Gas Problem

Let me change last month’s recommendation. Rather than shutting off your gas and running the engine out of fuel, just use a Stabil gasoline stabilizer. This will keep your gaskets, seals and pumps from drying. And don’t forget to change your oil before storing your 356 and again in the spring. So you waste four quarts of oil during storage. It is not that expensive compare to what moisture in the oil can do.

Bretts Book

One of my reference books in the shop is Brett Johnson’s “The 356 Porsche – A Restorers Guide to Authenticity”. Brett has just come out with revision 3; the most recent update in five years. It is great! Better pictures, more authentic detail and a must for every 356 owner. (Brett now agrees that rear cushions were an option in Roadsters!) Order it from TPR Inc. at (800) 553-5319 for $24.95. Makes a great gift.

Happy Holidays and the best in ’98.

Aha!

I pride myself on knowing all the parts on a 356 Porsche. After disassembling close to fifty 356’s I should know all the parts. However, when I bought a lot of parts out of Arizona, I had one bag of half circle wedge shaped fibre board pieces. Each had three holes. Similar to the backing piece for the door lock receiver, but a lot smaller; plus they were wedge shapped.

I puzzled over these for the last jew months and was about to declare them unknown (i.e. 911). Today, I looked at them again and at the same time happened to look at a Cabriolet toplatch on the same shelf. That’s what they are! Shims for adjusting the top latch to fit to the windshield frame. And I just happen to need a shim for the center latch on my shop Cabriolet which pops off at 60 mph.

When I first evaluated Peter’s ’62 Notchback Coupe, I saw the non German carpet and some funny interior pieces and concluded someone did a poor job on the interior. The rear seat luggage strap holders ent right thru the bottom of the vinyl rear seat cushions rather than thru the carpet on the rear verticlal sheet metal. Also there were chrome pieces similar to T-6 gas tank hold downs securing the tranny linspection plate cover. I never saw this before; must be wrong. However, when looking through Brett Johnson’s Restoration Guide (see last month’s reference:, there it is, a picture of the Darmann Notchback interior exactly like Peter’s. That’s what I enjoy about restoring 356 Prsches, every day, new knowledge.

Progress

Well, Peter’s Notchback is all together and he can drive it home. The Notchback look grew on me while it was here. It really is a Cabriolet with a welded on hardtop. Norm’s ’54 race car is at the painter’s and should be back in a few weeks. This job is welding including pans, longitudinals, front of door, inner ledge, top of fenders and lots more. I also got all the seams correct and the underneath cleaned, painted, caulked and undercoated. I cleaned and painted all the interior compartment. It seems I’ve been laying on my back welding on 356’s for the last three months. It will be fun to start the reassembly of Peter’s Notchback Coupe. Then I will work on Norm’s ’54 race car, my race car, Barb’s Twin Grille Roadster (watch Barb hold me to this) and Greg’s ’64 SC Coupe (yep! another one arrived).

Progress

By then I should have Peter’s Notchback back for assembly and I will start on the latest arrival – Bob’s Convertible D. I had helped Bob with the metal repairs on his C Coupe. While he was buying metric hardware at the local hardware store, the clerk asked what it was for. When Bob said he was restoring an early Porsche, the clerk said his neighbor had one a few blocks away. Bob checked it out and found the Convertible D. Bob disassembled it and had it media blasted. I would say it has average rust damage i.e. floors, closing panels, front/rear of doors, etc. It also has the unique Roadster/Convertible rust on the dash and inner pillars.

Events

The RM356PC Christmas buffet will be at the Brittany Hill Resturant in Thorton on Sunday, December 14th at 11 AM 356RESTORE will donate a 356 luggage rack for a raffle. Cost of the holiday buffet is $15; raffle tickets are $1; bring a gift for the exchange. RSVP would be appreciated by Dec 10th to either Paulette Haggan or Barb Kellogg.

Since next year is Porsche’s 50th Anniversary, you should be making arrangements for next years events The RM356PC will host the Steamboat 356 Classic July 16-19 1998 prior to the Porsche Club of America Parade. Now is the time to make reservations, headquarters will be at The Lodge. Call Phil Carney (697-1550) or Roland Lohnert (674-6454) and offer to help. Also the West Coast Holiday for next year will be in Monterey, CA August 7-11 prior to the Monterey Concours and Historic Races where Porsche will be featured. The Holiday hotel (Hyatt Regency) is sold out so try to make other arragements now. If you don’t start planning for Porsche 1998 now you will miss out!

Retrospective

Since we just had our fifth anniversary, it may be time to see if we have accomplished our goals. In Vol. 1 No. 1-3 I indicated free variable estimates. I also encouraged owners to participate in the restoration and I indicated we would measure our success by getting these great cars back on the road.

We.., all the estimates we have done have been variable, showing the owner phases of the restoration. Some owners have opted to have us do it all, others have gone for phases, spreading the work and cost over time. The other thing about our estimates is we have never charged more than the estimate. My belief was if I blew an estimate I didn’t understand the problem and it was my learning experience. Today, my estimate are right on and profitable.

We have also had many owners fully involved in the restoration. They may not know how to weld but have done the disassembly and reassembly. For 356’s that require a lot of metal work, we have returned these cars in primer so the owner can do a complete assembly and bring it back for metal adjustment prior to paint. You would be surprised what small metal problems show up during assembly

5th Anniversary Party

We had a great turnout! I sweated the weather but it was perfect. We had over 75 enthusiasts and at least 45 356’s. The food was excellent and the feedback positive. Even I had fun, although I seemed to be constantly answering questions and giving advice. No problem. I do have an ego.

