The Type 34 Registry

Site Update

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:45:00 -0800

Regular visitors would have noticed that the site looks a bit different to normal. Read on to find out more about the latest site update and the new features available. Due to recent discussions and the fact that the website core code was very out of date, the Type 34 registry website has now been updated. This update is the first in a number of modifications to hopefully bring the Registry website into 2008. :)

The main focus so far has been on simply updating the various components that make up the website to their latest versions. This is to ensure that the site security is up to date and that latest features and bug-fixes are installed.

The core geeklog code (think of this as the engine that the site runs from) is now the latest version, as are the User and Admin galleries and the forums. The new versions each have some significant improvements for both site administration and for you - the end user.

There is also now an RSS feed to inform you of the latest news (like this article) - you can view / subscribe to the RSS feed by either clicking on the RSS icon in the address bar or by clicking the RSS link at the bottom left of the page - depending on which browser you use.

The biggest change, and hopefully the one that people will find most useful is the new navigation menu. The old list of links that used to take up most of the left column is now no more, instead it has been replaced by the 'drop down' menus you can see above. The site structure is still the same, so those of you familiar with the layout of the site should already feel right at home. :)

There are still some small items to sort out and the overall appearance still needs to be tweaked a little but the first stage is now pretty much done.

After that, next on the list of items to fix is the registry database and then look at integrating some of the features suggested by users over at the forum.

If anyone comes across any bugs, please post them to this thread in the forum.

Cheers.

The Type 34 Registry.

Site Banner Competition

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:31:00 -0800

Competition - submit / suggest a banner image for the site update.

With the new site update coming along nicely we have decided to hold a small 'competition' for suggestions / submissions for a new site banner

There are no constraints on what the image is - it could be a photo, a graphic, a drawing or painting or something else

The Registry logo is to remain - although it can be relocated to the right / left side to fit in with the banner image.

The winners prize will be the kudos they receive from being the winner and the feeling of pride when they visit the site ;)

The winner will be decided by vote at a date to be announced.

Please post images / links to images in the following thread

http://www.type34.org/forum/viewtopic.php?forum=7&showtopic=3507

Cheers.

Mick.

Phillip Rogers 1965 1500s Ghia Coupe.

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 03:36:00 -0800

This is Phillip Rogers 1965 Arcona White & Black 1965 1500s Ghia coupe.

Phillip completely restored the Ghia in 1991 since then he has covered over 230,000 Miles!! With 2 First place trophies at Kelly Park and a car that still looks fantastic 200,000 miles after the restoration, it really is an inspiration. Phillip has been kind enough to write a few words about his car...

It was late November of 1981, a few weeks after my first car, a 1970 VW Fastback, was rear ended that I had my first introduction to this French 1500s while it was parked on Lombard Street in San Francisco.

At first, I didn't know what make of car this was until I looked on the rear of the car and it said VW 1500s with the Karmann Ghia script on the rear trunk lid. Then I noticed a sun faded �FOR SALE� sign with a asking price of $4000.00 crossed out with a phone number. I then took a closer more detailed look at the interior, the body, the underside of the engine and said to myself �it looks like it has a lot of Type 3 parts and has very unique body lines and window glass�.

While walking around the car six or seven times I'm also wondering what am I getting into here with this unique looking VW and a sun faded for sale sign with a pretty rich asking price for a 22 year old.

I called the owner and he said another party has a interest in purchasing the car as afirst car for their daughter and was willing to pay the 4000.00. He then proceeded to asked if I would be interested in being the contingent buyer in case the 1st buyer decides to pass on the sale and I said �yes�. Four days later the owner calls to ask if I'm still interested and of course now I'm still wondering how am I going to deal with the asking price.

I met with the owner and he said he purchased the car from the original owner while he was on a skiing vacation in France and decided it would be cheaper to buy the 1500s than to rent a car for 3 months (smart ski bum). At the end of his vacation he shipped the car from Deauville France to New York and then drove the car to his home state of Ohio and then to Stanford California.

The car sat in a garage for 3 years with one French plate, French ownership papers, shippingdocumentation, one set of keys and two black and white 8x10 photos while still not registered in the United States.

