So I bought a Porsche 356 at auction
Discussion
Paracetamol said:
Sorry mate..I probably sound very arrogant and to offer advice when it wasn't asked for..I would have no issue with such conversion if it were well done and reversible.
Hey, not taken like that at all Edited by Paracetamol on Friday 9th September 10:30
I agree back to metal would be best, but it kind of just evolved, I didn't buy the car as an investment/resto, didn't intend to respray it etc. Undoubtedly there is a 'right' way to do things - and looking at the Pagoda you've nailed that (stunning!).
For me, the whole journey will undoubtedly be a series of ricochets based on mood, advice and the moment
Updates… good point, I have been a bit slack on updates, but that’s because we’ve been taking our time with little visual progress. I guess I should have staggered the previous posts more!
But good news is we are now moving forward at pace and hoping for an early Christmas present...
Spray wise – it’s blue, I’m really happy with the colour and it looks great when it catches the light. Doors, bonnet, engine lid, bumpers are now all in colour too, waiting to be hung.
The engine is all cleaned up with new ancilliaries added and a bit of paint here and there - stickers ordered. The tranny is cleaned up, painted and has new boots in place - new 200mm clutch kit too.
The interior is re-upholstered – red as per the previous posts and leatherette like original. No pictures I’m afraid as it is all wrapped up waiting for the wiring to be finished.
Preliminary wiring is underway, next phase is to drop/raise in the engine and tranny and then finish the wiring… once AAA get a Bowler out the door.
All sounds really simple. But, bearing in mind we never ran the car and the eletrics were a mess, this is the stage where we find all the bits that were missing and broken. I’ve adopted a replace not repair policy, but some parts costs are just scary!
The oil temp and fuel gauges were shot with the connectors all broken – replacement broken ones sell on ebay for $300+ - yes broken ones! I managed to cobble one working one together from my original and a very cheap broken one. An odd aside the oil gauge connectors were reversed on the new one, no reason, just seemed odd! Replacement clock required… you don’t want to know the price, but I’ll get the old one fixed and sell that on.
Next on the missing list was the washer bottle, footpump, tubing etc.
Steering coupler, fuel tank petcock, new bulbs and relays all round, headliner, carpets, rubber floormat, all sitting in boxes ready
So I think we have all the parts we need so it is just a case of re-assembly, but then I remember we don’t even know if the engine works yet… and rebuilt the carbs so that is probably a weak spot…
More regular updates promised.
Matt
But good news is we are now moving forward at pace and hoping for an early Christmas present...
Spray wise – it’s blue, I’m really happy with the colour and it looks great when it catches the light. Doors, bonnet, engine lid, bumpers are now all in colour too, waiting to be hung.
The engine is all cleaned up with new ancilliaries added and a bit of paint here and there - stickers ordered. The tranny is cleaned up, painted and has new boots in place - new 200mm clutch kit too.
The interior is re-upholstered – red as per the previous posts and leatherette like original. No pictures I’m afraid as it is all wrapped up waiting for the wiring to be finished.
Preliminary wiring is underway, next phase is to drop/raise in the engine and tranny and then finish the wiring… once AAA get a Bowler out the door.
All sounds really simple. But, bearing in mind we never ran the car and the eletrics were a mess, this is the stage where we find all the bits that were missing and broken. I’ve adopted a replace not repair policy, but some parts costs are just scary!
The oil temp and fuel gauges were shot with the connectors all broken – replacement broken ones sell on ebay for $300+ - yes broken ones! I managed to cobble one working one together from my original and a very cheap broken one. An odd aside the oil gauge connectors were reversed on the new one, no reason, just seemed odd! Replacement clock required… you don’t want to know the price, but I’ll get the old one fixed and sell that on.
Next on the missing list was the washer bottle, footpump, tubing etc.
Steering coupler, fuel tank petcock, new bulbs and relays all round, headliner, carpets, rubber floormat, all sitting in boxes ready
So I think we have all the parts we need so it is just a case of re-assembly, but then I remember we don’t even know if the engine works yet… and rebuilt the carbs so that is probably a weak spot…
More regular updates promised.
