Tech Tip

Let’s start out with a Tech Tip. Over the years I’ve followed numerous articles and discussions on six to twelve volt conversions. My conclusion after all this input is there is nothing wrong with six volts. The folks that want to go to twelve volts want better lights and quicker starting.

If you clean all your grounds on a six volt 356 you will notice a significant improvement. After all, we are talking about 40-50 year old connections. Start in the front. Check your main battery connection. Take off the terminal; do you have bright, shinny copper? Probably not; clean or cut back to good wire. Maybe buy a new terminal. Next check the ground strap connections. Remove it and get shinny metal to metal connection.

Now under your 356 check the ground strap between the chassis and transmission; again good metal to metal contact. Next go to each corner of your lights; there will be a ground wire or strap to each light. Clean to shinny metal. Now for the headlights; the socket and headlight wires are probably tired. Buy a new pigtail from the vendors. Again, in front the ground is common to the horns.

Now at the starter, buy a relay kit from Joe Leoni. This will divert current from your ignition key, saving its life (they are expensive to replace) and use a relay to trigger the starter. Joe’s kit solves a lot of hard starting problems. Also, Joe has a headlight relay kit; get this as it solves the problem of running current through your headlight switch and will prolong its life.

Time Out!

In my opinion Joe Leoni has made a significant contribution to the 356 owners restoration and maintenance efforts. Before Joe all we had was black and white wiring diagrams from the owners manual. Now we have full color wiring diagrams and relay kits that improve performance and save us money. Joe ranks right up there with Vic Skirmants, Brett Johnson and Harry Pellow. Contact Joe at (303) 431-5764.

Shop Work

We knew some parts doors were coming in and decided to scrap a bundle of doors we had for years. All could be repaired but probably would take more effort than they were worth. We had twenty four doors and decided to scrap fourteen. So BJ and I were off to the scrap metal place. Pulled on to the scales, waited for the green light, then back to the yard to unload the doors plus lots of other scrap. On the way back to the scales BJ said “Want me to get out?” I said “No, lets do it right.” So we weighed again and went inside for payment. We had dropped off 560 pounds of metal and received $5.60. So I told BJ “you are only worth $2.30.”

Progress

We are out of sync. Normally, I like to have a 356 ready for metal work, one at the painters and one being put back together. Right now, we have three ready for paint and one ready to be reassembled.

The Shop ’56 Sunroof Coupe is at the painters. The Shop ’64 Coupe is ready for paint. The Shop ’61 Roadster will be ready for paint as soon as we finish the brakes and detail the transmission.

I’ve indicated that we will do the Roadster as a show car. This means instead of just cleaning the front end in a day or two we disassemble everything, clean and paint to original specs. Even down to painting the ZF logo on the steering box with red paint and polishing the zerks on the suspension. We even found a NOS steering dampener with the original Porsche decals. So, we spent almost two weeks on the front end for a show car.

While I work on the Roadster, BJ is restoring parts for the ’56 Sunroof Coupe, ’64 Coupe and ’61 Roadster. So, shortly we will be reassembling three 356’s. Then hopefully, back to the routine. We want to put a new floor pan in the Carrera Coupe and restore it back to original specifications. Do some maintenance on Barb’s Twin Grille Roadster and my ’63 Coupe. Put the engine back in the ’58 Race car and start on the ’52 Race car. We also need to finish the Shop Speedster as we have had a lot of interest in it. During this period we also want to get parts ready for the big L.A. Swap Meet in February; remodel the downstairs storage area and put a ceiling on the shop area. So lots to do, but still having fun.

Harbor Freight

Harbor Freight sells good tools cheap. (Not great tools but useable tools.) They have a store in Denver on Alameda near 225. We like their car dollies as they are great for moving 356’s as well as great storage mounts for 356 engines. We also like the price of their tools, particularly those tools we don’t intend to keep for a lifetime. While most of their tools are made in China they are very inexpensive but serviceable for the occasional user. So if you get this before Christmas you can always find a 356 gift at Harbor Freight.

Other Christmas gifts might include a turkey baster to remove oil from the oil canister. Or a good tire gauge (26 front, 28 rear) or a good Carnuba Wax or some jack stands ($10 at Checkers), any McGuires products or just a note “Thanks for keeping the 356 Faith”

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and God Bless America.

Progress

Good progress this month. The Shop ’56 Sunroof Coupe was sent to the painter for a new coat of Aquamarine Blue. Les finished the rebuild on the engine for this 356. He said “it’s a happy motor!” So this shop project should be for sale next year.

BJ is doing the metal work on the Shop ’64 Coupe. So far it has received a new front floor, partial threshold and rocker and front closing panel repair. Battery box floor, jack spurs, longitudinal repair and rear closing panels are next. We will repaint this Coupe the original Irish Green. It will have a black interior.

I’ve been working on the Shop ’61 Roadster. I’ve decided to do this 356 as a show car. I usually do driver level restorations as show level takes a lot longer and you have to start with an almost perfect 356. Well, this Roadster had no collision damage and only minor rust. The original floor pan and longitudinals are intact. We will have to repair the battery box floor.

We got this 356 from the second owner who started it as a project twenty two years ago and never got going on it. We think this is a low mileage 356 (the odometer reads 66,025) as the door stops are hardly worn.. We will repaint this 356 the original Aetna Blue (a very attractive color for a Roadster) and save the finish on the front, rear and interior compartments. I did not have these areas blasted as there was no damage and they are original. The seats, panels and dash were red. While I think this is too much color for a blue Roadster, I may keep it original, although tan would be nice.

The engine was rebuilt five years ago by Appleton and I have the work order and receipts. This 356 was complete except for the windshield. It even has two of the very rare “Porsche” wrenches in the tool kit.

This Roadster was built by D’Iteren and has the rare aluminum windshield frame (Barb’s Twin Grille Roadster also has an aluminum frame). Most other Roadsters and Convertible D windshield frames were pot metal or brass.

Since the local chrome shop doesn’t do aluminum I sent these pieces to Paul’s Plating back East. Check out Paulschrome.com for some very informative pictures of the plating process. The section on environmental protection is especially informative and helps to explain why chrome plating is so expensive.

When I took all the other chrome parts to the local shop, it turned out the rear bumper guards were also aluminum. The front bumper guard and all four top caps were pot metal. I checked Dr Brett Johnson’s book on 356 authenticity and it said that Carreras had aluminum bumper guards and they sometimes got on other 356’s. However, the Carrera used the front bumper guards on the rear and they had no exhaust hole. The ones from the Shop ’61 Roadster had the exhaust hole! Another 356 mystery!

