Some shots of my 356B T5, waiting for me to work.

[BattleRabbit]

Finally! Some new pictures!
I wanted to get some shots of the car, namely some engine bits(carb info), the data plates, and get some better pictures of the rust I will have to tackle.

So here is what I discovered:
1. Zenith carbs, so that is the cheaper carb to rebuild, which is good.
2. The longitudinals are in MUCH better shape than I thought they were. I may just reinforce them when I do the rest of the floors, as replacing them entirely has the potential to double the work in replacing the floors.
3. The drum brakes are not salvageable. The inside circumference is visibly not round, so I will be converting to discs.(though I don't know what sort is best)
4. My uncle has added about 7 dents to the car. I am grateful to him for storing it, but I have new dents on the lower front right fender, the rear quarter panel, rain gutter, roof and hood.
5. I am still as enamored with this car as I was when I was 8.

^New fender dent

^Front edge of the windshield. This will be one of the most difficult pieces of metalwork

^Period correct distributor

^Inner door rust. None of it goes through all the way, but there is a LOT of it.

^The engine as it sits... where the passenger seat should be.

^Contrast-y picture of one of the carbs. I couldn't read the castings otherwise, as the picture was so dark.

^Rot on the nose

^The battery box is just a hole

^The whole perimeter of the hood is like this.

^The data plate. The number in the top right rectangle is 110146, which I believe is the chassis number.

^I couldn't help myself. No I do not secretly own a Mk.IV

This is going to be slow going. I am still researching. I really want to make this car right, because I want to be able to enjoy it. I feel like the 356 is a thing of beauty that should be enjoyed by as many people as possible, for as long as possible.
This particular car never had the engine rebuilt, or the transmission. It has over 250k miles on it. Most Porsche-philes rebuild about every 50k with these cars. I can still turn the crank with a wrench, despite the fact that the inspection sticker on the car is dated 1975. It has been in storage since then, it moved from its original home on Long Island and thrown in a doorless upstate NY barn in 1977. I am the third owner.

The owners are as follows:
1. John Bentley, who wrote technical manuals for computers in the 60s/70s
2. My grandparents
3. Me

http://www.356registry.com/for...=9684
^This is my thread at 356 Registry, where the masters are guiding me.

Oh, and the original owner was apparently Robert Bentley, not John Bentley. The official "registrar" of the site contacted me with all the information they had on the car, because to them the car has been off the radar since 1962.



Modified by BattleRabbit at 5:31 PM 12-1-2009

[Das Borgen]

major project there

[FujiTekniques]

Cool. When ya actually going to crack her open and start working on it?

[ByAirorByWater]

I do not know what your intentions are for this car are but..... I say make it an outlaw. Before people start rippin me apart talkin about rusty hoods and stretched tires, that isn't what I am saying. Make it fun to drive and mostly accurate for now while you are young and then later when you have more time and money make a show winner out of it if that's what you want. I just would have a lot of fun driving it as soon as possible and make it perfect later. That's just me and what I would do if I got something like that

[BattleRabbit]

Well, what I am planning on doing is taking the engine back with me next time I go to Connecticut, and doing the rebuild over my break between semesters.

That's the big issue here, I am a full time college student. If I was going to school for, say, automotive tech maybe I could use school garage time to work on my Porsche. I am however going to an urban liberal arts school for Social Studies education.

My friend Chris' dad owns a VW shop down in Brewster, NY, and he really knows his way around air-cooled engines. I am going to try and enlist his help with the engine rebuild and pre-rebuild inspection.

The floors I simply don't have space to do in any garage I regularly use, so I may have to fully contract that job out(though I'll reinforce the longitudinals and heater tube area myself).

Now what I have to do is figure out what to do for brakes, as they are the only part that is totally up in the air as to what is the most economical solution.

Oh, and it will most certainly be a bit of an "outlaw." It's going to have good brakes, slightly firmer suspension, and a partly stripped interior(good pile carpets are EXPENSIVE!). The floors will be undercoated on the underside, then probably just painted and bedlinered on the inside(just the floor). The rest will be trimmed in correct leather, but sans-backseat. I want to run Fuchs, properly grippy tires, and get the bodywork at least rust-free, even if the paint job doesn't cost $10k.


