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I owned a 1975 beetle back in 2005. I got it from my father and I had it for a year before he sold it and bought me a toyota yaris . I moved to San Francisco now and all I am thinking about that I really wanted a Karmann Ghia and now I am very interested on getting one. I do not know much about the mechanics but I love the car. I was thinking after finishing my MBA of getting one and make it my daily driver. My only concerns are (they are major concerns actually) power, handling and most of all braking.
The yaris was a very comfortable car and easy to drive and if I am going to buy a Karmann ghia, I want it to be like that. I have been doing some research now for how to improve these. I will share it with you. As far as power, it will be getting a new engine. Although, it is tempting to try the one mentioned in cb performance years ago. http://cbperformance.com/articles.asp
The brakes, I was thinking of going disk brakes with the boosters because I am sure pressing the stock brake would be a hard job for me. I tried parking my aunt's beetle a couple of years ago and I joust couldn't press the brakes. It needed a lot of force. Sorry for that, I do not want to look weak but it is the truth.
Handling and suspension, this is where I need most of your experience. How to make the car handle and steer like a new car. Just drive like a new car
In short we are thinking of something pro-touring or resto-mod, not sure what is called exactly.
If someone would volunteer to help me get all the data together so I can collect all the required information and prices. i do not know if I can get it done by myself. I have watched my old mechanic work on my beetles for many times so I kind of know my way around it. I have never tried to fix it but I am sure if I have the right tools and place, I can make it happen.
So, I want to start, how much would a karmann ghia cost, rust free with no body damage. If the paint is not perfect, I think I can live with that.
We will then add the amount of money needed for brake conversion and time.
Then handling, suspension, etc.. components.
Thank you so much for your help.

You've got a list of things you want on your car -- I would recommend looking throught the classified ads on the samba and from there you can choose the car that matchs up with your wants and your wallet -- there are over 300 for sale right now and if you don't find what you want come back in a month -- Also cruise through the samba ghia sectiona and you find the issues with Ghia -- Just don't post on there, they can be pretty brutal over there LOL......

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/cat.php?id=13

I won't worry about having a booster for disc brakes, IF they are done right there won't be any difference in pedal feel.

ALSO you need to remember that you are dealing with an antique vehicle here and there is going to BIG difference in dependability and Drivability between a Ghia and your Yaris..... I would suggest also hitting Craigslist to find Ghia's in your area and take a few out for test drives and see if your dreams match up to real life conditions.

If you are up for abuse you can follow my Ghia build LOL -- -- http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic ... 3&t=139246

If there's a will there's a way - but you have some high hopes for a humble little 40 year old aircooled...

Factory brakes in a maintained state are perfectly suitable for any of those I've met - but it's a relatively simple matter to upgrade these components for greater performance - short of going with ABS/power. Karmann Ghias, unlike Beetles, received front disc brakes from the factory in the US - and are quite adequate for such a light vehicle...

Steering, brakes, and suspension vary a lot - even when all the components are the ~same. Getting 'caught back up' on maintenance is one of the primary things to avoid having to work on them - they've ~all been neglected a lot at some point in their lives. It seems doubtful to say that either of your aircooled experiences were in well maintained cars, but that may not be enough yet. Brakes may run between $100-$1000 depending on what you have start with - You'll want to have a good idea of the overall look of the car you're after before making decisions as well. Everything about brake/suspension/wheel fitment is paradigm on a 'Ghia - the wheelwells are quite small by most standards - and fitting wider-wings/guards/fenders is quite labor intensive. http://vdubengineering.com/technical/

The 1600DP engine with single carb is good enough for most driving situations out of the mountains...If you're concerned with power, you'll probably want to have at least a "1679cc" engine (stock crank with a slight overbore) built - but this is only touching the surface of the performance one can attain. One of the first answers you must ask yourself when increasing the power is, "do I want heat?". The stock components of the cabin heater/defrost are perhaps your only shot of having performance even within 'eye-sight' of what the Yaris is capable of - and even that'll be after great attention to detail and refinements are made. The catch is the stock exhaust is a limiting factor in engine displacement. You may want to research moving to EFI fuel delivery - which goes hand-in-hand with crank-triggered ignition (no more distributor)... http://www.thedubshop.net/faq.htm

The gearboxes are quite-frequently replaced with units from other model-years or rebuilt with aftermarket gear-sets to provide the user better performance - there are even five-speed kits that are useful to fill-in the gaps around-town driving. Fourth gear essentially moves to fifth.
http://www.geneberg.com/cat.php?cPath=13_389


`69 for $4000
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1352495

`70/`74's for over $12K
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1342640
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... id=1366226

Should of listed the billet Ghia for over $300,000 LOL

The last two examples are already up for more than even the Yaris is worth...and without too much more time/money would be OK for a DD.

Hi Monzer,

Our engineer here has a Yaris and really likes it. I've ridden in it with him, and it seems to be a comfortable and practical car.

I am not writing this to discourage you, but to inform you. Get a Ghia but only as a second car. Our beloved Ghias are old cars now, and one in good daily driver condition will cost you as much as a good used Yaris.

As a second car, you can work on your Ghia a bit at a time, and enjoy it, rather than resent it if you can't get to work one day or if you have no heat. Consider your Ghia a hobby, a sports/sporty car, and have fun with it.

A well prepped Ghia can be a very potent street or track racer. Here's some videos of ours:

Ghia vs BMW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yowKsYDy4UU

Autocross
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmLrZsFpzpE

Ghia vs Miata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0_uceU6EUs&feature=user

And, if you're new to Ghias, you have to hear our version of "Little Deuce Coup," as "Little Karmann Coup"

Little Karmann Coupe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-nxYy6HEX0

FJC

For most of my life my newest and most modern car has been a ghia so you could say I have lived your dream. It is a struggle and it gets harder everyday.

Depending on your driving needs it is possible but;

• Hard limit to a maximum of three full sized adults, maybe two if they are “american sized” it is 2+2 for insurance reason, not function (ignoring the '74)
  Cargo limits are nearly as strict, seen the trunk/under back window? A roof rack helps, so does a trailer (have a place to store them?)
  Regular wear parts have been discontinued for decades, what is substituted may or may not last beyond removal from package
  Way too loud to hear/operate a cell phone, this irritates stupid people who expect calls in flight
  The finger one gets from other drivers/pedestrians is probably different than what you get now
  Quality parts can take decades to source, not a typo and getting worse
  Crappy “make do” parts can take years to source
  People of all ages, shapes and backgrounds will become overly concerned about telling you things you don't care about while fixated about "what year it is" for no apparent reason (they can't tell when you lie, they can't change the YOM)
  Ghia specific parts are generally expensive and even more expensive or plain unavailable
  Speed parts are expensive and even more expensive
  Pro touring theme is a good idea if it was even possible to take a pre-war economy car and make a dual purpose (or single purpose that isn't art) a "Bader ghia" is close to the ultimate (http://www.bader-racing.de/en/home/home_news.htm) but falls short on practical and requires water in more than the windshield squinter and lacks little things like a trunk or spare tire
  You will be detained for DWB (driving while black) so far never the same officer twice
  Like it or not you will become an engineer, welder, painter, fabricator, historian, dysfunctional hoarder, and spend money like a drunken sailor

It is not a rational decision, it is more of a labor of love, or lunacy

If you have enough common sense to ask; I don't think you can do it. It sounds to me like you need an appliance not a ghia.