Down to Essentials
I spent a while removing stuff this evening. I pulled the rear bumper to get a better look at the sheet metal of the rear end. I also pulled the electric fuel pump, the voltage regulator, and the starter (which looks brand new). These last three items went into a box for later delivery to Albert. I don’t think there’s anything else mechanical to take out at this point.
The metal of the rear deck looks pretty rusty. I spent a while this afternoon browsing the web, looking for replacement parts. Karmann Ghia Parts and Restoration has all the sheet metal for the rear engine deck. If I’m reading the catalog right, it will cost $323.95 to replace it all! I think I’ll look for alternatives. I don’t really need the deck anyway - I think it’s mostly there for airflow control reasons. For example, Cliff Wilson’s Ghia conversion doesn’t have the engine deck.
Also, from underneath the floor pans don’t look so good. The one on the driver’s side has a piece of metal pop-riveted to it under the seat. This probably hides something nasty. On the passenger’s side, the pan bulges downwards where the corroded battery compartment is. These parts should cost around $200, but putting them in means stripping the carpeting from the interior and lifting the body off for some serious welding. This is way beyond my modest capabilities (and shop). On the other hand, if I did this the Ghia would last a lot longer. I may need to call in a professional for this job.
While taking out the fuel pump I noticed that the positive wire was connected to the pump with a length of speaker wire, twisted together. I didn’t see any insulation. Under the back seat where the battery used to be, I saw that the wire leading to the voltage regulator had the insulation melted off, and there was more speaker wire in there. The fuel pump also leaked a bit of gas when I took it out, and there was a pronounced smell of gas when I took out the battery tray. The scenario here is that electrical problems ignited leaked fuel and did in our little Ghia.
On the other hand, there was about a foot of unburned fuel hose leading away from the pump towards the engine, with the end burned off. This seems to indicate that something on the engine caught fire and burned through the fuel hose, which then probably spewed gas all over the engine compartment, causing an inferno which melted insulation on the voltage regulator wires and caused a short that melted the wire in the battery compartment. Well, it’s academic now anyway.
I took out the back sea and eyeballed the area for battery placement. If I stick batteries down low, on the pan, I can probably only get six or eight Optimas in there. The benefit is that the weight will be down low, and I can probably put the seat back and stick a very small person back there. Alternatively, I can give up on the seat and probably fit at least twelve Optimas there, maybe more. There’s room up front, too, in the space where the fuel tank was. Eventually I need to mock up some Optimas and have a go at fitting them in.
I’ve been trying to come up with a way to put the controller and associated electronics in the engine compartment and keep it all dry. This evening I had the idea that I could just fill in the vent slots in the hatch lid and make it rainproof. It would look distinctive, too. There’s still the problem of preventing road spray from underneath, of course.
Surprisingly, I find that I really enjoy working on my Ghia, even though it gets me all filthy. I never expected that - as I’ve mentioned before, I hate getting dirty. I guess the “my Ghia” part adds the extra joy.
Sat, 20 Sep 2003
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