraud and abuse, required pioneers to live on their free acreage. Germans have always lived under the age old village concept. A farmer's home is his village. Daily, the farmer trudges out from the village to till sometimes widely scattered fields. Seemingly minor facts, but they have a spectacular impact on each nation's countryside.

A view from most rural western American roads would highlight a farm house and barn on both sides of the road, virtually every half mile. Many an American farm house is rustic, picturesque, quaint. But, an equal number are decrepit, tumbled down, eyesores. Regardless of how handsome, no farm home and outbuildings rise naturally from their surrounding. All overwhelm the eye and dominate the view.

A rural view in Germany is dominated by immensely manicured, very beautiful farm fields. No buildings or fences capture the eye. Only the road one is on, and perhaps, the distant view of a village break the naturalness of the scene. Rural Germany has a loveliness impossible to achieve in homestead America.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q #9 - I'm replacing my '66 coupe's headliner. So, I removed the old vinyl liner and the metal bows that hold it to the roof. Well, that's my problem! With the metal rods or bows removed, I can't tell which bow goes where. Can you tell me?
Telelphone conversation with Al, somewhere in Florida.

A #9 - Boy, that's human nature for you. Seventy plus Ghias I've parted out and I never took the time to figure out which metal headliner bow went where. I specially checked out a coupe headliner to get this info. So, Al, this bow's for you!

Line up the four bows by placing one end of each bow against a flat surface. If you can control the bend or curvature of the bows so they are all flexed about the same amount, one bow stands taller than all the rest. That's the rear most bow. The next longest bow is about a half inch longer than its remaining two cousins. This bow fits the second from the rear position. The final two bows, the shortest pieces are nearly identical in length (if not absolutely identical in length). They go in the third and fourth bow positions from the rear.

Or, to put it another way, from the nose of the car, the narrowest bow is in front and the bows tend to lengthen slightly as they advance to the rear. (See this issue's headliner replacement article.)

Q #10 - You list a top frame bushing for my '71 Ghia convertible, but I can't seem to find where the bushing goes. (Help!)

A #10 - Imagine listening to a Rap musician describing the reproductive system of the extinct Giant Sloth. Lots of chances for a misunderstanding. Not only are most of us ignorant about sloth ovaries, we don't know the special interpretation placed by enlightened ones, like rap musicians, on seemingly ordinary words. (For example, there are over 20 places where metal top frame pieces hinge. Ask a non-expert to locate the "main hinge" and you've created instant chaos.) So, patiently peer at your top frame as we rap about bushings in the bowels of your top. The information below applies to all Ghia convertibles except '58 models.

Look behind the door. Locate where the top frame is bolted to the car. This large "foot", about palm-sized, has three top frame members attached to it. One frame piece pivots around the long bolt going thru two metal tabs attached to the foot. Ignore these pieces. Two of the frame members attached to the foot are stout strap metal pieces. One of the strap metal pieces is very long and eventually supports the wooden rear window bow. It is bolted to a single tab on the frame foot. The other metal strap piece is only 12-15 inches long before it bolts to another top frame piece. Back at the base of this second or shorter strap (the lower guide bar) is a very large diameter hole -- a quarter would fit into the hole. Since the guide bar is also bolted to a tab off the top of the foot, the hole could be disguised by what looks like the edge of two soft, huge washers. Actually, what look like the edge of washers are the "ears" to a plastic bushing (our KC-BSH). The center of the bushing rides over a ball-shaped portion of the bolt that goes thru the base of the guide bar. (Your hip bone uses a similiar, but not identical, ball and socket arrangement.) So, one can not easily "see" the bushing. Only when the bolt is removed, allowing the bottom of the guide bar (that strap metal piece) to fall free, is the bushing and its location apparent.

If the plastic bushing fails, the top frame will still go up and down; but will act and sound as if the frame had a bad case of arthritis. Ignore a crumbling bushing long enough and the effort to fold the top will warp and twist major top frame pieces. In addition, the bolt with a ball built in can suffer damage.

Incidentally, House of Ghia reproduces both the lower guide bar bolts, and its companion piece, the hinge bushing.

Q #11 - My glove box key was locked in the glove box of my '69 convert. Now, I can't get in the glove box or hood. How can I get in the glove box without hurting the car?
Maria A. Laurel MD

A #11 - to get into the luggage compartment if, say, the front hood cable snaps. But, at that point, Maria A. has only one of her two problems solved. So, let's start at the beginning.

Raise the front of the car at least two feet off the ground. Now, find a stout 3 foot long, small diameter stick, pipe, screwdriver, etc.. By unseating the horn boot, you'll have an access hole in the bottom of the nose. Simply take the rod and probe the bottom of the deck lid lock until you can trip the lock. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Nope!

