IN THIS ISSUE The President`s Car Schedule of Events Palo Alto

February/March 2012
Porsche Factory racecars being off-loaded by the side of the road in Carmel Valley.
IN THIS ISSUE
The President’s CarSchedule of Events Palo Alto SpeedometerTech Note
Membership RecognitionProduct Review
Holiday Gatherings 2011... and more!
356CAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
356CAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
& COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Barney SpeckmanPresident
[email protected]
2130 Belford Drive
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
hm: 925-937-3972 mb:925-367-3940
Ed Morris [email protected]
31 Anderson Circle
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
hm: 925-933-1285
Vice President
1st Saturday San Mateo Breakfast
8:30 AM Mimi’s Cafe, 2208 Bridgepointe Parkway, San Mateo. Take Mariners Island Blvd. exit just east of Hwy 101 on Hwy 92, head north, turn right on Bridgepointe Parkway, restaurant is on the right. Contact Michael Hodos at [email protected] or 650-326-1621.
2nd Saturday Sacramento Breakfast
9:00 AM Marie Calendar’s, 5525 Sunrise Blvd, Citrus Heights. Hwy 50 east to
Sunrise Blvd., head north about 4 miles just past Madison Ave, restaurant is on the left. Contact Jim Hardie at [email protected] or 916-972-7232.
Fred Huberty
Director
[email protected] Membership
13286 Lake Wildwood Drive
Penn Valley, CA 95946
hm: 530.432.7769
mb: 530.219.4501
Jim Reeder, Jr.
Director
[email protected]
5255 Mowry Ave. Suite L
Fremont, CA 94538
wk: 510-793-4030
mb: 510-409-7576
fx: 510-790-2838
Garrick HueyDirector
[email protected]
P.O. Box 3059
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
hm: 925-938-8390
mb: 925-209-7593
3rd Saturday Hollister Breakfast
9:00 AM San Juan Oaks Golf Course, Hollister, 156 east off of Hwy 101, 4 miles past San Juan Bautista, right on Union Road, right to the golf course. Contact Jack Biersdorff at [email protected] or 831-636-3046.
1st Tuesday Santa Cruz Dinner
6:00 PM Johnny’s Harborside 493 Lake Avenue, Santa Cruz 95062, 831.479.3430
Located in the upper yacht harbor just off Murray Street. Contact Steve Douglas at [email protected] or 831-239-1291.
5th Saturday Central Coast Breakfast
9:00 AM
Spanish Bay Golf Course Clubhouse, Pebble Beach, enter 17 Mile Drive via the Pacific Grove Gate, mention the Porsche Breakfast for free entrance. Contact Diane Morrill at [email protected] or 831-375-4442.
Kent AndersonDirector
[email protected]
19094 Madison Avenue
Castro Valley, CA 94546
hm: 510-538-9590
mb: 510-909-2311
George Breein [email protected]
123 Tait Avenue
Los Gatos, CA 95030
mb: 408-888-5925
Director
Events Chairman
Phil Rowe [email protected]
1544 Arbutus Drive
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
hm: 925.943.6597
mb: 925.595.2180
Director
Chairman - North
Meets South 2012
Cover photo: Garrick Huey
356 Registry Goodie Store
Michael HodosDirector
[email protected]
Editor, Newsletter
944 Bryant Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
hm: 650-326-6121
See us for all your
356 Registry
logo items
and publications
To order call 831.375.3356 (Pacific Time)
or email: [email protected]
2
President’s Message
By the way, you’ll note that with this issue a familiar name has joined
us as an advertiser: European Collectables sales representative Jeff
Trask.
Since this is our first Newsletter of 2012 let me wish you all a Happy
New Year as we begin another year of fun events with our cars and
good times with our Porsche 356 friends. We have a number of articles
of interest in this newsletter, but first and foremost I would like to
mention a letter of thanks that I recently received from Joshua McGurk
of the San Mateo Firefighters toys for needy children program. In the
letter he thanked those who contributed at the annual toy collection
last December in San Mateo saying that many of the children that
benefited from their program may not have received anything at the
holidays without contributions like ours.
Last but not least welcome to our newest members:
North Meets South 2012 - Don’t forget North Meets South 2012 is
coming up soon April 26-29. Thanks to the efforts of chairman Phil
Rowe, George Breein and his registration team and Bob Cannon our
webmaster online registration is available on our website for the first
time and associated fees are payable via PayPal. Signups are currently
well ahead of the number of registrants we had at this time in 2010,
undoubtedly thanks at least in part to the opportunity to tour Hearst
Castle. This year we even have some international attendees joining
us. Don’t be left out! If you haven’t already registered do so now
while there is room still available at the Headquarters Embassy Suites
Hotel in San Luis Obispo.