We took the car for a test drive and it drove beautifully. I offered 2000.00 and he exceptedmy offer and deposit of 100.00. I then had to figure out how am I going to get the other 1900.00 ? That week I was busy fixing up my rear ended Fastback for sale and to see if I could get a short term loan from my brother Craig.

After showing Craig the 8x10 pictures and going over the condition of the car he decided toloan me the 1900.00. I purchased the 1500s the next day and the following day I sold the Fastback for 1500.00. The following week I payed Craig back on his short term loan.

While I was going to film school in Hollywood in 1982, I had the pleasure of meetingthe late Minnie Crutcher with her French 1965 Type 34 Ghia in the parking lot of the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. She parked her car next to mine and we compared notes about our cars and all the miles we drive and that both of our cars were from Paris France. I remember her saying � I like to drive my car everywhere, and especially Mexico�. Just before she drove away she said � I think our cars are twins�.

I also had a chance to speak w/Scott Perry over the telephone a few years after he had purchased Minnie's car when he was active in the Type 34 Registry and during our conversation he said � Phillip I have had a picture of your car on my refrigerator for years and I'm going to use it as an inspiration for the restoration of my car�. Scott did a magnificent job of restoring Minnie's car and I'm sure in spirit she is extremely pleased.

Over the past 25 years, I have managed to drive my car more than 230,000 miles in the first 9 years and another 200,000 miles after the restoration which was done 16 years ago (1991).

I have seen the KM odometer trip to zero several times. At the same time I have also managed to keep this car in it's original luster through restoration and good maintenance.The interest and enthusiasm I have for my car and the hobby can not go without thanking:

1. My brother Craig for loaning me 1900.00 to purchase this car.

2. My brother Glenn with helping do the first engine rebuild on the car.

3. My Dad for showing me how to keep a car looking new and to keep it alive.

4. Lee Hedges and Scott Perry for all the information and history they have supplied over the years to the Registry.

5. Tim Dapper for misc. parts and his vast knowledge of the Type 34 over the years.

6. Paul Colbert for setting the bar on Type 34 restoration about as high as it can ever go.

7. My wife Marguerite for naming the car as : Princess Ghia and making her outstanding potato salad for the car shows at Kelly Park.

8. My Daughter Marie Isabella and my son Nathan who love to go for a ride in the back seat on the weekends.

9. And of course The Type 34 Registry for helping me tell my story.

If you would like to see more photos of Phillips car you can visit his online photo gallery at - http://homepage.mac.com/enrightrogers/PhotoAlbum17.html

Juergen At The Race Track

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:25:20 -0800

Great photo! Juergen's T34 racing a 356 pre A. Note from Jeurgen: The 356 ran a normal 13.5sec with a 2100 cc. I usually run a 17.1sec with a 1775 cc. The 356 pre A is a race car with just two aluminum seats from from Edewin (seppe) Mechanikal from BBT belgium. The Type 34 is one 1 of the 7 from Jurgen Magdelyns Hofstade of Belgium. The result: The race was won by the T34. The 356 broke his gearbox.

T34 Rear Parcel Tray Restoration

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 11:07:00 -0800

The rear parcel trays on old T34s always seems to be in state of fried, dried and cracked vinyl. Completing the T34 parcel tray to original specs was a task which took much research and time. Thanks to Lee Hedges, Larry Edson ,and Richard Troy for their knowledge and technical support. Notes: * Larry and Richard both agreed that this was a procedure common to both T14 and T34 Ghias * Do not glue the vinyl under the rear window rubber area. The hot sun will shrink the vinyl causing it to crack prematurely. * Because of the above this can be done with the rear window in place making it easy to restore this area of the car. * Gluing the cardboard to the parcel tray is not necessary and was not done at the factory in most cases. Step 1. Find the thickest piece of solid cardboard you can obtain. Trim it as TIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE to fit within the confines of the parcel tray. Make a hole for the rear window heater vent hole. Note the 8 or so slots cut into the tray so the cardboard will fit the curvature of the of the tray area. Make sure the slots are thinner that they appear in the below photo. They were too big and showed through my vinyl at the end of this procedure. Press down on the cardboard to somewhat bend it into shape of the parcel tray. Step 2. Glue the vinyl to the top side of the parcel tray. I used a spray glue. Step 3. Trim the vinyl around the cardboard. Leave about an 1 1/2 inches for the rear and three inches at the front.. (See below) Step 4. Notch and glue the vinyl at the rear of the tray. This is so it will fold nicely underneath. (See below) Step 5. Fit the parcel tray cardboard, with the vinyl, where it belongs. Punch the appropriate holes for the rear seat hook. Glue the front vinyl underneath the tray. Attach the rear heater trim. (See below) ************************ Input from Larry Edson - Let me add one thing to Paul's excellent advice. If you have a '66 or later T34 you have to put the top caps on the quarter panels before you install the rear window. On these late cars the top caps are all one piece and go under the window rubber. -- Larry