Folks were impressed with our new 356 storage building. This was a very successful project and I would be more than happy to recommend the architect, contractor and master carpenter.

West Coast Holiday

Barb and I flew out to the West Coast Holiday in San Diego. Our friend John Jenkins organized the event and put on quite a show. The event was sold out with 175 356’s and over 300 participants. Friday you had a choice of two drives. A 90 mile poker rally with observation questions or a more aggresive fast long distance drive. Barb and I took the 90 mile tour and had fun identifying areas of San Diego County I had forgotten (I lived there from 1952 – 1964). Friday afternoon and evening were the Literature and Memorabilia event. This was well attended with lots of 356 stuff I hadn’t seen before. Saturday was the Concours with a Carnival and evening banquet. The concours site was perfect; it was near the tip of Point Loma at a private college. The 356’s were staged on a grassy field close to the ocean. You could stand on the hill and gaze down on over 150 356’s with the blue Pacific as a backdrop. Terrific! In addition to the people’s choice concours there were carnival games and guessing contests. I was sure I won the “guess the 356 parts contest” but think I overly elaborated my answer i.e. when the part was a backup light switch, I answered “356 and 356A tunnel mounted transmission shift plate with back up light switch operated mechanically by reverse position of shifter rod”.

After the concours, Barb and I did some shopping and got ready for the awards banquet which was excellent.

Sunday morning was the Swap Meet. I took a suitcase of small but expensive parts (i.e. I doubled my Denver asking price). I got to the Swap meet at 5:45 AM and they were all over me with flashlights. I sold $1000 worth of parts in two hours. I may have to go to California Swap meets more often. When we returned from the International 356 event in Spain I commented on how their 356’s were personalized and driven regularly. I would have to say the California 356’s are restored as correctly as possible (some at major expense) and driven as often as California conditions allow.

The concours also featured five original 356’s! I spent a lot of time with these cars confirming originality features I knew and learning a few more things.

As I mentioned before, the next West Coast Holiday will be Aug 7-11 in Monterey just prior to the Monterey and Lagunna Seca events where Porsche will celebrate it’s 50th Anniversary. While registration has not yet opened for this Holiday, the Holiday hotel and surrounding hotels are sold out.

Progress

I hoped to have Ron’s ’60 Cabriolet ready for him to drive back after the 5th anniversary party but I couldn’t get it to start. I’m not a mechanic but I got fuel to the carbs after rebuilding the petcock, blowing out the tunnel line, replacing the fuel pump gasket and cleaning the main jets. I also got spark at the plugs. It should have fired up but didn’t; I’ll have a mechanic look at it and let you know the problem.

I started the metal work on Peter’s ’60 Karmann Notchback Coupe. Once the 356 was media blasted this went quicker than expected as some of the previous repairs were acceptable. In three days I repaired the rust damage to the right front rocker, below the right quarter window, battery box and closing panels. This 356 should go to the painter this week. While it’s there, I’ll assemble the front and rear suspension on Norm’s ’54 Coupe, do some minor body work and get it ready to go to the painter when Peter’s 356 is done. Next up will be the extensive metal work on Steve’s Coupe.

Parts

I recently bought a large collection of parts from a restorer in Phoenix. While I will use most of these in restoration projects, they are also available for your projects. I have almost all the rubber parts needed for a 356 plus many small interior items. I have a large collection of instruments and engine parts and sheetmetal. All are priced at the Denver price (not the California Swap meet price).

Starter

I recently had two 356 starters repaired at Hensley Battery & Electrical Supply at 2031 Bryant. They did an excellent job and I would recommend them. They charged $90 to rebuild one starter and did not charge me for the second which checked out OK after cleaning. Compare this to $250 exchange for rebuilt from the 356 vendors.

Events

Remember to mark your calendar for the RM356PC monthly meetings the first Wednesday of the month at Brittany Hill Restaurant in Thorton. The election of officers will be held at the November 5th meeting and plans are progressing for the July 1998 Steamboat event. Be there!

Party Time!

356RESTORE’s fifth anniversary party will be Sunday, September 28th from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. All of you on distribution of this newsletter are invited. It will be an open house/shop so come when you can, stay as long as you can and leave whenever you have to.

Invitations have been sent to owners of the 356’s I’ve worked on over the past five years. They will get preferential parking. They will have “356RESTORED” decals on the back of their inside mirror. I would like them to park in the new courtyard area and on the grass around the house. Other 356’s should park on the sides of the driveway. Non 356’s can park on the sides of the driveway and along the road in front.

Since it is open house folks will be coming at different times so it is important to leave space down the drive. If you are going to the Trans-Am race at PPIR or RMVR race at Pueblo you may want to come north on Hwy 83 from Colorado Springs to avoid I-25; check your maps. We will still be partying on your way home.

Since 356RESTORE may make a profit this year, you need to bring nothing. I plan to cater the event and have continuous food and beverage. However, we would like RSVP’s by September 22nd, (call 840-2356 or 841-6475, both have answering machines).

We could have well over a hundred 356 enthusiasts and plenty of neat 356’s, so plan to attend!

Progress

Dr Jack picked up his C Sunroof Coupe, Bruce picked up his Convertible D and Jack H finished his SC Coupe. All of them seemed pleased with my work.

