Sawing off the roof of my 72 Ghia.

ArizonaMan · Post by **ArizonaMan** » Wed May 01, 2002 3:50 pm

I'm thinking of making my 72 hardtop Ghia into a convertable. Other than sawing of the roof and pillars, what other concerns will I have bolstering the pans?

danfromsyr · Post by **danfromsyr** » Wed May 01, 2002 3:53 pm

probably the hordes of VW purists..

you might want to goto the rodders forumns for these questions.. easier to save face there..

nicanor · Post by **nicanor** » Wed May 01, 2002 4:11 pm

You'll need to weld convertible sills inside your rocker panels to stiffen the body from flexing. Is this going to be a full time roadster? If you weld the doors shut, you maybe able to get away without the extra body stiffening since there will be no more doors used (flexed body = problems opening/closing doors). Also remember about the rear side windows, convert them into convertible style or off completely?

It may be better to sell it and get a convertable Ghia instead, just a thought... The people in Volksrodders Forum will be able to give you better pointers to look for. There's a guy there (Michael Ghia), that should be able to give you everyhting you want to know. Would be cool if you do a spyder (ala Hebmueller-style). There was a prototype VW made but never made it because they were afraid it would cut into the Porsche 911 market

I have a pict somewhere, very nice looking...

[This message has been edited by nicanor (edited 05-01-2002).]

Ghiaddict · Post by **Ghiaddict** » Thu May 02, 2002 10:51 am

Converting a coupe to a convertible is questionable, at the very least. I'm asked this question quite often and the best answer I've seen (shown below) was Jim Patterson's reply on the House of Ghia website.

Vince http://www.karmann-ghias.com/

A #20: Making a convertible out of a coupe is such a common fantasy it
must
> rank with the "I am Rambo", and the "I own a Harem of 100 sex-starved... "
> well, you get the idea. All that's needed to make your fantasy come true
> (and it was also my fantasy until my recent senility) is money. About 200
> green pieces of paper with Franklin's picture on it are needed to convert
a
> coupe into a Karmann style cabriolet. The finished car will be worth,
maybe,
> one hundred Franklin's. (Good old Ben's picture is on the $100 bill.)
> A coupe, whose metal top is removable, can conceivably be made for 80 to
100
> green Franklins. A simple roadster (cut the coupe top off and throw it
away)
> can be constructed with elegance for, perhaps, 50 Ben Franklins.
> Let's investigate making a Karmann style cabriolet! First, because there
is
> no coupe metal top to add strength, the factory had to stiffen the body by
> running extra metal support thru the rockers and up the windshield frame.
So
> would you.
> Then, the sheet metal from the back of the doors to the firewall is vastly
> different on a convertible. So different are the bracketry, braces, panels
> and mounting points that the only reasonable alternative is to use the
inner
> rear seat area from a dead convert and graft it to your coupe.
> If you're not yet ready to give up the idea, price just the used metal top
> frame for a Ghia convert. Now, price it with a working glass rear window!
> Making your coupe into a roadster, or a removable hardtop, is definitely
> more achievable. But, both options still require a great deal of thought.
> Detroit cars, with massive girder-like frames, gain rigidity thru the
frame
> itself. The body is essentially a bolt-on after thought. On a Ghia,
> basically, the body IS the frame. Lopping off a coupe top creates instant
> strength problems. These MUST be dealt with or severe problems occur: 1)
> like doors that won't open / close, or 2) your car breaks into two major
> chunks.
> Remember Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby story! That's how you'll feel
> financially, if you try to make a coupe into a convert! You think you'll
> throw just one fist full of dollars at the problem. Br'er Rabbit thought
> he'd throw just one punch at the Tar Baby. Soon, both you and Br'er Rabbit
> will be stuck fast, with no way to get out! Make no mistake! Buy a quality
> convertible outright! It'll cost far less than changing the gender of a
> coupe.
>
>

Air-Cooled Head · Post by **Air-Cooled Head** » Thu May 02, 2002 11:09 am

Finally, something I can hand to those friends of mine who keep telling me to cut the top off my Ghia. If I wanted to go topless, I woulda got a vert in the first place.

