I’ve long wanted a B with a 912 engine and disc brake conversion. Best of both worlds at the nice price.

Don't go into a 356 without "eyes wide open" as it is much more difficult to restore the body (correctly). By comparison, a 911 is a cakewalk.


1964 356SC which I am familiar with.
https://madisonauto.org
https://twitter.com/hashtag/pcaparade2019

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I have a friend who has substantial experience on the restoration side and he said something similar. He said that they were relatively cheap for so long that many had substandard restorations that aren't always easy to detect via photos. Every time I send him a car on eBay or BaT, I'm blown away by the number of incorrect items or shoddy work that he can spot via photos.

B's always lag C's by about 10%.

---Adam

Here's what happened when they were just another old car.


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My favorite "period fix" of all time, the street sign floor!

---Adam


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---Adam
Once saw a license plate as a "backer" in the door of a mid-year Corvette. I ONLY saw it because the interior door panel was off. :eek:

[QUOTE=sithot;10717831] I once had a "restored" 912. There was a weird thump while driving. I looked in the wheel wells and glued into the inner fender was mud flaps, so they could bondo the outer fender. Yosemitie Sam was staring back at me!

---Adam

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I found asphalt shingles on the floor of my BMW, covering the holes in the floor.
Nice touch.

Okay, after seeing everything you guys just posted, now I kind of just want to stick with my rust free Ghia.

To fix the rusty floor in the passenger floor of my 914, someone cut up an MDF folding banquet table and dropped it in there. And then just put the carpet back.

Another thing when considering 911 vs. 356 in restoration, is they were deigned for less expensive accident repair damage. The front fender unbolt from the 911 series car and can be replaced as does the rear valence, hoods and doors were not fitted to each body. Ease of repairing for accident damage was one of the consideration that went into the 911 design. That of course translates into less expensive restoration cost.

One thing to think about when driving a 356 is that it doesn't have to be 100% perfect to be a great car. My car was restored in the 80s, to those low standards. It has flat floors, but no rust. I had it painted a couple of years ago and we fixed all the really awful gas welding rust repair. I may eventually fix the floors, but not until they need it.

The cars are still valuable and just as much fun, even if they aren't going to win a concour.

---Adam
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I appreciate this perspective. I have no desire to buy a concourse car and don't particularly care for perfect originality but my fear is that I'll buy something stuffed with bondo and rust and end up into it some obscene figure to fix structural problems.

A good PPI will find most scary things. Remember a lot of these cars did go down a bad road, but many were always owned by dudes and maintained.
The other thing you can do is educate yourself on the cars, go to some shows, look at how things are supposed to look. I've looked at thousands and the parts and can pick stuff out quickly. But always get a good PPI before buying any Porsche, but especially a 356 or early 911 where body is important.

Also, be on the lookout for a car that was recently restored and has pictures, that way you can see what was done and why. Like if someone bought my car today I could show them every picture they ever wanted.

Off to the paint shop! - Porsche356registry.org



---Adam



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Good 356s are not cheap and never will be. While Adam's Roadster had a very old replaced floor when the only floor you could buy was corrugated metal kit as he says it is still solid and driving a Roadster is Fun fun fun. Lots of us old guys were lucky enough to buy when 356s were cheap. I restored mine but it was still a pretty solid car when I bought it as it was a lifelong NC car owned 1st by a Dr 2nd by a lawyer and 3rd by a dentist so it was always owned by someone who could afford to maintain it. I am the happy 4th owner who restored it to what I call "as good as when they were new" as opposed to todays over restored show cars which are much better than the cars were when new.

This was the kit, back in the day.

---Adam



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Those are cool looking brake drums

The holes commonly found in 356 floor pans is actually a Special Wishes, brakes enhancement option that is known as The Fred Flintstone (works well with the matching Barney Rubble power? plant)!

Adam should pony up for some Carrera 2 annular disc brakes. ;)