Spring 2019 Newsletter

Spring 2019
We are trying some new things here at 356Restore. As of January 1, 2019, Jim Kellogg retired. He moved the shop over to me, BJ Kellogg, for the daily operation. Jim is now in charge of the parts department. All this means is that he is in the shop two or
three times a day now. He is enjoying retirement, reading many books and planning his next fishing trip. I on the other hand have been trying to learn Excel spread sheet and basic accounting. I am also trying out a new newsletter format. I am not sure that I like it. I am looking for the original 356 Restore newsletter header but between swapping out old and new computers it may have gone away.

Spring Cleaning
There is a social media storm from Marie Kondo’s book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”. The part that is getting the most spotlight is where Marie picks up an object, looks at it and asks, “Does this bring you joy?” If the answer is no then discard the item. This is a process that I went thru when we moved into a new house last year. I picked up many things during the move and asked, “Does this bring me joy?” Packing up the garage was the task that I was given since Jennifer was not going to let me touch the kitchen, bedrooms or closets. I started with taking down all the posters on the garage wall and putting them in tubes. Many of them were from RMVR vintage car races and other Porsche events that we had attended. Next was the tool chest. I made notes of tools that were broken or missing. Then the stuff like the garden tools, bikes and toys. I figured out that it had been many years since we had cleaned out the garage. The trash cans were filling up fast. When we moved into the new house the process was reversed. The tool chests that I thought were going on the left side made more sense going on the right. Posters that were front and center on the wall were left in the tubes while art work that friends that had given me, were put up. I was no longer set in my way and it was fun trying out and doing new things in the garage.

The pictures in the newsletter are from the Rennsport VI at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca. We have attended hundreds of car shows. Seeing all the cars with the social aspect is fun. Our youngest daughter Sammie is a huge car nut, she has quite the Matchbox car collection. We have been going to local car shows here in Denver that are not Porsche or 356 related. Who knew that there was such a thing? Something new and different for us. I have been able to take my 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo, blue with a black interior, and show it. That is another story for another newsletter. Something new for Rennsport VI was the Porsche tractor race. Out of all the events that happened that weekend this tractor race was amazing. The gun went off and the drivers raced to their tractors jumped on and took off. Some took the racing line thru the corners some took the dirt. Everyone had a great time. I was still talking about it when Scot Pettit stopped by soon after the event and said, “You know if we put slicks on Jim’s 1962 Junior tractor and fix it up, I bet we could enter it in the next race”. All we must do is figure out how to get the diesel tractor to run and repair and restore a bunch of parts and maybe paint it. There are at least three drivers that would love to race the tractor at Rennsport VII. How hard could that be since we have never done it before? It sounds like a plan to me.

What’s the Plan?
We still have the lights on. We have two customer’s cars here in the shop that we are working on. One needs a new battery box floor and a floor pan the other needs a complete restoration since it was parked since 1974. We have two more cars that we hope to get to in the spring and summer. Tony Peak, an amazing technician who has worked on everything with wheels and an engine has been working part time. He has been putting together all the project cars that we have that hopefully can be sold soon. We have three Coupes right now in different levels of completion that hopefully will be sold. I am working on the welding in of floor pans on the customers cars. And Jim is working on the parts. So, it is a bit busy here with everything that is going on. We will be loading more information and pictures on our 356Restore Facebook page. We have a bunch of car shows that we are going to be at. The Racecar is going to be up and running for some vintage racing. And hopefully we will be trying something new.

Grandpa News
This last paragraph of the newsletter has always been the most popular item that we have had the most comments on. Jim wrote about his granddaughters Alexandra and Samantha and what has been going on with them. I think we will keep it in the newsletter. Alexandra is now 13 and Samantha is now 8. They both are looking forward to Spring Break in Phoenix Arizona for fun in the sun.

November 2018 Newsletter

356 Restore Changes
On January 1, 2019 Jim will retire and BJ will take over ownership of 356Restore. BJ has worked with Jim for twenty years and has all the skills and knowledge to continue 356Restore and its mission to keep these great little cars on the road.

Jim will continue to do things he enjoys, like gardening and fishing and will be able to consult with BJ. BJ may continue these newsletters, how often is up to him. The newsletter has been 356Restores main communication for twenty-six years. BJ is more tuned into social media and will keep 356Restore viable with a new generation.

Rennsport Reunion VI
BJ and Jim have attended all six Rennsports. We have seen it grow from a small event at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut to a huge event at Laguna Seca with over eighty thousand enthusiasts. Rennsport VI was similar to Rennsport V but with more heritage cars and even a display of 356 Outlaws. They had a 919 Tribute car on its last tour before going to the museum. The tribute means Porsche took off all the FIA stuff required for Le Mans and let its true power shine through. This 919 Hybrid set a new track record at Nuremburg Ring and at Laguna Seca was clocked at 191 miles per hour in the speed trap. A crowd favorite at Rennsport VI was the Porsche tractor race. There were one, two, three- and four-cylinder diesel tractors to race seventeen in all. They did a LeMans start and went through turns one, two, three, four and exited at five. Of course, being tractors, many went off track through the corners. The crowd loved it. We might take our Porsche Junior tractor when they do it again. We are not sure when Rennsport VII will occur or where. They happen every two to three years. We suggest Road America as a venue to get more east coast participants plus the beer and the brats.

Snowmass
Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing (RMVR) held its second event at Snowmass. We hope to continue this event to replicate the fun we had for many years at Steamboat. The Snowmass track is a road course on Snowmasses main roads which means the course must be opened between races to allow folks to get to the hotels, condos and shops. The road course is narrow and is downhill and uphill. Driving skill and performance count.
We entered our 1952 356 racecar with Scot Petitt driving. It had been over a year since we raced due to engine problems. Trevor Sewell worked to finish the race engine that Bill Fey had started and the 356 was fast. It qualified third behind two Lotuses. Scott got caught off track when the track was open to traffic and got back to the pits to late to start third and had to start last in twenty-fourth. In four laps he was in fifth and closing on the leaders when he hit a hay bale. When Jim heard this on the radio he just thought hay would fly all over. Well hay bales are hard, and the right front headlight area was bashed in. We know a shop that can repair the damage.

Jim’s Best Buy
A few years ago, we were contacted by an owner in Utah that wanted a restoration of his 1960 Coupe. We told him that we were not doing customer 356s as we had six of our own to restore. We told him to check back, he did, and we were courteous and explained that our new shop was full, and we could not commit to customer work. He checked back with us a few times and then said he had some health issues and had to sell the 356. We advised him on how to advertise and where to sell it as it was a project 356. He did some research and said that he wanted to sell it to someone who appreciate it, but he needed an evaluation.

