The Cal-look Lounge

I'm rebuilding a '70 karmann ghia, and I want to go for the callook style,  I'm planning on closing the nostrels, I have Simca rallye seats in front end am busy building my own empistyle rear seat, because I can't find them for sale. I'm still looking for 15inch empi 8 spokes (originals) and an empi eliminator shifter, if there is anyone that has them for sale;).
but here are the things I don't know what to do with:
The bumpers, I'm not into the flipped T-bars, and I found some bugs that have buggy bumpers, now my question, how callook are the buggy bumpers on a karmann ghia?
and what to do with the side trim? and the chrome trim round the headlights, and the chrome windowlinings? lose them al?
other things I should pay attention to?

Hey,
a friend is selling 8-Spokes...


Watch this...

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,3034.0.html (http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,3034.0.html)

Cheers,
Basti

I saw those, but there are 2 14inch and 2 15inch, I'm looking for a set of 15inch wheels, but 14inch in front is my second option,
thanks anyway!

I think the de-chroming thing depends on the color you are painting the car. Some colors will work well with removing side chrome and paint-matching headlight bezels (and possibly bumpers?). What color have you decided on?

Personally, I like the pre-square bumpers on a KG, which a 1970 still has, right? Maybe remove uprights and match paint the bumpers?

And my opinion, leave the horn nostrils. The nose looks too "blank", is my thought, without them. No "face"

What's under the decklid?

Glauco,

I think you can't go wrong with the t bars, don't use nerf bars.  I think the buggy bars can also be an option...  Maybe anyone here with pictures of this combo?  Maybe make a tread in the works section and post some pictures of your progress on the car.  I'm looking forward to see some pictures of El Salvatore @ work.

Dem

ghia's need bumpers. except if it is a racecar... but keep the nosegrills. they can be painted as well and that doesn't look too bad either.

my karmann has american bumpers, just to big for me, leaving the nostrils is maybe an option, I was thinking of removing everything, even the turn signals, and use the little light (don't know the right english word for it)  in my headlights to turn signals, but I don't think the belgian authority will like this.
maybe small bumpers, but I kind of like the buggbumpers, didn't find a karmann with buggybumpers yet...
for engine I'm still looking, I wanted a turbo-engine, but then I felt the bitchslap of 2 48IDA's screaming, so it will be an IDA, maybe a small 2200, maybe bigger, one of these days I'm going to see @ steve's vw shop and talk about what's possible and not.
I am going to buy an exhaust and muffler, probably a giant dubble quiet pack, I think that won't look to bad

come on, DO IT!   ;D  ;D
Go for the hot IDA engine, small bumpers, no turning signals (screw the law), leave the nostrills or maybe remove them.
paint it brown with gold 8 spoke empi's.  That is the same combo that Nicolas has on his T III  but I think it will work just fine on the Karmann.  DO IT!  ;D

me too i never saw a KG with buggybar , for me i prefer the t bars on the ghia
t bar aren't conform at the technical control in belgium , when i wen t to this one with my car i removed those one and fix my bumpers and when i've the MOT , at the house i removed the bumpers and refix the t bars  ;D ;D ;D arghhhhhhhh those authority ::) ::)

hey

i am looking into having the turnsignal lights in the lights as well. inplace of the parkinglight (standlicht for us) but i am not sure it is legal. i even think it is not. BUT i have seen some registered jeeps with the tinyest and best hidden turnsignals ever. they looked like needletops (speldekopkes for us)
anyway try it and see what it gives.  and try to have a balance between bumpers, lights, grills... just that everything looks natural.

btw brown with gold does look good  ;D
thanks

here're some cool example of cal look ghia with /out nostrel , with /out bullet turn signal , with/out bumpers

 ;D

I like the lightyellow one with the black nostrils, the more I see them, the more I like the t-bars, still thinking about the buggybars do, had a little chat with dem yesterday and came up with a few possibilities, we'll see, I hope to be cruisin' this summer with or without a souped up engine, I'll try to post some pictures as soon as possible
now another question, my dashboard has a cover over it, is it the same as a beetle under the dashboardcover?
thanks so far for the great help!

I'm quite sure that the turnsignals in the headlights of a T III or KG are not legal here in Belgium...  >:(  with a bug you have the "clear" us lenses so you can "see" the lightbulb, but with the KG or T III you don't have "clear" lenses...  correct me if I'm wrong...  But hey, go for it.  The front with no turnsignals is  :P  :P
Or indeed the "speldekopkes"  ;D solution could be something.  But where do you put these led-lights?  in the nostrills or under the headlights...?  A question to thing about.