Since then I’ve been working on Ron’s ’60 Cabriolet. This has been a challenge as it was basically a shell with parts from other cars including a Coupe that Ron salvaged after a wreck. This is almost like building a new 356. But I love a challenge. Collision damage to the body meant none of the doors/lids fit. Even though I checked them prior to upholstery/seals, I still had fit problems. I had to drill new holes for all the threshold and hood seals. And there was no way the non original rear deck would fit without major grinding to the deck latch.

And then there were the brakes! Somebody installed a dual master cylinder but didn’t connect everything. The emergency brake lever in the rear drums was installed wrong (it goes behind, not in front of the brake shoes, also the cross piece has a stop notch for the emergency lever). After dumping a pint of brake fluid on the floor I finally got this fixed. (Do you know what brake fluid does to a painted floor! I have to repaint the floor before the party.)

Since I will be the first person to drive this restoration, it was important that I get the brakes to work. This 356 also had about two feet of extra wire in the tunnel bundled with electric tie wraps. Somebody spliced in a rear harness. However I have everything but brake lights and turn signals working. It helps to have two other T-5’s in the storage building to check original wiring. (I don’t like 356 electricals!). Ron plans to pick up his ’60 Cab the day of the party. Hopefully I will have it done. I should pick up Steve’s 356 from Blast Tech this week and drop off Peter’s Karman Coupe. However, I may hold them in the storage building for a few days as I need to repaint the shop floor.

Norm dropped off his ’54 Coupe which we will turn into a Carrera Pan America car. Right now it is just a shell on a dolly. I also keep getting calls for more 356’s to restore but am not making commitments. As I’ve said before, this is suppose to be fun for me. Looking ahead at a huge backlog is not fun.

Vintage Racing

We saw a lot of you at Steamboat. Thanks for dropping by. As you could tell, there is a lot of work to vintage racing and I didn’t have a lot of time to chat.

My 356 ran about tenth out of 29 historic cars in practice and qualifying but we finished fifth in Sunday’s feature race! We finished behind a Carrera Speedster and three big bore cars. (There is more to the story of this good finish, but you will have to ask me-timing and scoring may be listening!) This was the last race of the year for the Coyote. There is lots to do to get it ready for next year when I will drive. (I think I was smart having an experienced driver sort out the 356 this first year. What I’ve learned is I’m too competitive, now I know how to do this racing for fun.)

Directions

To get to 356RESTORE from the North, take I-25 to Lincoln and east to Parker Road; or 225 south to Parker Road. South on Parker Road to Hilltop (after Main Street). East on Hilltop 1 1/4 miles to Sunburst Trail. Right on Sunburst Trail (also the entrance to Butterfield subdivision) one mile to 8356 Sunburst Trail. From the South go north on I-25 to Lincoln or take Hwy 83 out of Colorado Springs, past Franktown, past the Pinery and east on Stroh Road to Sundown and then left onto Sunburst. If all else fails give us a call and we will give you directions.

Upcoming Events

A reminder that the RM356PC’s monthly meeting is the first Wednesday of the month. The Brittany Hill Resturant has put on a good food spread and the time spent sharing 356 stories is almost as good as driving. Plan to attend Oct. 1st.

Progress

Well I finished Bruce’s Conv-D. It is really pretty. Bruce gets a new windshield out of the deal. The 356 came back from the upholstery shop on a Friday night. The next morning I noticed the windshield was cracked. Since I knew they would have to remove the windshield to install posts for the tonneau cover I asked them to install a new lower windshield seal. The one on the car was not original and wouldn’t accept the lower windshield deco. Doing this work they must have cracked the windshield.

I called the upholstery shop first thing Monday. Ron was on vacation for a week. I was a little nervous as windshields are expensive (over $500). Anyhow, I called Ron a week later and he said yes they cracked the windshield and he would make it right. Tom Conway found a new windshield for me for $350. I installed it and Ron paid for it. However, I had difficulty with the lower seal. I had to build up the base with windshield caulk. It looks OK but something was not right to begin with. This was the third Conv-D/Roadster I’ve worked on with windshield problems.

Jack H almost has his SC Coupe back together but with only one day a week, it takes time. So at present, I spend one day assembling Ron’s Cabriolet and the next disassembling Peter’s Karmann Notchback. I want to get Peter’s 356 ready for media blasting so I can take it to Blast Tech when they finish blasting Steve’s Coupe. This 356 will just be metal work. Steve and a friend tried gas welding repairs and warped a lot of the metal. I’ll redo this work plus some other rust repair and Steve and his friend will do the finish, paint and reassembly.

Peter’s Notchback has never been disassembled. Usually this mean easy disassembly, however, it took me 3 1/2 hours to get gas out of the car. Since I don’t allow any gas in the shop, I ask owners to have little gas in the car when they bring it to the shop. Peter said since his gas gauge didn’t work, he was in the habit of topping off the tank whenever he took a trip. He said the tank might be full!

To drain the gas, I first close the petcock valve. Then remove the rear engine tray, disconnect the line at the fuel pump and connect a plastic host to a gas can. Then I jack up the front of the 356, turn on the petcock to reserve and watch the gas flow out. On Peter’s 356: nothing! Investigation shows a new electric fuel pump installed up front. No problem! I pull the hose to the fuel pump, turn the petcock and watch the fuel flow. It trickles out! So I start disassembly on the doors. Two hours later I only have five gallons. It’s obvious that the tank is clogged and the fuel pump was a solution. So I have to remove the Tank. I actually had to use a crow bar to pop it loose! With the tank out I pour out the gas and it is real dirty with lots of sediment. I’m sure the petcock filter screen is clogged but I can’t tell yet as it was rusted to the tank. I’ll have to push it in and shake it out of the tank.

