/ /

'65 VW Karmann Ghia convertible vert 2276cc cal look lowered Wilwood 17" Fuchs

Make: Volkswagen
Model: Karmann Ghia
Type: Convertible
Year: 1965
Mileage: 12,000
VIN: 145394388
Color: Red
Engine: 2276
Cylinders: 4
Transmission: Manual
Interior color: Black
Vehicle Title: Clear
Item location: Ladera Ranch, California, United States

1965 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Additional Info:

1965 Karmann Ghia convertible on a '72 pan (newer style pan has IRS rear suspension & ball joint front suspension). Car is licensed/registered in California as a '65 (with the body tag number, and not by the newer pan number)
I bought the car about four years ago from the guy who did the paint and bodywork and the pan swap. When I got it I did the upgrades to wheels, suspension, engine, brakes, etc. but in the almost four years that I've had the car I've only driven it around 500 miles. . . I'm just too busy with kids, work, and my other hobbies, and the poor car just sits in the garage un-driven, so that's why I'm thinking about selling it to someone who will have the time to enjoy the car.
I took it to the VW Classic car show last year (2015) and won best Ghia Vert. Since that time (just over a year ago) I've only driven it a few times, so like I said, it's kind of pointless to own the car, and pay insurance and registration on it every year, when all it does is sit in the garage.
Here are two videos of the carthat I made last week:part 1: https://youtu.be/ahBy18KotCEpart 2: https://youtu.be/wKhGUTlzzZI
Here is all the info about the car:
Engine:2276cc just gone through about 500 miles ago with a lot of new parts. Complete engine specs are listed below
Trans:I don't have the exact specs on the IRS trans because it was installed by the previous owner. I do know is that it has a "freeway flyer" fourth gear, which is great for lowering the RPM while driving on the freeway. It also has a heavy duty billet aluminum side cover.
Brakes:Front & rear disc brakes with drilled rotors. Front calipers are 4-piston Wilwood, and the rears are generic calipers with e-brake. Dual circuit master cylinder. Steel braided hoses front & rear
Wheels:Empi 17x7 chrome Fuchs style with ISP West center caps. NOTE: my first photo shows the car with plain center caps, before I installed the ISP Porsche caps
Tires:BF Goodrich G-Force Comp2. Front 205/40/17, rear 205/50/17
Front suspension:Airkewld 3" narrowed Ultimate Beam (ball joint style) with Bilstein shocks
Rear suspension:To fit the wider wheels the IRS control arms have been narrowed (by Bugzyla) and it has narrower axles (from a Type 3). Bilstein shocks. CSP aluminum "Kafer bar" (triangulated 3-bar rear chassis brace with trans strap). Urethane control arm bushings
Other misc engine related stuff:
Gene Berg motor mounts
Gene Berg trans cone mount
Gene Berg mid-mount kit
Gene Berg oil sump
Setrab oil cooler with automatic fan switch and steel braided hoses
Odyssey 925 sealed battery in aluminum mounting bracket
Gas lift-strut conversion for decklid
Interior:
Scat Pro-Car seats on adjustable tracks
grey carpet
VDO gauges
Forever Sharp steering wheel
Gene Berg shifter
4-speakers with 300w amp. No radio head unit. . . music plays directly from your phone or iPod
Crow racing seat belts (front) and generic seat belts (rear)
Original rear view mirror, but I removed the sun-visors because I only drive the car top down and the visors looked stupid sticking up past the windshield frame
Body:
The paint and body was done by the previous owner. He told me that when the body was removed to do the pan swap that it was stripped to bare metal and every spot that had rust was replaced or repaired before being painted. I have no way to verify that, I'm just passing on the info that was given to me. The paint and bodywork aren't what I'd consider "show quality" but it does look nice, and the car looks great from 10 feet away, or by looking at it from the next lane when driving down the road, etc.
The right rear fender has a scratch about three inches long and the paint is chipped with some body filler showing in that spot. The car came with a quart of the red paint that he used, so I just touched up that spot on the rear fender so that it is red, and blends in, instead of seeing the beige-ish color of the body filler. . . so that spot looks decent from like 10 feet away like I mentioned.
Obviously for mechanical stuff I can just list the parts, but for the body it's not so easy to describe because everybody has their own idea of what is nice, or perfect, or not so nice, etc. I know mechanical stuff (I was a mechanic for a living for 26 years) but to be honest I have no experience or knowledge about paint and body. Ideally I would like to sell the car to someone who can come and inspect it in person before buying, rather than someone buying it sight-unseen (I'm in Orange County, California)
Convertible top:
It has a new black vinyl top that the previous owner had installed before selling it to me, so the top and rear window look brand new. It also has a black canvas boot that snaps on which really looks nice and clean when the top is down.