Other 356 Mysteries

While the 356 was made by hand-or as Joe Leoni says “made by whatever was handy” this led to many mysteries that are still being uncovered. I have probably looked at over fifty ID plates; the ones that cover the door hinges. They are all aluminum and the last three digits of the 356’s serial number are stamped horizontally on the bottom backside of each plate. I recently saw an ID plate with the serial number stamped vertically. Also I have probably looked at over a hundred rear deck lids. On the A-B-C cars the serial number is in the upper right corner of the center section of the deck lid. Recently I saw the numbers stamped in the upper left corner.

On Barb’s Roadster the serial number was stamped on the gas filler hinge. I showed this to Brett Johnson years ago; he had never seen this. A local owner has some unique tabs welded to the floor under the seats. Another mystery! Since Porsche used three different body builders to manufacture their chassis it can explain some of these mysteries but finding them is what makes 356 restoration so exciting.

A New Owner

I got a call a few weeks back from a guy in New York. He wanted to know about the 356 restoration process and costs. I explained this to him and asked about his 356. He said that for the last three years his son who is now fourteen had noticed a 356 stored outside under a tarp in their neighborhood. He told his Dad they should get it. His Dad said go negotiate with the owner and let me know what you find out and then we will decide. The kid goes, comes back and says we got the 356. His Dad says well how much? The kid says the owner said if I wanted it that bad he would give it to me.

Well, Dad and son have a major project as the 356 had been stored outside in New York under a tarp for twenty five years!

Address Correction

If you move and still want to receive this newsletter please send me your new address. The Post Office charges sixty cents for each address correction. Also, if you can receive this newsletter via E-mail let me know at Twingril62@aol.com. We have over thirty E-mail distributions at present and would like to increase this to keep cost down. You will get an E-mail each month with the latest newsletter. Present distribution of this newsletter is 310 with a cost of $110 a month.

Party

Thanks to all that attended Porsches and Pastries. We had forty-five 356s here for “Drive Your 356 Day” and over 100 guests. Jen made 650 individual pastries and only 30 were left at party’s end. So we know you enjoyed the pastries and you must have enjoyed the Porsches, as one changed hands.

Progress

Most of the time was spent getting the shop ’60 Coupe ready for sale. This was bought by the wife of the previous owner as a surprise birthday present for her husband. They were reading this newsletter when he said he sure missed his 356 which he had sold to me last year. Surprise, surprise, you got it back!

With the ’60 sold and Miles’ Cab off to the painter for finish body work, it was musical cars. The Shop ’64 was moved down to the shop and the Topeka chassis picked up at Bill’s and put in the storage building. My ’63 Coupe also went into the storage building, so now all the 356s are under cover.

We pulled some remaining parts off the Topeka chassis and will probably have it blasted and cut off the clips. The alternative is to sell it for a race car. We were able to salvage the steering wheel and column, gas tank, steering box, and lots of small parts that can be restored. These will go to the L.A. swap meet scheduled for February 10, 2002.

We finished the interior and bottom paint, caulk, and undercoat on the ’60 Cabriolet (which BJ calls Frankenstein) and started dry fitting parts. We had most of the parts on the shelves. I was quite happy that the Cabriolet door parts fit on the Coupe door that I modified. I don’t know if this had ever been done, but now I know it can be. I thought it was possible as the Pre-A Coupe and Cabriolet doors were the same. The major modification is to pull the Coupe door skin out at the rear to match the Cabriolet fender curve.

We purchased some welding blankets from Harbor Freight and they do a good job of protecting the new shop floor. We plan to install a ceiling in the shop, but have to wait until the upstairs kitchen remodel is done.

Plans are to send Frankenstein to the painter, start metal work on the ’64 Coupe, prepare the Shop ’56 Sunroof Coupe for paint (I’m thinking Aquamarine Blue) and get the Shop ’61 Roadster ready for blasting. Also need to finish the Shop ’56 Speedster.

Tech Tip

To really get your 356 glass clean, use super fine steel wool with your favorite glass cleaner. Does a great job. When dry, treat with Rain-X, which really fills in those small chips.

Reality Check

Our 356s are 35 to 50 years old. Many shops that serviced and restored these cars have gone out of business, and those in business no longer have the skills or knowledge to work on them. Parts are also a problem. Many replacement parts do not work, rebuild kits are incomplete, reproduction parts do not fit.

Here are some recommendations. Learn how to do your own service. Buy and read your Owners Manual. The Owners Manual makes recommendations based on mileage. but if you are not putting many miles on your 356, go by time. At the start of the driving season, change your oil and filter. At the end of the driving season, change your oil and filter. Bleed your brakes at least once a year. Know how to set your valves. Lubricate your 356 per the Owners Manual.

Check and replace as necessary your fuel lines. Don’t forget the ones under the tank and in the tunnel!

If you don’t know how to do these procedures, buy a copy of the “Technical and Restoration Guide”. Check the 356REGISTRY.ORG web site for vendors. This guide is a collection of all the technical articles written in the 356REGISTRY for the last twenty years.

For parts, continue to get them from the knowledgeable vendors like Stoddard, NLA, International Mercantile, and Autos International. I no longer recommend Tweeks. (As a side note, I got a call from a shop in Wyoming. They were trying to put a windshield in a ’54 Coupe. They knew how to do it but had failed five times. I told them it was probably the seal and to order the correct one from International Mercantile. They did, and were nice enough to call back and say the new seal worked perfect.)

Patronize the vendors that advertise in the 356REGISTRY. These are knowledgeable people that support our interest in these great cars.

Start building up your spares inventory. If you are pleased with a replacement part or repair kit, buy another as a spare. Many parts are going NLA – No Longer Available.

One of the amazing things about the Porsche 356 is that they can still perform even though neglected. I have plenty of stories of neglected 356s that still drive great, but their value has diminished and something serious is about to happen. You have to drive your 356 and listen to it. it will tell you when something is not right. Note – I write the above sermon because I have learned that two of the best 356 mechanics that I depend on are either curtailing their work or moving on. I am going to have to spend more time on mechanical issues. This is why we say, “Keep the 356 Faith”.

