Not another 356 restoration

[roy mawbey]

I have re-read your account several times, its difficult without seeing the set up but with your results that you have evaluated, it would seem you have the solution. Not easy at all that problem!

I was thinking the stub axle had been hit at some time causing this but if someone else took it all apart and mixed items up well....

Well done, I reckon you had a good day when you sorted that.

Cheers

Roy

[Ignatzcatz]

Getting on pretty well now, all the rear suspension is fitted up with new VW brakes and handbrake assemblies. Thanks to Flatland for supplying all this new stuff including Porsche 5 on 130 pattern drums. I have welded up some outer cable stops for the handbrake cables and will braze up a fitting to match up with my 911 handbrake lever. All the rear brake lines are run and I'm just waiting for the new machined bearing collar on the nearside torsion arm to come back and have the nearside suspension fitted, I will finish off the front lines. Some while back I had an old splittie that needed all new brake lines and I took this opportunity to fit the bus with a servo in order to help when braking down those steep hills in Cornwall. I remember I used a Ford Transit master cyclinder but I forget the origins of the servo but boy did this ever work good. Even with 205 rubber I could lock em up easy. So I pondered doing this on the old boat, but finding somewhere to position the servo plus the expected performance of 944 discs put this idea on the backburner. I really can't see the brakes not working well. I have the clutch cable to fit up, I have an outher cable and one clevis but I reckon I'll be having to fabricate some stuff to get it working well. And I visited my painter man last week just to stay in touch, oh my God, I almost said touch base, no no no. Anyroad he said just as soon as it's ready, he's ready. He was busy restoring a '63 US MGB roadster a guy bought sight unseen from across the pond which reputedly was said to be immac, turns out to be about 3" shorter that it should have been. Oops buyer beware. Must do some pics, back soon.

[Ignatzcatz]

Pics:[/img][/url] I've sloshed some sealer in the tank just to make sure there are no leaks and I'm running dash 6 braided fuel line direct through a nice chromey fuel filter to a Carter fuel pump thence to the big Webbberrrs.
The trans is all back together now and installed and the old boats bot is all 2 packed blue. I'm not going to plaster it in underseal stuff. Christ, it took me long enough to get all that old sh*t off and it's only a going out on sunny days so that's how it's staying. I have just about finished my 911 handbrake, just have to shorten and re-braze the cables cos I have put on slightly longer adjusters, the clutch cable is working fine and I'm starting on the gas cable. I have fabricated a throttle pedal and I am cutting up or should I say expertly modifying a bay type 2 heater cable and spring balancing the fairly hefty tug of the carbs and linkage. And I was digging around in a box of old crap trying to find something to throw at the cat when I came across a roof mounted aerial off my written off 205 Peugeot. Just the job for the old boat. Out with the drill, co-ax down the A pillar and it looks the business.
Off to Goodwood on Friday, don't suppose we'll see many Porsches but it's one heck of a day. Never been? Just go there, you will be stunned.
P.S. The grey jobies on the workmate are my super dinky spotlight brackets, I'm lusting to fit the Oscars up front. Rally rally chaps!

[cubist]

I came across a roof mounted aerial off my written off 205 Peugeot. Just the job for the old boat. Out with the drill, co-ax down the A pillar and it looks the business.

Love what you've done with the place! Any pics of the aerial? Sounds neat...

[Ignatzcatz]