We said we would fly to Salt Lake City, meet him and evaluate the 356. We left Denver in 72 degrees and arrived in a blizzard! This slowed our drive and only left a few hours for evaluation before Jim’s return flight to Denver. Jim had his check list and the 356 was just old and tired and needed minor body work and lots of restoration. Jim went over the checklist with the customer and when he finished the customer said, “I want the 356 to go to someone who will appreciate it and that’s you.” He had read our newsletters and determined we were honest and knowledgeable. He said he would sell it to us at a price that was way too low. We protested, saying we just told you that your sunroof adds value to the 356. He doubled his offer, still very low and we took it.

BJ and I took the trailer and picked it up a few weeks later. It is a 1960 Super 90 Sunroof Coupe. All original with 74,000 documented miles. It had one Ruby red repaint which means we can’t call it an original survivor.

Our plan is to do a sympatric restoration which means, keep all the originality and let the patina show. No new chrome or reproduction parts. We will need new rubber and will try and age some carpet. This will be Jim’s retirement project. We told the owner our plans and indicated we would pass it on to our granddaughters. He was very pleased!

Certificate of Authenticity
Is no more. When the value of classic Porsches went up, it was important to have a COA if you were selling a car. The COA would provide the build information including the transmission and engine serial numbers. For one hundred dollars Porsche would provide this information along with a signed certificate. What happened was some sellers would get the COA information and change serial numbers to make their Porsche authentic.

Now the COA has been replaced with the “Porsche Production Specification” or PPS. You must tell Porsche your engine number and transmission serial numbers and they will confirm or indicate not known.

Grandpa news
Alex and Sammy would like to thank you for all the support you have given to 356Restore and Jim over the last twenty-six years. Grandpa will now have more time to spend with us. If you have gardening or fishing tips for Jim, his new cell phone number is 720.238.2632

25th Anniversary Newsletter

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25th Anniversary!
Its been 25 years since we started 356Restore. It’s time for reflection. Our past newsletters and website allow us to review our progress in getting these great cars back on the road. We have restored one hundred and twenty two 356s. Either a battery box floor or a full restoration and everything in between.
Jim had always had a interest in cars. When he got his driver’s license the first thing he did was shave the nose and pin stripe the family ‘52 Chevrolet. He wrote a car column for the San Diego High School newspaper (and dated the editor-see side bar).
After the Air Force Jim took a job in software management with Control Data in St. Paul, Minnesota. One of his programmers shared his enjoyment of cars. The programmer bought a ‘57 Coupe and Jim noticed it was right hand drive, had holes in the floor and gas was dripping under the dash. Jim eventually bought the 356 which by then had a flat floor welded in. The 356 turned out to be a Carrera GS with a bent sunroof. It did not have a Carrera engine. Details on this 356 can be found in an article written for the 356 Registry. (Check the magazine archives). After some rough repairs Jim traded the ’57 Carrera for a ’63 Sunroof Coupe. Jim participated in the restoration of this 356 under the tutelage of an experienced 356 restorer. The ’63 is Jim’s daily driver today and will be passed on to his son BJ.
Jim enjoyed 356 restoration work and his next project was a ’62 Twin Grille Roadster which became his wife Barbara’s daily driver.
Then Control Data began to downsize and eventually went out of business. Jim found a job with a subsidiary in Denver. After five years it too began to downsize. Jim took an early retirement. What to do? Jim had enjoyed restoring and driving the Porsche 356s and decided to start a business-356Restore.
After more than twenty five years, we are still learning about these cars. The design was unique and engineering excellent. The factory didn’t plan for these cars to last fifty plus years but that design and engineering speaks for itself.
Of the 122 356 we have restored, thirty three were shop cars. These were projects planned to be restored by the owner but never completed. In the seventies you could buy a project 356 for a thousand dollars or less. 356Restore would later buy these projects for two to four thousand dollars and restore them. Finding sheet metal panels in the early days was difficult and we learned to fabricate panels. Most of these project 356s came with extra parts which has contributed to our inventory of parts today.
Many of these project owners were “gearheads” and bought lots of engine and mechanical parts. 356Resotre has never done engine rebuilding or painting. These two activities take time and by subbing this work we were able to restore the number of 356s we did in twenty five years.
On our website-356Restore.com we have a list of all completed 356s, That is how we determined the following data:
· Of the 122 356’s 83 were Coupes
· Thirteen of the 83 Coupes were Sunroof Coupes
· Of the 83 Coupes, 27 were 1964 models
· We restored a 356 from every year from 1952 to 1965
· We restored ten Speedsters but only one Notchback and one Carrera
· Seven Roadsters were restored including two Twin Grille Roadsters
· Sixteen Cabriolets were restored.

The Shop
When we started 356Restore we hired a helper. Ryan an Ex Army Ranger in his twenties. He had experience restoring Sunbeam Tigers with his Dad. Ryan made some great contributions even fabricating a Pre-A fender when
they were not available. At one time, we moved from our home shop to a bigger facility and had additional part time help. Jim didn’t want to be an owner/manager. He wanted to do hands on 356 restoration, so he moved back to the home shop. BJ moved to Denver in 1999 and joined Jim at 356Restore. BJ learned to weld, fabricate body work and reassembly of 356s. After learning those skills we bought a ‘64 Coupe project and Jim said “It’s all yours”. BJ did all of the disassembly, metal work, bodywork and reassembly. Jim only consulted. When finished BJ had the option to sell. He decided to keep it and it is his daily driver. The biggest shop move was recent when we designed and moved into a new home/shop. A little less room but a new lift, a quiet air compressor and good organization.

Vintage Racing
Barb and Jim participated in a Canyonlands tour with other sportscars. Sort of a mini Colorado Grand. On the tour was a ’57 356 Coupe painted in the colors of the Mexican flag; cream with green and red stripes. It had raced in the Southwest but had a few problems on the tour. Later when Bill Frey and Jim were at Steamboat Vintage Races we saw the ‘57 was for sale. Bill, who raced in SCCA in the seventies said we could make it into a racecar, which we did. We both joined Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing (RMVR) and went to Drivers School. Bill was the better driver and we both drove at tracks like Second Creek, Mountain View, Stapleton, LaJunta and Pueblo. Bill drove at Steamboat and set the fastest time of the day when he was erroneously black flagged and came in and went out only driving half the course.
At Drivers School, Sunday was the first race. Saturday had been follow the leader, practice starts and red flag procedures. Jim was on the grid with five
minutes to the start when he heard a noise, he looked to his left and saw a sports racer with a loud exhaust on the right side. Must be the exhaust noise. On the track, we took the green flag. Jim passed two cars and finished the twenty minute race. Pulling off the track Jim heard the noise again; stopping and popping the rear lid you could see the lower pulley moving in and out. Jim had raced for twenty minutes, passed cars and did this with a broken crankshaft!
BJ’s wife Jennifer also attended Driver’s School and raced the ‘57 Coupe in the Ladies Group. Most of the ladies drove their husbands or boyfriends cars so you got a mix of cars from Mini Coopers to Corvettes.
Previous newsletters have documented how we found the ‘52 Coupe for $800 which was to become our next racecar. Bill Frey and Jim did a great job on this 356. We got the weight down by making Plexiglas windshields and removing extraneous items. We weighted it on the scales at Pueblo and it came in at 1,640 lbs. And of course we built a better race engine. Both Bill and Scot Petitt drove this 356 in some exciting races.