Road Trip

One of the readers of this Newsletter saw that I needed 356 A parts. He e-mailed and said he has some left over from his restoration project. He also knew of a ’64 C chassis for sale at $200. It also had disc brakes parts. I called and asked how much did the owner want for the disc brakes. The answer was $200 for both the chassis and disc brakes.

So I’m off to Topeka! The tranny was out of the 356 so I loaded up my rear end dolly (no comments!); hooked up the trailer and drove east on I-70 to exit 356 (no kidding). The next morning I drove to Robert’s house and picked through plenty of parts. Next, was to pick up the ’64 chassis. It was located in the small back yard of a small house on a busy street. The gate was too narrow for my trailer and worse yet the rear trailing arms had been cut in half and there was no way to attach my dolly.

But Robert had a drill and some sharp bits and was able to attach the dolly while I fit wheels to the front hubs. After we jacked it off the railroad tie and truck tire underneath, the 356 rolled easily out the gate and on to the trailer. Another eight hours and I was home.

When these deals pop up you have to jump at them. The chassis is in above average shape and still had a few parts. The steering wheel and gas tank were there and of course the brakes. This was a good deal and the 356 will probably be a future vintage racer.

Another Shop Car

No sooner did I get back than I got a call from the owner of a ’61 Roadster that I had looked at six months ago. I had made a fair offer considering he had $5,000 into an Appleton rebuilt engine. But I never heard back. Now he calls and needs some money for a business deal. Is my offer still good? Yes, I say but I’m filled up with 356’s and can’t come get it for over a week. No problem he says, I’ll bring it down tomorrow. The ’61 Roadster is complete including two of the rare Porsche wrenches in the tool kit. Only one longitudinal, jack spurs, partial battery floor and closing panel repair is needed.

The problem is the ’64 Shop car is due back from Blast Tech and the Shop ’60 Coupe is due back from the paint shop. This means I will have fifteen 356’s here and I only have room for thirteen if Barb and I don’t park our cars outside.

So BJ and I have to make room in the storage building by discarding about fifty old tires (they are not safe after 20-30 years-but we saved a few good period tires as spares.) Then we moved stuff around and made room for the Shop ’64. We left the Topeka chassis on the trailer at Bill’s-Thanks Bill!

So the net is, we are full of 356’s and will not be accepting any new work until next summer. Unless someone buys the ’56 Speedster and the ’60 Coupe.

Winter Projects

In addition to 356’s to restore we also have a lot of small restoration projects. If anyone out there has time this winter I could use some help on parts restoration. I would pay a fair piece work price. The projects are:

l. Rebuild and test about twenty fuel petcocks.

2. Rebuild and test a dozen master cylinders.

3. Clean and polish numerous pieces of aluminum trim.

4. Rebuild and test about a dozen fuel pumps.

5. Rebuild about a dozen Zenith carbs (I would like experience on these.)

I would provide repair kits and training; you provide the labor. Call if interested.

Vintage Racing

You know how I enjoy vintage racing and particularly watching 356’s beat 911’s! Well, RMVR had a race at Second Creek and they were going to run it backward. While I was interested I had other weekend projects. But BJ called from the track where he was working corners and said Mike Wilfey was running his Speedster in the big bore class and was killing the 911’s, Corvettes and Camaros. His nemesis was Chip Hanes in the Mustang 350.

So I got out there Sunday morning; Mike had qualified fourth but in the first race was able to pass two Camaros and finished second to Chip in the Mustang.

For the second race Mike asked Chip for a faster start so he could get his revs up for the long straight. Chip obliged and it was Chip into the first turn but then Mike passed! And then it was Chip passing on the straights and Mike in the turns. At least twenty times! The last turn and Mike braked late, got underneath Chip and a drag race to the finish. Mike won by two feet! God, I love it when a 356 beats the big boys.

Progress

BJ made progress on Frankenstein and it is just about ready for paint. I will recommend to Keith that we find and dry fit all the missing parts prior to paint. When a 356 needs parts from other cars this is best. Other shop work was delayed as we cleaned the shop and put down a new black/white tile floor. My shop floor did not have a moisture barrier underneath and we have had paint problems over the years. The new checkered flag pattern looks great. Hope it holds up under the cutting, welding and grinding.

Hope you all drove your 356 on Sept 16. That was designated as “Drive your 356 Day”

Porsches and Pastries

Jen is game so it’s on again this year! Sunday, September 16th at Kellogg’s. This is also the worldwide Drive Your 356 Day in honor of Dr. Porsche. So plan to attend, enjoy the food, 356’s and good folks. Time is from 11 AM to 3 PM. Call for directions if you don’t know the way.

Lime Rock

The Porsche Rennsport Reunion was a great event! BJ and I count it as the high point of our Porsche experience.

Since we have been back, people ask how it compared to Monterey 1998. That’s a tough comparison; 1998 was Porsches 50th Anniversary. The factory sent over a lot of cars from the museum and there was a West Coast Holiday, Laguna Seca Races and the Pebble Beach Concours.

Lime Rock was all Porsches and all racing. The venue at Lime Rock was fantastic! Close to 200 Porsches of almost every racing model 356, 550, 906, 907, 908, 910, 917, 911, 914, 966, 935, 962, RSK, GT3-RS and others. The weather was great, hospitality exceptional and the sights unbelievable.

So how did 1998 Monterey and Lime Rock compare. I would say equal. 1998 was exceptional because we had close to 400 356’s at the Holiday. Lime Rock was exceptional because we had all of the Porsches racing machinery on the track in competition or exhibition.

Jacky Icky was there driving the Porsche Formula 2 car. Elliot Forbes-Robinson in a 910, Hurley Haywood in a 917/10. Milt Minter in a 935. Paul Newman in a 914, Chad McQueen (Steve’s son) in a RSR. Derek Bell, Rob Dyson, Vic Elford, Bob Garretson, Milt Minter, Brian Redman, Denise McCluggage and others were top Porsche drivers in attendance.

The event was races on Friday/Saturday and a Concours on Sunday. I thought the non racing on Sunday was due to blue laws, but it is due to the Episcopal Church right outside the Paddock gate.

BJ and I got in on Thursday and stayed at the Yankee Peddler Inn in Torrington about 25 minutes from the track. The hotel was built in the 1860’s which was really recent compared to the villages incorporated in the early 1700’s and the stately mansions we passed on our way to the track. The track is in the valley with a stream running along side the front straight. While only 1.5 miles long it has a lots of elevation changes and is quite technical. Most of the action was in turn one called Big Ben. BJ and I walked the track Sunday morning. How I wish I could drive it.