Just wanted to post that I spent all of Monday 9th August just working on my bonnet. After all the welding, snotting on the two front panels, nears ide wing, K panel and front battery box repair panels, it was all it bit North sea and the bonnet balanced on opposing corners with gaps like the grand canyon. Well not really that bad but not good, definitely not that good. Anyway, I bashed it, I bent it, I filed it, and then I banged it a bit more and after 7 hours hard graft it is just sweet. It fits beautifully, I am just going to push a little bit of lead into the lower channel and that will be job done. And I have a much smaller than stock bonnet catch to be fitted which will complete the job. With all the running gear fitted and all the brake lines run and handbrake cables on and adjusted I have turned my hand to the steering column. In the outer column there is a small captive upper bearing but nothing else. I checked out Stoddards web site and saw a steering column bearing for about 250 dollars, nothing on Brays, so here we go again lets make the buggers. The upper bearing needed a sleeve to take up the space between the steering column and upper bearing, this I made in two pieces from some hard nylon blocks and the lower bearing from a bearing part which originally guided the steering drag link on my second Ford Pop street rod. I ground this to size and located it in the lower part of the outer steering column with a couple of cap screws. With this lot assembled on the bench I made the discovery that the top part of my inner column was bent by about 10 degrees obviously when a previous owner stuffed the old boat into an immovable object. No probs, just out with the hot spanner and beat it back into submission. I'm onto the doors next and although I have bought all new rubbers and stuff from Stoddards, my main task will be to convert them to power operation. The prime choice will be to get 944 assemblies to fit but I may be taking a few trips to the breakers before this problem can be put to bed. Oh and thank goodness it's got a bit cooler, speedos under overalls always felt a bit wierd.

[Ignatzcatz]

[img][img]http://c.imgehost.org/0374/SANY01[url=http://c.imagehost.org/view/0123/SANY0114][img]http://c.imagehost.org/t/0123/SANY0114.jpg[/img]11.jpg[/img][/url][/img][img]http://c.imagehost.org/viehttp://c.imag ... 3/SANY0108[/url]
I've done quite a bit lately but there seems to be be little to show for it. I got the bearing sleeve back from the machine shop to fit over the lower near side suspension arm. This is installed and hopefully dialled in with a bit of negative on the front wheels. This also enabled me to finish off the brake system with a 911 reservoir purchased from Mr. Nick Moss of 911.
I mounted this reservoir just to the side of the steering box using the existing 911 bracket, it's a bit on the tight side but you don't need to fill the reservoir every day do you. I've cut out my dash making it ready to mount the new carbon fibre dash panel with my Autometer Ultralite gauges
made brackets to lift the bucket seats aprox 2 inches, made a thick aluminium panel to mount all the aircraft switches on the trans tunnel between the seats and fitted the polished steering column and top boss into the stock position. Hey I got steering. Last week I picked up the engine lid from Home grown hot rods who installed four rows of louvers in it. I just lurv louvers, so cool. Unfortunately the lid is a bit distorted so I'm up for a bit of demon hammer work and a touch of the hot spannering. The remote lid release was pretty much non existent on this shell. It had rusted into the outer tube and the tube itself had rusted through the bodywork in the engine compartment. So I levered all this rubbish out and welded up all holes and made it good. But this left me with no lid release so I brazed up some brackets and used some spare push bike inner and outer cables and it now releases just below the rear valance with a pull fabricated from a heater knob. Although the front release was in better order as the rear pull worked out so neat I decided to replicate this system for the bonnet. I had no bonnet catches at all for the front having replaced the front clip earlier so I used a Ford catch I picked up at the NSRA swap meet earlier in the year. Again I used some push bike cables and the pull is just under the front and out of sight. All this bracket fabrication does take time fortunately I have a goodly supply of steel so at least I'm not having to run around buying stock. So what else, oh yes I put on my carpenters hat on and boxed in the rear seat area. It will be a good little storage area plus a nice base for the rear (big) speakers for the stereo. I am still scratching around trying to find a decent replacement wiring loom. There are loads of looms for street rods in the States but the car layout is obviously different. I'm still looking but there is no way I am using the 50 year old wires and that prehistoric fuse box.
And next on the list is to re rubber all the doors. I've got all the new stuff from Stoddards so hopefully things will be straight replacements, however I would like to convert the windows to power operation so I will be trawling around the local breakers to find something suitable, possibly the 944 may be a possibility.
I'm off to San Francisco next week a) to pick up some more stuff I've ordered from Stoddards b) to attend the NHRA old time drags at Famoso strip in Bakersfield c) to attend the street rod corvette and Porsche swap meet at Pomona and last but not least d) to hopefully purchase an old Austin Healey that my buddy Douggie has found stuffed in this old boy's garage just outside of Sacramento. Wahoo a genny barn find, I cant wait, get me on that 747.