Events
In the past twenty five years, Barb and Jim have participated in sixteen 356 Holidays. We would usually drive Jim’s ‘63 Sunroof Coupe or Barb’s ‘62 Twin Grille Roadster. A few we flew to or trailered..
The most memorial Holiday was Santa Fe in 2013. Over 200 356s’ and a great venue.
BJ and Jim have attended all five Porsche Rennsports and plan to attend number six next September. The most unforgettable Rennsport was number five in Monterey. The factory provided lots of cars, in fact we have possibly seen most of the factory museum cars at Rennsports.
We have also attended most of the local charity concours showing many 356s and also judging. One thing we always did was let kids sit in the 356 for pictures; except that kid with the ice cream cone.
The most enjoyable and unforgettable 356 related event was the inaugural US. Vintage Racing National Championship at Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas in 2013. Jim, Bill Frey and Scot Petitt entered Jim’s ‘52 Coupe with a fresh engine by Bill. With Scot driving, we beat Vic Skirmants, and six other 356s plus five 911s and two 914-6s in the Enduro. We detailed this event in our newsletter, but it is worth reading again (check out our website for all the 356Restore newsletters for the past twenty five years).

The Book
Jim has always enjoyed writing and decided to write a book about what he had learned restoring the Porsche 356. This was a risk as there were many Porsche 356 restorers that could be critical of the book.
We had been in the habit of taking pictures of our restorations so we had a good start to illustrating a book. We were also usually working on two 356s at different stages of restoration so we could add illustrations.
The book was organized from the start of a project to the first test drive. It was titled “Porsche 356 Guide to Do-It-Yourself Restoration”. The first edition was published in 2004. The cover arranged by the publisher was unique; a picture of a young man sitting behind a project 356 reading the book (a picture within a picture). Many people asked us if the young man was BJ; it wasn’t , just a friend of the photographer.
The book was well received; all positive comments , never a criticism.

The book is used by both beginning restorers and body shops.
The book went out of print and Jim decided to do a second edition in 2009. Writing the first edition Jim got to a point of “Lets just wrap this up and see if it sells”. For the second edition, Jim spent more time on reassembly and the cost of restoration. The book continues to be appreciated and has sold over 4,000 copies.

356 Restoration
There is a lot of satisfaction restoring a Porsche 356. The process of disassembly is fun. On an unrestored 356 you can find factory chalk marks, paint brush strokes and different assembly techniques. On project 356s you can find traffic signs and related signs used as floor pans. Not to mention the chicken wire/bondo and expanding foam repairs. Organizing the parts during disassembly and determining which parts can be restored or replaced lets you know that you are moving forward. After media blasting, metal work is also enjoyable. To remove a piece of rusty metal, make a correct patch and do a great job welding the patch is very satisfying. The next phase-body work is demanding and perhaps less enjoyable. Getting the lid and door fit can take time and many repetitions. Then there is the sculpting of the body. You need bright lights and a good eye for this. It is also repetitive. At 356Restore we would take the body to 80 grit and let the painter make it perfect. A good experienced 356 painter can really improve the body work. Before the painter, you have to dry fit all the external parts. This is also enjoyable as you can see the 356 becoming an almost finished car. Then comes reassembly, the most enjoyable part of 356 restoration. Taking you time, making it just like the factory. Ending each day with a

After the mechanical work is done and then the real fun begins, driving a Porsche 356.
feeling of accomplishment.
There is one downsize to 356 restorations. That is the “know it all” customers. Some can be quite critical and taught us to ask “What are your expectations?”. If they want concours level for a cheap price, we say no and explain the time and money required for a concours level We do driver level and some of these 356s have won concours. It all depends what you start with.

The Future
So what’s ahead for 356Restore? Well, Jim is 76; his cataract surgery means he has to wear glasses for the close work. Glasses under a welding helmet is difficult, so Jims leaves most of the heavy welding to BJ. Jim misses laying down that perfect welding bead and the noise that accompanies a good weld. At 76 Jim doesn’t get up and down easily and there is a lot of up and down work when reassembling a 356. The new lift will solve this problem but with eight 356s in the shop, we will have to finish some to use the lift when needed. What will probably happen is Jim will turn the shop over to BJ and take on a consulting role and skip the up and down reassembly fun. Jim may also get into the parts business. To date our large inventory of used parts have been for 356Restore projects and sales to friends. We really don’t need 42 valve covers.

Favorite Story Side Bar
Not 356 related.
We mentioned earlier that we dated the editor of our high school newspaper. She moved out of town early in our senior year but we still asked her to our senior prom.
Jump ahead three years. Jim is working his way thru college at a Pizza Parlor. If Jim wants a Saturday night date, he has to open the pizza place for the Saturday lunch crowd. So there he is all alone anticipating the light lunch crowd, when he hears some noise. He looks out the front window and sees twenty Hells Angles backing their bikes to the curb. They all want beer and pizza but Jim can’t do both. One of the Hells Angles says he will pull the pitchers and Jim notes that he is doing a honest job. So Jim starts making pizzas: taking an order Jim looks up and there she is; his prom date is a Hells Angels Mama.

July 2017 Newsletter

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356 Hobby or Market?
An observation after the L.A. Lit and Swap Meet was that things have changed. We think the hobby has turned into a market. It is like that neighborhood hardware store that is no more. The folks knew hardware, knew how it was used and how to make things work. Now there is a “big box” feel to the 356 hobby. Lots of choices for parts you don’t need and people who don’t know. Years ago as a hobby there was PB Tweeks, Doc&Cys, NLA and Stoddard. Now there are over 35 parts vendors on the 356 vendors list.
As the number one listing on the vendors list we continue to field 356 calls and E-mails. There are folks looking for 356 projects. We tell them they are too late to the party, that project prices have tripled or quadrupled and most projects are rust buckets, we would have parted out years ago they are discouraged. Other calls are for 356s to buy, when we tell them 356 values, they are also discouraged. We have received few calls from sellers. We have heard that a seller will get a call and be immediately asked “Is it number matching?” If they say no, the caller hangs up.
So we get a call form a broker in New York asking if we have any 356s for sale. We say we have nine 356s and some are or will be for sale. He asks for pictures and BJ sends him pictures of all nine 356s.
The owner calls and says he knows me but I can’t place him but we have helped some New York folks buy 356s and he may have been involved. The owner focuses in on the Twin Grille roadster. We let him know there were only 249 produced by the Belgium coachbuilder D’Iteren who we consider to be the best 356 coachbuilder. We also let him know that Twin Grille Roadsters seldom come on the market; the last one we saw was at European Collectables for $200,000. We say our price is $170,000 as the 356 requires a repaint.
We send him a COA showing our 356 is number matching with the original engine. He focuses in on the fact that the Roadster does not have the headrest shown on the COA. He offers $125,000. We respond that headrests are available from vendors and that all the 356 seats have provisions for headrests and again point out the rarity and value of these 356s. All of this is being done by E-mail. We get the impression he has lined up a buyer. He increases his offer to $150,000. It’s time for us to do our due diligence. We contact Jeff Frazier a classic car broker in Nashville who had done business with us in Denver (he sold our ’57 GS Carrera). He indicates the Porsche market is flat and he is having difficult selling his inventory. He says he will get back to us after checking with his 356 contacts.
He gets back to us and says the $150,000 offer is strong and he may have some potential buyers for the Roadster. We receive no other offers for the Roadster so we accept the $150,000 offer. We send a copy of the title, they prepare a bill of sale, we both sign it and the funds are transferred to the 356Restore account. Twin Grille Roadster 89621 is sold!
This was our third restoration twenty five years ago. Our first 356 was the ‘57 Carrera and our second one our ‘63 Sunroof Coupe (promised to BJ). We have restored and sold 33 356s. Our motivation for selling the Roadster was that our truck had been parked outside for the last year and we wanted to get it inside for the winter.