Storage Building

It’s almost done! It’s painted and we are waiting on the custom sliding doors. Even without doors it now stores nine 356’s. With four in the garage and one in the shop that makes fourteen 356’s at 356RESTORE. Remember when I celebrated having eight 356’s and matching my address (8356 N. Sunburst Trail).

Vintage Races

The first vintage race at the new PPIR track was a huge success. Over 250 vintage race cars. We ran nine race groups. There were three small bore groups. My car was placed in one of the fast groups.

We ran without incident and improved our Saturday to Sunday time by over two seconds. We did discover the electric fuel pump was required when running the high banks. Most of this road course is on the banked oval. The next race is at Steamboat Springs on Labor Day weekend. Hope to see you there.

Speaking of Vintage Racing, Warren H will sell his E-Production Speedster. He has all the parts to return it to vintage racing specs (SCCA E-Production allows fiberglass fenders and other mods). I’ve checked around and this Speedster runs fast! Give me a call for Warren’s phone number if interested. He is thinking $30K and would like 356 trades – any condition.

New Work

Believe it or not, I had three calls last week for 356 restorations. These were folks referred to me by newsletter readers and previous customers. While I appreciate the endorsements, I’m trying to control the workload. I think I’m meeting all my commitments except for Susan’s 356 and Norm’s ’54 race car later this year. Then I have to get started on some of my own project cars. Plus there is a lot of work on the race car to make it more competitive for next year.

Events

Scotty V of Yellow Dog Racing also flys Hot Air Balloons. When he read my last newletter, he called and invited 356 folks to crew, chase and perhaps ride in his balloon at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. This will be October 11-12. Call Karen Lasch at (303) 688-2580 for more info.

The next RM356PC meeting is at the Brittany Hill restaurant in Thorton on Sept. 3rd. These meetings are a great time to share 356 news – great food too!

No Newsletter this month.

PROGRESS

We finished Les’s C Coupe within a week and he drove it home. The only surprise was that the rust from the front struts got up into the toe board area. Since we didn’t disassemble and blast the 356, I had the fun of laying on the seats under the dash and steering wheel, welding repairs in a very difficult spot. Lots of smell, smoke and limited visibility.

While waiting for Bruce’s Convertible D to come back from the upholstery shop, I finished Dr. Jack’s ’64 Sunroof Coupe. I spent at least two days adjusting the electric sunroof. If you don’t get it right you can scrape the paint of the sliding roof. The other problem is getting the sliding headliner panel to move without tearing the material. Anyhow, it’s done and it works. Sunroof 356’s are great as you get the benefit of an open car without the noise. I had a few electrical problems to solve on Dr. Jack’s 356, and you know how I love electrical problems. The 356 had been painted once before and the painter just cut all the wires to the lights, he then used butt connectors to join the wires. This can give problems. The proper solution is to solder and shrink wrap the connections. Anyhow after a few mixed connections, blown fuses and shorted out license light, we got everything electrical to work. Except for the starter. Fortunately I had a starter on the shelf. Within twenty minutes I had the old one out and the new one in. And the engine turned over.

As you read this I should have Dr. Jack’s 356 out of the shop tested with gas, started and driven. This was a fun car to work on as it had never been damaged or disassembled. Everything fit. I was also able to save most of the interior and carpet so this is a pretty original 356.

While finishing Dr. Jack’s 356, Jack H’s 356 came back from the paint shop. Allan, my new painter, gets better with each 356. This was his fourth and he did good. Jack H was quite happy with the paint job. He and his son will do most of the reassembly under my guidance. We should bring this in as a low budget restoration. It was a pretty straight 356 to start. Just rusty on the bottom and tired paint and interior.

Also back in the shop is Ron’s Cabriolet. It was painted in Cheyenne and the painter skimped on paint. We color sanded it and went down to primer in many spots. Plus the painter didn’t bother to sand the seams or fill the low spots. The reassembly of this 356 will be a challenge as we will try to use some coupe parts from Ron’s previous 356 which was totaled. I plan to install the interior and then let Ron decide on the exterior paint.

STORAGE BUILDING

If you count the cars, you will see I’m full up again. However, my storage building is coming along great. It should be roofed this weekend and the cement floor poured next weekend. Soon I will have all nine of my 356’s in one place. I plan to do a few customer 356’s this year but really want to finish some of my project cars. The storage building should hold ten 356’s or eight if I have the race car inside on a trailer. The new building will allow me to more easily schedule 356’s (and Barb and I can get our daily drivers in the garage.)

When we pour the floor for the storage building, I’m going to put in some pots. What are pots? The are cannisters with chain and rebar feet. They will be flush with the floor and when I need to pull on a car, I can just hook up to the chain in the pots. When I checked with Tom Conway on where to position the pots, he said about 10 ft. from each side of the 356. This will mean some car reshuffling when I use the pots.

PARTS

I will be going to La Junta to pick up a truck load of parts. These will be on consignment from a guy who has built a lot of 356 race cars (Yellow Dog Racing) and has lots of parts not needed for racing i.e. radios, mirrors, lights, etc. I’ll try to provide a list next month.

I’m doing quite a bit of parts business and have a good feel for what’s in demand. Unfortunately I don’t have a large invetory and quite often I have to say “I had some but sold them last month”. So if you need parts contact me. Lots of parts are NLA and many reproductions aren’t worth the high prices

EVENTS

The RM356 Porsche Club has an exciting event at Crested Butte on June 27-29. Contact Miles Christensen at (303) 690-9610 for details. The Vintage Racers will be at Second Creek on July 12th and 13th. This is a spectator event and also for charity. So please come out. There are usually a dozen 356’s racing and my race car will be there.