It can be frustrating and vocabulary building in the extreme. But, it's better than prying against the precious sheet metal of the car. One tip to help you. Locate the front hood cable and note the direction it comes from as it goes into the lock. Mentally picture what happens when the cable is pulled to activate the lock. Well, that's the direction you want your probe rod to move against the cable/lock connection piece. (In other words, you'll want to push the cable/lock connection in the direction the cable is coming from.)

Once the front hood is up, the back of the glove box liner is visable. It is held in place by a metal strap. The metal strap is pulled tightly around the glove box by a metric bolt. Find an 8mm socket for a 1/4 inch drive ratchet and a 12 inch long extention (or 2 six inch ones). Keep backing off that long screw, it will seem to take forever. Once the screw is removed the glove box is loose and can be moved enough to get the junk out of there. You will NOT have to remove or even loosen the front hood cable housing that comes out of the side of the glove box.

An additional way to get at the front hood lever again requires you to go under the car. Did you leave your spare tire in place? This suggestion won't work as easily if you did. Remember the half moon shaped, palm sized access plates that lay on the panel under the gas tank? These plates allow access to the steering box. Since Ghias could also be right hand drive, there was a matching panel on the right or passenger side. From underneath, find the ends of the sheetmetal screws holding the right hand access plate in place. Now, using pliers, turn the screws backwards until they fall into the spare tire well! Use this access hole to manipulate the front hood lock with that long, stout rod.

Thanks to Ron McC, Portland OR, and others who independently rediscovered this information and passed it on for other Ghia folk.

Q #12 - Along the edges of the windshield glass in my '66 Ghia, I'm getting a white, milky surface scum. I've used windshield cleaner, (solvents) and even lightly cleaned it with steel wool. No luck. Can you tell me what will remove that coating?
M.S. Lompoc CA

A #12 - Look again. Closely. I'll bet the discoloration isn't on the surface; it's in the CENTER of the glass. I know, I know! It doesn't seem possible, but let's look at how the glass is made.

For decades, automotive glass was no more than high grade window or plate glass. Great visual characteristics, but when shattered, producing terrifically sharp shards. Henry Ford was prototyping the first Model A's, when a friend was needlessly slaughtered in a minor accident by a plate glass windshield. Ford, often arbitrary, capricious and dictatorial and always mindful of a penny; instantly switched the Model A to the then, new, more expensive, safety glass. A decision that cost him millions in extra costs. Within a decade, competition had forced all of Detroit to shift to this life saving feature. After the fact, many state legistatures wrote laws requiring just what Detroit was already doing. Europe, however, continued to cling to some variation of one piece plate glass. As the demand for Bugs and Ghias increased in the '50's, VW had to develop a distinct export model for the U.S. One obvious difference . . . lens, all red for the U.S. market, amber and red for most of the rest of the world. One subtle difference . . . the use of safety glass on U.S. models to conform to state laws.

The type of safety glass pioneered on the Model A was relatively simple. Sandwich a paper thin, crystal clear, piece of plastic between two slim pieces of glass. Even if one's head smashed the windshield, breaking the glass; the dagger shaped shards would stay stuck to the plastic inner liner. Life threatening cuts would be held to a minimum. American market Ghia windshields used increasingly sophisticated variations of this basic technology.

Problems! Over time, age, moisture, oxygen and sunlight began to attack the plastic sandwiched between the glass. Of course, since only the edge of the plastic was exposed, it often took years or decades for the plastic to degrade enough to effect vision.

On Ghias, the milky, cloudy effect indicating destruction of the plastic liner is most noticeable on the lower corners. The reason your door, quarter, and rear windows don't cloud up is because they aren't this type of safety glass. What can you do to get rid of the problem? Nothing can be done short of replacing the windshield with recently manufactured glass.

One final tip. I once found a nice used piece of glass. Why not use it to replace a badly scratched windshield in my own car, I thought. The edges were coated with sticky, icky, sealant/weatherstrip stuff. No problem. I used a rag dipped in cleaning solvent to remove the sealant and installed the sparkling clean glass. Within a week, the edges were badly fogged. Within a month, 25% of the area of the glass looked as if you'd spilled a thin coating of milk on a hot griddle. So, chemicals can also destroy the plastic. Beware!