Vic Skirmants was there in his 356 and boy did he drive it! He was first in class and beat all the 911’s in his group. The only metal to metal incident during the weekend was when a 911 spun and was hit by a 914. Yep, Paul Newman crashed the 914 hard.

There was a special group for 962/956/935 racers. Many of those cars hadn’t been run in years. But there they were; the Interscope 935, the Rothmans 962’s and 956, the Dyson 962 and Jagermeifter 962’s and others. What was neat was the Jagermeifter 962’s were towed to the grid by Porsche tractors.

As at most historic racing events, the pits are open to the public. Friday the pits were not that crowded but Saturday the crowd was huge. Friday morning BJ and I got there early and were able to take pictures without a lot of people around. I was talking to one guy who was wiping the dew off some 962’s. I thought he was a mechanic but he was the owner/driver. BJ was able to spend a few minutes with Brian Redman and thanked him for hosting the event.

With the crowds on Saturday, we viewed the races from the Chalet above turn one. The Connecticut Valley Region of the PCA rented this facility and provided great hospitality. Great food and drink and the cost was only $20 for three days on top of the $10/day gate ticket. This Lime Rock event was exceptional in that many of these great racing Porsches have been retired to museums and will never be seen on the track again.

Progress

Since last month I have done some evaluations for out of state buyers and also bought another Shop Car; a ’64 Coupe. The 356RESTORE website has generated a lot of e-mails and calls. Check out the website for pictures of Lime Rock.

We finished the Shop ’60 Coupe which is now Black on Black and started the engine. Fired right up and will be ready for driving with clutch and brake adjustments. BJ has almost all the rough body work done on Keith’s ’60 Cabriolet (which he calls Frankenstien, much to the non amusement of the owner).

Scotty picked up the parts for his ’53 Coupe and will have it finished in Arizona. His finish body man backed out of the deal. The new Shop ’64 Coupe was disassembled and taken to Blast Tech. Miles dropped of his ’58 Cabriolet for finish body work and Rocky dropped off and picked up is ’65 Coupe after minor door adjustments.

Thanks to Newsletter readers we were able to buy two sets of drum brakes. One set will go on Keith’s Cabriolet and the other for future restorations. We still need parts for A cars. We offer a fair price and these parts are used to get those great cars back on the road.

Vintage Racing

It’s hot! 102 degrees. We are at PPIR and it is the last race for Group 6 on Sunday. Les is driving and I’m crew. We are second on the grid. Les should be first but in the morning race the number two car jumped the start and went on to finish first. So this is our chance to show a 356 can beat an Alfa. At the flag the Alfa with a well known pro driver and driving school instructor takes off. Les tests him with late braking in turn Five. The Alfa is a little slow to respond so in turn 9 heading to the banked straight, Les does it again and gets in front. Now it is a 20 minute dog fight till the end. And Les wins!

This is what vintage racing is all about and you can experience the same thrills this weekend at Second Creek Raceway. RMVR will have a charity race on July 21st and 22nd. Your entry benefits KIND-Kids in Need of Denistry.

To get to Second Creek take I-70 east to Tower, then north to 88th. Turn left (west) and you will see the track in a mile.

I plan to run the ’57 Carrera in the Historic Group at this race. I tried last year but had brake problems and withdrew. Glad I did as we found significant problems with the suspension after the race.

Our regular race car, the ’58 356 “Company Car” had a problem at the Mountain View 356 Club driver’s ed event. BJ was driving when the carb spring hung up and the engine over revved. The rev limiter rotor was not in place as it failed last year at Pueblo and had not been replaced.

So we spun the flywheel off the crank and Trevor is checking damage. Hope to have the Company Car back in action soon as both Bill and Jen need one race to keep their license current.

Progress

We added a ’64 Coupe to the schedule for a friend. Michael had this 356 painted and the interior done years ago but had not had the time to put it together. Putting them back together is the fun part of 356 restoration so we made room in the schedule. It took 55 hours over two weeks but went together real nice with just a few problems. I’ve mentioned before how you can spend a few hours on one door and a full day on the other. But we keep learning on each 356 we do and are now approaching 70 356’s back on the road. With Michael’s ’64 finished we turned back to the Shop ’60 Coupe and Keith’s ’60 Cabriolet. BJ is putting the finishing touches on the Coupe and it should be back on the road in a few weeks. We think we have someone interested in buying this Shop Car. The Cabriolet needed just a little more welding and fitting of the doors and lids. For an abandoned and stripped 356 it also will get back on the road. This 356 has VW running gear and I am out of B drum brakes. So if you have spare B drum parts give me a call. It is surprising how small VW brakes are compared to Porsche. We also hope to finish the Shop ’56 Speedster: get the Company Car back together and do some maintenance on Barb’s ’62 Twin Grille Roadster and my ’63 Coupe. Plus the New Jersey Speedster and Hawaii ’54 Coupe should be heading home and then Rhomes Roadster also needs finishing.

So just to ensure we stay busy we bought another Shop Car. A ’64 Coupe. Typical rust but complete with tool kit and European heat system. This will be a winter project. I will probably have BJ do it as he did real well with his ’64 Coupe.

Our Web Site

356RESTORE.com has been up for a month and created good interest. We are getting 8-10 calls a week for advise and parts.

We are going to rearrange our parts business. When you call we will take your needs and see if we have what you want later and then call you back. We will probably ship items once or twice a week. The calls, part search and shipping is getting in the way of restoration work. But our prices are the best, so please call.

We also can use more parts, particularly A stuff. So let us know what you have to sell. 356 parts should be on the road not on the shelf.

Shop Break

BJ and I will be out of the shop July 27-30th. We will be at the Rennsport Reunion at Lime Rock CT. This is a vintage race and Concours put on by Brian Redmond (champion Porsche driver). The Porsche factory is sending over a lot of vintage Racers and it should be a repeat of Monterey in 1998. Details in the next Newsletter.

About 30 Newsletter recipients signed up to receive this newsletter via the Internet. If you signed up you will receive an e-mail mid month telling you that the newsletter is on the website. Then all you have to do is go to 356RESTORE .com and read the latest. Print out if you want a hard copy.

Tech Tip

For a long time I thought you should have original equipment parts on your 356. But when the price of shock absorbers got up to $60-$80 each I looked for alternatives. On the Internet I learned that NAPA had gas shocks that fit the 356 for less than $25 each. We put these on BJ’s ’64 Coupe and are happy so far. Part numbers – 94064 and 94022.