[Ignatzcatz]

Damn, screwed up the pics again. I'll have another go tonite. Now where's my dummies guide to computers?

[Ignatzcatz]

OK here's some more pics of thttp://c.imagehost.org/view/07http://c.imagehost.org/view/0742/SANY011220/SANY0113he old boathttp://c.imagehost.org/view/0720/SANY0113http://c.imagehost.ohttp://c.imagehost. ... 3/SANY0108[/imhttp://c.imagehost.org/view/0775/SANY0106g]http://c.imagehost.org/view/0123/SANY0114[img]
Just found something else I hav'nt got, will this ever end, that's terrible English, discovered a missing part, there that's better. No antiroll bar brackets to the chassis. No matter a length of bar stock, plenty of heat and I'll bend the bugger up. And I just think I might have some news on my wiring loom search. Info to be confirmed, watch this space. [/img]

[Ignatzcatz]

Just got in from all day in the garage fixing the doors. Actually I was going to go out with the lads on me bike (as in push) but the weather was nasty am and I just did'nt fancy 60 miles of the Surrey Hills with a wet bum. Plus I got soaked on my bike (as in motor) coming back from Surrey HD on Saturday when I ran out of gas. What a knob! Fortunately I was only about a mile from Cranleigh so I didnt' have to push the old girl too far.
I got all my rubbers (ooo er missus) from Stoddards. I just ordered sort of everything which went on or around the doors and windows. I had ordered this stuff as a sort of last minute deal and the UPS truck arrived at the hotel just as I was leaving for my flight home. So relieved to see that little brown truck roll around the corner. So all this stuff stayed in the box until today when I started to sort out what was what. The trouble is I had forgotten exactly what was supposed to go where and all this black rubber stuff looks pretty much the same. Anyroad I sorted it all out, got the quarter lights all nice and the window weathstrip drilled and located. But I have a few bits left over including 'door top profile' and 'seal glued to door front and rear'. Well I hav'nt got a clue where they go but we are round to a friends next Saturday for a bit of a do and as he has a T5 B I'll have a good butchers to check out where this stuff goes.
So both doors and complete with all new rubbers and all mechanicals working fine and all nuts and bolts accounted for. But I tearing them all down tomorrow because I'm going to paint them and this will be the first of the exterior paint to go on. It wont be a finish top coat just to get the inside and shuts in colour.

[Ignatzcatz]

