Thanks Dad: '56 Porsche 356A

[pdxjim]

As mentioned previously, my Dad passed away just before Christmas '23.

One of the many fantastic treasures left to me was his 1956 Porsche 356A.

My plan is to get it back roadworthy and have it as a weekend toy.  Hoping to just clean and detail the exterior and interior and do what's needed mechanically, while keeping it as standard(ish) as possible.

Hasn't been on the road regular since a bit after I was born in 1968.



Anyway, thanks Dad(and Mom), here we go:

As it sits currently: 

[arrdy350]

Sorry about your Dad.
That is a cool car my dad likes the 50's Porsche's keep us updated with the procress on it 👍

[midlifecrisisrd]

Wow, what a wonderful thing to leave you

Steve

[donkeychomp]

One of the most beautiful cars ever made. I drove one in Switzerland aged 17. I'll never forget it. He left you something truly wonderful.

Alex

[bezzer]

Sorry to hear of your Dad’s passing, he left you a true legacy there, what a wonderful thing to have. Good luck with the recommissioning and enjoy once done.

[JonW]

Fantastic legacy and its great to continue his memory with it.

Looks in great condition as well. What a beauty!

[JonW]

I love your Dad's understatement in the note:

'the jet going thru engine would not be good'

[JonW]

I also love this pic... that's you in the wrapping Im thinking.

I know you said you'd known this car your whole life, but you really have.

What a superb thing to inherit. Although it hard to forget its value, its amazing to think about having an object for this long and how many family memories are in that object for a moment, and then remember its a car... thats a huge thing to keep for so long. Its magical on so many levels.

Of course you can never sell this so value is irrelevant, you are just its current custodian and will leave it to the next generation.

One last comment on this pic... you can tell your Dad loved this car. He put the things in the pic he loved. His wife, his car and his newborn. The car isnt just some 'way of getting home' and the pic taken so that just the wife with the kid is 'by the open door' and the pic entitled 'Getting junior home'. No, this pic is a full on car lovers photo of an event in which the car has equal billing. Superb!

[pdxjim]

Jan 18, 2024 23:23:03 GMT 1 JonW said:

Fantastic legacy and its great to continue his memory with it.

Looks in great condition as well. What a beauty!

Thanks for your enthusiastic comments Jon. 

Yes, I was truly blown away when I found this image in a box of his Kodachrome slides I had converted to digital.  Yes, that's me swaddled in the blanket on my way home from hospital.  56 years ago in February.

... and yes, it's in great shape.  It's been off the road and parked, covered in a dry garage for the past 50+ years. 77k miles on the clock, and not a speck of rust anywhere. Clean paint, and all stock except for an aftermarket "extractor" exhaust which sounds ace.

I really have no idea why he lost interest in it so long ago, and my biggest memories of it are me asking him "why the hell don't you drive it?", and the time he let me take it for a weekend when I was 17yo.  The tires were probably at least 20 years old at time, and I managed to spin it in a 360 while hooning around up in the hills near home.  I dunno WTF he was thinking letting me take it, and thank feck I didn't wrap it around a tree.

Plan as of now is to push it out of the garage and give it a bath.  Then get it on a truck and ship it to a friend's aircooled VW/Porsche shop up here in Oregon, as it's still down in my dad's garage 650mi south of here in the San Francisco suburbs.  I know it needs the steering box rebuilt, suspension bushings replaced, chassis lube, complete brake system rehab, and engine flush/valve adjust/carbs rebuilt.  Will almost certainly need the fuel tank replacing as well as I doubt it was drained properly before being stood for 50 years.  I've been looking at a set of stock looking wheels in aluminum (and an inch wider) to replace the steel pizza cutters on it now.  Will make tire choices a bit easier for modern rubber.

mobelwagen.com/products/520s-interceptor?variant=40673925562533

Can't wait to get going on it!  I'll be down there end of this month for his memorial, so I should be able to boot the cat off it and pull the cover away for the first time in decades.

Stay tuned for more pics!

