Grelland's Ghia

[Grelland]

ok, so the paint is starting to dry, and becomes more satin, and here are a couple of detail shots:

[Grelland]

and then a couple of shots of my mistakes...

first is the result of tilting the wheel in order to drain the paint through the valve hole, but I forgot that there might be som paint in the bolt recess...

the second shot shows the result of dragging a paint-covered rag across the polished lip...  Smart move..

10 minutes with the dremel and this should be fixed

[Wout]

looking very nice!
Didn't they do it @ Porsche a bit the same way? I thought I once heard something about it 

Good luck with the Ghia!!!

gr
Wout

[Grelland]

yes in a similar manner, except I heard that they immersed the entire wheel, but the effect is the same, and they probably had more paint available tnan the 1 litre can I had

[Grelland]

and while I am at it, a couple of more with nuts and cap:

[Addie/DVK]

Looks great! Will look perfect on the Ghia

[Zündfunke]

Looks perfect!
How much paint did you need to fill the rims?! 1Liter, 2, 3?!

But:

Don´t you think the paint will chip off because you didn´t sand the rim or use primer before "the paint job"?

[Grelland]

I used 1 liter, and that was just barely enogh on the 2nd rim, so for the deep-6's I need more I guess.

I did sand down very lightly, but since I did not know excactly where the edge would be, and I did not plan to polish again, I might have an issue after some time... A friend reported that his were finr for at least 4-5 years. only time will show

[Grelland]

progress is slow, and with 4 feet of snow, it is hard to build up motivation...

But I managed to paint and mount the new front beam (a std width one with adjusters), and today I also managed to mount the new front brakes.

These brakes are vented front discs and they come with documentation that they are tested and approved in Germany for up to 136 hp, so I know the Norwegian DOT will be pleased...

Here's how it looks:


I have not received all the studs yet, but I had to mount a wheel just to see:


And the very important measurement of distance from the wheel to the fender:


And for comparison, here is the same measurement with the 3" narrowed beam, dropped spindles and EMPI Spyder mags wheels:


It seems that I got the wheel some 20-22 mm further out in the opening, just as planned

[Peter]

Hi Roy,
so what tires will you be using in the back?
I am running 215/654 in the back, but they slightly rub

[Grelland]

Peter,

my plan is 185/65, but I will have to see how that fits as soon as the rear wheels arrive

[yvre]

Good to see some progress.
Did you solve your MS issues?

[Grelland]

nope, since the car is not rolling, and the fact that there is still som 4-5 feet of snow here, hava I not been able to do any more testing, but I have received some spare parts, and will investigate further in the next few weeks. Suddenly the snow is gone

[ChrisR]

I had some time to fill today, so I decided to have a look at my new wheels.

I have ended up with a set of fuchs replicas, and will have 5.5" up front, deep-6 out back, and a 4.5" for spare. All come from flat-4.

I bought the polished version, as I wanted them detailed, so I though I should explain the process here.

First I started out with a cake basin from the local budget store:


Then I masked out the openings from the backside:


I flipped the wheel over, and made sure it was level:


Then I wiped off with some solvent, and then simply started pouring paint:


And kept pouring until I was happy with the lip:


After letting the wheel sit for the time it takes to consume an ice-cold can of bubbling fluid, I simply poked the masking tape witn an x-acto knife:


I let the paint drain out, and discovered that I made a mess on the inside of the wheel, so on number 2, I also covered the entire inside in masking tape.

I used a semi-gloss black enamel pain with some 10% thinner in it.

So this is how they now sit, waiting for the paint to dry:


I now just have to wait for the deep-6 wheels to arrive from Japan...

I thought I've seen this done before....? You can't take all the credit Although, Yours turned out better than mine! Here's my original write-up on refinishing Fuchs at home. Happy Motoring~ http://www.themotoringjournal.com/cars-for-sale/refinishing-fuchs-at-home.html

[ChrisR]

One more thing, The spot where your paint got high next to the lug hole can be fixed very carefully with a razor blade. That's how I did it... Polish it afterward and you'll never know it was there.