The Sports Car Show and Concour on June 8th was well attended and seems to get bigger every year. Unfortunately this year a funnel cloud was spotted and most of the cars left before the judging was announced. Barb and I were judges for this event and encourage you to enter these low key concours. You get good feed back on things that can improve your 356 and make it more valuable. Enter next year, it is for a good charity and fun to see all the different cars.

Of course for the Vintage Racing fans the big event every year is Steamboat on Labor Day weekend.

Start making plans!

SPAIN TRIP

We first heard about the International 356 event in Spain about nine months ago. I had fourteen business trips to Europe prior to my early retirement but regretted I never got to Spain or Portugal. Barb said let’s check into it, and we found a round trip air fare from Denver to Barcelona for $509. That sold us! We couldn’t afford not to go.

We received early info on the event and invited our friends, the Petitts. They were excited to go and Norm wanted to see if we could use a rental car in the driving events (more later). A few faxes back and forth i.e. driving the rental, black tie banquet and we were good to go.

We had a great time before and after the event but for the newsletter I’ll concentrate on the 356 action. This was a driving event. All the 356’s were driven to the event and came from all over Europe. Over 170 356’s attended from a dozen countries plus folks from Australia, South Africa and nine couples from the USA.

As I said, this was a driving event. Registration and welcome get together was Thursday afternoon/evening. Friday and Saturday were all day (0800-1900) on the roads. One day was dedicated to a photo rally (i.e. answer questions about pictures of things you will see on the rally) and tours of local historical interest.The other day was a track event and TSD rally. All the 356’s were divided into four groups. One would do the morning and afternoon of one day and another the afternoon and morning. The other two groups would do the second day first.

The two groups each day would join up for lunch. The groups were organized by language (and I think, politics).

All the driving was in a route book i.e. mileage (miles/km) to roadsign and direction of travel. I was not familiar with this type of route book and no instructions were provided. So on our first event, the photo rally, the navigator -me- got us lost on the third instruction. We were driving an Audi A-6. Actually, Norm did all the driving. I navigated and the senoras in the back seat kept us laughing and read to us from the guide books. After getting lost we found some 356’s from another group and decided to tag along. I said let’s follow that Twin Grille Roadster and did we have a drive! Marco owns the Roadster, has attended twenty international events and is a first class driver. We chased him through the hills of Spain. Narrow roads, steep drop offs, no traffic, aggressive speed, fantastic views and more fun than you are allowed to have. We just wished we had a 356 to drive (so do the senoras) During the lunch break we got to know Marco. It turns out he owns his own auto parts business and works closely with Brad Ripley of NLA. So the first day was driving and tours of two monasteries. While the tours were guided in French (because we were in the wrong group!), the organizers arranged a private tour for us in English. The monasteries were unbelievable in size and construction but I said I’d talk about 356’s.

The second day we skipped the TSD rally in the morning to attend to clothes washing and later tour plans. I heard the rally was really tough. In the afternoon we participated in the driving event at the Calafat Race track. This is a road course similar to Second Creek. Our group was divided into three sections (we are now back with our correct group of English speaking!) for the skid pad test, gimmick autocross and track event. The skid pad was an avoidance maneuver. While it was designed for 356’s, we had three passes in the Audi and thought we did OK. The gimmick auto cross was driving around cones (forward and reverse), entering and leaving a closely fenced “garage”, throwing darts and putting golf balls. Best time plus points off for touching cones/fence and points added for darts and putting. We didn’t knock over any cones but touched the fence in the “garage” however I got a bull’s eye in darts. The final event was around the race track. You got three timed laps. Consistent lap speed not top speed would win. But you didn’t know where on the track they were recording lap times. Norm decided to go as hard as the Audi could go.

We were pleasantly surprised at the awards banquet when we won first in the skid pad (ABS really works!), second on the track (Norm is a good driver) and third in the autocross (Kellogg’s bull’s eye). This was out of 170 356’s and a few other rentals.

THE 356’S

What surprised me was that out of the 170 356’s almost half, 67 were open cars. Mostly Cabriolets followed by Roadsters and about nine Speedsters. There were six Carreras (two with Super engines) and one 550 Spyder. The 550 had been driven in the Mille Migla the week before and was brought to the event by Bob Garetson of the USA. We followed the 550 on the track event (I’ve got some great VCR footage) and it must of inspired Norm to do so well.

I also noticed that the European 356’s are more “personalized” than USA 356’s. Almost all the factory and after market options were seen on the European 356’s. There were four sets of Rudge Knock off wheels and lots of steering wheels and mirror combinations. In general I found most of the European 356’s to be drivers (which they are) there were very few concours cars. The event was held at Salou which is a resort complex south of Barcelona. When the 356’s arrived at the hotel on Thursday a wash area was available and then the cars were parked on the promenade by the beach in front of the hotel. It was great to see so many 356’s all together. I had planned to get up early Sunday morning and take lots of pictures of individual 356’s but the “tourist two step” caught me and by the time I recovered most of the cars had left the promenade.

THE PEOPLE

I mentioned Marco, the Twin Grille Roadster driver. He pointed out a ’60 Roadster to me that was all original, even the Ruby Red paint. The 356 had been in the Stoddard collection for eighteen years, then Marco owned it prior to selling it to the present owner.