Parts Market
We followed up on the 356 parts in Maui and there has been no movement. We offered $5,000 and she wanted $20,000 for the lot. We will see if we can cherry pick on our next vacation in February.
Then we get a call on more 356 parts. It seemed the seller was acting for an estate as he needed multiple offers. We made a fair offer on the parts and then he said they found some chassis pieces and sent a picture of a 356 NOS front chassis, battery box, front
suspension supports and panel under the fuel tank. We said these would be of interest to 356 restorers. He contacted them and got some offers but accepted ours. We are making arrangements for shipping and he indicates he will deliver them to Denver while on vacation; and then things stop. Again , all of this is been done by E-mail (we used to call and talk and tell stories and get to know each other-hobby or market?). We try E-mail contact but get no response and think we have been gammed. We have been gammed in the past (again because of E-mail). The seller has responded and perhaps we can deal. We do sell parts to local enthusiasts but the procedures have changed. Parts to be bought are put on the work bench and I tell the buyer we can’t establish a price until we do some research. 356 parts prices today are a commodity market. Awhile back a buyer needed a T-5/T-6 turn signal switch. We had six and two looked like they worked. We did research and found reproductions in the $300’s. We sold the switch for $250. recently we got a E-mail from Stoddard and their T-5/T-6 turn signal switch is now $736!

Grandpa News
Alex and Sammy are moving. BJ and Jen have built a new house and will finally have space. The girls used to be here every Wednesday to do homework before church youth group meeting to save the twelve mile drive home and back. Now they will only be a few miles from school and church. We will miss the Wednesday get together.
Newsletter
After twenty five years this monthly newsletter is now sent when we have something to say. Notice we no longer have address correction requested. This saves us fees and return postage but means if you change address we won’t know.

March 2017 Newsletter

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Parts 1

We mentioned previously about the guy in Maui that had some 356 parts for sale. He had sent us pictures by phone and we sent him an E-mail indication specific information needed about the parts to determine their value. We needed to know serial numbers, condition and qualities. Well, the guy didn’t use the internet and didn’t get back to us. So, we called and said we would check out the parts when we were on vacation.
Maui Roadster was the name of the company and they rented replica Speedsters near our rented condo. We didn’t see them when we drove in, so we called and discovered they had moved. We found them in the used car section of Maui and renting one of their plastic Speedsters was now done by appointment. Turns out they guy that sent us pictures was the mechanic and was brokering the parts for the owner.

We set up an appointment to see the parts and was told the owner had some early dementia problems and also owned a real Speedster that was not for sale. We arrived and the parts had been placed on the lawn. We were able to get further information on the parts. There were some NOS Coupe doors still in the box from Vasic Pollak. There was part of a Speedster windshield frame and a Speedster top frame which we were told had been cut down to fit a 550 (didn’t make sense). There was a really clean A gas tank with the correct sender, A C-2 rear valance and Carrera speedometer plus lots of other parts. So we looked at them all and commented on issues and what kind of value. It was obvious the wife was in charge and really didn’t understand 356 parts. The husband seemed OK and knew most of the parts history. So we completed our evaluation and asked what they wanted for the parts. The wife said a fixed price for the lot was $20,000.
We said we would do our research when we returned home and give them our offer. I took a quick look at their ’57 Speedster which looked real nice but didn’t comment on it.

We enjoyed the rest of our vacation although the weather was mixed and the whales not to active. I did catch a really nice fish about ten pounds and a pretty pink color.

So we got home and we started the research. We used the 356 Registry classifieds and two vendors parts list. We soon learned we could estimate value based on the price of a reproduction part. Many 356 parts are being reproduced. While door skins are reproduced and used doors available you have to guess at NOS value. The doors would not be original to a 356 (unless stamped which is something we don’t do and would take a whole newsletter to discuss). We figured $800 for each NOS door. The owner’s wife thought the Carrera speedometer had high value even after we explained that you could send a speedometer to Palo Alto Speedometer and they would set it to Carrera specifications and make a Carrera face plate for it. So we added up all the values and called Maui with our offer of $5,000 and explained our research. We haven’t heard back, we will give it a few more weeks and see what happens.

Parts 2

BJ and I used to drive out to the big swap meet in Los Angles held in February. We would take a pick up load of parts and do quite well. Plus we would stop in Las Vegas on the way. We stopped going when we realized a part we needed for a restoration had been sold at the swap meet.
BJ suggested we fly out and also stop by in Las Vegas. BJ enjoys Las Vegas as he runs a full or half marathon there often. He has become a Las Vegas expert plus he said we could see the Penn and Teller magic show which he knew I would enjoy. Prior to the swap meet is the literature meet at the LAX Hilton on Saturday. Being close to the airport, buyers fly in from all over. The Lit meet is more than just books, posters and workshop manuals. It also include small 356and other parts.

There is a huge crowd for this event so venders located in the Los Angles area hold open houses the day before. We flew in Thursday night and hit many of the open houses Friday. Note; you have to have a smart phone and a app to find your way around L.A. We were surprised at the large warehouses many of the vendors had. They are not just selling 356 parts but also 911 and other Porsche parts. All the open house had free food and drink and giveaways.

At the Lit meet you can enter at seven o’clock for $30 or nine o’clock for $10. We opted for nine o’clock and two huge ballrooms were packed. We say Jerry Seinfeld enter, see the huge crowds and leave. BJ and I were only looking for two 356 parts plus I was checking out part prices. We were looking for male hood latches for 356A and B. We have had many requests and had sold out. We only saw one hood latch at the Lit meet and it was priced at $200. Maybe we would have better luck at the swap meet the next day. When we would drive out , the swap meet was held at the Dunkle Brothers large lot and it was exclusively 356 parts. Now it is held at a new location and like the Lit meet it is a huge event. Along with the swap meet there is a car show. Here is where we have an issue, both events have opened up to early 911 and VW parts. Not surprisingly as many 356 owners also own VWs and 911s. But for us , this has diluted the events. We found one male latch at the swap meet for $127. We came back later and offered $100. He said no $127. This summarized our thoughts-not the way it used to be.