Mileage:Obviously I have no idea what the mileage that the body of the car has traveled since it was built in 1965. The VDO speedometer/odometer was installed when the car was restored, modified and painted, and it shows 12k miles.

Engine:I rebuilt the engine (about 500 miles ago) and did a lot of upgrades, including new (expensive!) cylinder heads, new powder-coated tin, new oil cooler, I had Brother's Machine install lifter bore sleeves in the case, I replaced the bearings (cam, rods, mains), different carb linkage, etc. . . I also took the car to Tiger at A1 Muffler for a new exhaust at that time. Here is a complete list of the engine stuff:
CASE: AS41, shuffle-pinned, lifter bores sleeved
CRANK: Scat 82mm Pro-Comp, forged
RODS: Scat I-beam 5.394" length with ARP 2000 bolts
BEARINGS: Main: race style with split #3 (STD) Cam: double thrust (STD) Rods: (STD)
PISTONS: AA cast, 94mm
HEADS: DRD Racing Heads L7, 44x37.5 valves, 61cc combustion chambers
DECK HEIGHT: .050" - using .090" barrel shim
COMPRESSION RATIO: 9.3:1
SPARK PLUGS: NGK D6EA - gapped at .035"
CAM: Engle FK-8
CAM GEARS: Magnum straight cut
LIFTERS: Engle
PUSH RODS: aircooled.net aluminum, 11.060" - valve adjust .006" cold
PUSH ROD TUBES: CB Performance #1565, large diameter for 1.4 rockers
ROCKERS: Scat Pro-Comp forged, 1.4 ratio
LASH CAPS: .073" thick for 8mm valve head
CARBS: Weber 48 IDF
CARB LINKAGE: SyncLink cable linkage
IGNITION: Mallory Unilite distributor, MSD coil, MSD 6A C.D.I. box
PLUG WIRES: Taylor 8mm pro spiral core
DISTRIBUTOR CLAMP: JayCee
EXHAUST: A-1 ceramic coated 1-5/8" sidewinder header with stainless muffler
OIL PUMP: 30mm
PULLEYS: Scat serpentine belt system #80316R
FLYWHEEL: Scat chromoly forged, 12.5 pounds, #60007
GLAND NUT: Scat chromoly, uses 1-1/2" socket
CLUTCH: Kennedy stage two, 2100 lb.
SUMP: Gene Berg #210A (3.5 qt.)
SAND SEAL: Scat, aluminum external collar type
TIN: Scat, powder-coated color #RAL 7043 "traffic grey B"
FAN: Welded and balanced
OIL COOLER: Setrab with 190* fan switch
OIL FILTER HOUSING: Scat #50073 with oil pressure bypass
BREATHER: Empi breather #C13-17-2941 with AN8 lines
FUEL PUMP BLOCK-OFF: JayCee with AN8 fitting
MOTOR MOUNTS: Gene Berg #GB642P
MID MOUNT: Gene Berg #GB643
TRANS NOSE CONE MOUNT: Gene Berg #GB642A