Annual Report
The 30th of September closes out my second year in business. Last year at this time I provided an annual report that showed I lost quite a bit due to start up costs. My goal this year was to break even. However, I am going to change my business year to the calendar year to make life easier for taxes. So look for an annual report in January; plus this will give me more time to sell the ’63 and the ’65 Shop cars and hopefully break even for the extended year.
Progress
Well, I published a schedule but as soon as folks knew they had a commitment, the scope of work expanded and we had a few schedule changes. Ron and Marcia’s ’64 Coupe returned from the customer contracted painter and we had a week of rework to do. The painter didn’t use the spray on/wash off protector and then painted the 356 in a down draft paint booth. All the nice bottom paint and undercoat we did on the 356 had to be redone due to overspray. Originally, I had done the 356 bottom on the rotisserie; this rework had to be done on the floor on my back. Anyhow, it got done plus a few extras and Ron and Marcia got their 356 back for final assembly. Then there was a delay in getting Tom’s ’52 Coupe and Allan’s ’60 Roadster into the shop. So the time was spent getting the Shop ’63 Silver Coupe into nice shape and cleaning and painting parts for the Shop ’65 Dolphin Gray Coupe. Anyhow, when you receive this newsletter, the Shop ’63 Silver Coupe will have been to Ron’s for mechanical checkout and engine startup. The Shop ’65 Dolphin gray Coupe will be back from the paint booth and the new headliner, exterior parts and wiring will be in progress. Tom’s ’52 Coupe should be back from the blast shop and on the rotisserie for bottom everything repair. Allan’s ’60 Roadster will have been disassembled, inventoried and ready for blasting and Joe’s ’57 Speedster should be close to exterior finish and ready for paint.
The net of all this is we are about two weeks behind schedule. After living with schedules for twenty-five years in the computer business this bothers me but I know how to fix it. I’m going to reschedule!
Shop Cars
Well, I did it again! I now own seven 356’s I couldn’t pass on a ’58 Cabriolet – rusty, no engine, no top but complete and with plenty of repair panels. The price was right but the ’58 had been dipped so I can’t store it in the barn. So now I have the ’60 T-5 Coupe and ’58 Cabriolet in the back of the shop. The second Shop ’65 Coupe is in the barn but we won’t start on it until we work off the customer schedule.
Mike D has a deposit for first right to buy on the Shop ’63 Silver Coupe. It should sell for between $10K – $12K, depending on how the mechanicals check out. The Shop ’65 Dolphin Gray Coupe should be ready for sale next month. It has a blue interior and of course – no rust! It was previously owned by an excellent Porsche mechanic and Ryan drove it for four months. I will probably price it between $14K – $16K. Its not an SC but it’s strong. I price all the Shop cars below market but there are no surprises. These are not show cars but rust free drivers!
Tech Tip
The 6-volt batteries we can get now don’t fit the factory position – too small. It is important to shim the battery into position with wood scrap for a tight fit. A loose battery will leak acid and possibly crack. I saw one recently that was shorting out against the side of the battery box.
Open Shop
Saturday from noon till four is open shop. Over the last two years we have had folks dropping by just about every Saturday to check out the progress, parts or just kick tires, bench race or have a few beers/pop. We still have some interesting work going on over the winter; please come by!
Parts
We’ve acquired more 356 parts so the inventory is replenished. Please call to check if we have what you need. We get 3-5 calls a week and are able to meet about 50% of the needs. Our prices are the most reasonable around. 840-2356 or 841-6475.