[JonW]

What a great story about the loan of the car when you were 17. I do wonder sometimes at how trusting people were with the nutcases us kids were...

Sounds like a brilliant plan and I know you'll be driving this before the summer as all your projects happen quickly.

Please do keep doing updates on this, its a beautiful car and im sure you will have a vast amount of fun with it.

[lcmarky]

Sorry to read about the loss of you Dad.

However what a cool guy to hang on to one of the most beautiful cars Porsche ever made. I think only the 550 Spyder is as nice aesthetically.

I'm sure you'll treat it right and will get thousands of fun miles making more memories.

My Uncle had a 1964 Porsche 356 when I had my 1965 Triumph TR4a - fun times..

[midlifecrisisrd]

My first thought at the hospital pic was to laugh at the health and safety change over the years

Nowadays you can't leave without an approved car seat. Back then it's no seat and into a sports car 😂

Steve

[liffy16]

Sorry to hear about the old man,but what a great story, will be great to get the Porsche up and running in his memory 👍

[donkeychomp]

So...aged 17 we were both let loose in the same Porsche! Keep us all informed with the spruce up.

Alex

[sbscnor]

Sorry to hear about your dad but that is one beautiful car I would like to see pic's of it back on the road and a lasting memory of your father as well enjoy.

[veg]

Exceptional car, I’m a big porker fan and this is the real genesis of what came after. My dream motor would be a singer 911.
The back story gives so much connection with your dad, almost as though he couldn’t part with it and wanted you to become its next keeper. I can imagine you honing through the hills and your old man spiritually by your side. Enjoy the next chapter of the car Jim. 👍

[pdxjim]

Update: Gettin’ after it!

Been spending a lot of time down in NorCal tending to my dad’s property and managing his trust.

Lots of meetings with roofers, septic service guys, appraisers, electronics and tractor/old engine nerds, etc.

Silver lining is I get to spend time with my car. I’m totally obsessed with this thing, and have spent hours going over the shop manual and owners manual, and reading old threads and asking lots of questions on the fantastic 356registry.com forum.





I did a bit more excavation, and moved some junk out of the way to get the cover off for the first time in at least 35yrs.





I found the keys and bought a 6v battery, and found most of the lights work, and it didn’t let the smoke (or flames) out, so thankfully the rats seem to have spared the wiring. Keys are pretty well worn after 60yrs in my dad’s pocket.





I got a the Kardex (original Porsche factory build sheet) which shows the engine cases are original to the car.





... and changed the oil. I'll pull the plugs and get some penetrating oil in the cyls when I'm down there next in a couple weeks.



The engine spins free, so I'm pretty sure after rehabbing the fueling system, it should run.  The fuel tank is pretty ugly inside, and a good quality repop is only $400 (cheaper than the one I got from Yambits for my LC), so pretty sure I'll go that route and save rehabbing the OG tank for a later date (I'm so over fcuking around with rusty gas tanks).  Carb cleaning/fixing the "epoxyed jet", fuel pump rebuild, and replacing all the rubber fuel lines are next on the list.

Takeaway: Motorcycles are way easier to work on than cars.

[donkeychomp]

What a beautiful car. How's the paint under all that dust? Would be amazing if you keep the paintwork original as it left the factory.

Alex

ps if they are the only keys get some spares cut!

[JonW]

Thanks for the update, was hoping you would manage to get some time with the car whilst doing the unhappy admin work of the estate.

[pdxjim]

Mar 12, 2024 22:33:16 GMT 1 donkeychomp said:

What a beautiful car. How's the paint under all that dust? Would be amazing if you keep the paintwork original as it left the factory.

Alex

ps if they are the only keys get some spares cut!

Hi Alex
As I understand it, the car was partially or completely resprayed in about 1963 due to an accident and subsequent door replacement.  Whoever did the repairs did a fantastic job, and the reveals and fitment are perfect all these years later.  My dad mentioned the respray, and that it was done in Palo Alto CA, this was confirmed by one of his friends. 