Web site

The Web site that my son Patrick gave me for Christmas is now up! There was a slight delay while he finished his Masters in Computer Science. While it is not yet complete i.e. only half of the newsletters are up, I think you will enjoy it. The website has brief profiles of all the 356’s (over 60) we have worked on plus Tech Tips, parts for sale and a whole lot more. It has received good reviews from the members at 356TALK and is linked into the 356 REGISTRY website.

It is neat to get comments and requests for advise from all over the world. The plan is to put this newsletter online each month in addition to mailing. So if you are on the Internet and would like to receive the newsletter via computer we will let you know each month starting in July when the Newsletter is on the website. You then can receive it online and save me mailing expense.

Each month’s mailing costs about 36 cents each to mail to 356 folks on the list. So, if you want to get the newsletter online you can help me reduce cost, which should result in lower parts and restoration costs (doubt it though, the way prices keep going up). So check out the website at www.356RESTORE.com and send me an e-mail at TWINGRIL62@aol.com letting me know you will receive the newsletter online. Do this before July 15th to receive the next newsletter via the Internet rather than by mail. It is sort of scary to realize over 1,400 folks on 356TALK will receive this newsletter. I hope all that read it will enjoy it.

Concours

We had a great turnout for the 18th Annual Exotic Sports Car Show and Concours D’Elegance. The weather was perfect and we were told over $50,000 was raised for Cerebral Palsy. Barb and I were asked to judge again and this year we did American and Classic cars. Barb did interiors and I did engines. The best engine I judged was on a ’67 Chevy Chevelle. It was super clean; I could only take off 2 tenths of a point for minor oil and dust. Barb did the interior on this car and said it was great except for dirty ash trays. (I agree, a Concours can be picky but it lets you know how others evaluate your car and can only increase its value if corrections are made.) We had 26 356’s including six Speedsters and a Carrera. There were 46 other Porsches. We were able to meet 356 folks we hadn’t seen in a while. Make sure you attend next year!

Progress

We stay busy! We got most of the metal work done on the Carbondale Cab. Finish body work will be next but we have jumped to other projects.

The ’52 Racecar came back from the painter in Silver. This is not a show car; we just had it primered and painted. You can still see body work flaws but not at 100 mph!

We picked up BJ’s ’64 Coupe at Autoweave (another excellent job!) and BJ got it running for the first time in 12 years. Brakes were a major problem as all the pistons in the calipers were frozen. Trevor took care of these and BJ had his 356 ready for the Concour. It still needs work but don’t they all. I spent some time on the Shop ’60 Coupe. I did a color change on this 356. It had been Green with a tan interior. But somebody changed the upholstery to black with tan carpet. Since an interior change is expensive I painted the ’60 Black and put in a charcoal carpet. So it is Black on Black. Most of it is reassembled and it should be ready for sale in a few months.

We also agreed to reassemble Michael’s ’64 Coupe which had been painted and had the interior done. Michael just didn’t have the time to get it together. Almost all the parts and new rubber were provided. It is coming along quickly and should be done in a few weeks.

We are also going to look at a few new shop cars for sale, get the “Company” racecar ready for at least one race and hopefully move out some of the storage cars.

Tech Tip

Recently I reassembled the doors on the Shop ’60 Coupe and Michael’s ’64 Coupe. Here are some tips. The first piece to go on is the latch inside the door. (It can’t go in once the window frame is in.) Next is the chrome piece with deco and window seal on top of the door (you can’t get to this once the glass is in). Next is the window regulator and glass (this varies for different models-call if you need help). Then you do the window frame using the glass for installation. Next is exterior door handles, then the rubber seal/trim on the front/rear sides. Now you can install the upholstery panel (hopefully, you checked all the operations). Finally, is the door jam latch and adjustments. If I get this done in a day I’m lucky.

Future Events

Please attend the Rocky Mountain Grand Prix July 21 and 22 at Second Creek Raceway. This is an RMVR Charity event with over 150 vintage race cars. The charity is Kids in Need of Denistry. You will see some exciting racing and meet some great people. The track is at Buckely Road and 88th Ave. (near DIA) Call me for info.

As always RM356PC monthly meeting is the 1st Wednesday at The RanchCC in Thorton.

Progress

While waiting for the Shop ’61 Coupe to come back from the painter and BJ’s ’64 Coupe to come back from Autoweave, we spent most of our time on the Carbondale Cab and the Shop ’52 Race car. The Carbondale Cab is a ’60 Cabriolet that was abandoned and stripped in years past and then removed from a field on a Police tow. The tow shop owner gave the Cabriolet to his brother. He called me last year and I said we were too busy and to call after the first of the year, which he did. I was still busy and he said when? I said February 15th. So February 15th the phone rings and he is on his way! I expected to schedule the 356, not receive it! Anyhow, it arrived on a trailer and it was a mess! Every panel was damaged except for the right rear fender which was OK but brazed in and too tight to the rear lid (which was missing).

So we disassembled what was there; not much as instruments, seats, interior, engine and soft top were missing. Off to Blast Tech to blast everything. They use plastic media to get down to metal and then sand to remove rust. About $900 to do the whole car except suspension (which is covered with grease and won’t blast off).

After blasting, I did the evaluation and since every panel needs repair or replacement, the total is close to $7,000. The customer has no problem as he got the 356 for free. He and I go over future costs and it looks like we can restore the Cab and still be under market value. Of course, this will not be a show car. We will be able to provide seats, instruments, gas tank (plenty of holes in his) and other parts. At the same time, Tom Conway wanted to sell lots of 356 sheet metal parts that had been on the shelves too long. So I had most of the sheet metal needed.

The first step is to square the 356. When I took it to Blast Tech I welded in a steel brace from the dash to the rear as the car was bending in the middle. When it came back we fit the doors (really rusted out) and welded on the hardtop which came with the car. We also repositioned the steel brace so the 356 Cab wouldn’t open up.

Then I repaired the inner longitudinals and tunnel areas to provide a shelf for the floor pans. We did the rear pan first; and after positioning and trimming, it went in perfect on the first try! As an aside, when we fit the doors I expected problems as they were removed at the hinge. We had to knock out the hinge pins and this can be tough on a rusted 356. So after soaking with my favorite penetrating oil, BJ straddled the door and I had the drift and big hammer. All four pins came out on the first blow. BJ said, “Dad, this 356 is talking to us; it wants to be restored”.

