Progress

Not as much progress this month as we had hoped. Ryan is taking classes three mornings a week and has been spending extra time on a perfect paint job. I’ve been restoring parts and putting 356’s back together and this takes time, time, time. Doing metal work goes fast once you’ve done it a few dozen times. So when we can get back to welding we should pick up the schedule.

I reassembled Tony’s 65 Coupe after we repaired the left rear and repainted. I was quite pleased with the work I did on the damaged rear bumper. As many of you know, a T -6 rear bumper with it’s four mourning points can be a real bear if anything is out of alignment. When in this case the bumper went on like factory. It only took a few minutes to attach. Hopefully, Tony will stay out of the trees with his 356.

After Tony’s car was reassembled, I decided to give it a cleaning. I removed the floor mats and was impressed that they were original. Even the floor boards were original. But there seemed to be some packing material behind the floor boards. I removed them and discovered where mice had been living for years. Both footwells and tunnel were packed with the mouse house. As I removed the material to check for damage to the wiring harness, it suddenly occurred to me! This 356 has New Mexico plates and here I am cleaning up mouse droppings! Well, if the owner hasn’t developed Hanti virus, I probably won’t. I finished up the cleanup with a mask, gloves and showered and washed my clothes. The only damage to the 356 was mouse urine pitting the fuel line. I advised the owner and the 356 sure smells better!

We got a little work done on Tom’s ’52 Coupe; the right side longitudinal and closing panels. Only the left side and rear plus a few dozen small rust areas remain. No progress on Rhome’s Roadster but we have decided on how to install the replacement driver side mid section that was crushed. The Signal Red ’59 S/R Coupe that was going to Fjord Green ended up Ruby Red. This 356 should be ready for assembly in a few weeks. I finished up the paint, cau1k and undercoat on John’s Speedster and hope to get the right fender and cowl back to specs shortly.

We made a few house calls this month. Two trips to Bob’s to assist in wiring and installing a front windshield. And one trip to Abby’s to replace a broken clutch cable. Not many glass shops will guarantee the installation of 356 windshields. They’re smart; particularly on open cars as Speedster and Roadster windshields are not the same as the original and may have to be ground to fit. Coupe windshields usuaI1y fit but have really gone up in price, from $120 a few years ago to $360 today. Bob had broken one windshield by hitting some furniture in his living room while installing the rubber seal and deco. This time he was more careful and together we got it in his Coupe perfectly.

Abby’s clutch cable broke because it looked like someone used vise grip pliers on the cable not the shank to hold the cable while installing the stop nuts. Tech tip it only takes a few minutes to remove the seats. Save your back and frustration level when working on the pedal cluster area. Remove the seats and give yourself room.

Parts

We sold quite a few parts this month. Probably because we don’t mind breaking up sets or removing small parts. We still sell parts on consignment (80/20) and have been fairly successful. Usually, if consignment parts don’t sell within a year, we buy them for our inventory.

Open Shop

Saturday afternoon Open Shops have been well attended with as many as ten folks dropping by one warm Saturday. To get to 356RESTORE, find the town of Parker (take Lincoln off I-25). Turn south onto Parker Road.

One block south of Main Street is Parker is Hilltop. Take Hilltop east a mile and three quarters to N. Sunburst Trail. Turn right on Sunburst and go exactly one mile to 8356 N. Sunburst Trail.