I also met Peter from Denmark. Peter runs a “Danish 356RESTORE”. He only restores 356’s and presently owns about thirty project cars. He has a great shop with plenty of storage, although his wife Mette says he does have a few in her garden. Peter buys cars in the USA, restores them and sells them. He has a mix of buyers including some collectors. He presently has a Carrea Speedster for sale. He showed me pictures; it’s a beautiful 356 restoration. We have invited Peter and Mette to visit us next year and hopefully attend Monterey. Peter has an interest in locating to the USA.

We also met Tom and Beverly from San Diego. They were on their honeymoon and included Salou in their travels. It turns out they are neighbors of John Jenkins! They encouraged us to attend the 356 Holiday in San Diego in October that John has planned.

There was not much time to interact with the European participants. Most of them stayed in country groups which did not seem to interact with other groups. Plus the long driving days did not leave much time to stand around and BS as we do at our Holidays.

PROGRESS

Back at 356RESTORE. Webb flew out from New York and picked up his ’64 Coupe. He had a few electrical problems on his drive back to Illinois where he will store the 356 until his son is 16. His son is now four!

Bruce’s Convertible D went to the upholstery shop and should be back in a month. Les’s C Coupe came in for jack spurs, longitudinal repair, front struts and closing panels. I hope to get this done this week as Ron’s car was painted in Cheyenne and is due back. Plus Jack’s ’64 Coupe should also be coming back from the paint shop and I need to schedule Peter’s Karman Notchback. For relaxation I’ll start assembly on Dr. Jack’s 356.

356’S FOR SALE

The Twin Grille Roadster that Roland restored and I evaluated for a California buyer did sell at a fair price in the forties. I sold the Shop ’57 Coupe for my asking price and a friend thinks he has a buyer for the Shop ’64 Cab. This friend likes to detail Porsches so he stores the Shop cars for me and makes them shine. Anything he can get over my asking price he keeps. I get contacted monthly about 356’s for sale and will mention them in the newsletter as space permits. Les needs to sell Herbie, (Dave Scott’s driver). Tom T wants to sell his project ’51 Coupe (I did the metal work). Dan in Texas has a beautifully restored ’63 Super 90 Coupe for sale and I believe Kent in Salt Lake City still has one of the most perfect SC Coupes I’ve ever seen for sale. I prefer not to mention last names or prices in the newletter so call for info. I also do not want to broker 356’s.

356 PARTS

In the past I ‘ve commented on the quality of 356 parts. Recently I’ve seen an improvement in aluminum decos but there are still problems with rubber seals. Also, more parts are becoming no longer available. I’ve mentioned the windshield problem. Now you can’t get T-6 interior lights. Motor mounts will no longer be available and I haven’t seen rubber strap hooks in years. I continue to get calls on 6 to 12 volt converters as people want to up grade their radios. I sold all my Radio Shack units. Does anyone have a source for 6 to 12 volt converters? You don’t have to spend big bucks for parts; many can be restored. One of my customers saved over $100 by cleaning and painting his emblems. He found a brass paint at Hobby Lobby that made his emblems look like original.

Vintage Racing

It was the coldest April 12th in 100 years. Why were Bill and I preparing my 356 Race Car for the track in such cold weather? Well, it was the first Vintage race event of the season and we wanted to see how the Coyote would perform.

The 356 Coyote did quite well, it ran about third fastest in its group and was quite stable. So we will run a few Vintage races this year. Bill will drive and I will act the proud owner. Next year when I reduce my 356 restoration workload maybe I will drive.

Parts

356RESTORE recently bought some of the best new and used 356 parts from a local restoration shop leaving the business. I haven’t had time to inventory all my 356 parts but call with your needs. How about the hard to find big black voltage regulator. I’ve got three all checked out or how about Speedster head light grilles, or horns, radios, reflectors or wooden steering wheels. 356RESTORE has lots of parts. Until I get them organized it may be best to drop by during Saturday Open Shop. I expect a pickup load of body and interior parts to come up from Texas in June. These will be on consignment so we will have plenty of parts for sale.

356 Adventures

A subsidiary of 356RESTORE is 356ADVENTURES. I use this term whenever we do something exciting with 356 Porsches. Like driving a horse trailer into the mountains to pick up my race car. Or going to Spain for the International 356 Meeting. The Kelloggs and Petitts will be participating in the XXII Encuentro Internacional Porsche 356 at Salou, Spain May 8-11, 1997. As a result this newsletter will be late next month. But the 356 news from Europe should be great!

Tech Tips

I had to drill a 15/16″ hole in the cowl of the race car for an electric kill switch. In the past to drill large holes I would use the plasma cutter and then hand file the edges. But this was a painted car so I went looking for a metal hole cutter. I found one for $19 but CBTIA (Cheap Bastard That I Am) I decided to try a $2 wood spade bit. It worked perfect! You probably can only use it once but how often are you going to use the $19 metal cutter?

I was putting in the glove box in Webb’s ’64 Coupe. On C cars the strap is offset and it is tough to get the angle of the long screw to the strap nut. In the past I used an icepick to get an idea of the angle. This time I thought why are the screws so long? Sure enough, if you just catch a few threads on the upper screw you can push back the bottom of the glove box to see the lower screw match up with the lower strap nut.

I have lots of old rubber tunnel and floor mats which are usable but ripped. In the past I tried to repair the rip with super glue. It didn’t work. This time I nailed the rubber to my workbench using brads. Good side down with the joint of the rip tight. I then cut a patch from an inner tube, rough sanded the patch and mat, cleaned with 3M Adhesive Remover and glued the patch to the mat with 5 minute 2 part epoxy glue. Works great! I’ve restored a lot of ripped rubber using this technique. (I mentioned 3M Adhesive Remover Part No.08984 in past newsletters. It’s my favorite cleaner. I got a copy of my newsletter back from a 3M vice president thanking me for the endorsement. This was nice but a case of the product would have been nicer.)

