Restoration shop recommendation? 70s Karmann Ghia | FerrariChat
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Restoration shop recommendation? 70s Karmann Ghia

Discussion in 'Texas' started by FarmerDave, Mar 26, 2014.

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  1. FarmerDave

    FarmerDave F1 World Champ
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    Jul 26, 2004
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    IgnoranteWest
    #1 FarmerDave, Mar 26, 2014
    My friend from High School, Gary, reached out to me because he is concerned about finding the right shop to restore his Dad's 197? Karmann Ghia... Gary's Mom wants to have the car restored as a surprise.

    I asked him what level of restoration his Dad would be happy with on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "make it run and Earl Scheib respray" and 10 being pebble beach winner... his answer was 5 or 6.

    The car has lived inside a garage for 15 or more years and is complete but in need of a cosmetic and mechanical overhaul. Mostly together but some parts are in boxes. VW type guys rarely have a good reputation for follow through. This might be an unfair stereotype but they're usually the uber-optimistic, over-promise and under-deliver ex-hippie burnout type whose eyes are bigger than their stomach when it comes to taking on projects.

    I thought of 4m but would they do the mechanicals as well? (hard to mess up an air cooled VW engine right?)
     
  2. cycloneGTS

    cycloneGTS Formula Junior
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    Aug 12, 2005
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    Mike B.
    #2 cycloneGTS, Mar 26, 2014
    I doubt 4M would touch it being a non F-car and full paint job.

    My suggestion is to contact The Bug Stop in Arlington. If they can't do it, I'll bet they know who can!
     
  3. FarmerDave

    FarmerDave F1 World Champ
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    IgnoranteWest
    #3 FarmerDave, Mar 26, 2014
    4m has worked their magic on my pickup and a half dozen other non FCars I can think of... :)
     
  4. LightGuy

    LightGuy Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Oct 4, 2004
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    David
    #4 LightGuy, Mar 26, 2014
    A bit of trivia;
    Many of the panels on a Ghia were hand formed (just like on early Ferraris).
     
  5. buzzpics

    buzzpics Formula Junior

    Jul 22, 2013
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    Frisco Tx
    #5 buzzpics, Mar 27, 2014
    Ace car care in Plano might be a good place to start asking questions. Their lead mechanic (Ronnie I think) was a huge VW nut. I've seen everything from Trans Ams to Superbirds to LS6 Chevelles at their shop. I don't know if they'll take a VW, but at least they'll be able to point you in the right direction if they don't.
     
  6. jimpo1

    jimpo1 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Jim E
    #6 jimpo1, Mar 27, 2014
    Let 4M do the body and paint, send out the engine/transmission to a specialty shop. They're pretty simple I think.
     
  7. justinn

    justinn Karting

    Jan 5, 2011
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    Austin TX
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    Justin
    #7 justinn, Mar 27, 2014
    and hand "leaded" to get rid of imperfections :)

    One of my favorite cars of all time(and my first car at age 12 :) ) 1776cc with Dual Dellortos. I thought it would go like the wind, back in the day. fyi, mine was a 1970.

    Good Luck with the resto!

    Justin
     
  8. jeffb99tx

    jeffb99tx Formula Junior

    Sep 15, 2004
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    Dallas, Texas
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    Jeff
    #8 jeffb99tx, Apr 2, 2014
    Tin Lizzy is a highly rated interior shop here in Dallas. They can work on just about anything related to the interior. They can fabricate something themselves, or they can work with pre-cut items such as seats, door panels and carpets. Also, they can do headliners if needed. They did great work on my 1977 Fiat interior which involved installing pre-made seat covers.

    Best of luck,

    Jeff
    Dallas, Texas
     

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