Hi Scott,
I don’t have a chassis for you…but I’m writing to alert you that a Ghia will not give you what you need to build your Fiberfab MG TD Kit.
The Ghia is on a widened Beetle chassis. You would have to make a lot of modifications to refit it as a Beetle Type 1 chassis. See below for more detail on the Ghia chassis.
Meanwhile, any old Beetle will also not work. You want a standard Type 1 Beetle.
VW based MG TD kits were all designed for the Type 1 (Beetle) chassis. And more specifically, standard Type 1 chassis. Super Beetles have MacPherson Strut front suspensions which bolt to the steel body. They will not work unless you remove the MacPherson front suspension and retrofit a torsion tube suspension. Standard Type 1 Beetles were also produced in 1971 and beyond, side-by-side with Super Beetles. So make sure you know what you are buying before you write a check.
With thanks to the folks at planetghia on aol, here’s a brief summary of the modifications made to the Type 1 chassis:
Initial construction analysis by Karmann?s engineers
determined that the Beetle floor pan was not wide enough to accept the Coupe body built by
Ghia, and therefore would have to be widened 118mm. Newly designed structural
reinforcements and door sills were also necessary to make the new Coupe last as long as
the Beetle. It was clear from the beginning that the new Coupe would retain all of the
Beetle?s standard running gear, with modifications only allowed due to different body
shaping. Modifications to the chassis to accept the Coupe body included widening the floor
pan side panels, angling the steering column, lowering the springs, and other minor
changes.
PMOSSBERG39733.9604166667
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster
If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)