Grandpa News

Sammy figured out how to order on Amazon remote control cars by using the one click and buy feature. Not any more.

December 2016 Newsletter

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Phone Calls
As noted previously, since 356Restore sorts out at the top of the 356 Registry vendor list, we get a lot of calls.
Can you hear me? Yes.
I’m calling from Hawaii. Where about? Maui. Great, we vacation there every year. Well, I’ve got some 356 parts. So this guy found us on the vendor list, clicked on 356Restore and got to our website which indicates we buy 356 parts. Turns out he works at Maui Roadsters just down the road from where we stay. They rent plastic Speedsters.
He sent us some pictures by smart phone and he had quite a few parts but no details and he wouldn’t use the internet. We sent him some comments but he never got back to us. His problem is no market for these parts on Maui and the high cost of shipping. We will check out the parts on our next vacation.
The next call was from Michigan. He found a 356 in a barn. He knew nothing about 356s. We asked for a description and by the process of elimination discovered it was a Speedster. We told him it was a great find and about recent values. We told him how to locate the chassis and engine numbers which he did and which confirmed a Speedster. The 356 was disassembled and missing parts. He had made a $10,000 offer and the owner dismissed it. We told him his options, he could buy it and flip it as is or buy it and restore it. We talked about costs and he said he would get back to us. We also cautioned him not to post any barn find pictures on the internet as they are encoded with GPS data. A guy on 356 Talk lost his barn find when someone swooped in and bought the 356. Another call was from Florida and this guy had found a Cabriolet but he was Porsche savvy. He wanted to know how to confirm serial numbers. We talked him through the process.
Another call was from an elderly previously 356 owner who had some Weber carburetors left over for sale. We gave him some idea of value and how to sell them. His problem, he doesn’t have a computer or know how to access the internet and no one to help him. We said we would post an ad for him. The number of calls we get asking us to do a 356 restoration has dropped off significantly. Could be this activity has declined or knowledgeable shops are up to their ears in work.

Originality
In a past newsletter we commented on a rusty, crusty Speedster that sold for over $400,000. Our comment was “stupid”! Then at another auction an original Speedster sold for $665,000. It was not restored and showed its age. The buyer was Jerry Seinfield. And the 356 was featured on a recent Jay Leno show. In fact most car shows are making a big deal about original cars. “It’s only original once!” we see the enjoyment in getting an original car to run well and safe. We just don’t to see the high values. But, of course we get enjoyment from doing restorations.

Prices
We recently had to order a rubber tunnel mat for one of our projects. We didn’t think about the price as we remember they were about $40. Well the recent price was $160. We can’t fault the vendors for participation in the run up of 356 values but it is causing us to research prices when we sell parts. On the other hand, brake wheel cylinders used to be around $80 and you need six. The prices now are around $40 but there are some fit issues. We have on hand close to 100 356 wheel cylinders and we used to enjoy rebuilding them, now we just order new ones. We will be rebuilding brake master cylinders as they have really gone up in price and we have thirty four on hand.

Progress
Well, we finally got over the exhaustion from the move, setting up the shop and hosting our open house/shop and restarted on our projects. First up is the Shop ’56 Speedster. The major issue was windshield fitment. You may remember we did significant metal work in this area and used some reproduction sheet metal. Our major goof was only using the windshield frame when jigging parts, i.e. cowl, dash, windshield frame pockets. After the 356 was painted and the windshield with glass installed, it was obvious the windshield was wrong. Just a 1/16 of an inch at the base will then throw you off at the top. Also, the cowl was to low for the assembled windshield. We tried to work around the problem and finally realized we would have to modify the cowl and windshield frame pockets and repaint the cowl. Off and on we have about forty hours into making this area correct. We must have had the windshield off and on at least fifty times always being careful not to damage the $600 windshield. While we wait to take the Speedster to the painter, we worked on the problem with the fuel tank fitment. Again we used reproduction sheet metal in this area. The problem was that the tank sat too high. We dressed down the area under the tank and got some improvements and then discovered, the opening for the tank to sit in was to tight. We had to cut the sides of the tank opening and move and weld metal. Then the tank fit well but the tank straps had to be modified. Oh the fun of Porsche 356 restoration

Newsletter
Last newsletter we said we would send out this newsletter every other month rather than monthly. We have changed our mind! We will send out a newsletter when we have 356 things to say. This removes a scheduled commitment which at our age is a good thing.

Grandpa News
Both girls are doing great in school. Alex got straight A’s again. Sammie in kindergarten has reading, writing, and Spanish and was advanced and proficient.