Next was the front pan; it took two tries but went in perfect. This 356 is really talking to us. So on to the diagonal, but of course the left lower front sway bar bracket is gone. So repair that then the diagonal, then the front struts, then the battery box floor. Fortunately the battery box sides and bumper mounts were OK.

Next was the front closing panels; the lower half on each. We had them in stock. After this was the longitudinals; again straight forward. Next is the threshold/rocker. This gets tricky, you have to have flush fitting doors to position the threshold. The doors for this 356 were way too bad. I found one good Coupe door and one fair Cabriolet door in my stock. With these fitted I could tack in the threshold/rocker. We have to tack it as we may need to make changes when we repair the outer skin.

On to the rear closing panels but first the rear struts need repair. Rear closing panels in, it’s time to do all the finishing welding. I like to simulate spot welds on the upper floor pan but seam weld underneath. So a day on my back with a heavy helmet with weld pools wanting to sag. Could this be a new Olympic sport? Thank God for the hot tub!

While I have a rotisserie, I haven’t used it in years. I don’t mind welding upside down and think we get a better result if the 356 is on its suspension.

So the bottom is done and next is the exterior skins. Bill Frey gave me a Cabriolet rear deck lid and I had one last T-5 hood left. Of course the hood needs repair at the hinge breaks. With the lids and doors fit the exterior repairs are moving along. Should be done in a few weeks.

During this time, BJ spent hours doing the block sanding on the ’52 Race car. He did a great job and we will go right to primer and silver paint. We will drop this 356 off at the painter when we pick up his ’64 Coupe at Autoweave.

During this period we also charged up the batteries and got Barb’s Twin Grille Roadster, my ’63 Sunroof Coupe and Shop ’56 Speedster on the road. When we started the Speedster we blew a mouse nest out the exhaust.

We also attended my son Patrick’s graduation at CUBA Boulder. He got his Masters in Computer Science. Now the 356RESTORE website will get on line.

Events

Don’t forget WestFest 2001! It is June 16th and 17th. Track time Saturday and Swap Meet, show and picnic Sunday. Call (303) 494-7281 for details.

Evaluation

I did an informal evaluation of a ’64 Coupe that belongs to the son of the original owner. The 356 was in very good shape for an original car. Just a little tired. There had been a partial repaint due to minor accidents but other than that all original.

I love to evaluate original 356’s to confirm my knowledge of the factory procedures. But I’ve learned what may be original on a 356A is not necessarily the same on a 356C.

What was neat about this Ivory ’64 was the owner had his father’s invoice from Vern Hagestad Motors. The price of the 356 was $4,200 and there was a good tradein allowance for a Karman Gia. The dealer charged $7.30 to install a side mirror and $125 for a radio. $125 for a radio in 1964! What a rip-off and it wasn’t even a Blaupunk, it was a Sapphire which is a VW radio. Of course Vern Hagestad also sold VW’s. So we know the dealers would buy 356’s with few options for inventory and then add the options (profit) upon sale. This explains differences between the factory info Kardex and options that were added by dealers.

Tech Tip

I get a lot of questions on what tires to use on a 356. While this is a personal decision there are some combinations of tire sizes and wheels that won’t work well i.e. poor fit, rough ride or wrong size. The 356 Registry web site has a technical section with a good table on tire sizes. You can review it at www.356REGISTRY.org.

Progress

BJ’s Coupe is at Autoweave for an updated black interior which was the original color on this Ivory ’64 Coupe. BJ will have some finishing work when it comes back and then this 356 will be back on the road after twelve years. Remember this 356 was stored outside in Elizabeth, CO.

The Shop ’61 Coupe is at the painters and will be Black. The original color was Fjord Green but a black interior was installed to replace the original brown. It still had a beige carpet but I will replace it with black. So it will be a black on black. Should be for sale this summer.

The ’60 Cabriolet has been blasted and the metal work will start soon. I’ve welded on the hard top and am trying to get a reasonable fit for the doors. This will square up the car before we start on the floor.

Rhome’s ’61 Roadster came back from the paint shop in Royal Blue. This is a stunning 356 color; maybe the most intense., With a beige interior and top this will be a great looking Roadster. We put all the parts on the car and are now storing it until final payment. We are now storing three 356’s which are done but not picked up by owners. While I charge for storage I really need the space for projects. So we are working on this space problem.

Tom’s ’54 Cabriolet which has been in storage for years will be going back to Hawaii. However, we have to get it running or Matson Shipping (they own Hawaii!) has a hefty surcharge. I’ll also make sure we take detailed pictures and Tom gets a lot of insurance. I’ve heard many horror stories on shipments.

Serial Numbers

The 356 REGISTRY Is collecting serial numbers and other data on 356’s. We mayjust have a true registry in the future. While I’ve provided data on my 356’s and will provide more on cars I’ve worked on, you can also help. If you haven’t provided info to the 356REGISTRY call my shop number (303) 840-2356 after hours and leave a message on the answering machine. Provide at least year, model and serial number (found easily on driver side door hinge area). More data on original colors and options if you have it and let us know if the 356 is operable or a project and where it is located. Your name is optional. I’ll collect and send to the 356 REGISTRY. Please do this, the information will be of value to all of us and by using my answering machine which is in the basement shop you won’t be disturbing us.

Internet

I spend about 30 minutes a day checking out the 356 information on 356TALK. Recently there was a question about whether Speedsters had cigarette lighters. Research to date had said no. But then one owner said he had one and then others also. I also jumped in as the New Jersey Speedster (in storage) also has one. So once again we’ve learned almost anything was possible on 356’s. They were made by hand!

To get on 356TALK go to the 356Registry web site (356REGISTRY.org) and follow instructions. You will receive 30-60 e-mails a day but there is also a digest which comes once a day and allows you to skim through the topics.

Events

A correction on the Charity Concour to be held June 10th at Arapahoe Community College. The charity is United Cerebral Palsy, a great organization. Please attend!

And don’t forget the Rocky Mountain 3 56 Club 15th birthday party at Ed Caroll Porsche in Fort Collins on June 15th.

The new meeting place for the RM356 Club is at the Ranch CC. Try to make a meeting, it’s great.

Progress

Even with vacation we have made good progress. BJ’s Coupe is ready for Autoweave at the end of this month. The Shop ’56 Sunroof Coupe is ready for paint after BJ spent a week on body prep.

