Getting My 356 Back On The Road

[cornemuse]

1964 356C hardtop cab.

Its been parked (garaged) since 1982.

What "all" should be done to get roadworthy?
Tires rotten with about 1000 original miles! Axle boots and what other 'rubber' to replace. New master cylinder, same age.
Any & all suggestions appreciated!

I will be 77 next month, and would really like to drive it again before I die!

[ChrisHamilton]

Just some generalities about getting something that has been sitting a long time going. Not all inclusive by any means.


Drain the tank

Check the condition of all rubber lines. If in doubt replace.

Replace fuel filters

Carburetors, plan on rebuilding the carbs.

New air filters

Change the oil

Replace plugs, buy a couple of sets in case of fouling

Squirt some engine oil into each cylinder through the plug hole. I know of some guys who used Marvel Mystery Oil, others who used ATF, even WD-40 but engine oil works good. You want to get some lubrication in the upper cylinders.

Inspect ignition system, replace anything if necessary

Get it started. Once you do that is more than half the battle.

Inspect steering system, replace components if necessary

Flush the brake lines. Bleed. Inspect hoses for rot, verify that the brakes are working. Rebuild or replace components as necessary

Inspect the suspension for dry rotted bushings, verify shocks are in decent condition, replace anything necessary.

Lighting, headlights, brake lights turn signals, verify all work.

Tires.

That should be enough to get it road worthy. Will probably be an easier job than expected due to your location and climate. Good luck and I hope you are driving it soon.

[cornemuse]

Thanks for the information!!

[CASair]

new battery..

Check the steering coupler, just replace it. Also just replace all the brake hoses, wheel and master cylinders... cheap insurance and none of those age very well when they are just sitting. You don't want those to go out after a couple of miles.

[Adsby76]

This is lovely

[stealthn]

Check electrical for mouse nibbling

[Daves911L]

Pretty. I love cabs with hardtops!

Went through this with a my '57 three yars ago, and it was parked running in '79, so almost identical timeline.

Everything rubber needed replacement. Fuel lines, gaskets, and all the brake parts (flex lines/seals). I tried to save the wheel cylinders but had a lot of pitting and finally gave up and bought new.

I pulled the motor apart, and very glad I did. 1" thick hardened sludge in bottom (legacy of leaded gas) that woul not drain and no solvents would soften. I had to chiselsome of it out! Plus all the seals were dry and needed replacing. Yours may be in better shape though and maybe went into storage with more care. If you havent been starting it occasionally over the years, the Valves/guides/rocker gear will be completely dry and would benefit from removal/freeing and oiling before spinning it over.

Carbs all apart and cleaned. Accel pump and nozzles took a lot of fiddling to get clear. Fuel pump rebuilt.

Electrical all came back to life with little trouble. Gauges were balky at first but the more I drove the car, the better they got. Had to replace the tach and speedo cables to stop the bouncing needles. Removed and cleaned the fusebox and put in new fusesmas there was a lot of "bloom" on te tips. Replaced all the light bulbs too.

Grease in king/link pins had turned to granite. Initially just greased them, but thinfs werent moving well and the new grease had just tunneled through the old. So i pulled the front end apart and rebuilt all. Drained waht oil was left in the steering box (not much) and refilled it with lubriplate. Replaced the tie rod ends too.

New tires of course. Started with some Kumho's on some brazilian rims I had, but it didnt feel right. Bought a set of the vredestein sport classic in correct 165/80 size, on original rms and it rides much nicer now.

Good luck. Drive em!

The '57 below. Did 2600 trouble-free miles out to Rennsport and back this fall.

[Daves911L]

Originally Posted by CASair

Check the steering coupler, just replace it.

Oh, and THIS! The one in the '57 wasn't toobad, but I replaced it anyway . The C steering coupler is different and very deceptive. The one in my '64 looked fine but fell apart as soon as I touched it with a wrench. Precision Matters makes a nice replacement.

[Bravoaloha]

Subscribed! Good luck!!

[wdfifteen]

Congratulations! I do hope you get it up and going.
I resurrected my '56 coupe after only sitting 12 years. Tried to do it piecemeal, which lead to a lot of disappointment.
It's been sitting for 40 years, so lots of seals and other rubber parts are dried out and will need replacement, as suggested. I replaced all the rubber in the brake system and installed a dual master cylinder from Zim's. Removed all the light bulbs and fuses and cleaned the contacts and reinstalled them with conducting grease. Of course, put oil in the cylinders and crank the engine over with the plugs out to distribute the oil on the cylinders. Adjust valves, change oil. I didn't change fuel or oil filters. They don't get dirty just sitting there.

The places I thought I could put off until later were the fuel pump, carburetors, and fuel tap. Big mistake. After all sorts of leaks and intermittent driveability problems I sent them out to be professionally rebuilt and the car finally drove like new.

[pdxjim]

This is my first post, and I'm in the same boat.

My dad passed away just before Christmas, and left me his '56 356A.

As far as i know, he purchased this car in 1961 in Sacramento, CA, and drove it until a bit after I was born in 1968.

The car has remained covered in his garage ever since, and has seen very little time on the road in the past 50+ years.

Once I get his estate in order, and his trust distributed and closed, I'm gonna get started on a sympathetic rejuvenation.

I'll start my own thread on here once I get going on it.

(yes, that's me in my Mother's arms February 1968. First car I ever rode in)