Good point, I'm trying to make a sleeper of sorts. So the people will walk up to it first because of the big wheels and bright paint, and not turn to walk away until they see the radiator. :laugh:

I worked on it a little yesterday. I just have to work some more on the driver's side quarter where the door meets it. Then it's just going back over everything with a fine tooth comb sorta speak.

I would be working on it today and night, except I'm going to a Tool concert. I know, I'm cool. :cool:

You ba$+@rd! :laugh: Seriously though, enjoy that show.

I got two tickets to see a show this week myself. Rush is playing in Raleigh on Wednsday. :cool:

Rush was playin here in tampa,Florida and I missed it. I'm just supper pissed:bawling: :bawling:

It was AMAZING! :cool: My first time seeing Tool, not my last though.

I took all my kids and a couple of thier friends to see the TOOL show here on the 4th of June. It was an outstanding show. The opening band was a group from Japan "Melt Bannana" and they sucked. But TOOL was fantastic.
My wife camped out for tickets and was 4th in line. The show sold out in 10 min.

Haha, their opening band was a little off the wall. I'm sure it was a great show.

I can't remember the song list, but they did play Fourty-Six and 2. One of my favorite TOOL songs. :D

My 3rd time to see them, My son Ryan's 2nd time to see them (both time with his dear old dad) then Joel and Jordan's 1st time to see them. Thier show has grown more high-tech every time I have seen them. Danny Carry is by far the best drummer I have ever seen. And I have seen a few.

I'm a fan too but they haven't been to a venue here that I was willing to go to. Sounds like I gotta suck it up and catch a show.

Jeff-

Any more development?

Mikey, where you hidin' killa?

Where da car at?

Where’s Mickey?
 

Doing the same but with a 1.9 TDI + mods hoping for speed and 45-55mpg.:cool:

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...3.jpg~original
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/m...6.jpg~original

Looks good, I can't wait to see it futher along. :)

Sorry guys I've been so MIA. I havn't touched the car in a long time. :(

nice work Mikey, I just read through the entire thread. I must admit i was hoping for more by the time i got to the end. So get your ass to work! :D Ill be doing alot of the same to my square 993, subi, bus box though. (wifes car really, i have bigger plans for a notch) Anyway nice job man, keep us updated. I want more!!

Mikey, the car looks like it will turn out great! You mentioned a few hundred posts ago that you already had the Megasquirt, who did you get it from and how expensive are they? I have a ej20 turbo I am putting into my '67 bug. Thanks

It's been a long time coming, but I actually have an update on my Ghia. Been working off and on for some time.

I decided to paint it up enough to get it drivable.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...5.jpg~original
Front shot.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...8.jpg~original

Fresh "under coat". It's basicly truck bed liner. I think it looks perfect.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...0.jpg~original
Finished water lines. I decided to bite the bullet and use AN fittings. I have -16 AN fittings front to back. Not as big as -20 but I think they're big enough.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...2.jpg~original
Front AN fittings
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...5.jpg~original
Rear AN fittings
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...7.jpg~original

I have all the AN fittings and braided hose. I just need to weld the top AN fitting on the radiator, and put the hose and fittings together.

The final meeting between the body and chassis!
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...4.jpg~original

I had some good help this afternoon. My wife has been helping out the last couple of weekends, she helped paint the bottom of the chassis, bolt the chassis to the body, hold this, hand me that, get burned... ect.

Good to see you are still around and the Ghia is moving forward. Nice work.

Good job Mikey! Long time coming...

Thanks guys, I've been working on it for a few more weekends. I've got a few more pictures.