Cheers

Chris R

[Grelland]

I never tried to take any of the credit, as the idea has been discussed on various forums I have frequented lateely, as well as in some magazines, I just wanted to try to see how it worked as I found it to be a great idea, and not too different to what the factory did 40 years ago... And I never used any of your copyrighted material either... ALl the pics are of my wheels in my garage, and everyone can feel free to use them for what they want...

[ChrisR]

You did a fantastic job Roy. It might have been easier to just point credit in the right direction from the beginning.

May your roads be winding~
Chris R

[alfie the monster]

I think you're doing a top job there Roy, top marks 

[Rev. Bob]

You sir , are a glutton for punishment. I know from where you come. I rebuilt my Ghia in about the same fashion. I have a '71 coupe with extensive body mods. I think they are an improvement, but to each his own. I have a 2276 with Megasquirt EFI, Ford EDIS ignition, 52mm Chrysler TB, Engle FK7 cam. 1:4 rockers, ect. As soon as I can figure out how to get my photos small enough to post, I will. My wife and I have done all of the work so it is a work of love. I can't believe the power and throttle response of the EFI. I had a '59 Ghia with a 2180 and this is far and above from that. Very nice work on your car. Keep on "Ghias Rule".

[Grelland]

wish I had more time on my hands, but at least the front end is done, just need to mount the sway bar, and a set of 6 and 7" cookie cutters came up for sale here, so I borrowed them for a trial fit:




Even with a 2" narrowed IRS rear end, the tires rubbed...

Though I might use these for some track action, but I guess a round of 6" all around will fit better...

Also some new parts from my ECU arrived this week, so things move in the right direction

[javabug]

Uh-oh, those cookie cutters are really working for me! 

[volkskris]

the cookie cutters look very cool, nice work on the fuchses too
Kristof

[Zach Gomulka]

Viva la Cookies!!

They look great paint detailed that way, pretty similar to what we did on AssHull's car

[Neil Davies]

Viva la Cookies!!

They look great paint detailed that way, pretty similar to what we did on AssHull's car

Oh man! Those cookies look great!
I've got to get rid of mine before I end up finding a car to put them on! The cab is going on my chrome sprints (well, this week it is - it might end up on fuch copies), the '68 is going on original 8-spokes and the '51 is going on FF BRMs! Thats enough cars, surely!

[Grelland]

before I start a lot of modifications to make this work, I have a question. For me, I think the cookie cutters looked surprisingly right on the car, but I also have a feeling that the reason why I like them is the combo with 7" 's in the rear, and the fatter lip on those. Will it be the same with 6" at the rear also? I am not sure, to be honest, maybe some of you have opinions on this

Roy

[Zach Gomulka]

I agree, it won't look as good with 6's on the rear

Is it not even close to fitting? Or do you just need a little bit?

[Grelland]

I just need a little bit...

here are a couple of more shots [ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]

[Grelland]

the Ghia has quite a pronounced "boat-shape" in the rear, so the problem area is behind the center-line, on the top half (1-2 o'clock)
I have not adjusted the rear toe-in, and I might be able to machine a few mm off the inside of the wheel, and if I on top of that go down to a 185 or even 175 tyre, this might work.

Maybe even some "persuation" of the wheel opening is needed, as thes wheel arches are probably not too close to the original shape anyways...

As I said, anything is possible, just a matter of how much effort I am to put into this.

[Zach Gomulka]

What size tire is on there now? Anything smaller than a 205 will look a bit funky on a 7" wide wheel. I vote a little "persuation" first, then machine the mounting pad of the wheel... although as I remember there isn't much you can take off there.

[Grelland]

those are 195's and you remember correctly, only a few mms to be shaved on the wheel.