October 2016 Newsletter

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Porsches and Pastries
We enjoyed having all of you at our event. We had about forty 356s, it was difficult to count as with the open house/shop plan, 356s would come and go. However we were able to count pastries and Jen had prepared 1600. Only about 200 were left so we know those were enjoyed. (If you stayed late, you got a pastry goodie bag). We received many favorable reviews on our new home and shop. It is everything we wanted. As we get older we will be living on one level as opposed to four levels at our previous home. While Jim designed the basement shop, Barb designed the rest of the house. We were supposed to downsize and Jim filled a large trash container with old sheetrock, lumber and old parts he had saved.
Barb, however, her version of downsizing was to have the contractor build storage areas under the eves. So she has a closet under the eves for Christmas stuff and one for seasonal decorations, another for luggage and another for stuff. Thank you for coming to Porsches and Pastries; we enjoyed it and hope you did to.(One advantage of having a gravel driveway is that it is easy to pick up oil drips from Porsche 356s).
Progress
Not much to report. BJ continues with the metal work on the Shop ’64 Coupe “808”. The front end has been restored and he has started on the rear. We had a good T-6 rear clip he will use, which will save us about $1200.
Jim has restarted work on the Shop ’56 Speedster. The issues is getting the windshield to fit correctly. Almost all the metal in this area is new and correct fitment is taking time. Plus, Jim also needs time to get pasture grass to grow on the bare areas used during construction. Jim wants to get this established before winter. Plus the county requires it as part of the Sediment Erosion and Drainage Control Plan (SEDP) And then we woke up Saturday and we had no water and the well pump guys couldn’t get here until Monday. So Jim was hauling water from our previous home to keep the commodes working. The pump guys came Monday and determined that Jim had run the well dry with all the watering he had been doing to get the pasture grass to grow.
With little new progress to report, we will have some Random Porsche 356 Thoughts. Recently a 1957 Porsche Speedster sold at auction for $341,000. Why is this of interest?
Well, because it was a project 356. It was tired and probably rusty. Discussion revolved around why would someone pay so much for this Speedster. Most thought the buyer had lots of money and just wanted a Speedster to drive and not worry about dinging it. Jim’s opinion is it is just stupid! We think Seinfield’s Coupe sold for about the same amount and it had provenance. It was Otto Mathe’s 356, the one with the roof rack for race tires. Otto had one arm and raced this 356. We saw this 356 at the East Coast Holiday at Williamsburg in 2004. It had a sympathetic restoration which means they cleaned the 356 and made it mechanically sound. So it was not over restored and had a nice patina. One thing we noticed on Jerry’s 356 was that all the slotted screws on the threshold deco were pointed in the same direction. It sort of bothered us as we doubt it was factory but then again, if you were at Porsches and Pastries and checked out the switch plates at our new home, all the slotted screws are in the same direction. The electrician’s helper was German so it could be a German thing.
We had a local guy find us on the Internet and E-mailed us about Porsche seats for sale. He had a VW convertible and wanted to put 356 seats in it. He knew it would take some engineering but said it was the type of thing he enjoyed doing. He was doing a restro-mod on his VW, fitting later parts and features to make it more contempory and different. He mentioned he was with a group of fourteen riding their bikes to Sturgis when they were stopped in South Dakota because they had Colorado license plates. The highway patrol wanted to make sure they weren’t bringing marijuana. While stopped, some outlaw bikers rode by and they said there goes your marijuana.
At Porsche and Pastries, Tom Conway brought Larry Meyers display of dash plaques he had received at SCCA races in the sixties and seventies. Larry was the Midwest Division Champion racing a E-Production Speedster. We saw Larry at the West Coast Holiday in Sedona, Arizona and he was carrying the display. He said he was going to sell it at the swap meet. Jim said No Way! it’s going to stay in Colorado. Jim talked Tom Conway into buying it jointly and displaying it in our shops. So it is now at 356Restore and you must see it. Dash plaques from Continental Divide Raceway and other tracks in the Midwest. For those of you that have been in the new shop you would have noticed we have a lot of 356 parts. Most of these we have acquired with the project 356s that we have bought. Somebody would buy a Project 356 and acquire parts for the project and then never finish it. This also holds for finished 356 projects. A large classic dealer in Canada had bought restored 356s for resale and they came with parts. All parts are reproductions that the seller no longer needed and the reseller doesn’t need. 356Restore has been getting these parts for twenty five cents on the retail dollar.
Newsletter
This month starts our twenty fifth year with this newsletter. We enjoy doing it but as we get older we are not working at our previous pace so less to report. So we will go to every other month. The subscription price will be cut in half (a joke)
Grandpa News
A great fall school break in Seattle WA

September 2016 Newsletter

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Porsches and Pastries

The weather forecast looks good for this Sunday September 18. Come whenever you can. We know there are other weekend events. We will start at 0900 but this is a open house/shop so come anytime and stay as long as you want. Plenty of 356s to admire and plenty of 356 parts and 356s in the shop.
September 18 is Drive Your 356 Day in memory of Dr. Porsche. We will take pictures to submit to the 356 Registry.
We will have 356 workshop and parts manuals for sale as well as Porsche and non Porsche books. There will also be freebies, mostly Porsche art work. We will use the circular driveway for Porsche 356s, non Porsches can park on the graded area to the west of the driveway. If we get real crowded you can park next door at our old house and walk over.

Progress

As mentioned last month, Jim was working on the Shop ’60 Coupe “Casper” which we left in the storage building at our previous house. While it is next door to our new house , it still meant driving back and forth with tools and parts. Jim was working under Casper installing parts and regretting that he couldn’t do this work on the new lift at the new shop.
We had to pull the engine out of the ’52 Racecar and had put it on the lift with the Shop ’63 Coupe “Barney” underneath. BJ was working on the reassembly of Barney and also on the metal work on the Shop ’64 Coupe “808”. Jim got most of the parts on Casper and took it on a test drive. The 356 was tricky to start. Pedal almost to the floor, turn key, turn engine over for a few seconds then key off, pump twice then pedal down a little bit, turn key and it starts. I had to call Trevor to find this out as the turn key and pump, pump, pump doesn’t work on this 356.
So some folks came to drive it and it would start but then hold a high idle until in gear. The folks drove the 356 but we told them that we needed to fix the idle and install the remaining parts. One of which is the heater cable and rods, this again under the 356. We told the interested folks to check back with us in a month.
So Jim got back to the “Gambler” the Shop ’64 Sunroof Coupe. The doors fit perfectly with good gaps but once we put the door seals on the doors were not flush. Remember someone had started the reassembly of this painted 356. Jim spent a few hours on the doors but they still needed work.
So, lets do the bumpers. Almost all of the parts were missing but we had some good bumper guards and trim. We bought new rubber seals. The front bumper was no problem. Again, laying on the floor and thinking about the lift upstairs. The rear bumper was a problem. At the ends of the bumper are captive nuts in keyways that allow them to slide so you can run a bolt through the black rubber support seals (doughnuts) and position the bumper to the body. Someone had brazed one of the nuts to the keyway and the other nut would not slide in the keyway as it had rusted out. With the bumper already painted, there was no way to make and weld in a new keyway. So we welded a nut to a large washer that kept it in place. Well, we spent three hours trying to fit the bumper but finally had to stop and move on to something else.
We made a lift for the sunroof. We mentioned last month that one of those was missing but it was fairly easy to make and no one will ever see it as it is hidden behind the headliner.
So back to the rear bumper, lying on my back trying to make it fit. BJ helping finally. FOOL IT! I am too old to be doing this on my back with a new lift upstairs. Lets move cars! So we rolled the ’63 Coupe outside, lowed the lift and attached its wheels so we could rotate it and roll the ’52 Racecar outside. We then flat towed the Racecar up to the old storage building and parked it along side “Casper”. Then we rolled the “Gambler” out of the basement shop and flat towed it to the upper shop carefully as it does not yet have brakes. We got it on the lift using a come along, then rotated the lift, raised it and parked the Shop ’63 underneath. We will also use the lift to do the heater connections on “Casper”. Jim will no longer work on the floor.
So, the solution to the rear bumper problem was to weld a nut forward of the brazed nut. This would get the nuts on the bumper ends in the same relative position. The rear bumper was attached in another half an hour using the lift. So about five hours to attach bumpers to a 356. Plus another hour to move 356s to use the new lift. So, the plan is to continue to work on the “Gambler”. The real issue is how good is the engine. It looks like it was left in the 356 during body work and paint. We have absolutely no history on it.
BJ has the new battery box installed in “808” and the new front clip installed. He took his time and three days to position the front clip. The major issue was hood fit. If the front clip isn’t positioned correctly the problem will be obvious.
We also want to get the shops cleaned up for Porsches and Pastries. See you there!

HORAY!

We sold a 356 rear deck lid. That’s the third in thirty years. We have about twenty deck lids. No one needs them as they don’t get damaged. If you are hit in the rear, the deck lid pops up undamaged.