Radiator with summit racing 16AN fittings and braided stainless hoses. The radiator is also summit.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...1.jpg~original
Rear shot of the 5-bar brace, new shocks...
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...3.jpg~original
Side shot with painted calipers.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...4.jpg~original
Close up of the painted caliper, I can't decide to put "Porsche" back on it or not.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...5.jpg~original
Front shot showing the lower AN fitting. Still missing alternator. I made the brackets to hold the intercooler above the intake.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...9.jpg~original
Rear shot of the engine showing the back of the intercooler, it still needs finished.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...1.jpg~original

I really appreciate all the support I've recieved on this project. While some of the car is up to the standard I would like to see. There are some parts that are not. I am sometimes almost embarassed to take pictures of the sub-standard parts. That's why the updates are so far and few. I really want this car to be perfect, but at that rate. I'll never finish it.

Thanks again,

Good stuff Mikey.

Hi

Do you think the -16 fitting will flow enough? Most conversions I've seen use 1 1/2 tube.

Steve

You make what you can how you can. Sometimes you go back and re-make a part to get better function, sometimes you pretty it up. Everyone doesn't have a five-axis or the ability to tig like a robot. Be proud of the parts you can afford and what you accomplish!


Jeff-

Thanks for the comments.

Thanks panel, I have made a few steps back here and there to made things better, or improve their function. The water lines are a great example of an idea or design I really liked that proved to not to be the best.

Steve,
I did consider using 1-1/2" pipe for the coolant lines. I actually had 1-1/2" pipe from the start. But the original location of the coolant lines were simply not practical for the location of the engine coolant hoses and the radiator.
The original design was a pipe on each side of the tunnel.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...2.jpg~original
Since the engine's coolant lines were only on the passenger side. The decision was made to just put the coolant lines on the passenger side.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...2.jpg~original
Then I had to decide on a size. 1-1/2 seemed a little big to me. I asked around my work for opinions on the size of the coolant hose. I was under the assumtion that a larger pipe would have more volume but less pressure. So the smaller pipe 1" would have less volume but more pressure. I'm also counting on the coolant pipes under the car to act as a second radiator. That is why I welded the two together. I even placed rubber pads under the pipe to help hold the pipes off the chassis so air can circulate all the way around the pipes. The fact that 20AN fittings cost more than twice as much as 16AN fittings helped me choose 16AN. And given the restriciton in space under the chassis, 1" seemed to fit better. In the end my decision to use 16AN is a balance between, size, location, cost, and maybe a little trial and error to keep it interesting.

Sorry, I tried to make my answer to the point without missing many details.

New progress.
I had to reshoot the trunk, I used a late model bug master cylinder bowl bracket to hold the mc bowl. I used pop rivits to hold the bracket in place.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...7.jpg~original
Another shot, I just set the tank in for the picture. It still needs refinishing.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...8.jpg~original
I would have bleed the brakes today but I need brake light switches.

Thanks again for the comments. I'm really excited to get to drive this thing soon.

Looking good Mickey, lots of progress since I last checked your build :eek:

The car, and work, is looking good. Build things to the best of your ability now, and go back and upgrade down the road as skills improve.

I've laid over 190 inches of welds on my new project, but still think my welding is embarrassing. It's improved 10-fold from my '69, but doesn't meet the robot-like abilities of some here. Ah well, I figure, there will always be another shell :D

Keep it up, it will all be worth it when you get to fire it up and take it for a drive.

-Dave

Thanks guys.

Dave, I weld for a living and I still find ways to improve everyday.

I found my brake switches tonight. That's all I needed to bleed the brakes.

nice work Mike, I finally finished my.

Nice, it looks really good.

I am getting closer and closer to trying to wire the engine and car. How easy or hard was it to wire and hook up the vacume lines?

Thanks,

The wife and I have been working on our Ghia.

We mounted both driver's and passenger seats last weekend and front hood.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...9.jpg~original
The passenger side is a little closer to the dash because lack of forsight in the placement of the waterline bolts under the car. It actually helps because the passenger doesn't need to sit as far back. Also if I was any taller at all, I think I would need differant seats. They are as far back as possible. And at 6ft tall, I'm almost out of leg room. My head comes close to the roof.

