Orville

This summer I bought a 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. Its name is Orville (pics below). I have spent an abundance of time with Orville since I brought him home. It is clear he hasn't had much attention for awhile.

His frame is in great shape for a 1971 VW. The exterior rust is mostly surface. There are the expected parts that will need to be cut out and welded...rockers, battery shelf, nose. The floorpan is in good shape and is really quite solid.

Mechanically, he runs. I have replaced the distributor with a more modern electronic ignition (from Petronix). I also replaced the coil. This helped quite a bit. Next up is replacing the entire carburetor. I thought about just rebuilding the existing one, but figured i would pretty much be replacing everything anyway....the accelerator pump doesn't work, the automatic choke needs a new heating element, etc. So, why not start from scratch and then I can use the old one as parts.

I also need to replace the starter and solenoid. They are a bit flaky...and it should cure the starting issues. Down the road, I need to replace all the seals, etc.

I have started to rip apart the interior as well. After tearing out the dash (hate that faux wood), I replaced the fuel gauge and also added an aftermarket stereo....need tunes. I also replaced the fuel sender and did quite a bit of wiring repair. It is crazy to have a working gas gauge and a radio that picks up more than one station!

Late this fall, I want to bring it in to get some body work done and get painted. Not sure about colors, but I am thinking about Porsche's Midnight Blue (Paint code: L39C). I don't like the original KG colors and don't want to do a restoration anyway. Might as well go with a color I like. If I did that, I would likely do the interior in a light grey with black seats, dash pads, etc. Ok...time for a beer.