Ello from the Uk

[cracker666]

Hi peps, My name is Angus I am currently attempting to restore / ruin my 1960/61 VW Karmann Ghia which I have owned for 16 years. I brought the car into the UK from California and I drove it for 7-8 years without doing any bodywork.

I've bashed metal a few times but not with any degree of skill or planning on what the end result would look like.
Normally cut, bash, weld, grind, bash and filler then
Paint, but I can change and that's why I'm here.
Hopefully I will be using lead filler not plastic when the time comes.

Well I was reccommended this site by RedOxide whom is making a few panels for me in between the ford :-).

I hope to pick up a few tips, but please bear with me, as I am normally a desk jockey week days and car restorer weekends or holidays or when the weather is good.

[HEATNBEAT]

Hi Angus and welcome!

[Peter Tommasini]

Hi Angus welcome to the forum
Peter

[redoxide]

Good to see that you made it here, sometimes the site can be a bit slow, but when it is there is a huge amount of information available to catch up on. Everyone is more than willing to part with advice and hlp whr needed, stick with it, you will larn a huge ammount here...

[David Gardiner]

Welcome to the site Angus.

David

[cracker666]

Many thanks to you all, wow is what mainly comes out of mouth when I'm looking at the stuff you guys are producing.

I'm limited in access to machines, I do sell steelworkers and Bandsaws so cutting and punching, notching is not a problem, and we have a fully equipped workshop as well with mills, lathes, folders etc.

I've downloaded shed loads of ebooks on metal shaping and welding, so been busy.
Also been stripping the rhs wheel arches
From


To this







Stripping back to beware metal then spraying the area with weld through zinc primer. The plan was then to POR15 it.

[David Gardiner]

Hi Angus, looks not too bad. The bad news is you have to buy a power hammer. (just joking) I am sure ian will give you pointers but I woul hold off putting too much paint on untill you have done all the welding.

David

[cracker666]

about 2 Years ago I enquired about importing some english wheels in the UK and not worth it. In Kettering we have a well known English wheel company anyway (JustinBaker) and I Dont know how to use one (Yet).

The stripping was done with a wire rotary brush on two drills, The bits I purchased from Lidl (lol) about 3 Years ago and threw them in the shed.
Got it down to bare metal but some was nice but some had a tarnish on them like a black mark, now could be the wire brush going off, I dont know.
So I photod it and painted it to preserve what I had. Mainly to gauge what i needed to order and have a plan of action.

The plan so far is replace the RHS heater channels and Sills, together with the sill dogleg and then do the same but LHS.

Then revamp plan and do the Lower nose area and then Floorpans.

[cracker666]

I would love the Raptor 2000.(http://www.justinbaker.co.uk/pdf/RAPTOR.pdf)
I dont have a immediate use for one , just like the look of it.
I dont think the wife would have it in the living room as a sculpture.
So back the real world to my anvil, pliers, hammer and vice.