OMG, I cannot believe it is 2 and one half years since I last reported on my 356 restoration. A few things have happened since October 2010, one of the main being the first of two fairly major hospital visits which has resulted in me having to give up my beloved bike racing and secondly, early retirement which was not really too hard to bear, actually it's great and I should have done it 5 years ago. Not wishing to bore you with personal stuff I'll get back to cars and I was running an American F150 pickup, as in v. big and v. thirsty, thirsty as in over three figures to fill it up. So with my retirement and henceforth minimal car usage I had a rethink on vehicles, and decided on a Morris Minor Traveler. Now don't laugh, it was a come down from my pickup but it did tick quite a few boxes. Very cheap to run, eg insurance £78 a year fully comp, road tax Nil, any spares are cheap as chips, literally a tenth that of 356 stuff or less, plus I can load stuff in the back and cart my bikes and surfboard around, hey it's a woodie! So I sold my truck and bought a Minor which only needed new sills but had great wood. Well the wood wasn't bad, it wasn't that good and the sills were none existent. OK, to cut a very long story short It took me just over two years to get this p. o. s##t back on the road. I used a whole big bottle of acetylene on it just to give you the amount of welding I had to do on it. I did everything. Floors, outriggers, spring mounts, chassis, inner panels, doors, A and B pillars, wings and the back was non-existent. Boy, did I ever buy a lemon. Anyway, got it all done then had an oil leak from the bellhousing. I had already fitted a Toyota 5 speed box and thought it was this. New seals fitted, nah, it was the engine, a 1275 Marina lump. Well I tried all sorts of remedies until a Sprite racing buddy advised it must need a line bore. The whole lot very nearly went down to the scrappies there and then. However another friend had an old MGB GT which he was scrapping due to it rusting out and said I could have the car for the engine and box if I wanted it. As I had gone so far I thought hey why not give this a go, I had built a couple of street rods before so engine swaps were not too alien. Oops sorry I said I would cut this crap short so the trav is now all done. MGB and overdrive box installed and it runs fine with no problems. Unfortunately as a modified vehicle the insurance has increased, all the way to £134. Still very cheap motoring.
However, just to completely put the mockers on my financial constraints, we, that is the royal we, just bought a gorgeous Cayenne.
It's a 3 litre turbo diesel with all the toys, Black 20" wheels, GTS black trim, 12 way electric seats, it's even got a heated steering wheel. She loves it And she can park it easier than the Mercedes she had before. But the tax is £450! Still it does 26mpg and I do have my Morris to compensate.
Enough of this prattle, the main crux of all this is to advise all and sundry, that the restoration of my 356 has now officially re-commenced. I have booted the trav out of the garage and my lil ole Tub has it all to its/her/his self apart from a couple of old Harleys and a few pushbikes. And the target is 12 months or less for completion and I am going for it.
A few piccys of what's been holding me up . . .

[Ignatzcatz]

Well life does throw some crap at you from time to time. Without going into any boring detail at all I'm out of the hospital and have spent a few months just getting fit again. From being a racing cyclist to struggling just to ride around the block was a tough break, but I'm back to being a ride leader for my local cycling club so it's all coming back now. And of course motor cars were not on the scene for quite some while. However it's 356 time once again. This car is taking the longest period of time to complete of all the projects I have been involved with. From my very first street rod, a Daimler 2.5 litre Ford Pop to my last effort an MGB powered Morry traveller which took 18 months and two engine re-builds, this old 356 has been languishing in my garage for way too long. Still I'm rocking on with the beast and am hoping to get it ready for the International meet in Brussels this year. But a major problem has just arisen and that is the guy who was due to re-wire the car has disappeared. We think he has met some bit of crumpet and has nipped off to somewhere with this bird and has left his job, his house and his wife. But giving him the benefit of the doubt, as he comes from the Fens area he might just be upside down in a Wisbech ditch somewhere. Anyway this does leave me with the problem of re-wiring, something that doesn't actually phase me but the problem is I am so slow. I can do the re-wire but it will take me two weeks I know. I have just about finished all the bodywork now, I have had to go back and work on the rear of the car after finding it impossible to get a good shut and gaps on the engine lid. The car had been shunted up the rear end somewhen and had been poorly repaired. I dug out about a quarter inch of filler and found a four inch cut up in the body by the taillight area. This had to be bashed out and the cut re-welded and then I found it was the same deal on the other side too. So a week later and it's all looking OK again. I have fabricated a boss for my little wood rim steering wheel and re-bushed the steering column. Welded the dash for the new instruments (it's an outlaw, OK?) fabricated an aluminium panel for the switches (It's an out ..) fitted an electric Carter fuel pump and MSD ignition box. Got the brakes working (Yay!) fabricated a new throttle pedal and operating cable (it's a tandem brake cable, don't laugh) and got the heater wires all working sweet. I have had to throw a fair old bit of lead here and there just to get good gaps on the doors but I'm very near to the spray job which I am not doing. It's been bad enough having the garage under a deposit of pug dust and I really don't want everything in the garage sprayed as well. So more fun tomorrow.

[Darren65]

Good to read that you're making progress but how about a few pics for those of us who struggle with werds?