I found this pic of him with the car and all trim and bumpers removed.  I also can see it has a different exhaust on at the time.  I found a set of standard bore cyls and pistons in his shop as well, so no telling what else has been done to the engine.  I don't believe big bore 1760cc kits were common back then, but who knows?




I was able to order a new key and a spare blank from the numbers on the Kardex build sheet. Hopefully it fits.

[donkeychomp]

Good news about the keys! Big bore kits might have been more common than you think. People used to race these cars, and Spyders too, so I would imagine you could get after market performance goodies for them.

Alex

[pdxjim]

Currently in Napa Valley CA, and making our way south down to my dad’s place tomorrow.

Excited to fit in a bit of wrenching between meetings.

Finishing up the oil change and plug swap, and getting started on the fueling system are on my list. Got a package of parts waiting there for me.

Also found a set of vintage license plates on ye olde eBay that should do nicely if I can convince the Oregon DMV to let me run ‘em.



If not, the DMV recently issued a retro throwback plate design that’ll do just fine.



Id love to keep the black CA plates, but as I’ll be bringing it back up to OR, that’s just not gonna work.

[donkeychomp]

Just as well I didn't order any yet!

Alex

[pdxjim]

Thank you, Alex!

What a thoughtful gift. I'm truly touched by your generosity.

Despite what they say about H*ndas, I'll say YOU MEET THE NICEST PEOPLE ON A YAMAHA (forum).

[pdxjim]

... and a progress update.

Oil changed, plugs swapped, carburetor broken e-tube holder(s) replaced, fuel tank out, petc**k and fuel level sender ordered, new fuel tank and fuel lines at the ready.















Plan as of now is to finish the fueling system and see if I'm able to get it to run.

Reality check tho is it is still 100% undriveable and I'm just entertaining myself and postponing the inevitable. Thus, next visit I'll drag it out of the garage with my dad's tractor and get it on an enclosed transport carrier up here to Oregon for a complete rehab at my mate's shop.

[donkeychomp]

Glad it got there in one piece Jim. Good to see some progress with the car!

Alex

[panzermatt]

this is quite possibly, the coolest car you could ever have. i love this.

[rustydog]

sorry about your dad. 

 had an early Porsche hear in the uk - albeit it was never on the road.  Sold it as parts/panels  got way too pricey for me. :-(

 The best forums I found for great banter and help - was ddk-online.com.  it was setup years ago as most Porsche sites don't like outlaw builds or anything other than standard = I found the guys on there were the best for standard stuff or ideas to solve a problem. I love the air cooled era of Porsche - mine has the same engine. it was a Porsche 912  1965.   good luck :-)

i

[pdxjim]

Progress update:

356 is currently in Salem, OR for mechanical rehab. Been there for a few weeks already, and looking like it might get some action next week.



New aluminum 15x5.5 wheels and 195/60R15 tires have been gotten.





Front end upgrades will include new Koni shocks, new Koni steering damper, lowered beam adjusters, bigger sway bar, new steering box, new bushings, new dual circuit brake master and flex lines, four new wheel brake cylinders, new wheel bearings, etc.

Rear end gets new brake cyls, new spring plate bushings, lowered spring plates, Konis, etc.

Drivetrain will be next. OG motor will come out for a valve job and checkup, then go back in hopefully in time to get some miles in before the rain comes. Only mods will be a bluetooth programmable electronic dizzy and 1720 big bore pistons and cyls if needed. I'll run the stock topend if it checks out OK.

I've bought a 100+hp '69 912 motor to replace the 60hp stock motor, and am working on sourcing a newer/stronger 741 trans with better syncros and ratios. OG drivetrain will be well preserved for the future. I know myself well enough I wouldn't be able to leave it alone. Better option to just get it out of the way and fcuk with a way less precious 912 lump. Cam, Webers, porting, bluetooth ignition, etc. This build will (hopefully) happen this winter and go in in the spring.



Chassis will go to the body and interior guys this fall for new rubber, minor interior repairs, and paint correction.





Glad I bought a modern turnkey motorcycle, coz this dumb old car is taking up all my time and money.

[donkeychomp]

Wow. This is going to be some car when finished.

Alex