Q #17 - I've restored several Bugs. All the Bugs had a single horn . Each horn had two wires going to a single pair of rubber boots. The boots, looking like a black bullet, mounted over a nipple on the back of the horn. My very original Ghia has two horns and four wire terminal nipples; but, I couldn't locate any evidence of horn boots. Shouldn't the car have them, and, where can I get them?
Carl W. Visalia CA

A #17 - Beetle (and Type III) horns were mounted so they were very exposed to the weather and elements. Moisture and, therefore, corrosion was a distinct possibility for the exposed horn wire ends. VW devised a very effective, thumb-sized little rubber boot to keep things pure and clean. The noise making surface of the dual Ghia horn is just as exposed as the Beetle horn. But, the remainder of Ghia horns are wrapped and shaped by a complex rubber horn boot. This boot looks, like . . . well, a small baby's stout rubber diaper. When properly protected by the Ghia's horn boot, the horn's wire ends are dry and snug in the nose of the car. No moisture/corrosion should get in, so there was no need for horn wire boots on a Ghia. However, the horns do have a nipple for the boot, and some Ghia buffs add the wire boot as a neat finishing touch. The boots almost seem to shout, "I care".

Karmann Ghia Coupe Headliner Replacement

To replace a Ghia coupe headliner, you must remove all the glass, and the aluminum channels for the rubber door and quarter-windows seals. Three things will make this job go smoothly: the proper adhesive, spring clamps and clothespins.

The adhesive I found to work best, is 3M Vinyl Trim Adhesive #08064. It holds the vinyl in place until the window glass is installed.

The spring clamps and clothespins hold the vinyl on the edges of the metal windshield opening extension. (Editor: This extension or lip is only visable when the windshield, rear window glass is removed.) To glue using 3M trim adhesive, brush a wet coat on the car and press the vinyl into the wet adhesive. Then, pull the vinyl away so the adhesive can tack up. This adhesive works best at using 2-3 minutes of tack-up. Do not wait more than 5 minutes.

Start by cutting a vinyl strip for the rear window pillar. Using spring clamps, attach the vinyl pillar piece to the seal extension and apply adhesive to the car. Let it tack. Then clamp the vinyl all along the glued area. Continue this procedure until the entire edge of the vinyl pillar piece is attached. Complete this same operation on the opposite side of car, letting the first side cure. Now, the pillar vinyl can be pulled around the metal pillar and you can see where it needs stretching and trimming. Continue gluing the pillar vinyl using the method above. (Note: Use a hot air gun to stretch the vinyl at the bottom of the pillar. Hot air warms the vinyl making stretching things much easier.) If you cut the vinyl pillar strip wide enough, it can be clamped to the rain-gutter. This will hold it in tension until the aluminum channel can be installed. The channel will hold the vinyl while the adhesive cures. Use this method on the front or windshield pillars also.

The front of the headliner should already be marked. It also should have a center line mark. What you need to do to further help position the headliner in the center of the opening is to place a center line mark on the roof of the car at the front and rear windshield openings. Use chalk, soap stone, or even post-it notes.

The four metal bows holding the 'liner up are of different lengths. The two short ones go in front, the longest one in the rear. With the bows installed in the 'liner pockets, you can center them and trim away the pocket material to expose about 2" of bow on each end. Now, install the bows into the metal tabs in the roof. The metal tabs have three holes in them. The holes allow spacing the bows apart to make the pockets and vinyl along the edges taunt. It may take some trial and error here, but selecting the correct tab hole to make the 'liner taunt is critical to a wrinkle-free installation.

Now, check that the 'liner is centered left to right. Using spring clamps, pull the front up taunt and attach it to the windshield extension. Do the same in the rear. I like to pull the sides up and clamp them along the rain gutter, so I can see if the 'liner is going to hang in properly. It is much easier to make adjustments now, instead of later. Starting in the center, pull the front tighter. Working outward, use clothespins to fill-in between the spring clamps. This will really hold the liner taunt. Do the same to the vinyl at the rear window opening. The 'liner should be looking good at this point. A few wrinkles in the corners, or front to rear are O.K. Worried that you've put too much tension on the headliner? If you put too much tension front to rear, when you start to pull the sides up, the bows "spring" down away from the roof. So, you can't over tighten at this point, if you tried.

If you are satisfied with the tension, glue the front edge, then the rear, by removing clamps and "c" pins over an area of about eight inches. Brush adhesive on the car as before. Remember, press the vinyl to the car and pull away so the glue can tack. Then, as you pull tension, press the vinyl firmly to the car and re-apply the clamps and "c" pins. The same is true in the rear. Now, remove all the clamps from sides and remove the aluminum quarter window channel (if you used it to hold pillar vinyl). By using the rain gutters and clamps/"c" pins, repeat the technique used front to rear. The 'liner should be wrinkle-free at this point except for perhaps the corners over the pillars. The corners are installed in the same manner although the rear is a little ore pesky. The headliner should overlap the pillar vinyl at least 3/4" to 1". (Because of the possibility of shrinkage.)

