When you start working on a car that is 46 years old you discover that some mechanics who worked on the car were not as competent as one would hope. When I did my pre-purchase inspection I noticed the headlights were not installed properly. I worried that this might be related to some type of body damage but as pulled the headlights out I discovered that the headlight retainer assemblies were install wrong so the headlights did not seat properly in the assembly. It appears that a mechanic simply failed to take the time to figure out the appropriate orientation for the assembly.
You also discover some parts have worn out or about to fail. The headlight switch knob is separating and about to come apart, the sun visors do not stay in place any longer, and the rear deck lid latch no longer functions. Really, all very minor issues and are easy to resolve.
Another issue with a car this age is some parts have gone missing. A good example is the front hood drain hoses. These are small hoses keep the water that comes in from around the hood from getting into the trunk area. These are easy to overlook but are important for a car that has a tendency to rust easily. If the water is not routed out of the trunk it ends up below the spare tire and invites rust.
Of course, you find some parts have been added. The previous owner installed an alarm that has since been disabled. Tracking down the wires so it could be removed was a bit of a challenge but fortunately this car was built before computers were added so the wiring in pretty straight forward.
Airhead Parts in Ventura is becoming my go to supplier. They used to be called Karmann Ghia Parts Restoration so they have many of the hard to find parts. I have starting wish list on the Airhead Parts web site…and the list is getting long!
This coming week I will focus on cleaning up the interior, replacing the rear deck lid latch and getting some new seals in place. Pictures will be included.
