Maintaining a 356

Deeks · 02-20-2004, 09:25 AM

Assuming I was to buy a fully restored 356B .... and nothing drastic went wrong with the engine or mechanicals or electrics how much would you budget for annual maintenance and wear and tear ?

How many VW parts are directly interchangeable with a 356 when it comes to maintenance? I would've thought that OE 356 parts are pretty dam expensive ....

id10t · 02-21-2004, 08:48 PM

For just maintaining it, they are cheap... Oil change every few thousand miles, some lube on the suspension, etc. Its when things break it can get bad... But not too bad.

Ptown John · 03-01-2004, 03:49 PM

the 356 registry sells a book also available on ebay called the 356 technical and reference guide. In that guide is a listing of interchangable parts between 356 and VW bugs.

Jump2xs · 03-01-2004, 04:18 PM

It all depends on mileage of course, but I drive my fully sorted C coupe about 2,000 miles per year, and all it takes is a yearly oil change with filter and a bit of grease for the front suspension. tune up kits are cheap..say 60 bucks. Plug wires will ventilate your wallet at $45 a set

Last year I replaced some rubber fuel hose that was leaking, last week I replaced the signal flasher at the extreme price of $15...6 volt you know.
IF the car is truly sorted and gone through it can be VERY inexpensive to run a 356....think VW.
The key to cheap running is regular maintainence.

I don't have a baseline for my Speedster because it's not fully sorted, but I just did a full brake system rebuild and it cost about $1,200. I'm doing the engine now and it's going to set me back about $3,500. I do all the work myself so If you send it out, be prepared for much larger bills.

Deeks · 03-02-2004, 10:21 AM

Quote:

I don't have a baseline for my Speedster because it's not fully sorted, but I just did a full brake system rebuild and it cost about $1,200. I'm doing the engine now and it's going to set me back about $3,500.

ok... so it looks marginally cheaper to maintain a 356 than a pre '73 911 then (assuming condition and reliability are equal)..?

Cheers for the feedback.....

Jump2xs · 03-02-2004, 10:36 AM

If you do things yourself it's even cheaper--time wise that is.
I used to have a 73 911T, and it took hours to do a valve adjustment. With minimum practice a 356 valve adjustment can be done in 1/2 hour easily, and it can be done with a regular feeler gauge as oppossed to those breakage prone dog leg blades you need to use on a 911. I miss the 911 but not the maintenence--it's part of the reason I sold it--even though it was nicely sorted I just didn't enjoy tinkering with it.

Good luck with your search--for me it's 50% of the fun.

Deeks · 03-03-2004, 04:08 AM

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Good luck with your search--for me it's 50% of the fun

I wish I was in a position to search... I'm studying full time for the next four yeasrs so have to get on with driving my little french hatchback...... I'm keeping my eyes peeled though. When I get around to buying one I'll after one of these :

http://www.seas.rochester.edu/~gort/lacarrera/LaCarrera_2002/LCP/118-1820_IMG.JPG

However.... it's near impossible finding a rust free 356 in the UK so if I can't find a decent one, then I might just settle for one of these (if I can find a rust free one) :

http://www.seas.rochester.edu/~gort/lacarrera/LaCarrera_2002/LCP/118-1844_IMG.JPG

KoolKirk · 03-03-2004, 10:49 PM

My C was my only car for 15 years;
Adjust valves, check timing, change spark plugs, points, then replace clutch every 7 years, king pins wear out, brake master cylinder rebuild, fuel pump rebuild, and now CASE CRACK at the oil cooler flange! Oh dear!
Do you plan on converting to 12V ?

Deeks · 03-04-2004, 04:06 AM

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Do you plan on converting to 12V ?

definitely.
Have owned three Veedubs and the two that were 6V I had converted to 12V..... Even at 12V the lights aren't exactly great though !!

Quote:

My C was my only car for 15 years

Respect.
My Beetles were all daily drivers - my earliest one was a champagne silver '65 ragtop Deluxe. Beautiful car.
Even my tuned and modified '72 was a reliable everyday car, although misted windows and lack of heating in winter was always a bit of a drag......

I suppose living with a 356 as a daily driver would be similar (PITA and maintenance wise) to living with an older Beetle (just a little more expensive...)