Callook Karmann ghia

[Glauco]

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?

[Basti]

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


Watch this...

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

Cheers,
Basti

[Glauco]

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


Watch this...

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!

[Jim Ratto]

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?

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?

[wolfswest]

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

[nicolas]

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.

[Glauco]

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

[wolfswest]

come on, DO IT!    
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! 

[speedwell]

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...

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  arghhhhhhhh those authority

[nicolas]

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 
thanks

[speedwell]

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

[speedwell]

 

[Glauco]

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!

[wolfswest]

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 
thanks

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   
Or indeed the "speldekopkes"  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

[speedwell]

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!

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

[Glauco]

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!

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?

[Glauco]

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 
thanks

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   
Or indeed the "speldekopkes"  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

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...

[speedwell]

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!

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?

yes the ghia had always a dashtop

[empicolector]

another without nose-grills

[speedwell]

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

[speedwell]

front view

[Cheesepanzer]

4-tuned exhaust!  Very nice.

[empicolector]

A VERY NICE CAR ONE OF MY FAVOURITE 

[Glauco]

that is one cool car 
very nice!

[NoBars]

Turnsignals in nostrils, no bumpers at all, smooth

[Zach Gomulka]

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...

[empicolector]

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

[Glauco]

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 ) and put the turnsignals there, because the old ones need to go, I hate those ugly rectangular turnsignals
we'll see..

[Diederick/DVK]

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!!

 

[Grelland]

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