Water decals for early Type 34 glove box, air intake, and air cleaner.

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 04:54:00 -0700

Authentic and accurate silk screened water decals for early Type 34 glove box, air intake and air cleaner.

High quality silkscreened water transfer decals for early Type 34Ghias, including the two glove box instruction decals and the airintake warning label. German language. Produced by exactly the samemethod as the Karmann originals, not inkjet decals or self-adhesivestickers.

Absolutely accurate reproductions, not just "close enough,"and color matched to an original set. The full set of three for $20shipped within the U.S.; $25 elsewhere.

I'm also offering an exact reproduction of the water slide decal usedon early Type 3 Knecht air cleaners. $7 shipped within the US; $10elsewhere.

Contact Scott Taylor at scottbtaylor@earthlink.net to place an order. PayPal preferred.

T34 Prototypes

Mon, 19 Sep 2005 12:57:00 -0700

Here's an article by Larry Edson detailing the 2 T34 prototypes he saw at the Stiftung Automuseum.

A couple days before the 50th Anniversary of the Karmann Ghia celebration we had a wonderful opportunity to explore 2 prototypes produced by Ghia. Our tour had been pre-arranged by Lee Hedges and J�rg Fischer and when we got to the museum we were surprised to find both prototypes together. The design that was chosen to become the Type 3 Karmann Ghia has been displayed for a number of years at the Stiftung VW Museum in Wolfsburg with a 1960 production date. The other prototype in the pictures here has been part of the Karmann collection in Osnabr�ck with a claimed 1962 date. When I first saw these 2 cars I knew that they had to have been produced together and these pictures will document the reasons why.

The pictures on the left are of the car normally kept at Karmann. This car has been described by some as a Type 1 Ghia prototype but as some of the pictures will show it has enough similarities to the Type 3 body to justifiably be judged as another example of what might become the Type 3 Karmann Ghia.

Dispite the obvious differences between the 2 cars the first thing one notices is that they are both the same color. The one on the left is somewhat lighter overall but I attribute this to differences in the way the cars were stored over the years. The yellow pigment in the paint is a color that is suseptible to fading.

The most telling detail in establishing the common construction timeframe is the VIN on the tunnel. The VR designation was used by VW over the years on research vehicles. These 2 are VR 336 and VR 337.

The body line shown on the left is one detail that was brought from that car into the final T34 design.

The shape of the nose is very different on the outside but the inside structure of the trunk is virtually identical.

While many peole point to the front vents as being very similar to the T14 note the body line of the fender which is very close to the other Type 3s. The foglights were a favorite but some pictures from the Karmann archives show that the exact position of them was moved around before this final arrangement was agreed on.

The real giveaway to the Type 3 lineage is the rear of the 2 cars. Both are designed to house the T3 pancake engine.

The rear undercarriage shows that these cars weren't built to ever be drivable. But one can see that VW had already designed the chassis that these and the other T3s would go on. Note the wooden box in one that presumably gives the designers an idea of the size of the engine and cooling tin which was still under development.

The dash treatments are very different one more American and the other a more European in look.

The rest of the interior treatments though are nearly identical in design and materials. If these cars really were made 2 years apart it is doubtful that the exact same materials and colors would have been used.

The rear seat areas were also identical. Note that the seat bottoms are 3 separate pieces with cushions on the sides and a vinyl covered box over the tunnel.

Inside the rear trunk areas are very similar with the key difference being that the car on the left having the battery box back there and the other car having the battery tray in the nose of the car.

