Remodel

We were surprised by the interest in our remodel project. Basically it’s like a 356 RESTORE project; quality good, lots of mess, on budget but over schedule!

Barb and I are living in the TV room along with the refrigerator/freezer, microwave, toaster oven and a 1′ X 1′ wet bar sink. We do have our bedroom, but it and every other upstairs room has furniture from the rooms being remodeled. The old stove/oven, washer and dryer have been operable which has helped.

Construction is done, drywall finished and hardwood floors going down. So we may be over the major work. Just like a 356 restoration: there are daily decisions and materials to buy. Plus we have to have show and tell for all the sub contractors as they are amazed at the shop in the basement. I’ve taken advantage of having the subs here and have made improvements to the shop. A new work room with doors and fan. New lights and power and a new storage area with window will be great when complete. Plus we added a blasting cabinet. After the remodel we can add a shop ceiling and have the shop I’ve always wanted.

Progress

Well sometimes you take one step forward and two steps back. The painter knew I was in a hurry to complete the Shop ’61 Roadster so he painted the chassis in beautiful Aetna Blue and we picked it up to do assembly while he did the bumpers, door and lids.

This seemed like a good plan as I was able to assemble the dash, exterior and install the engine. This took about a month since we are doing the Roadster as a show car. This means everything has to be perfect. Every wire clean with correct connections. Every bolt, washer and nut correct. All the rubber new and cleaned. Every instrument restored. We got the chassis reassembled; the like new engine installed (in 20 minutes) and were ready for the doors, lids and bumpers. We picked them up and the color didn’t match! This has happened before when the painter gets a second batch of paint and the supplier missed the formula. In this case just a little too much white in the blue. So the whole chassis has to be disassembled and the complete 356 repainted.

So the Roadster is back at the painters.

BJ has almost finished the metal work on Chris’s ’59 Convertible D. I will help out with the tricky top hinge area which is rusted out. If you have a convertible, never put the top down when wet. The water runs down the top creases and collects in the hinge area. We will have Chris come out and review the metal work before we start primer and filler.

The Shop ’56 Sunroof Coupe has been waiting for us to finish the carpet installation. The hard part is the back part of the inner longitudinal. While the upholstery shops use a steamer we have had good success with a spray bottle of hot water. We also use contact cement rather than spray adhesive.

So while we wait for the Roadster to come back I’m working on the rear sheet metal on Roland’s Roadster. The complete inner and outer rear skins had been cut off this 356. I welded them on a year or so ago but they aren’t correct. Fortunately, with Chris’s Convertible D here I can use it for measurements.

So are we still having fun? This month, not as much as we usually enjoy.

Previous Restorations

Ron Maeda brought his ’64 Coupe down to have us install the rocker deco and rear script. We restored this 356 about six years ago and Ron finally has it on the road. No charge for the deco and script installation as Ron has put up with my ribbing about not finishing his 356 for many years.

Also Bruce Ungari took first place in the race car category at the recent North meets South event in California. While we restored this 356 to driver level, Bruce has obviously improved it to win a concours. Bruce has retired from the Forest Service and may be out here for Porsches and Pastries.

Events

Porsches and Pastries will be September 15th. This will also be 356RESTORE’s tenth anniversary. Plenty of exciting events are planned. Mark your calendar now!

And don’t forget Gmund 2002 at the Maybees on July 21st. George Maybee has duplicated the Gmund workshop on his property and all 356’s are invited. You can also see what has happened to the Speedster pulled out of Horsetooth Reservoir. There will also be an Autocross for Porsche tractors, a wash and shine judging and plenty of brats and beer. Contact Rosemarie Lohnert at 303-663-4363 for registration information and directions.

Thank you all for supporting the United Cerebral Palsy Concours on June 9th. Once again we had plenty of 356’s in attendance. The quality of this show keeps getting better. Barb and I served as judges along with Rosemarie and Roland and it sure was tough deciding on our favorite 356.

Upcoming is Westfest on August 25th. This will be at Ed Carroll Porsche in Fort Collins. 356RESTORE will be in charge of the swap meet – so start getting those 356 parts ready to sell and make a list of needed parts to buy.

See you there!