jack finks

OK here are some more pictures. The battery tray is one of the reasons I stopped working on this car. I made all the brakets for the lifts and the amp rack out of steel and aluminum and decided I could learn more. The covers and trim panels would be a lot better if they were made out of metal. They would be stronger and lighter. But I still make moch up out of would then build finish pieces out of metal.

These next pictures are about the amp rack and lift. The '73 and '74 ghias did not come with a back seat. VW decided it was not worth it to engineer approved seatbelts for a back seat that was raerly used.  What I did was raise the hieght of the cover for inches to the same hieght as the luggage area that was behind the "seat". This allowed me to place two batteries and the amp rack in the space. I keep a very stock looking area. I also cleaned up the luggauge area with the panels other wise you see the inner fender of the back wheels.

This showes the difference in the original deck hieght and the new deck hieght

The space is now occupied by these blocks that hold the lifts and seat belt. Notice that where the seat beat passes through it is solid.

Here are the lifts in place

Here is the Amp Rack brackets I made to suspend the Amp Racl when the cover is closed. I did this when the cover is up it will present the amps. I use simple door latches that I can slide in and out to service both side of the rack. Pull four pins and the whole rack comes out once you disconnect the wiring. My first attempt at the pins is rather unsaticfactory because there is a LOT of slop in them! I am going to replace the door pins with hood pins from Hot Rods. I will bore out an aluminum block and they will hold positively with the little beeds they have embedded in the ends. The stand off will also be re-worked a little to make them look nicer.

The amps will be mounted on 1/2 inch plexy. This is the moch up plate the amps are currently on.

Yes that is my Hobbit foot. Here is the Rack in the up position...

This is when the top pins are pulled to service the back Amps.

Because of the plexy you will see the inner workings of the two amps on the underside. Maybe a little chessy but it should present well. So any comments? Am I going in a good direction or bad? Any suggestions? Faults? Now is the time to speak up as once I get back into this area there is no going back. Currenty where the old peocessor is in the very back of the luggauge area will either be replaced by the PDX 1.1000 and PDX 4.150 or the last T757. Sorry I like those old Alpine amps! The back area is most likely going to go through some changes in the luggauge area as I'm pretty confident that I'm going to have to build new wheel wells...

Side note I just found an English wheel/Power hammer I can afford to buy to build the dash...Hehehe

More comments from me. I'm a nut about being able to access my equipment quickly and easily. That is one of the reason it is made this way. I can- by myself- have this amp rack out in about 3 minutes and on the bench. I can pull the batteries in 2 minutes each without disturbing the amps. I fix a lot of cars and it is a pet peave when things are un-nessisarily difficult to get to....

Oh and yes my spelling is just horrible. I re-read the last post and just shook my head....

I love this thread.

So am I anywhere near this?

27 years...and your point is?

Bwahahaha