Grandpa News

BJ and the family headed up to Breckenridge over the Labor Day weekend. They enjoy the mountains once a year before the snow flies. Alex is learning how to use the sound and light boards at church, she is becoming very good at it. Sammie received a bunk bed for her room from friends who were reorganizing their home. She loves it.

August 2016 Newsletter

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Porsches and Pastries
Sunday September 18. That’s the day for Porsches and Pastries, and the day we can show off our new shop and home. We have had about six Porsches and Pastries over the years. BJ’s wife Jen, was the Executive Pastry chef at the Minneapolis Hilton. She is used to preparing large number of delicious and varied pastries. For this event she has Alex and Sammie to help. So we will start about 0900 but come whenever you can. It will be open shop and open new home. You can park along the circular driveway and street. Preferred parking for the Porsche 356. There will be great food and drink. The freebies include Porsche art work and there will be Porsche workshop manuals and other books for sale.

Prices
Excellence magazine just came out with their annual Porsche Buyer’s Guide. We have a hard time with the 356 prices. We have always considered the 356 an attractive and well engineered sports car. We have never considered them an investment.
At present we have nine 356s six of which we are restoring and will sell. We will keep the ’52 Racecar, ’63 Sunroof Coupe and ’62 Twin Grill Roadster. According to Excellence the six cars we will sell in good condition are valued at $730,000. Unbelievable! The three we will keep are valued at $345,000.
If you check the 356 Registry classified section you will see very high prices for 356s for sale. We doubt these prices are what is selling. Many of those 356 have been listed for a long time. But what is a realistic price? The only way to know is to ask a recent seller. We can’t find any.
We have some concern there is a market manipulation. The Excellence prices were prepared by Jeff Trask who is a principal at European Collections a major seller of Porsches. Our advise, consider your 356 for why you bought it not for what it may be worth.

Parts
Along with the increase of Porsche 356 prices, 356 parts are really moving up. We stopped selling 356 parts years ago when we found parts we needed for a restoration we had sold. Check out the vendors listed on the 356 Registry web site, you will be amazed at the prices for reproduction parts. Over $700 for a T-6 turn signal switch. $425 for the two chrome pieces on the top of the door. We recently had a request for some 356 A sheet metal parts. Left front fender and partial nose clip. We can’t understand why someone would want old used parts when new reproduction parts are available. Yes, the new parts are pricey but so is the value of the 356.

Progress
Most of the shop time has been concentrated on the Shop ’64 Silver Sunroof Coupe, The “Gambler”. This is the 356 we bought out of Salt Lake City that had been restored but was missing a lot of parts. Last month we mentioned the fun we had with doors. This month was the electrical and the sunroof. The first thing we noticed was that the 356 didn’t have the small two fuse block. Our ’63 Sunroof Coupe has it. It is for the sunroof and electric antenna. The C.O.A. says the sunroof is original, so maybe a Porsche change. While a lot of the sunroof parts were missing we had some and needed to find what was missing. The first thing to checkout was if the sunroof motor that came with the 356 was any good. The 356 had the sunroof rocker switch under the dash. According to Joe Leoni’s book, the switch should have a yellow, black and red wire (good German colors!). This switch had a loose blue wire instead of the red power wire. We ran a test lead from the bottom of fuse three to the blue switch wire and the motor works! The sunroof transmission was missing but we had one and installed it. But the pinion drive gear was missing. What to do? This is a rare part maybe we can have one made. BJ got online and the pinion gear is available for $24. Great, without this we don’t have a sunroof. The gear drives the two cables that move the sunroof. BJ also found that our spare sunroof motor is worth about $800.
So, the inventory of sunroof part yielded only one part was missing, the right side lifter which along with the left side adjusts to get the sunroof panel flush with the roof. We think we can make something work until we find one. We installed all the sunroof parts and are good to go once we make a lifter.
Meanwhile BJ spent time on the electrics. Jumping a lead from the top of fuse two to the bottom of each fuse, he got all the electrics to work, but only with the test lead not with the normal configuration. He thought the problem was in the turn signal switch or the headlight switch. Jim had to replace the spring on the turn signal switch to get it to function but there were still problems. BJ swapped out parts but he still had problems. He mentioned that he could not move the screws on the fuse block which looked original and still had the yellow inspection paint. We did a test and decided to replace the fuse block. It came out in pieces, completely frozen solid. A new fuse block and everything works. Jim is going to stop work on the “Gambler” to finish the small items on “Casper”, the white ’61 Coupe. The problem is this 356 has been stored in the storage building at the old house as there is no room at the new shop. So working on a 356 remotely and moving tools back and forth will be an issue. We have a potential buyer for this 356 so completing it and selling it will help with our storage problem.

Grandpa News
Both of girls started school this week. Alexandra started 7th grade and Samantha started kindergarten. They unpacked their suitcases and filled up their backpacks.

July 2016 Newsletter

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Porsches and Pastries

We will have Porsches and Pastries on Sunday September 18, (Rain Date 9/25). This will give us the opportunity to share our new home and shop. This is a open event starting at 0900. Come whenever and leave whenever. We may have BJ’s cousin who has won some major events for his barbeque. There will be freebies and some Porsche stuff for sale.

The Move

We are settled in. Only the landscaping needs to be finished and this is underway. Jim’s 356 time has been limited as he is maintaining two homes. Our previous home still needs mowing and maintenance to keep it attractive for showings. The new home also needs work to keep it the way we want it.

