Hotrodding a 356....
 

A friend and I are tossing around the idea to update a 356 tub we've got laying around with late model suspension mods and engine/trans mods....

Anybody already take this on? What were the pitfalls...

TIA

The first pitfall that comes to mind:

You'd be ruining a good 356.

This car is beyond sentamentality....

You might try in the 356 forum for this...

(but you might get torn apart there...)

Hehhehheh.....NO WAY I'm goin in there with this....:D

too late....we've already found you

go for it.

the biggest porblem(s) that i can see would be fiiting the engine and transaxle into a 356 body.

they use a small 4 cyclinder, with a small 4 spd. putting a big 6 with a big 5 speed could be fun!!!!

you would also have to tie the suspension pickups together if your talking about coilovers....but thats a pretty common mod anyways.

i'd love to follow this build

It's been done - it was something I considered. I've seen 356's with 2.7 911 engines in them - flies like the wind.

A 356 outlaw:
http://www.partsobsolete.com/Outlaws/cab.htm

There's a roadster here with an SC motor:
http://hometown.aol.com/por356man/PORSCHECOLLECTION.html

A pretty good photo documentation of an outlaw resto:
http://www.bbt4vw.com/BBT's%20restoration/seppes356outlaw/index.htm

Alex Webster down in Melbourne here has a 356 with a 911 engine - can't remember which one.

A guy (edit: Mark Jung, a Pelicanite!) at Emory's Campout last summer was building an amazing 356 hotrod (911 powered). He had the work-in-progress on display. Look carefully and you can see the 1972 911 oil door.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/swapmeet...2006/Pic38.jpg

Sure why not? If as you say it's past the point of restoration to original specs why not make a hot rod out of it? It's better than letting it waste away in some field. And if you can do some/most of the work yourself you might be able to do it on a reasonable budget.

He is a fellow Pelican. See this thread...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-356-technical-forum/305177-any-6cyl-conversions-out-there.html

He didn't actually say it was beyond restoration, just sentimentality....whatever that means. If the car was that bad off, why fool with it at all?

Personally, I think a Speedster replica would be a good candidate. There are the ones that sit on a VW pan and then there are some better ones. Agreed that someone else's project would be a good a starting point, especially an unfinished replica. I think there may be FRP coupes, too. Not sure, but you could always put a hard top on.

get a replica tub from Beck or something.....The sell the 356 tub

All the good references are listed.

If you are going to do it go ahead and put the engine ahead of the transalxe and make it a mid engine outlaw. Since you will get rid of the torsion bar tube you will need to do some structural fabrication. Move the rear firewall forward, go to coil over shocks (front and rear), rack and penion steering, etc. Would be a great car - light and fast.

Already been done ;)

1963 356 T6-B
2.3-liter 914-4 w/upright fan and 48 Webbers
911 rear suspension w/adjustable spring plates
901 transmission
Twin front oil coolers
Factory GT fuel tank
Sport seats
Lexan windows
etc.
etc.
etc.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170385027.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170385133.jpg

Like to see pictures of the underside, engine installation etc

Thanks

do a search for 'classic adelaide' and look for the video w/ the 911 powered 356. your fate will be sealed after watching.:)

Oh Yeah! Just the term 'Outlaw' fits my personality....

Mark, great pics. This is the direction I was envisioning...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1170417657.jpg

That sounds like a great project. Thats exaxtly what i wanna do next. I saw a cool idea at the Karosserie in Northern VA (April's Excellence has an article about an Outlaw they built) where they chopped the top off a 911 and welded it on a 356 chassis. Looked awesome. Theres so many things you can do to hotrod those tubs.