The Journey Begins

09-13-2004, 09:53 PM

I'm told a very important part of the restoration process is to document everything from the very start of the project. Here are some pictures as the car was delivered to the body shop. I'm a little nervous but I believe the car is in good hands.

Except for the color the car is original. The speedometer shows just a little over 9,000 miles but according to some reciepts found in the car the speedometer hasn't worked as far back as 1977 when the car last registered and driven.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can research the history of the car before I took delivery of it?

id10t · 09-14-2004, 01:12 PM

Report the VIN number to the registry - they may have a PO listed in the db already, and if not, they always want to know about another car.

C. Clark · C. Clark's Garage

I recently bought a 63 coupe. Mine looks similar to yours, or did when I trailered it home. mine had been sleeping since 92. I'm doing the restore myself starting with brakes, suspension, carbs, engine work if needed, body and paint and interior; and who knows the thousands of little things that show up along the way.
I restored a 69, 912 starting in 01 and learned enough to make this car much less painful. Good luck with the car, have fun and expect to spend money. The 356 Registry is a good support source for owners too.
Chas.
356
912

07:55 PM

Even though a complete rebuild is in the plan I got to hear the car run today. It's the first time I've heard it running. It's exhaust system is half rusted away but the motor sounded really beefy. I was expecting something similar to a VW but it sounded nothing like it. We had to remove the fuel pump and clean it as the fuel had turned to varnish and all the lines were rotten and falling off.
The brakes are frozen solid so driving it is out of the question even in the parking lot.
Also....Is it rare to have the radio still working? It does!! Only an AM but it's fun to hear.
We are still up in the air as to whether the mileage on the odometer is accurate but I'm not sure it matters as we will perform a complete restoration either way.
I'm getting more excited by the day. Thanks for letting me share.

914Ghost · 09-23-2004, 08:23 AM

Awesome!!!

das908kind · 09-23-2004, 01:45 PM

Another one being rescued!

Zeke · 09-23-2004, 06:51 PM

Nice find, but, IMO, it has a few miles on it that aren't showing. In fact, at 109K in '77, that would only be a little less than 8500/yr. for the 13 or so yrs it was working.

KevinP73 · 09-23-2004, 08:27 PM

As nice as it might be to have a 9000 original mile car, I just don't think the car's actual condition supports the wish. The shocks have been replaced (reciepts in '75 for the shocks) who wears out shocks in only 9K miles if they claim to NOT like the car? There is a reciept in '77 for the speedo cable which is still in the box. The tires on the car now are recent replacements but the spare(if it's the original) is well worn. The floor below the battery has been poorly repaired due to the typical corrosion from the battery. It's hard to imagine the battery going bad in 9K or if it rusted from never being driven, who would bother to fix the floor? The pedal pads are too good to have been used at all. Most likely someone replaced them thinking it was time to restore the car. I can't determine how much wear is on the rotors due to excessive rust. There are enough "little indicators" on the underside of the car to suggest it has spent plenty of time on the road.
Like I said, it would be nice if it was a 9K original piece but I think we should focus on the points of the car we know to be original and unique. I'm blown away that the radio still works.

C. Clark · C. Clark's Garage

I think the Dr. was just saying that the odometer was broken........hell my 63 says 57k on it and the odometer according to the previous owners 60 something year old son has been idle as long as he's known the car. My radio still does works also, Blaupunkt dealer add on it suspect, the dial is in white not green like the German installed units I hear; as does the cigar lighter, interior lights, backup light, everything. When I got my 69 nothing worked.
Chas.
356
912

59convertibleD · 09-25-2004, 09:47 PM

I'm not so surprised that the radio works, or at least the AM band. The real surprise would be if the clock works. Does it?

Send your VIN # to Bill Block and ask him if he has a record of it. He has more data on 356s than anyone.

Then go to http://www.356registry.org/tech/lookup.html and enter your VIN and see what comes up.

And finally, welcome to the 356 owners group!