Dem

the color came from the vw it's oriol yellow
the dash cover on a beetle were made for empi by a german manufacture , and aren't the same as a ghia

is the dashcover standard for a karmann ghia?

I think the best way would probably be in the headlight, or a LED instead of the screw that holds the chrome ring around the headlight, or real turnsignals in the nostrills. I don't prefer the LED do, I can't imagine someone did this in the 70's or 80's...

yes the ghia had always a dashtop

another without nose-grills

here's more i took at the bug in  the car is own by vegard

front view

4-tuned exhaust!  Very nice. 8)

A VERY NICE CAR ONE OF MY FAVOURITE  :P

that is one cool car  :o
very nice!

Turnsignals in nostrils, no bumpers at all, smooth

Ghia's must have the grilles! The front looks so blank without them. Hiding the signals in the grilles is a good idea.

Ghia's and type 3's look like hell without bumpers too. But I would like to see how a buggy bar would fit up. It just might work...

I enjoy with and without it depend of the car looks for the  ghia red one its perfect ;D

yeah, I'll have to think long and hard about what I'm going to do, I am going to try the buggybumpers, we'll see how that goes, and leave the nostrils (aldo I love the red one without the nostrills :o) and put the turnsignals there, because the old ones need to go, I hate those ugly rectangular turnsignals
we'll see..

damn, that vegard!
he then owns an awesome 67 beetle with original gangster spyder mags.
AND a ghia with 8 spokes that looks the bollocks!!

 ;D

last february I asked similar questions, and here is a link to th thread that evolved out of that:

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,1088.0.html

I ended up with EMPI 8's, WITH nostrils, WITH bumpers and WITHOUT overrides (US bumpers) on my project car

Vegar's car look awsome, and is a good testimony of the style that was hot when the car was built, but personally I think the front looks naked without bumper and nostrils.

The rear end looks better without bumper in my opinion, but I guess you should do the same treatment to the front and rear...

I do however plan to hav a set of T-bars made for the track-action :-)

Keep us posted on the progress of your car.

Roy

so I see, I didn't find that thread when I posted mine..
I'm still thinking of trying the buggybars, I haven't seen it on a karmann, think it would look great do, but what about the openings for the bumpers, close them or leave them..?
I think I'll leave the nostrills where they are, great place to put my turnsignals and without bumpers and then weld up the nostrills, It is indeed al ittle bit naked..
the idea for a empi eliminator has changed into a berg shifter
and for color i'm thinking of Candy Apple red, what do you guys think?
I'll try to take some photo's this weekend of the car in its current, nearly fully stripped, state

here's something similar i know it's not cal look but the the front bumper ::) looks like buggy bars in bigger size  ::) ::)
but for me buggy bar aren't the best parts to replace a bumper or tbars on KG  ;)

THANK YOU!
ok, the car is indeed not callook, but the buggybars just might work I think, it's a mather of opinion
I'll have a good night (or 2 ::)) sleep over it and then I'll deside.. :-\  ???
so many cool things to do with a karmann ...

pleased to hear the nostrils are staying!

hear, hear,

plus the fact that they have a FUNCTION of letting fresh air into the car....

That what I was thinking too, but the previous owner tought it would be cool to have the look of the nostrills but not the function, so he closed the box behind de grills, so I just have the grills and a box around it.
always nice to now there are some good guys to screw up nice cars ::) :-\

to see pictures, and one day maybe some progress :D

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,3582.msg49384.html#msg49384

my god, I was strolling true the threads looking for ghia options when I saw my own post, made 13 years ago.  :o
didn't realize it has been 13 years tinkering about how to make my ghia my own. I can't count the many different ways I built my car in my mind, and to be honest I still haven't figured it out.
in the 2 years I've been driving it I came from a T-bar no nostrils look to a blade bumper and nostrils look. the main thing I'm now figuring out is what to do with the turn signals. I still have the stock bullet turn signals laying around, but haven't found the courage to drill the holes for it. for now I mounted LED's inside a bumperbolt to give me something of a turn signal. not 100% how I want it, but maybe I'll investigate this a little further to make it even better.

I came a long way from a shave everything to a point where I might put pack the side trim and turn signals and make it a more stock looking looker. but I have a whole winter to figure that out..

here is how she looks now:

[attachment=1]

Here's to another 13 years of tinkering!  ;D
Glauco

In 1979 on DKK's Cory Oldroyd car, we shaved the Ghia turn signals and installed a Lucas type turn signal light behind the black screen/grill vents.  You could not see them until the light turned on.  Totally hidden working turn signals.

That's the white one with the rag top, right?
I really love that car! Do you have a picture of the nose?