Quote:
Originally Posted by Shuie
Very cool. Thanks again for sharing all of this.
Where did you learn how to work on a 356? Are there any go-to books that you can recommend for someone who has never really worked one of these cars? I trailered a numbers matching C coupe home Friday that I will be putting on a rotisserie and doing A LOT of work on. I'm sure I'll use this thread as a reference in the future, but I was wondering if there were books, websites, etc., available that are worth buying or reading?
TIA
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Um....well...ahhh.............
I don't actually have any 356-specific knowledge. At least I didn't before tackling this project.
I know 911s pretty well, though, and they were designed by the same people. So was the air-cooled VW. Basically just be careful and try to pay attention to the way things come apart so that you can remember how to put them back together later. I do have some engine-specific knowledge including air-cooled experience, (rebuilt my 911), but I've learned a lot on this car. It's brilliantly and logically designed for the most part, so it's really not bad to work on. I do not know how to rebuild a transmission so that was sent-out to TRE Motorsports where they have a guy with the right skill-set and experience for the job.
Factory manuals are the best books for any mechanical job but they are very expensive and getting rare for these cars. I wish I had them. I've made due with a combination of good 356 books. My absolute favorite is the Henry Elfrink book from the 1950s, (with several updates/revisions), that I mentioned earlier on the thread. It is very close to being a factory manual and very well-written. I have the 1965 edition:
Another absolutely invaluable resource, IMO, are these compilations of 356 registry articles sold under the title, "Technical and Restoration Guide". the articles are written by guys like Vic Skirmants and Harry Pellow, (The "Maestro"), they are the most knowledgable 356 people (formerly) on earth. The other book is the "356 Performance handbook" by Duanne Spencer which has a lot of info in it as well but is not a repair manual per se.
Here is a sample of the 356 TaRG:
