Progress

Most of the progress has been that Ryan finished his six credit Statistics course and should be back at 356RESTORE full time. He thinks he pulled a B or maybe an A depending on the curve. He has about 12 more credits to go for his degree. His absence on M-W-F for the last few months had slowed progress on the 356’s.

The simple reassemble job on Jon’s ’59 Sunroof Coupe took a lot more time than expected. Many critical parts were missing and I had to steal them from the Shop 58 Cabriolet. Fortunately, Carquip was able to replace most of the parts. Tom even allowed me to remove the special washers from one of his emergency brake assemblies. Without these washers, Jon would have had to pay over $200 for a complete assembly. One part Tom didn’t have and which I borrowed from the Shop ’58 Cab is the special steering wheel collar needed for the horn ring. This is the metal piece with the stand off screws and ground attachment. If anyone out there has one, please call.

We got Jon’s Sunroof Coupe almost finished and sent it to the upholstery shop. When it comes back we have some minor interior work and then have to get the engine sorted out.

Alan’s Roadster is also at the upholstery shop and when it comes back we have to install the engine and check it out.

With two 356’s at the upholstery shop, I have been fina1izing the Shop silver ’63 Coupe which I sold to Millie’s son. One of my philosophies is to sell shop cars to young folk who appreciate these great cars. I try not to do business with “investors”. Millies’s son, Brandon, is flying out from New Jersey to pick up his car and participate in the West Coast Holiday. After the Holiday he will drive the 356 back home. So I’ve been working on the mechanicals on his 356. The tach didn’t work and I found it broken at the rear connection. I was able to remove the core and replace it with a new cable. I greased it every few inches as I reinserted the eight foot cable, but once installed the cable kinked. I tried another cable but this time I tried a spare tachometer. Sure enough, the problem wasn’t in the cable but in the instrument. So I stole another part off the Shop ’58 Cabriolet. The tachometer works great. Tomorrow I get to find out why the speedometer cable broke, fix the heater system and solve a fuel leak.

One success was the windshield washer. I had spare parts on hand and with some plastic tubing from the hardware store and a foot pump from Tom Conway, it worked on the first try! The last time I did this I had a quart of washer fluid on the floor. There are T-valves and straight valves with arrows on them indicating which way the water goes. If you go with the flow–no problem. 356 owners seem to appreciate Tech Tips, so for the 356 Holiday, I’m putting together a book of 101 Restoration Tech Tips. If you can’t make the Holiday I plan to make these available to readers of this newsletter.

Barb and I went back to Minnesota for the wedding of our son BJ. I had planned to finish the Shop T -5 Coupe as a wedding present but this was when we expected them to settle in Denver. After seventeen years in Minnesota, I know what the winters do to a 356. Maybe they will get a 356 when they have our first grandchild and return to Colorado.

Holiday Update

I’m planning to slow down the shop during the first two weeks in June to get ready for the Holiday. I’ve yet to get our 356’s. prepared and I need to clean parts for the Swap Meet. I probably won’t get this newsletter out next month due to the Holiday but the July issue should have some great news on the world of 356 Porsches. We presently have 130 356’s registered for the Holiday and should top out over 150.

Parts

I did real good after the last newsletter. I sold the green carpet set to a guy in Cincinatti and the Conv D oatmeal carpet set to a local owner. I also sold a muffler and a bra. So this month I will feature backing plates. I have a complete set of A and B backing plates, powder painted and complete (even the brake wheel springs!). $80 a set!

Also on sale is a high tech 6 to 12 volt converter. The ones we used to get from Radio Shack are no longer available. The Radio Shack’s I sold for $30. This one I have to sell for $150. But I will throw in a new radar detector for only $75 if you buy both.

Contest

There was significant error in last month’s newsletter. If you are the first to call with the error you get $25 in parts or services (840-2356)