Get the Right Knobs

from the April 1999 Registry newsletter

The vast majority of Type 34s existing today have been mistreated, left outside for many years in the elements. The hot sun, the wet rain, the freezing snow, and even sandy windstorms all take their toll on precious Type 34 parts. The sun tends to do the most damage, cracking the upper dash pad, frying the rubber seals, and roasting the plastic interior pieces. Replacing these hard-to-find pieces is very difficult, so when we find a local source for reproduction parts we like to share the good news.

There are many plastic parts in the interior, and the sun tends to deteriorate the knobs often beyond use, causing them to crack, chip, and look nasty. The knobs we’re talking about are: the wiper pull-knob, the headlight pull-knob, the cigar lighter knob, the seat backrest release knobs, and even the quarter window latch knobs. The good news is that all of these knobs are being reproduced as perfect replacements to the original ones. The source for all of these is Karmann Ghia Parts & Restoration in Ventura, CA.

The headlight switch knob (141 941 541 A) was used on all Type 34s from 1964-66. It is silver-beige in color (called ivory by most folks). This knob was used on 1966 Type 14 KGs. It’s bell-shaped (domed) and is much different than the typical Beetle headlight switch knob.

The wiper switch knob (141 955 541 A) was used on all T34s from late-1964 through 1966 (from chassis 0 425 853 through 346 500 000). It is also silver-beige in color and has a center squirter knob/pin that fits into the switch knob. This was also used on 1966 Type 14 KGs.

The seat backrest release knobs are identical to the headlight knob. They were used from 1962-65.

The cigar lighter knob is also identical to the headlight knob and was used from 1962-66.

The quarter window latch knobs (311 847 245) were used from 1962-65 (silver-beige) and from 1966-69 (chrome). The earliest 1962 Type 34s had a smooth knob with no ridges, and all other years had ridges to make turning the knob easier. These were also fitted to Type 14 KGs and other Type 3 models. The repro knobs have the original brass threaded insert and the small threaded screw.

Although there are currently no repro domed radio knobs available, if you have these original radio knobs and are missing the small retaining screws to tighten down the knobs, KGP&R has the same screws available inside each quarter window knob. It may be a good idea to get an extra knob for a backup and use the screws for the radio knobs.

Karmann Ghia Parts & Restoration is a dedicated supplier for Karmann Ghia owners and has over 3000 reproduction parts for KGs. They have been in the KG business since 1988 and are active in developing new reproduction parts. They have a nice catalog, have a nice online parts web site (www.karmannghia.com), and can ship worldwide. You can order these knobs by calling 805 652-1974. They were nice enough to send the Registry samples of their knobs for evaluation. All the knobs were accurate reproductions, with only slight color differences to the originals. When ordering, be sure to let them know you heard about them from the Type 34 Registry.