Progress
We lamented last month about the availability of cotton cord to use when installing a windshield in a 356. The cord has to be the right size and has to be lubricated with beeswax to slip into the seal. Well, Barb found some cord and while it had a vinyl cover, we used beeswax and it worked but with difficulty.
A kind reader of this newsletter E-mailed and said that he soaked his windshield cord in baby oil. We tried it and it worked! It even works better than beeswax!
If you remember Bill Frey had the engine for the Shop ’56 Speedster almost assembled before he passed. The parts and tools were still arranged on the work bench when BJ and I packed up the shop. We were careful to identify the Speedster engine parts. The case was assembled but the valve train, oil pump, tachometer drive and other parts still had to be assembled. Trevor Sewell said he would finish the engine assembly. Bill often consulted with Trevor when he was building 356 engines. We took the engine and parts to Trevor. We also took the 356 engine stand that Bill had built. Gary Moschetti bought this for the Rocky Mountain 356 (Porsche) Club for use by members. So if you need to use it call Trevor at 303.559.0553.
Jim has reassembled many of the parts for the Shop ’61 Coupe (Casper). Probably another weeks work and we can install the engine and take the 356 to the mechanics for checkout. Since this 356 was driven to our shop we expect checkout to be straight forward. However the previous owner had the 356 for forty years and did some strange things to the car.
We took the Shop ’64 Sunroof Coupe to the painters to see if some of the scratches on the left front fender would rub out. Our plan was to rub out the new silver paint, install the interior, check out the mechanicals and sell the 356. The painter said the silver paint looked dull because someone had sanded the silver metallic basecoat. This is a no-no. Sanding a metallic moves the metallic around creating lines and dullness. We could have left it as is, as it didn’t look bad, but we decided to repaint as we are still enjoying correctness in a Porsche 356.
There has been no progress on the customers ’64 Coupe as we won’t have room until BJ gets the Shop ’63 Coupe off to the painter.
The other Shop ’64 Coupe (Viney) is just about done at the mechanics. They took it for a test drive and recommended some brake and suspension work and then alignment. (By the way, Eurosport Ltd has the original alignment machine from the Hagestad Denver dealership. It was used for 356s. Many of today’s alignment machines can’t properly align a Porsche 356).

The Move
To be honest Jim has been spending less time on 356 restoration and more on monitoring the new home renovation and the existing home maintenance . It is really convenient to have our new home and shop right next door. The contractor can call us with an issue and we can walk over and resolve it
Great progress has been made. The new roof tiles have been placed on the roof. They will be installed once some of the stucco and stone work is completed as the contractor doesn’t want people stepping on the tiles. While the home was wrapped in Tyrek it also has to be wrapped with a special material which then is covered with chicken wire for the stucco and stone work. Since part of the original walls were brick, the chicken wire could be attached to the brick in preparation for stucco and stone. This was the plan for the original all brick west wall. However the brick had come loose at the top and debris and accumulated between the brick and the framing. So the wall came down and the thirty year old sheathing removed. Then the wall had to be rebuilt as all the windows were spaced for a thicker brick wall. This was done in a week and then all the windows and doors installed. What a change! To see natural light in the new interior. The plumber has most of the work done with his vents to the roof so the roof can be installed. The electrician started and this immediately led to what fixtures do you want and where? Jim actually went fixture shopping with Barb. At one place he saw some outdoor fixtures that blended well with the Mediterranean look of the remodeled house. And they were on sale! Barb liked them also so we bought one for the front door ($85) and five smaller ($68 each) for the other doors. Then we were told that by code, every egress from the house has to have an exterior light. We bought four more fixtures and with the sale price saved over a thousand dollars and everyone agrees they are appropriate for the house. Stucco work has started and those guys fly. They are about half done with the first coat, then there is a second coat and color. The scaffold is up for the stone work but it has not yet started. Barb started to work on furniture placement but working on the 1/4 inch to one foot plans was difficult, so she bought some material and made patterns of the actual size of our furniture to lay on the floor. This solved some issues and also allowed the HVAC guys to plan the floor vents. So, we have a lot of subs working; one day I counted thirteen vehicles. With the plumbing and electrical almost done, we should be able to insulate and sheetrock the basement shop. This will be a big deal, as we will be able to set the shelves and arrange the 356 parts. Having the parts in bins crammed in the existing storage building has affected 356 productivity as it can take hours to find a needed part.

Grandpa News
“When does school start?”