Possible Ghia project, what do I need to know?

I guy local to me has a 1969 VW Karmann Ghia coupe for sale. I haven't seen it yet but hope to in the next few days. He has the body off the pan due to the pans needing replacing. He says the body is solid but the paint is rough. The seller said it has good "patina". I know it would need a full interior but it does have the seats.. Engine and trans are also included, while the trans is good the the engine needs a rebuild. 
 

I don't mind the pans, engine, or transmission issues so much, but worry about horror stories I see of Ghia body panels and working them to be correct. I "googled" GRM first and found the Ghia/Subaru transplant, some cool old pics, and some confirmation on the body panel concerns. But what does the hive say? 

I don't know, but they're so cool. 

At a shop where i picked up a couple items:

For 69, pretty much all parts should be available.  It will be an IRS suspension with front disc brakes. It should still have the thinner tail lights (which fit the body line much better than the later lights).  12v car, so any electronics should be good to go.

Pretty much guaranteed to have been punched in the nose.  Rust is super common in the spare tire well (right below the punched nose).  Body is essentially one huge piece, so yes, no just swapping out a fender.

Aircooled VW motors are not dirt cheap like they used to be, but are still very available.  Go get a copy of HotVW's (or whatever VW mag is left) and look at the adds.

If the paint is original, but rough, that is actually a very cool thing these days.  The "left in a field" look is very accepted now.

Put a seat in, get it running, enjoy as is.  If you want to do more later, go for it.  Super easy to work on.  Very simple cars.

(I have a 58 with a 1650 dual carb motor)

Look at the heater channels , the rust a lot , 

ask him how many of the pan bolts stripped out or  broke off when he took the original pan halfs , these are bolted to the heater channel / rockers .

as said before check the nose , also the headlight bucket area which rusts from the water and mud thrown up there by the tires ......

Check the nose like it you were looking for a tick after a walk in the woods.  A GRMer bought a Ghia that had all kinds of pictures showing the repairs done to the nose except the vents where not in the same plane afterwards.

Thanks guys. I'm going to try and see it this week and get pictures. 
 

valid point about the body to pan bolts. I broke one when I pulled the body off my parents 73 big. Thankfully it was where I knew there was rust repair already needed and not on the other side. 
 

My first car was a Karmann Ghia. the thing t remember about body repairs is the bodies were designed at a time when highly skilled labor was cheap in Europe after WWII. All the exterior metal is butt welded together, ground back and the seems finished with lead or pewter. It is a labor intensive process to replace any panels or structure and finish it OEM standards.

As mentioned, they are susceptible to nose damage. They are really prone to rust above the headlight buckets. Its an area that didn't get painted or sealed well at the factory.