Modified by BattleRabbit at 11:32 PM 11-26-2009

[WOT]

sure you don't want to build it hoodride style?
just kidding, I'm totally jealous and dig your plans for it. sounds like it's in good hands.

[Hogan]

I know I'm not the first person to say this, but damn, you have a hell of a project ahead of you.

Best of luck to you though, that's an amazing car you've got your hands on.

[Juniper Monkeys]

Quote, originally posted by BattleRabbit »

The owners are as follows: 1. John Bentley, who wrote technical manuals for computers in the 60s/70s 2. My grandparents 3. Me

Jon Bentley—Bentley-Ottmann algorithm Jon Bentley? :-o An awesome car just got awesomer! Good luck with the project

[thenick]

Looks like a great project. Sure there is alot of work to be done, but I doubt that you will feel overcome by it.
Good Luck!
And try to use an original color.

[BattleRabbit]

I will definitely be using the color the car currently is, which is Fjord Green.
The color changed names but was actually available recently through Porsche's special order catalog on new 911s, boxsters and Caymans.

That's the color on an older 356. I think it is a gorgeous color.

If only my grandfather still his other two 356s (a 1958 speedster and a 1952 Speedster America)

[BattleRabbit]

Quote, originally posted by Juniper Monkeys »

Jon Bentley—Bentley-Ottmann algorithm Jon Bentley? :-o An awesome car just got awesomer! Good luck with the project

Sadly it's a different John Bentley. The John Bentley who owned my car lived on Long Island and was about 15 years older than that Jon Bentley.

Figured you would know about that Jon Bentley, and would pick right up on it though

[mellbergVWfan]

Quote, originally posted by Hogan »

I know I'm not the first person to say this, but damn, you have a hell of a project ahead of you. Best of luck to you though, that's an amazing car you've got your hands on.

x2

You've got dedication to work on a car like that. Good luck. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

[Das Borgen]

Quote, originally posted by BattleRabbit »

Sadly it's a different John Bentley. The John Bentley who owned my car lived on Long Island and was about 15 years older than that Jon Bentley. Figured you would know about that Jon Bentley, and would pick right up on it though

we're not perfect... Are we human or are we dancer?

[Vamped]

Nice, you're really gonna have your work 'cut out' for ya!

[corey5312]

Quote, originally posted by Das Borgen »

we're not perfect... Are we human or are we dancer?

nice

[nobledub]

[BattleRabbit]

Quote, originally posted by Vamped »

Nice, you're really gonna have your work 'cut out' for ya!

Yeah... Lots of cutting to do. The lower door skins, rockers, and floors all need to be cut out.

The best part is this isn't just unibody, it's monocoque. It doesn't have front fenders per-se, they are actually welded in parts of the structure.
The only body panels that come off with bolts are the doors, hood, and rear decklid.

As far as I can tell the dash is a part of the structure too, but I could be wrong about that one.

[cgj]

Quote, originally posted by BattleRabbit »

I will definitely be using the color the car currently is, which is Fjord Green. The color changed names but was actually available recently through Porsche's special order catalog on new 911s, boxsters and Caymans. That's the color on an older 356. I think it is a gorgeous color.

Nice car, they should take it off the blocks and put some wheels on it.

[vwlarry]

I have a brand-new NOS set of the upper grilles for a B/C, if you are interested. Also have a set of all-red US-spec taillamp lenses that are in excellent condition, including the bezels, and a tach, along with combo gauge (both work and in excellent condition). Finally, I have a RS door panel, OEM, for a coupe, in red vinyl that is in excellent condition, including the armrest. It's all stuff gleaned from my friend's '64 C restoration we did years ago. He bought a used RS door, complete, to replace his rotted one, and he threw the panel in the trash, whereupon I took it OUT of the trash.

[vwlarry]

Quote, originally posted by BattleRabbit »

As far as I can tell the dash is a part of the structure too, but I could be wrong about that one.

It's all of-a-piece. That's one reason why they were such Rock-of-Gibraltar solid cars when new. Too bad Porsche didn't ever figure out the fine art of rust protection/prevention.

[warren_s]

lower it!

[WOT]

Quote, originally posted by vwlarry »

he threw the panel in the trash, whereupon I took it OUT of the trash.

can you believe some of the stuff that people throw away?