That's it for the comparisons but there are some further details that I want to point out.

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First, the rear vent on the design that was chosen didn't make it into production but these 2 pictures show how the vent was designed to direct cooling air to the engine compartment.

The bottom of the seat backs have an adjustment that was used on the early Type 1 Ghias. The screws thread out to adjust the seat inclination and a stop nut keeps the adjustment from changing.

The trunk hinges, both front and back, in both cars are of a style that is found in the Porche 356.

The glove box reminds me of American cars from the '50s.

While the wing window is very similar to the final production version the door latches are more similar to those used in American cars.

Our guide was wonderful and very interested in the discoveries we were making.

Using a Speedi Sleeve to fix a grooved flywheel hub

Wed, 31 Aug 2005 03:50:31 -0700

By Daniel Baum. Recently, I was forced to withdraw from an aircooled VW rally, due to a large ATF leak from the torque converter area of my automatic transmission.

I removed the engine to replace the torque converter oil seal. At the same time, I removed the drive plate � the automatic transmission equivalent of the flywheel � to replace the engine�s main oil seal.

After removing the drive plate I found the hub had a groove worn into by the oil seal. It was not terribly deep, but needed fixing nonetheless.

Rather than have it machined, I used a Speedi Sleeve. This is a do-it-yourself fix, which consists of a ready-made sleeve, which you simply knock on with a rubber mallet. Even though my car is automatic, a similar fix could be used on the flywheel hub of a manual car.

The sleeves are made by Chicago Rawhide, and distributed worldwide by SKF. They are made of metal which is only 0.25mm thick, and thus add 0.5mm to the width of the hub.

Each one comes with an installation tool, which is basically a tin can:

The instructions call for a thin coating of non-hardening sealant to be applied to the inner surface of the sleeve. I used a tiny amount of red RTV, almost all of which was squeezed out when I installed the sleeve, and subsequently wiped off.

Installation is extremely simple, you just knock it on with a rubber mallet, and the end result is very impressive:

Speedi Sleeves come in a huge variety of sizes. The part number of the one I used for the automatic driveplate is CR 99272. This should be the right size for the manual transmission flywheel too, but I recommend measuring yours anyway, and selecting the right size according to the instructions here.

Karmann Ghia 50th Anniversary Event

Sun, 24 Jul 2005 10:48:03 -0700

A new world record was set in July 2005 at the KG 50th Anniversary event in Georgsmarienhutte, Germany when 44 T34s (and 560 KGs total) gathered for an historic weekend of fun. T34 owners from several countries were involved including Germany, Belgium, France, England, Italy, USA, & Luxemborg. Larry & Mary Edson shipped their 1966 Coupe over to Germany just to be able to drive at this event and take a tour of Europe like their T34s first owner had done when they bought the car on the Tourist Delivery program. This record should stand for a very long time ... 44 T34s and five of them were Cabriolets, WOW!"

Reproducing T34 Aluminum Door Sill Trim Strips

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 15:10:25 -0700

Ever see a T34 with perfect door sill trim? Not me and I searched for years! They are usually scratched, gouged, or dented from years of use. I decided to try to reproduce a set and came up with a very close match.

Step one:

Pick up a copy of Hemmings Motor News and look for workshops who advertise in custom body modifications. Call them up and ask if they have a metal brake capable of bending 16 gauge aluminum in lengths greater than 39 inches. Send them one of your original trim.

Step 2:Polish the trim to a mirror like finish. This is the most time consuming process. The metal brake at the shop can put deep gouges in the metal and they all must be smoothed out.

Step 3:

Etch lines into trim and create the appropriate counter-sink. I used a large sharpened nail and a large metal straight edge to create the lines. Lightly polish to remove the burrs from this process.

Step 4:
Making sure the trim still has a mirror like finish, have them clear anodized. This aluminum plating process hardens the surface just like the originals. The surface, instead of being like a mirror, will now be a duller flat gray.

Step 5 (the last step):
Clear coat the trim! My plater recommended doing this as he said the originals looked like they had it done on. This will provided additional protection. Eastwood.com has a couple of clear coating finishes you can apply yourself. I would recommend finding one that leaves as little gloss as possible.