I am glad he has the skills in this process as I don’t enjoy this work. It involves inspecting every square inch of the 356 and making the panels and curves flow together. I’m good at seams, and what I call rough finish, but have been paying the painter do the final finish. This can cost us a thousand dollars or more. I’m glad BJ is getting good at this and he seems to take pride in this kind of finish work. While BJ worked on the Shop ’56 Sunroof, I started on the Shop ’61 Coupe we recently picked up. This is the one that needed a complete rear clip plus other repairs. I had a good T-6 rear clip but this was a T-5. I love a challenge. The issue is the T-5 has the single grille deck lid and the T-6 the twin grille. So after I got the rear clip on I had to fill in with sheet metal to fit the single grille. Turned out great! You use the deck lid as your jig. I also cut out some poor previous brazing repair in front of and behind the doors. Also poor repairs around the foglight opening were corrected.

Those of you with 1960 to 1965 356’s should check this area below your bumper. There is a flat piece in the front that is used to secure the optional foglights. This flat piece is up against the curved front nose piece. A wonderful mud trap with resulting rust. This area must be cleaned, rust treated and caulked.

Scotty’s ’54 Coupe is still at the painters and Rhome’s Roadster at the other painters. So we have assembly (fun) time coming soon. I looked at a possible Shop ’61 Roadster project and made a fair offer but have not yet heard whether it will be accepted. There appears to be a lot of emotion associated with this twenty year project that never got done.

So while we are trying to concentrate on Shop cars and my own cars, we did accept a customer car.

This is a ’60 Cabriolet which was abandoned and stripped in Carbondale. It is the second worst restoration I’ve attempted. (Barb’s Twin Grille Roadster was the worst.) This one has no floor, longitudinals, closing panels, struts or battery box. Metal repairs alone will be about six thousand dollars plus it needs lots of parts (luckily most of which I have)’ Since the owner got it for free he just might be able to restore it for less than market value.

Congratulations

Time out to recognize Sugar and Spice Bakery (and Barb and Jen) which was recently recognized as the best Bakery and best Bakery for Wedding Cakes in Douglas County! Thanks to a very special car friend who nominated them!

Restoration

Always looking for another challenge, we recently bought another Porsche for restoration. But this one is a tractor! It is a 1962 Junior, one cylinder diesel and red. The metal work restoration should be straight forward and mechanically it is sound. I helped pull small tree stumps with it. What a blast! We will use this for shows, pulling 356’s out of the basement shop and for snow removal.

356 Prices

While most models of 356 Porsche have held or slightly increased in value, Coupes are increasing in value. This is good as most of us have Coupes. It also means you have to stay on top of your maintenance to maintain it’s value. Do an inspection (or have me do an inspection) and budget for betterment this year i.e. new rubber, undercoat, paint touch up. You know the ‘ol “stitch in time” thing.

Parts Needed

We are selling more and more 356 parts; mostly used. If you are sitting on some, let me know as we need to maintain our inventory. I can’t offer top dollar (usually 25 cents on the dollar) as I have to store and restore parts prior to sale or use on projects. Please call (303) 840-2356 if you have parts. I would rather see them on the road than sitting on a shelf.

Upcoming Events

The Rocky Mountain 356 Porsche Club will have a track event/car show and swap meet on June 16th and 17th. It will be at Mountain View Raceway in Erie and Ed Carroll Porsche in Ft. Collins. We will be in charge of the Swap Meet. More details next month.

Also the annual Multiple Sclerosis Charity Concour will be June l0th; once again at Arapahoe Community College. More details on that next month also.

The RMVR racing schedule includes two charity races both of which we encourage you to attend to support these causes. The first is at Pikes Peak International Raceway on June 30 and July I and the second at Second Creek Raceway July 21 and 22. Mark your calendars now.

Tech Tip

Never, ever, use your Porsche jack to jack up your 356, and never use the jack points. I’ve seen a few 356’s damaged by using the Porsche jack which slipped. Buy a scissors or hydraulic jack ($8410). Don’t jack up the side. Jack up the rear using the transmission hoop. Jack up the front by using a thick board under the battery box.

Support the rear with jack stands under the axle tube. Support the front with jack stands under the front sway bar mounts. A floor jack works best and the small jack can be used when traveling.

New Look

We hope you like the new look of the newsletter. We’ve also enclosed a new business card. While the card gives our new web site address, it is still under construction. We will let you know when it is up via the newsletter.

New recipients of the newsletter may not know about the dedication. Freidrich Weber was the body man at the first Porsche automotive facility in Gmund, Austria. He would form the aluminum skins for the first Porsche 356. He also enjoyed his liquor and often would not show up on Monday. But when he did he could make more 356 parts than anyone else. He became a legend; my kind of guy.

Road Trip

BJ and I packed the truck with parts and left for the big L.A. Swap Meet on Friday, February 11. We had ice and snow pack all the way to Santa Fe. We made good time and stopped in Holbrook, AZ. The next day after a quick stop in Flagstaff to visit my sister, we arrived at the Swap Meet site in Anaheim. Saturday evening was a pizza, beer and spaghetti reception to honor Al Cadrobbi. Al was the four-cam Porsche guy in California. He has a national reputation. Although he suffers from Parkinson disease, he did a very gracious job of accepting his honors. There was probably 250300 folks in attendance.

After the festivities, I was able to sneak my truck into the Swap Meet site and avoid the mad rush expected the next morning. We stayed at a motel across the street Sunday morning we set up along with probably 150 other vendors. The buyers and lookers came in waves. We did real well and made over four thousand dollars. We also met repeat customers from Europe and South America. We also got to chat with Dick Weiss from Ohio who flew out with fellow 356 enthusiasts. Dick, after many years, has completed the restoration of his Carrera Speedster. Way to go Dick! We also met with 356 friends from AZ, NM and TX.

In addition to the Swap Meet there was a huge Porsche car show. Probably 300 Porsches mostly 356’s and lots of race cars. I would guess 2,000-3,000 folks attended the event. Based on past swap meet experience we loaded up at noon and headed out of town. We decided to go back via Las Vegas and got there about 5:00. We stayed at the MGM Grand; a great hotel!

There were plenty of celebrities there for the ESPN Sports Awards Show. In addition to playing the slots (I lost $60, BJ won $ 100) there is lots to see and do. Turned in early and hit the road. Utah is beautiful in the winter. We had no weather or traffic problems and got home after eleven hours of fast driving.