ArizonaMan · Post by **ArizonaMan** » Sat May 25, 2002 9:43 pm

200 Ben Franklins....you mean like 200 x 100? $20,000?! um...back away from the fumes dude....

Post by **Marc** » Tue May 28, 2002 2:21 pm

I don't think Patterson's $20K estimate is far off the mark, especially if you're talking about a nice job that looks good close up. If you're contemplating just needing a couple of packs of Sawzall blades, some welding supplies and a gallon of Bondo (something that looks good from >30') I'm sure some costs could be reduced considerably.
Know the quickest way to devalue a `Ghia from $5K to $2K? ...put in a $500 moonroof.
Pulllease don't do this to a restorable car, or even one which could be used as a donor for parts to restore another. They don't make them any more. (louder) THEY DON'T MAKE THEM ANY MORE!

[This message has been edited by Marc (edited 05-28-2002).]

Ghiaddict · Post by **Ghiaddict** » Tue May 28, 2002 7:07 pm

Amen to that!

Travis · Post by **Travis** » Wed May 29, 2002 4:13 am

Surely you knew posting this in other than the Custom Forum was trouble....

Here's my opinion, flame away....I LOVE Ghias, Stock ones, Mild ones, and Wild ones, it's YOUR car, do what makes you happy. No there aren't that many left, but if he wants to go topless cause he has a hell of a project on his hand already, aside from warning of the pitfalls, give the guy a break, it will just make your's worth all that much more.

It CAN be done, done without TOO much expense if you are willing to sacrifice, like using a tonneu instead of a top and frame. But yes, it will completely devalue your car once you cut it up. Do what makes you happy!

Travis (not Vader yet, but yes, I dabble in the Dark Side)

------------------
Trav's Home on the Web
A proud member of Chattanooga's Scenic City Volksfolks

[This message has been edited by Travis (edited 05-29-2002).]

ghiaholic · Post by **ghiaholic** » Wed May 29, 2002 12:38 pm

Arizonaman: If all of the previous posts haven't convinced you not to do it, I have a complete cabrio clip from a '72 - both the windshield piece and the entire rear piece - that I'd part with. I had planned to decapitate a parts coupe that I have to make one good car, but I've got too many other projects on the go to ever finish it. I'm keeping the parts coupe, but the cabrio clips can go.

crack monkey@work · Post by **crack monkey@work** » Wed May 29, 2002 4:54 pm

chop away if you are going for a one-off fun car.

get a cabby if you want a factory look and fit.

i won't talk about what is about to happen to my ghia. it might make some people very angry. i am excited though. (if her rust wasnt so bad i wouldnt concider my plan of attack)

ArizonaMan · Post by **ArizonaMan** » Wed May 29, 2002 11:21 pm

$20,000. Are you high? $20,000? Gimme a break. Welded doors, custom rollbar at door level, torch the lid. Roadster. Arizona evenings cruising in a car I made.

$20,000 Grand? back away from the crackpipe and stop looking down your resto noses...

genrex · Post by **genrex** » Wed May 29, 2002 11:43 pm

AZ - a quick perusal of your posts indicates that you don't know what you want. Your first post says you want a convertible, and asks how to reinforce the floorpans; your last post says you want a roadster, and plan to achieve this by welding the doors and using a rollbar to add body strength. And now you criticize the people who address your original post..

Ghiaddict · Post by **Ghiaddict** » Thu May 30, 2002 3:39 am

AZ ~ You can make your Ghia into a roadster or a STRETCH LIMO or anything else, if that's what you want to do!
Jim Patterson's description (above) was just offered to give some idea of what is involved in making a PROPER convertible.
Maybe that response wasn't what you wanted to hear, but there's no need cop an attitude about it. Aside from the cost involved, which you obviously don't agree, Jim's answer is basically describing how to do it right or his advice is just save up and buy the real deal. I agree with Jim.
If you have a problem with that, so be it!
P.S., Most people stop the name-calling routine around the time they graduate from Junior High School. Flame away if you must.

james · Post by **james** » Thu May 30, 2002 4:05 am

Don't try to make a convertible--when the top's up it ALWAYS looks like a hack job. But, if you want a full time-no top raodster, it could look cool. If you're good with a welder, then you're just looking at cost of steel and supplies- probably a couple hundred bucks. If you have someone do it, a couple grand. Like everyone said-- don't cut up a nice early one, find a beat up late model and go to it! (post pics along the way!)