Cleaning the Bumper Mounts

In true Ghia freak fashion, I was giddy as a schoolgirl last Thursday when the receptionist at my firm delivered a little package from the desert to my desk. I knew what was inside and I coaxed a few co-workers into a frenzy when I started telling them that it was the coolest thing they might ever see come out of a USPS box. Frothing at the mouth, they sat and watched me slowly cut open the box, tear through layers of foam padding, and dig down to the precious cargo contained within. Their eyes widend as I revealed a pair of lightly rusted bumper brackets for a 1974 Karmann Ghia... The gasp could have been heard across the street. The looks on their faces was priceless, their dissappointment was tangible. I don't know what they expected. Afterall, I'm a VW guy, what can I say?

Loren from the Samba made me a great deal on these two hard to find puzzle pieces for my car. The ones I removed (shown below) were completely trashed. New ones are $180 per side!!! Loren squared me up for $10 a piece! I spent the first day of my vacation cleaning them and grinding down the light rust that had built up over the last 35 years. I had to cut the tubes out of my old brackets and I still have to strip the coatings off one of them, then I will coat them, inside and out, with POR-15 and mount them on the car. These are the last two pieces of metalwork I need to get welded in on the front of the car.

Loren also did me a huge favor by cutting up a junker intermediate bow for my convertible top. I will use it as a guide when I fabricate my new piece. Thanks Loren!!!

Brackets out of the box and cleaned off
My original equipment... Can you see the holes?

Tubes cut out of the old brackets and getting cleaned up. The brackets are stripped and ready to paint.