Aarons 1964 Karmann Ghia Rat

Here is a better picture of the car.

yeah, that's tasty!

Aaron,

Your doing great work on this rat, keep it up. 59hp...this is going to be a blast, I'm already giggling! Only 28 more days...

And to think I used to think Ghia's were ugly. It's looking great, nice work.

Nice work with the paint. It hardly looks like the same car

Wwwwwow. Between the newer paint and the dropped front end, this rat is dead sexy. I greatly approve of the use of steelies.:)

I took a few pictures of the ghia after we put the stock wheels back on.

hmmm weed eater. looks nice.

I finally got out to the shop last weekend for the first time since getting back from Florida. I have been busy with ice hockey four times a week and haven’t had any time. We were having an electrical problem so I did a run-through and it fired up on the first crank. I also got some time to put in the new carpet and reupholster the original seats that i have had in the basement since the beginning of summer. We also got a chance to take it out into the snow.

Is that a Hurst shifter and a tissue dispenser?

wheels777 wrote: Is that a Hurst shifter and a tissue dispenser?

The tissue dispenser is PIMP.

Want. Bad. Now. eBay here I come...

Really, this is a very cool build and it's going in the perfect direction. That thing looks just about perfect in that color, with that stance, on those sweet half-moon-capped steelies there in the snow.

Good show. Keep the updates rolling.

Aaron, the seats look great, and I bet the carpet makes it a lot quieter on the inside. Now fess up, the tissue dispenser hides an MP3 player, right?

Nice work, kid!

Aaron, you know you can update your Reader Ride now?

Well yesterday I was talking to my dad and decided I would like to either find the Ghia or buy a new 1964 Ghia. I had lost the guys email since selling it a year ago and last I heard he sold it to a friend and it was sitting in his yard. I decided to just buy another one. I found one with a 2” beam in Indian that was blue like my old one. I looked at a tail shot saw the hole and Steuben badge and realized it was my old Ghia. I emailed the guy and worked out a trade for the 1952 standard.

Since being sold the engine dropped a valve and no longer has the judson. It is on a restored 1960 ragtop. The 40hp engine was replaced by a 1600. The interior was also put in the car. The car also received a set of original empi sprint star wheels that will come with it.

I am going to get the car the first week of the year. It is the soonest I don’t have anything going on. I want to rebuild one of the 40hp engine I have for it to get it running. I am unsure if I want to do a vintage speed engine or something big. Either way I will becoming back to the $2010 challenge. I just want to get it running and inspected by the end of winter so I can drive it this summer. I then want to fix the rust next winter.

I would have liked to see the '52 come to fruition (that was the one you found that was a basket case, right???

Either way--good that you're reunited w/ your old car.

gamby wrote: I would have liked to see the '52 come to fruition (that was the one you found that was a basket case, right??? Either way--good that you're reunited w/ your old car.

I would have liked to re-do the 1952 (basket case), but I really wanted this car back. I have always regretted that I sold it. I also don't know if I would have been able to fix the car as it would required a lot of work. I also don't know if I would have wanted to learn to do body work on a car that rare. In the long run the 1952 will be worth a lot more but it would also cost a lot more to get it to that point.

Good to see this thing back. I remember thinking it was a real WTF moment when you sold it (not that the Standard isn't cool though!) Any plans for returning it to forced induction glory?

Jay wrote: Good to see this thing back. I remember thinking it was a real WTF moment when you sold it (not that the Standard isn't cool though!) Any plans for returning it to forced induction glory?

I am thinking rajay turbo.

Aaron, Keep up the great work. Can't wait to see what you do with it this time. Love to drive it again. Alan

Nice Aaron, I saw the car on a trailer on US30 behind a Hong Norr tow vehicle headed West past Van Wert Ohio, I was flat out excited just to see it.

aussiesmg wrote: Nice Aaron, I saw the car on a trailer on US30 behind a Hong Norr tow vehicle headed West past Van Wert Ohio, I was flat out excited just to see it.

That was us on the out bound trip I would think to deliver it. We have Hong stickers on our Escape. Love those crazy kids

Aaron, I'd consider bringing it back home with Empi Stars well worth having to rebuild a 40hp.

Glad to see you got it back. I'm sure you've seen a lot of us here whining about the one we "never shoulda sold"..

OTOH, sorry you had to let the Standard go. Does it look like that guy will restore it?

He seems to already have a plan for it so yes. The most important thing you need to save the standard is the drive to do so.

ratghia wrote: The most important thing you need to save the standard is the drive to do so.

that's a very deep statement right there. i'm happy for you, aaron. and IMO you'll be happier with the Ghia done the way you want it versus the zwitter done the way a car of that rarity "should be" done.