I also mentioned Eastwood as a supplier of quality restoration tools and supplies. While I don’t buy a lot from them I did get my buffing system from them. However, a month later they advertised the same system for $30 less. CBTIA, I called and no problem, they gave me a $30 refund.

Progress

Almost all my effort this month has been finishing Webb’s ’64 Coupe. Webb is the original owner and will fly out next week from New York to drive this fresh 356 restoration back east. It’s now in Ivory paint with saddle leather interior and tan carpet (last item to install). It is very pretty and I hope he will be happy with it.

We also got the Aquamarine paint on Bruce’s Convertible D rubbed out and he came by to check it out. He seemed pleased; it will be another pretty car. After Webb picks up his 356 we will finish Bruce’s and get it to the upholstery shop for a new top and toneau cover. Then we will finish the assembly on Dr. Jack’s ’64 Sunroof Coupe. By then Jack H’s ’64 Coupe should be back from the paint shop. In between we will work on the race car, fix the carbs and detail the Shop’64 Cab, detail the Shop ’57 Coupe, arrange parts storage and contract for the new storage building and go to Spain. Looks like 356ADVENTURES is doing a takeover of 356RESTORE.

A buyer in CA asked me to check out Roland’s Twin Grille Roadster. Since I have knowledge about these rare 356’s it was a fun evaluation. Roland did a great job on the restoration and I gave it a strong recommendation. Roland has owned 356’s since the ’60’s and really enjoys them.

Activities

RM356PC has a Men’s Cookoff on April 27th in Greeley and a Fun Rally on May 17th starting at 356RESTORE. Don’t forget to register for the United Cerebral Palsy Concours on June 8th at Arapahoe Community College.

It is Spring – tune them up and drive!

Tech Tip

Let’s start out this month with a Tech Tip! I recently had to paint the wheels for Dr Jack’s ’64 Sunroof Coupe and Bruce’s ’59 Convertible D. Bruce’s were easy since he was going to replace the tires. But for Dr Jack’s I wanted to leave the tire on the wheel. The first step is to have the wheels sand blasted. This can be done with the tire on or off the wheel. Sand just bounces off rubber and does no damage. Cost is about $10 per wheel.

With the wheel blasted and the tire still mounted, the problem is to mask off the tire to prime and paint the wheel. You have to be able to paint between the tire bead and wheel rim. In the past I had spent hours using 1″ masking tape and fitting it under the wheel rim. I had seen ads for plastic and tin covers that would protect the tire, in fact I tried to make one out of poster board but I couldn’t fit it under the rim.

My solution was to use 2″ masking tape and place it over the rim and tire in an octagon fashion. I would leave about one half inch on the tire and the rest overhanging the rim. Then I cut the tape inside the rim. Next I pulled back the tape and let it fall on the bead between the tire and rim. Works great and takes about one fourth the time of other masking techniques.

Now that Spring is almost here, you might want to paint your wheels. With the wheels blasted and masked off, apply a good metal primer. I prefer two part epoxy primer but this is expensive in small quantities. So try a good spray can primer and use multiple coats. When dry use a bright silver spray can paint. I’ve tried silver, steel and aluminum colors but bright silver works best because when you spray the final coat of clear, the silver dulls to the original finish. Make sure you use a clear finish compatible with your bright silver paint (i.e. the same brand). If you don’t spray clear over your metallic paint the metallic will rub off when you wash the wheel.

(This happened to me at my one and only concours. The judge ran his finger over my freshly painted wheel and showed me the paint rubbed off The engine judge found grease behind the engine shroud and put his grease finger prints on the score sheet. Now you know why I don’t enter concours.)

Progress

Dr Jack’s ’64 Sunroof Coupe is all assembled except for exterior pieces. I’m waiting on the painter to do the final color sanding and buff out. Bruce’s Convertible D is in the same situation. I’ve started assembly on Web’s ’64 Coupe. Web’s 356 is getting priority as he will fly out from New York late next month to drive the car back. Jack H’s 356 has gone to the painter and should be back next month. Jack and his son will do most of the reassembly under my guidance.

The Shop ’64 SC Cabriolet is getting some final detailing and then I will contact those that have expressed an interest to see if they want to buy it. I will be asking $28,000. I’ve been driving it and it really does have SC performance. Don’t forget I also have the Shop ’57 Coupe for sale at $14,000.

Vintage Racing

Within the next few weeks I hope to pick up the 356 race car I bought last year. I plan to have it race prepped and checked out at the RMVR driver school in April. I’ve decided not to race it myself this year – maybe next year. I will loan the race car to friends and customers licensed for vintage racing.

Late last month, Barb and I flew to Phoenix for the Vintage Races (races for me, shopping for Barb). They had over 200 vintage racers and the races were fun and safe. We had quite a few Colorado folks attend the event. I spent a lot of time studying a Birdcage Masserati. It’s amazing what they did with lots and lots of half inch square tubeing. I was impressed with the thousands of welds. I also checked out a friend’s sports racer and found a cracked critical weld in the suspension. I probably saved him some grief.

