Mark,
I haven't visited the Pelican for too long! I peeped the threads detailing your 1957 356 resto on some of the other forums. Very nice. You are doing some really nice work. It's amazing how long these projects go. Your car reminds me a lot of mine. Mine came through with a 912 engine, disc brakes, 12v conversion etc. I stuck with the mild outlaw theme as well.
I ran into a "ghost in the machine" with my 58 356 after thinking everything was sorted. I would take off for a drive, and like clockwork the engine would start to sputter and cough like it was out of gas about 2 miles into the drive. It was back and forth to my mechanic 5 or 6 times over the course of a year (after spending 3 years there already). Coils replaced, carbs synched, fuel pump rebuilt again, electronic ignitions considered, carbs "milled", etc, etc. Nothing fixed it!
Turned out to be a not visible hairline crack in the fuel pump body. The original fuel pumps are scarce now, and we ended up having the crack repaired. It solved the problem, but it was a tedious and expensive journey.
I still have my Land Cruiser. I also picked up a minty 1985 Vanagon tintop with a 1.8 Turbo conversion. It's lowered with Konis and 17" Porsche Twist wheels. I had a Vanagon years ago, and somehow got the bug again. This one came up for pennies on the dollar and I had to have it. I'm loving it. The 50/50 weight balance, fully independent suspension and rack and pinion steering create quite a fun driving van.
Anway....I'm rambling. Enjoyed checking out the threads on your 356.
Shayne