This weekend...
Welded 6an fittings to the bottom of the tank, both send and return. I still need to seal the inside and paint the outside.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...3.jpg~original
Made a bolt on spare tire mount in the trunk.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...4.jpg~original
Spare tire bolted in, the plastic peice holding the spare tire down is out of my new beelte.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...6.jpg~original
Both hoods w/pulls and both doors. Also the rear apron is bolted in too.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...8.jpg~original
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...9.jpg~original

I removed the seats so I can park the car outside. The rear is still high since there is no engine.

I'm ready to drive this beast! :driving:

It may work out ok, but I just wanted u to be aware of a possible cooling issue. U welded the hot and return lines together in an attempt to help cooling is what it sounds like u said. Unfortunately that's the reverse of what u accomplished, as cool side coolant returning to the engine from the rad will be heated by the hot coolant leaving the engine. I don't mean to rain on ur parade, and hopefully it works out ok, but it may have defeated some of the cooling potential of the system.

Jason

Well Jason, when you're right, you're right. :bricks:

So, if the water lines were not attached and separated by some distance. My assumption would hold that the water lines would act like a radiator?

:thinking: Hmmm, well played good sir. Well played.

:lmao: Sorry man!!! Just didn't want you to scratch your head raw if things weren't working the way you planned. Yes, aluminum is great to diffuse heat, so it should be OK with the amount of coolant volume and the length of the runs. The key will be to make ABSOLUTELY sure you can bleed any high points, speaking from experience that will make more difference than almost anything else.

Jason

I am using stinger ecu and no to many vac lines. let me know if I can help you out

I'm using a LINK ecu which I'm putting by the battery under the rear seat. I ran the wiring to the passenger compartment from the engine by fishing it up through the upper right side of the engine compartment. It comes in behind the right rear interior panel next to the back seat.

Well Jason, I havn't decided what to do about the waterlines.

This weekend and last, I installed the headlights, turn signals, front bumper, mirrors, wiper motor, tail lights... when I installed the mirrors, I wanted a frim mount instead of having only the two bolts holding on the sheet metal. So I cut a peice of aluminum and drilled two holes in it to act like a big washer. I forgot to take a picture.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...1.jpg~original
I cleaned and put the rubber on the front and rear windows. I also set them on the car for a picture. The front glass is new but the rear is the original.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...4.jpg~original
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...8.jpg~original

I worked on cleaning the windows while the fiberglass filler was curing. I needed to shorten the rear bumper on the sides where I widdened the rear fenders.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...6.jpg~original
Getting closer.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...5.jpg~original
Final mount before paint.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...1.jpg~original
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...0.jpg~original
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...9.jpg~original
Ghia bumpers also mount on the ends of the blade, I had to replace 1 missing mount in the rear bumper and both missing mounts in the front. They turned out really good. I mounted the ends of both bumpers.

My help (wife) was sick this weekend. So I had to do everything myself.

Nice work mikey. Keep inching your way forward.

Took me some time today to get my tires mounted, so I got started a little late. However the rear tires made contact with the rear fender. So I had to raise the rear. That took all the time I had for today. I managed to get a couple of pictures.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...2.jpg~original
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...4.jpg~original

They have 205/45R-17 up front and 225/50ZR17 in the rear. I didn't figure the height of the two tires would be that differant. Kinda has a funny look to it now.

I wanted to paint the bumpers, but it took me a while to change the rear height.

Looking good Mike. You could always boil the 225's down to the nub quickly and fit a pair of 215's the next time ;)

Well, I didn't really get any work done this weekend. But I did finally move the car to my house. I've lived here for a couple years now and this is the first time my Ghia has been here. :D

We might be going to circle yer wagons this coming may. I'll let you guys know for sure. I would like to have the Ghia there too, but that'll depend on cash flow.

I've been working an hour here and there on it. I finally got my harness in today. Now this is going to take a thread of it's own. But where do I put it, electrical or engine?

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...7.jpg~original

Wow Mike. I haven't been here in years, and I'm glad you're still chipping away at that Ghia. That's gonna be sick when you're done. :)