Progress

Charlie’s ’64 Coupe came back from the painters; we put it back together and he drove it home. We had to paint the 356 three times due to surface contamination problems. – In the future we will only paint 356s that are blasted to bare metal.

Charlie sent us a nice E-mail thanking us and complementing us on our work. This was nice as we seldom get feedback but it is how we feel about our work that is important.

We completed all the metal work on Scotty’s ’54 Coupe and since he was considering having it trailered to AZ for paint we also put it in primer. This involved painting all the sheet metal inside and out, then doing all the seams, caulking and undercoat Since I don’t have a paint booth in the shop this involves smells in the house. It’s great that Barb puts up with this. Scotty decided to have his ’54 painted here so we will trailer it to his painter in Aurora.

BJ also complete his ’64 Coupe and it will be off to Autoweave for upholstery. BJ did the headliner and most of the carpet.

I completed all the metal work on the Shop ’56 Sunroof Coupe except for the gas tank floor. I was able to cancel my order at Tweeks as Tom Conway of Carquip in Boulder called and said he had the piece. He sold me the piece for $175 which was great as one vendor wanted $800 for the same item. So this 356 will be ready for paint soon.

Rhowme’s ’61 Roadster should be back from the painter in a week or two. We will put this Royal Blue Roadster back together.

With a few cars moved out, I will pick up a new Shop car-a ’61 Coupe. I agreed to buy this 356 and the owners have graciously held it until I had room. This 356 requires a complete rear clip and other metal work. The previous owner had this 356 hand stripped which under the bondo revealed significant collision damage in the rear and also front. When they bought the 356 they were told it had never been damaged. This may not have been a misrepresentation as the owner before them May have also been told no damage. The brazing and poor repair dates the damage to the early ’70’s. In the early 70’s the 356’s weren’t worth much and the repair technology was crude. Overlapped sheetmetal was a common practice. We repair these poor previous repairs all the time. Who knows which owner even knew about the damage.

We also are going to look at a possible Shop ’61 Roadster project. So the fun and excitement continues.

Aloha!

(Guess where Barb and I are as you read this.)

Web Site

For Christmas my son, Patrick, gave me a web site; which will be 356RESTORE.com of course! I thought we could put the newsletter, some parts/356’s for sale and maybe some tech tips on the site. While the site is currently under construction, Pat has put all the newsletters on it. I thought we might just put the most recent newsletters on but Patrick said it was just as easy to put them all on. Imagine, people around the world can read about what 356RESTORE has done over the last eight years! Eventually we will offer the option of receiving your newsletter by mail or Internet.

Progress

Charlie’s ’64 Coupe has changed from Black to Auratrium Green (I’m getting to like this original color). It should be back from the painter this week and BJ and I will put it all back together.

Rhome’s ’61 Roadster is also making good progress at the painter and should be back in a week or two. It will be Royal Blue. This 356 will get back on the road after not being driven for forty years!

BJ is almost done with his Ivory ’64 Coupe (he and Jen call it Marshmallow). Les Long of Airpower Racing built the engine and brought it down from his shop in Utah and installed it. It sounds great! We didn’t get to drive it as BJ still has to do the brakes. Shortly it will be off to Autoweave.

We picked up Scotty’s ’53 Coupe at Blast Tech and I started on the metal work. The rear clip is worse than expected-warpy welds and up to 3/8 inch of old bondo. I thought I could use a rear clip from a later 356 but it wouldn’t work. So with the rough clip off I will do a lot of panel beating. Working from the back side I pound out all the low spots (which are high spots on the back) – I will do this on the carpet in the game room. I can use sand paper to see if the area is smooth as the high spot will be shinny.

I also finished almost all the metal work on the Shop ’56 Sunroof Coupe. I just need to receive the panel that goes under the gas tank. It is a built to order piece from Tweeks. Stoddard had it in stock for $800 but Tweeks would have it built for $200. The last time I repaired this panel on an A the replacement panel wasn’t even close to original. We will see what arrives this time; however, with the gas tank in no one will ever see the panel.

I had been referring to this 356 as the Shop ’59 Sunroof Coupe. How did I get confused? Well I bought this project car five years ago and it was Aquamarine Blue with rust. A blue id plate was loose in the car and the number was from 1959. After blasting I could check the chassis number and it is definitely a 1956. The car is really straight and after I get the panel in it will be off to the painter.

Through this newsletter I did acquire another project car. This is a 1963 Coupe and the owners will hold it for me until next month when I should have some room. We presently have thirteen 356’s here with two at the painter. Fourteen 356’s is my limit so we have to finish some cars.

Swap Meet

BJ and I will have to find time to prepare parts for the big swap meet in Los Angeles. It is Sunday, February 11th. If you have some frequent flier miles you may want to attend. This is more than just a big swap meet. There is a huge 356 car show this year featuring all the Carrera race cars they can find plus an excellent museum at the event site. Call me for details, (if you go and buy something I can haul it back)

Rust Prevention

Al dropped off his ’64 Coupe for a little rust prevention. He was seeing rust at the lower sewn behind the quarter window and some at the rear threshold. These areas will only take a day to fix and Al is smart to stop it before it spreads. And you should too! I see a lot of 356’s with rust bubbles in front of the door, behind the door, around the foglight openings (T5-T6) and at the fender brace areas. The rust starts in seams that have opened and are left unprotected. After years of driving you would expect seams to open and poor undercoating by the factory and previous openers exposes these areas.

You have to scrape and sand to bare metal the area behind the rust bubble. Then paint the bare metal with a rust neutralizer. I use a product called Naval Jelly Rust Neutralizer. It used to be call Extend. It is available at NAPA and most hardware stores. Another product is called POR- 15. Let the product dry then caulk the seam with an automotive caulk. I use 3M Autobody Sealant (part no. 08500) available at auto paint supply stores.

After the caulk is dry, spray with rubberized undercoat available in spray cans at hardware stores. After it is dry spray with Black Satin paint to seal the undercoat. You will still have a paint bubble but it will not grow.

Al’s rust beginning behind the quarter windows brings up another point. Wax all painted surfaces! Open those quarter window, get to the door cavities and door bottoms, wax under the lids!

RM356PC Meeting

The monthly meeting place for the RM356PC has been changed to The Ranch CC 104th St. which is a bit farther north on 25 and I mile west of the old site – same time each first Wed of the month-see you there.