Mark the 'liner vinyl on the inside where the end of the overlap will be. Then, cut the vinyl 1/2" longer, so it can be folded up inside. This gives the edge a nice finish, and it's the way the factory did it. In order to pull the 'liner down onto the pillar, it must be trimmed to relieve the material around the rear glass upper corner. Use caution, as it is easy to cut away too much material.

The cuts should be narrow, shallow darts of material. A dart is a pie shape segment cut out of the vinyl. The hot air gun can be used here to aid stretching the vinyl around the pillar. Glue small areas at a time and use all the clamps and "c" pins you can. When all four corners are finished, the only wrinkles left should be where the 'liner was folded for shipping. These will come out in a few days as the 'liner warms and cools.

I like to re-install the aluminum channels again as it holds the sides of the liner in place. Also, you can mark the 'liner so when you remove the channel (perhaps for the third time), you can trim the edge of the 'liner under the channel, so the edge won't show. I leave the clamps and "c" pins on overnite to let the adhesive cure. Then, remove the clamps, trim the headliner edge, reinstall the channels, put the door and quarter window seals in place, and finally, reinstall all glass.

HINTS: I used 20 clamps and 120 clothespins. Clamps are about $2.00 each. Try to borrow some from a carpenter, aircraft fabric repairman, or hobby modeler. "C" pins are available at most discount hardware stores. An electric hair blow dryer will work to produce hot air. (Be careful not to melt the vinyl.) "Acid brushes" work well for glue as they are cheap. You can throw them away when the glue gets hard. When you are ready to put in the windshield glass, remove clamps and trim vinyl with a razor knife. Plan on the total task taking 8 to 10, if it's your first time.

Good luck and take your time. - Bill Stowers

NOTES ON MACHINING A WINDOW REGULATOR
SPLIT RIVET (FOR COIL SPRING)

COMMENTS:

This window regulator part (call it a split rivet) holds the powerful regulator coil spring in place. I machined this part for my 1969 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. (Editor: Split rivet works on 1962-74 Ghias and may work on earlier Ghias.)

The original parts were made of die-cast zinc alloy (pot-metal). It is easier to manufacture a die-cast piece rather than a machined part; but die-cast rivets don't hold up as well. Over time, age would make it harder to crank up the window glass. So, this part would undergo more and more strain. Finally, the pot-metal piece would break. I decided to make a new one out of steel, but ended up using beryllium-copper (a kind of brass) instead; because I didn't have any 3/4 inch steel stock around. Any good steel (stainless, etc.) or brass will work.

Look at the real life part and then at the drawing. Notice the "lip" is purposely thicker. I noticed how flimsy looking the "lip" was and thought a thicker lip couldn't hurt. The only potential problem I foresaw was in how to attach the small metal plate that goes on the backside of the regulator. Also, since I didn't want to go to the trouble of making the split rivet and attaching it to the metal plate by swedging (as done originally), I decided to attach it with a screw and a big washer instead. (See assembly drawing.)

DESIGN NOTES:

All measurements are in thousands of an inch.

Super close tolerances are not critical for this part. The only really critical measurements are the .525 diameter and the space between the lip and the notched end (.200). The various parts of the window regulator should slide freely when assembled.

The screw I used was a 10-32NF hex-head machine screw. I thought it looked nicer. Use any kind of screw you like as long as you place under it a fender washer big wnough to cover up the notched end of the part. If you tighten it enough, you won't need a lock washer at all. (See assembly drawing.)

Make sure to file off all rough edges and burrs. When assembling the regulator, I found it a good idea to coat the spring in grease since it will rub against itself when it coils up and can be a little noisy.

Our thanks to Hans Wenzel for this helpful tip.

Additional Headliner Installation Tips: 1) Installing and removing the aluminum channels will wear out the Phillips head of a small sheet metal screw . . . fast. Besides, since the sheet metal screws cut their own threads, removal/installation quickly enlarges the screw hole. When it comes time to install the channel for the final time, use a slightly larger diameter screw -- like House of Ghia's KK-AC35 screws in a ten pack. These slightly larger screws will recut a secure thread trail and install the channel tightly. 2) All '60 thru '71 Ghia quarter window aluminum channels had a seal between the bottom of the channel and the metal of the opening (our KK-MSX). However, about 10% of the coupes used the same seal under the door window aluminum channel. We suggest the roof molding strip seal (KK-MSX) be used under ALL aluminum channels. The lipped edge of this rubber seal can hide a variety of minor waves, kinks and flat spots in the aluminum channel. (Two sets of KK-MSX work perfectly.)

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