[BattleRabbit]

Quote, originally posted by vwlarry »

It's all of-a-piece. That's one reason why they were such Rock-of-Gibraltar solid cars when new. Too bad Porsche didn't ever figure out the fine art of rust protection/prevention.

That's what I thought. The car is still absurdly solid apart from the floors. The doors thunk closed smoothly, and the panel gaps on the four openning panels are uniform and tight.

Porsche did get much better at rust protection from about 1975 on it seems, It's hard to find a 924/944/911 from that era on with huge rust issues.

[MAGICGTI]

Quote, originally posted by BattleRabbit »

Sadly it's a different John Bentley. The John Bentley who owned my car lived on Long Island and was about 15 years older than that Jon Bentley. Figured you would know about that Jon Bentley, and would pick right up on it though

Am I the only one to pick up on the Seinfeld content here?

[BattleRabbit]

What Seinfeld reference?

[msweeney]

Awesome, awesome, awesome project! I've seen 356s made into great cars from MUCH worse condition than that, so no worries there. That'll be a great project and an awesome outlaw. If I may suggest ruining your life, though, 356s make great vintage race cars. I've done a number of races in a few different bathtubs, with most of them in this car:

Just food for thought. Anyways, I'm super-duper jealous, because I can't afford a 356 in any condition. That thing will be worth a pretty penny when done, for sure. Congrats and good luck!

Mike

[BattleRabbit]

^The car was my grandmother's, I don't think she'd want me racing it!

[ennui_delphian]

Quote, originally posted by BattleRabbit »

^The car was my grandmother's, I don't think she'd want me racing it!

you'd be suprised

[msweeney]

^
I like this guy.

Mike

[BattleRabbit]

So, I guess the big question now is bumpers or no bumpers?

My bumpers are rough, but restorable. I'm not sure what look I like better though. The bumpers bring the car to a point and make it look longer. There is something to the bumperless look too though... Influence me!

I also just found that floors and body panels are cheaper than I once thought too. Floorpans (minus longitudinals) cost $295.95 from Restoration Design, and virtually every body panel save the nose cone is under $150.

That is heartening. This car is not that pricey.

I'll post up a link to my thread on 356 registry later, I am a little shocked at how optimistic those guys are, and how many of them recommend me just making it drivable and not diving into a full restoration for a good long time.

[chucchinchilla]

I'm so jealous as I'm trying to find a 356 RIGHT NOW. I've given up hope on this one here in Pittsburgh, found one at home in San Francisco, but it sold already.

[.LSinLV.]

Battlerabbit.....I have a local (to me) source for MANY parts for your car. This Porsche-phile bougth out Stoddard Motors when they went under and has just about every part imaginable for the 356 series, and especially the cabrios.....in fact he's built MANY 100 pt restorations.

PM me for more info if you are interested.

[Slider300z]

Quote, originally posted by BattleRabbit »

I'll post up a link to my thread on 356 registry later, I am a little shocked at how optimistic those guys are, and how many of them recommend me just making it drivable and not diving into a full restoration for a good long time.

I would think they would rather see the car take longer to complete and done correctly than attempted to "restore" on the cheap.

Cool project!

[rice is burning]

Quote, originally posted by BattleRabbit »

I am a little shocked at how optimistic those guys are, and how many of them recommend me just making it drivable and not diving into a full restoration for a good long time.

That sounds like a reasonable approach for you to get the car on the road, given your (college student) time and funds limitations, and the fact that as a you don't seem to have a great place to store a pristine car.

You've got a ton of work ahead of you, seems smart to set more attainable goals to get the car streetable as motivation, rather than aiming for some concours-level restoration that you really don't have the time or the $$$$ or the space or the tools to undertake right now. If you love the car that much, you probably won't get rid of it, so you have quite a while to finish the whole project.

[90Carat]

Quote, originally posted by .LSinLV. »

Battlerabbit.....I have a local (to me) source for MANY parts for your car. This Porsche-phile bougth out Stoddard Motors when they went under and has just about every part imaginable for the 356 series, and especially the cabrios.....in fact he's built MANY 100 pt restorations. PM me for more info if you are interested.

This part guy rocks.