[Ignatzcatz]

I have been ordering a few bits and pieces from Vehicle Wiring Products so I can progress with the re-wiring of the car. I'm not using any of the Porsche stuff as all the old kit is way past it's sell by date and it would be quite uneconomical to purchase all new Porsche stuff. My old boat is only a left hand drive B T6, nothing special and it's an outlaw, I'd rather call it a bit of a hot rod because that is the sort of car I have always been involved with. I mean if I owned a speedster or a cabriolet I would have to get all factory parts and keep it stock. It would be stupid to screw around with the value of such a car. I am building the car exactly as I want it and values and history be damned, the car is a 'keeper' I have no intention of selling this car when it's done. And I do feel for those folks who have a 356 or any nice car, come to that who have to keep it all stock just because to modify the car would kill it's value. But then again most of these folks invariably would have finances to own other stuff in which they can play around.
I'll try and get some pics up to show where I'm at with the old dog but I must say that the picture hosting on this site is a real pain in the arse. I hit on a couple of other sites and their picture hosting is just so damn easy. You do your message, you hit something like manage attachments, up pops a box with browse, you hit this and go straight to your pics, you highlight one or two, hit upload and that's it. None of this img right click copy paste img nothing. I'm not f*&k&%g stupid but I cannot get this done on my laptop, I have had to bung everything on photosuckit and bugger around there. Anyway moans over, here we go img yaddah yaddah yaddah
[/img][/img][/img]
The whole front clip and nearside wing are what I have welded on, there is only a skim of pug on the body, most of the gaps I have leaded first. This was necessary because the front end was in two halves and the wing required a lot of positioning and trimming to fit, but most of the gaps are OK now, but I wont get any invites to Pebble Beach that's for sure. The motor has got some nice big Webers and KN filters on it and I just fitted my 12V alternator and custom stand and oil filler. The motor is back in the car now and all hooked up.

[Ignatzcatz]

Don't think I ever put up pics of my 944 brakes. It was only a smallish bracket and they bolt right up. If they don't http://s487.photobucket.com/user/ignatz ... g.htmlhave enough stopping power I can easily upgrade to those big red six pot calipers but that might just rip the front suspension right out. The rear brakes are all VW cos you can get new drums with the 5 on 130mm stud pattern sos' I can run my Fuchs.
[img[img[img[/img]

[Ignatzcatz]

The old dog is up in the Fens at the moment. It's all re-wired now as per Euro specs and colours so it will be easy to fault find any problems. I've hooked up an MSD 6AL super ignition box so I'll get plenty of sparks and a Carter electric fuel pump all with AN fittings so there will be lotsa juice to the Webers and anything else I might fit. And talking of anything else, I'm currently negociating the purchase of a 2.3 litre ex drag race type 1 lump which would definitely get the old boy down the road pretty good. I wanted something a bit quicker than my 1820 '59 lump and I was afraid I would do a stupid to this motor and end up with big bills, so if I do get the big type 1 the porker lump can just sit on an engine stand and look pretty.
As I mentioned it's in the Fens being painted at this time and I hope to get it back in January some time. I took it up to Wisbech to get the roll cage welded in and it was here that a guy came into the workshop, loved the car to death and asked if he could paint it. This sounded all very iffy but it turns out his main trade is a truck repair bodywork and paint man and he does stuff on the side but only on stuff he likes. It turns out he has sprayed about half of the street rods and drag race cars in the local vicinity. So what the hell, do it. I was going to spray it myself so this is a big relief for me and I know it will be very good.
So it's an empty garage at the mo apart from the motorbikes and just to keep her indoors happy just bought a 2013 Cayenne to replace her 2010 model. This is really only interim wheels because back in August we ordered a new Macan which should be delivered about April or May next year. Mr. Porsche rings us up last week and says April/May's off you won't get your Macan until 2017! I mean WTF do they want sell cars or not? I was not happy and told him we would go test that tricked out Audi Q5, and it's about the same money. Anyway we got a nice new shape Cayenne with 21" rims, bitchin!