Matt
Edited by mattrsd on Sunday 20th November 06:22
A little side project. I'm going to get the original Blaupunkt radio restored. For now I will wire in the speakers etc, but use a blanking plate for over the stereo.
In the meantime I'm building a 12v suitcase stereo to use on the back seat... a couple of speakers, a couple of tweeters, a bluetooth amp and a 12v battery/charger. I've picked up an old 60's wooden suitcase and am currently playing with mdf. It should be good to play off an iPod/Phone
There are loads of examples on line, so this is will keep me busy whilst Ben and AAA do the hard work on the car.
That said, I've got my big construction show this week in Dubai, so won't have anytime anytime soon!
In the meantime I'm building a 12v suitcase stereo to use on the back seat... a couple of speakers, a couple of tweeters, a bluetooth amp and a 12v battery/charger. I've picked up an old 60's wooden suitcase and am currently playing with mdf. It should be good to play off an iPod/Phone
There are loads of examples on line, so this is will keep me busy whilst Ben and AAA do the hard work on the car.
That said, I've got my big construction show this week in Dubai, so won't have anytime anytime soon!
What is the stero as a matter of interest?
Blaupunkt Bremen, Frankfurt, Stutgart, Koln?
A family member used a company called.......name escapes me but can find out..who supplied an original unit upgraded with bluetooth, also for a 356.
No connection to them at all, but a superb piece of kit at a pretty reasonable price to keep it original.
Blaupunkt Bremen, Frankfurt, Stutgart, Koln?
A family member used a company called.......name escapes me but can find out..who supplied an original unit upgraded with bluetooth, also for a 356.
No connection to them at all, but a superb piece of kit at a pretty reasonable price to keep it original.
mattrsd said:
Hi, it is a Blaupunkt Frankfurt, 32471 Frankfurt TR Deluxe to be exact . I'd be interested if you could dig out a name. Many thanks, Matt.
http://www.chromelondon.com/blaupunkt-frankfurt-s-6v12v--vintage-classic-car-fm-radio-mp3-restored-porsche-356-911-912-vw-karmann-aston-db5-mg-etype-ferrari-330-250-1759-p.asp. I'd be interested if you could dig out a name. Many thanks, Matt.Several others available on the same site.
Good luck!
Bit of a thread resurection, just wondering how the end product looked and if the final spend was with the figure you had at the beginning.
A 356B is up for auction soon and slithering over possible pre retirement project but worried about the cost of parts etc.
Any advice or pointers appreciated.
A 356B is up for auction soon and slithering over possible pre retirement project but worried about the cost of parts etc.
Any advice or pointers appreciated.
mattrsd said:
Having left Dubai, sold off my Karmann Ghia and Lotus Esprit and moved my life, family and worldly goods to Dallas… 6 months later I find myself back in Dubai, car-less.=
If you were still in Dallas and looking I might have been able to introduce you to a friend of mine who rebuilds 356 for a living. He helped restore the body on my 71 280SL. Amazing body man.tighnamara said:
Bit of a thread resurection, just wondering how the end product looked and if the final spend was with the figure you had at the beginning.
A 356B is up for auction soon and slithering over possible pre retirement project but worried about the cost of parts etc.
Any advice or pointers appreciated.
It turned out well - just done to be honest as the N engine it had threw a cam follower and rather than strip and rebuild that one I found a number correct S engine and used that. So I have a spare N engine now!A 356B is up for auction soon and slithering over possible pre retirement project but worried about the cost of parts etc.
Any advice or pointers appreciated.
Money-wise, its as I expected - I used Sierra Madre Collection a lot. Am I going to make a shed load of money on it? No. Am I going to lose money, probably, but that's never what it was about. I paid too much for the car originally - given I went for a full rebuild, I should have got something tattier and cheaper. Prices can be crazy at the moment - but whilst this now has a number range correct S engine, it isn't matching numbers.
Here are some pics
The blue does shift a lot in different lighting.
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