Progress
We finished all the metal work on the Shop ’56 Speedster. Then it was paint, caulk and undercoat the bottom. I waited till we had it down on the tires to set the door seams. But the cross bracing worked and there wasn’t much work to get the seams even. We use a paint stir stick to measure the door seams; after paint you get a factory clearance.
While this is a shop car, it will be a complete restoration with original white paint and black interior/top. It will probably sell in the 35-45 thousand area. I’ve had folks express interest but am not taking names. I was embarrassed on the ’58 Cabriolet by the confusion on who was the first to say they wanted it. For the Speedster, when I’m done, I’ll set a price based on how I feel about it, then I will sell it.
Cal’s Speedster is back from Autoweave and we installed the windshield and the dual brake master cylinder. Next is to secure the seats, check out the electrics and since Cal doesn’t have his engine ready I’ll install mine so he can get in a little fall driving. After all it’s been twenty years!
Cal’s Speedster is a Pre-A and had a 1500 badge on the rear. His was really faded from gold to almost bare metal. Nobody sells a 1500 badge but one of my customers said he was at an antique show and a guy had a machine that would gold plate badges. He saw it done on a Cadillac in the parking lot! I gave him the 1500 badge, he sent it to the guy and we got it back in perfect gold plate for $10! (Happy 70th Cal, from Bob and Jim).
About a year ago I took about 40 various Porsche badges and painted them gold. I sold them for $1 – $5 at a swap meet. I figured folks could use them for wall decorations as with the paint they wouldn’t work on a 356. We sold them all and now I discover the $10 badge plating special.
The New Jersey Speedster will be back from the painter in a few weeks and it will be reassembly time. I am going to delay work on the Shop ’64 Cabriolet as it is a huge metal work job. Instead we will start on the Vail ’64 Coupe which has been wanting work for ten months. I said I was slowing down customer work! However, the vintage racing 356 Fireball Coupe is here and we will do some door and quarter panel repair before the blistered Coupe gets a repaint.
Norm’s ’54 Race car went to Bill’s for electrical wiring and we hope to have it ready for the October Pueblo race. (It has only been two years as a part time project in my shop!)
Vintage Racing
Speaking of vintage racing, the 356RESTORE race car did well at Second Creek races with Bill and Jen driving. However, we had just put on a deep sump and they had just repaved the track. Jen put two wheels off in turn three and scraped the bottom. She told me but I didn’t think to check the sump. When Bill took it out he lost a sump stud and dumped oil. We don’t think we hurt the engine as there was still some oil in the engine and filter. Now it’s helicoil the sump and fabricate a skid plate.
Japan
One of my customers is finishing a long 356 restoration project and had some left over parts. He put some on the Internet auction site (E-Bay) and sold a few parts. One part was a 356 oil canister which was bid up to $101 and went to a guy in Japan (he paid $35 shipping). When Steve told me this, I said I had seven oil canisters on the shelf and had only sold one in the last 10 years. We took a digital photograph and E-mailed to the guy in Japan. I said I would sell them for $75 each plus shipping. The guy in Japan immediately responded with his Mastercard number and said he would buy them all! His e-mail concluded “I will become number one collector of oil can in Japan!!”
Since then I’ve checked with other vintage racers and because we use various oil cooling systems with remote filters on the 356 race cars I can probably find another 20 oil canister for the guy in Japan. Then he can be the number one oil can collector in the world! Proceed to the bow of the Titanic, Toshiyuki!
Upcoming Events
Labor Day at Steamboat Springs is gone but RMVR and the BMW Club will be racing at PPIR September 3rd, 4th and 5th. PPIR is halfway between Colorado Springs and Pueblo, right off I-25.
There will be Balloon Launches in the mornings, art shows, concours and of course plenty of racing.
The Rocky Mountain 356 Porsche Club has a tour to Estes Park on September 11th, contact Chuck Fishback at (303) 466-0157. The big event this year is the West Coast Holiday in Sedona, AZ, September 30 to October 3. This may have been sold out but contact Mike Wroughton at (602) 362-8356 for information.
RMVR will have a race at Pueblo Oct 16-17, contact me for details.
RM356PC has been awarded the West Coast Holiday for 2000. It will be called the Drive of the Millennium in Durango CO July 5-9, 2000. Details to follow.