New Business

This newsletter continues to get good reviews and generate new business. (Do I need more work? I’m suppose to be retired!) I checked out two more 356’s last month and will probably do them later this year. Both owners found me through the newsletter passed on by friends. One of the 356’s has the whole rear hinged to provide engine access. I think I may know who did this many years ago. Fortunately I have access to a 356 with major front end damage but a virgin rear end (no comments!). So we will do a complete rear clip from the lockpost back.

Events

If you get this in time, the RM356PC is having a brunch at the Brittany Hill restaurant on March 16th at 10:00AM cost is $20. In April the RM356PC will have a cookoff (Beginnings and Endings – appetizers and desserts) and in May there will be a rally.

Also in May is the International 356 Meeting in Salou, Spain. The Kelloggs and Petitts will be there. We’ll take the camcorder and hopefully will have some “Kodak moments” to share on return.

The Porsche Club Charity Concours will be June 8th at the Arapahoe Community College.

RMVR will have two spectator events of interest. One at Second Creek Raceway July 12 and 13th. The other at the new Pikes Peak International Raceway on August 2nd and 3rd.

Progress

Well, even with our winter vacation in Hawaii (our first in two years), we still made some progress.

The Shop ’64 Cabriolet was tuned up in Boulder and driven to Parker. Dr. Jack’s ’64 Sunroof Coupe was painted by a new painter and delivered on schedule. Webb’s ’64 Coupe went to the new painter and Ryan picked up Jack H’s ’64 Coupe to paint. And Bruce’s Covertible D was painted by Ryan and looks great in its new Aquamarine Metallic color.

I knew Ron in Boulder would be visiting a friend in Parker and asked if he could drive the Shop ’64 Cab down Friday night. I would then drive him back to Boulder on Saturday for the tech session he would present. He agreed and had a 356 adventure. First I forgot I hadn’t installed the seat belts. So Ron and his young son were sliding around on the new leather seats. Then when Ron turned on the heater, all the fine blasting material blew out the heat/defrost vents. Over 60 mph the center soft top latch would pop and the new driver side door receiver broke. So there was Ron trying to hold his son, the top, the door and dust blowing all around. A real 356 adventure. Ron made it with no additional problems and gave me a good critique on the Cab’s first drive in eight years. He said it drove great with just a few minor problems for me to debug. Ryan has already picked up the Cab’s doors and lids for a repaint as the initial match wasn’t that good. I hope to have the Cab done by month’s end and then put on a few miles to seat the rebuilt engine before selling it.

Dr. Jack’s ’64 Sunroof Coupe has been a real joy to reassemble. Since the 356 was all original I’m restoring almost every part -carpet, interior, rubber. This means things go together without trimming, drilling or modifying. I did replace the headliner and this was my first sunroof headliner although I have done a dozen coupe headliners. It was a little tricky as I know how critical it is to get the sunroof opening glued down smooth. If not, the sliding panel will hang up or worse scratch the paint. I did a good job. After the headliner, I got most of the interior done and will hold up on the rest until we rub out the paint. Then it is engine installation and test drive.

Webb’s ’64 Coupe should be back from the painters in a few weeks and then it is reassembly and test drive. I didn’t have to pull the engine for this restoration. I promised Webb the 356 will be done in late April. He will fly out from New York and drive the 356 back to Michigan. Webb is the original owner and will be presenting the 356 to his son.

Jack H’s ’64 Coupe which really looked rough with its paint peeling and rust actually turned out to be the straightest 356 of the three ’64 Coupes. It had minor damage to the left front and left rear and minor exterior rust. It took only five days for the metal repair and finish and paint should be easy.

Bruce’s Convertible D got hung up in the paint booth while Ryan finished his college degree. Ryan knew the pressure was on and did a great job. The 356 is beautiful! I’m sure glad Bruce did a color change from red, there are too many red 356 Porsches and many original colors to choose from. Aquamarine Metallic is a beautiful color and we are going to do some trick things with this 356.

So I am in the reassembly mode – Dr. Jack’s, Webb’s, Jack H’s and Bruce’s. But this is the part of 356 Restoration I enjoy the most. The time it takes to properly reassemble a 356 is lengthy but the time goes fast. I have never made money on reassembly but the knowledge gained and enjoyment makes up for the loss. If I charged actual time for reassembly, I probably wouldn’t get many 356’s to restore.

Tech Tip

Last month I mentioned that shock absorber replacement could be a simple job or a hard job. Here’s why. But first, I’m often asked what shocks to buy. Both Koni and Boge were original equipment and are available today (although not exactly reproductions). The advantage with Konis are they are adjustable. However, I know very few owners that adjust their Konis during the year. Since Konis are about $100 each and Boges $75 each I recommend Boges. The front shocks lower mount should have a castle nut and cotter pin. Be sure to remove the pin completely before removing the nut. It is smart to mark the pin holes in the bolt with the edge of a file to make reassembly easier. Before removing the shocks, reduce the load by using a floor jack to compress the shock. Be careful of the backing plates. Use wooden blocks. With the top of the shock detached the problem can occur at the bottom. The metal eye tube can be rusted to the bottom support. Prying the shock off will cause the rubber shock doughnut to separate from the eye tube. To get the tube off the support will require heat or liquid wrench or a pipe wrench or a grinder, or combinations.

If you are scrapping the old shocks this problem is not a big deal. If you are trying to save the shocks you will have to get a new metal tube and fit it into the rubber doughnut using silicone and lots of patience.

Mille Miglia

Over 800 vintage card applied to enter the 1997 Mille Miglia. Only 350 can start. Klaus’ 1952 356 was not accepted, so the co-driver slot is not available. Klaus say next year he may to enter a Ferrari.

No Newsletter this month – went on vacation!