Progress

BJ stopped the metal work on “808” the Shop ’64 Coupe to do the reassembly on “Barney” the Shop White ’61 Coupe. Jim is doing the reassembly on the “Gambler” the Shop ’64 Silver Sunroof Coupe. Now, Jim hasn’t named Shop 356s in the past as he leaves that to BJ. But the “Gambler” is a neat story we may have told before.
We got an E-mail from a guy in Salt Lake City that was selling a ’64 Sunroof Coupe for the owner. E-mailed back and forth and he sent pictures. The 356 looked good and had been painted and partially reassembled but parts were missing. A important part missing was the sliding sunroof panel. But we had one from a sunroof clip we were going to use on “Barney” which according to the COA was originally a Sunroof Coupe, but had its roof replaced (poorly!). We decided to leave Barney as is and repair the roof. We could use the sliding panel from the clip on the ’64 Sunroof Coupe if we got it. We went back and forth with the supposed broker who would meet with the owner as we negotiated.
We made a big deal about the missing panel (supposedly stolen) as they are not being reproduced and would be very expensive to make. We finally settled on a price of $24,000. We considered this a good deal as a Sunroof adds $10,000 to the value of a Coupe. So we would be spending about $14,000 for restored 356 needing no metal work, painted but missing parts. Now we have a lot of parts as you will see at our September open shop/house. We previously documented our trip to Salt Lake City in a blizzard to pick up the 356. The day we returned we got a call from the owner who we had never talked to . He wanted to know what we had paid , we told him and the number was more than he had been told by the broker. He went on to say the broker was an ex con who ran an illegal gambling room in his warehouse. The sale of the 356 was to cover a gambling debt from the owner to the broker. Jim thought it was a neat story so he named the Shop Silver ’64 Sunroof Coupe “The Gambler”.
So where to start on finishing the reassembly of the “Gambler”. Well, the interior had been partially reassembled. The red vinyl interior was well done but the rear panel had not been installed. So we would start with that panel. First, you have to find and open the holes in the firewall that the studs on the panel go through. But don’t forget to make holes in the panel for the rear luggage straps hardware. On earlier 356s the luggage straps have bolts that go through the firewall and you can see their location. But on the 356C the luggage strap is attached to weld nuts on the interior firewall. (We learned this the hard way). No way to do this without removing the rear panel a tedious job). We got the rear panel in and it is a two man job as someone has to hold the panel from the inside as the studs are fastened behind the engine. Fortunately the rear windshield was not installed; with it installed this job takes a bit longer.
So now we check to see if the rear garnish rail pieces will fit on the side panels.
We notice right away that the hole in the chassis for the screw
to secure the garnish rail has been covered over. We make a template from “Barney” and drill new holes; right on the money. But the rail won’t fit because of the weld material from the bodywork. So a little dremel work (careful of the paint!) and the rail fits but is too high! The side panel was installed wrong and of course it fits partially behind the rear panel we just installed. So take off the rear panel, correct the side panel, reinstall the rear panel and fit the garnish rail. Isn’t Porsche 356 restoration fun!
What is next on the “Gambler”? Well the doors are hung but missing all the parts. We check our parts and find the regulators, door frames, glass, latches and hardware. What we are missing is the chrome pieces that go on top of the door and are installed first. We had a bunch chromed years ago but must have used them all. We decide to steal them from the parts that came with “808”. It will be a while until this 356 is reassembled and hopefully we can replace them then. We start reassembly on the driver door. It is going good until we notice the glass we picked had scratches. We replace it but selected one for the passenger side which goes in but is wrong. Then we have to dissemble everything to drill a hole in the latch for the cotter key that secures the wire to the opener. So after five tries the driver door is assembled and we fit but don’t secure the door panel and garnish rail. We roll the window up and it comes off the track! OK, six times. We secure the glass to the track with gorilla glue. Hadn’t use this before as the glass shop has special glue but we tried it and it works. Isn’t Porsche 356 restoration fun?

Grandpa News

The girls have not had a lot of time to be bored this summer. Swim lessons, church and camps have been fun.

May 2016 Newsletter

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We’ve Moved
Finally! The Kelloggs and 356Restore are in their new home. It took six months to close on the property and eighteen months for the remodel. We went with a Mediterranean design and it turned out great. Barb did all the interior design and it is also great.
The new address is 8310 N. Sunburst Tr., just east of our previous home at 8356 N Sunburst Tr. So we have lost the 356 in our address (which was a fluke) but our new home is a basement and one living level with a second guest and exercise/storage level. The previous home which we lived in for twenty five years was a basement and four levels. Living on one level will be more convenient as we get older. The move in date kept changing leading to anxiety on our part. Everything was boxed and ready to move and all we were waiting on was the railings for the balconies. “At the powder paints” said the railing guy. One week went by then another. After a third week we told the contractor this was ridiculous. The railings had been fit previously so let’s pull them from the painter and get on with it. So we pulled the railings and they were installed and the next day we had the final inspection and permission to move in.
As the railings were being installed we noticed they had not been completed. So the powder painting story was a fib, but the quality of the railing work is excellent so we have mixed emotions about the delay.
So, with the OK to move in on a Friday, Cowboy Moving and Storage showed up the following Tuesday and we spent that night in our new home. The movers also needed Wednesday to get everything moved over. So we were living with boxes for a few weeks and now we are settled.
Fortunately, Jim was able to move all the Porsche 356 parts to the new basement shop prior to move in so all we needed was the cars. Larry Becker of Larry’s Towing moved seven of our 356s. Three are in the basement; two are in the upper fab shop and two in the new two car garage until we can sell a few. We also have one at the painters. One at the mechanics and left one which we have sold at the old address as we have a little work to do on it before it is delivered to the new owners. Plus having a Signal Red 356 in the garage while the house is for sale may close the deal.
With Barb arranging the new home, Jim concentrated on getting the old home ready for sale. The basement shop took the most work as all the walls had to be painted and we planned to put new vinyl flooring over the beat up black and white square floor tiles. We ended up pulling up all the floor tiles to make for a smoother new flooring. The floor guy wanted the shop sink removed so Jim removed it forgetting that once a week at 2am the water softener back flushed into that sink. So water in the old basement and a delay on the new flooring. Prior to this flood, the septic tank at the new home backed up; fortunately just water from the clothes washer. The only loss was a few issues of Excellence magazine. But the backup resulted in digging up the septic which was completely full as it had never (?) been cleaned. With it pumped we were left with a big hole right on the path to the basement where we wanted to move the 356s. So we filled in the hole and will have to dig later to discover why the tank didn’t drain to the leaching field.
So with cars in the new shop BJ could get back to work on the Shop ’64 Coupe called “808”. BJ found a Colorado license plate on the Internet for ten bucks. It says 808 OKC. While this C Coupe is not yet OK, it will be.
The weather had delayed completion of the front portico and landscaping but they are now underway and we should be completed in a few months.

PCA
If you remember we bought a White ’61 Coupe which BJ named Casper. The family of the elderly owner didn’t want him to drive it anymore. The son in law is a PCA guy and had visited our old shop when we did the deal. He also organized this years Rocky Mountain PCA’s Gimmick Rallye stops. We had thirty three Porsches visit the shop including one 356. The gimmick took about five minutes so folks waiting got to tour the shop. We were quite pleased with the feed back “Awesome” and “Blown Away” were favorite comments. We were one of the five stops on the rallye and the stops we staggered. The gimmick was to reach into a cloth bag and identify six objects. But there were 3 similar objects for each choice. For example, find the 13mm combination wrench but there were also a 12mm and 14mm in the bag. Or find the pine scented auto air freshener and there were two other exactly alike but different scents. The participants seemed to enjoy the gimmick and two couples got five of six objects correct. Jim tried the gimmick after the participants left and got three of six; yes he got the 13mm wrench.
So the plan is to get 8356 N. Sunburst Tr. on the market, continue to settle in and get back to restoring 356s.
Another owner got taken on a 356 purchase. He brought the 356 by our new shop after media blasting. It is probably one of the worst for required metal work. He was told it had an engine but there was just two case halves. Of course he didn’t do a PPI and paid $37,000 for what we would consider a $5,000 major project.

Grandpa News
Alex and Sam are also getting moved into the new house, toys are being arranged upstairs and wifi pass codes are being obtained. Sam and Alex both have summer camps in June then a trip back to Minnesota in July to visit the Minnesota grandparents. It is going to be a busy summer.