Barney
By Barney Speckman
Kent and Cindy Brandon, Newcastle
John and Mary Ann Butterfield, Redwood City
Jerry Hofstetter, Los Gatos
John and Junie Sullivan, San Anselmo
Sebastian Timar, Santa Cruz
Ron and Cheryl Whiteside, San Mateo
And again . . . Happy New Year!
Are you getting your 356CAR emails?
Membership Recognition - It is my pleasure to announce that the
356CAR Board has provisionally adopted a policy that establishes a
series of awards to recognize the valuable contributions to the club
made by individual club members. See the article inside for details on
these awards and how this recognition process will work, then start
sending me your nominees!
We have begun a new service to keep
CAR members informed of events of
interest and latest news by email. These
flyers supplement information in the
newslettter. If we don’t have your email
address you will miss out! Update your
contact information at 356CAR.org website member’s page:
www.356car.org/member.html
(All information remains private)
Featured Article - Don’t miss our featured article that tells the story of
Palo Alto Speedometer and its humble beginnings. It’s a fascinating
look at this local small business that is known worldwide.
Subscribe to the 356CAR eNewsletter !
Schedule of Events - 2012 certainly looks like another very busy year
for 356CAR members with a wide variety of activities from which
to choose. Be sure to review your options and keep an eye on our
356CAR.org website for updates. We also plan to let you know of
special events by email as we approach these events.
Our eNewsletter offers a number of advantages for you and for the
club:
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356CAR/NorCal912 People’s Choice Concours & Swap – Speaking of
special events, this event is back after a year’s hiatus. It will be held
at San Francisco Sports Cars in San Carlos on October 21 and they’re
pulling out all the stops for us. So mark your calendars now and start
filling up boxes with all those parts you’ve been waiting to sell! See
additional details in the Schedule of Events.
Sign up now by sending email to [email protected].
Be sure to indicate whether or not you wish to receive the
eNewsletter exclusively.
Meet the 356CAR Board - In an effort to make itself more readily
available to the membership for suggestions and feedback, the board
recently decided to return to the practice of periodically holding some
of its board meetings in conjunction with the local breakfasts. The
next time this will occur will be at the Sacramento Breakfast on April
14. Please feel free to join us at the meeting that will immediately follow the breakfast.
356CAR Name Badges, Grille Badges and Window Stickers - Club
name badges can now can be ordered directly from Membership
Chairman Fred Huberty for $9 plus postage and handling if necessary.
Additional copies of the beautiful new 356CAR Grille Badges can also
be purchased from Fred for $20 plus postage and handling. For either
of these items send Fred an email to make the necessary arrangements.
His email address is inside the front cover. Finally, some of the newly
designed 356CAR window stickers are still available free to members
in good standing while the supply lasts. See the announcements
inside this issue for details.
Full color
More content
Real time updates
Instantaneous availability 3-5 days before the hardcopy
Archived copies readily available
Content and pictures easy to download
Membership dues reduction to subscribers
California Automobile Museum
At the January, 2011 meeting of the 356CAR board of directors it
was decided to again support the California Automobile Museum
in Sacramento. For our members this means that you will have
a one-time yearly free admission to the museum located at 2200
Front Street in Sacramento. You can see displayed Governor
Jerry Brown’s old Plymouth, “dropped and chopped” rods and
customs, seasonal special exhibits, as well as a permanent exhibit
of automotive history. Your name (and no other information) will
be in a binder at the front desk. Just tell them you are a member
of 356CAR and enjoy the museum!
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COMING EVENTS – CLOSE UPS
June 3
Loma Prieta Region PCA Zone 7 Concours
and Swap Meet
Parts Heaven, 23694 Bernhardt Street,
Hayward 94545. See lpr.pca.org for
additional information
June 24
7 AM –
4:30 PM
Palo Alto Concours
Stanford University campus
Featured marques: Fiat Corporation (Fiat,
Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo) and
Chrysler Corporation (Chrysler, Desoto,
Dodge and Plymouth) . See www.
paconcours.com for additional information.
August 10-12
Pre-Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca
This is the relaxed kickoff to the Rolex
Monterey Motorsports Reunion August
17-19. Admission is $50 per day. See
www.mazdaraceway.com for additional
information.
August 14
10 AM – 5 PM
Carmel-By-The-Sea Concours on the
Avenue
Features 1940-1973 multi-marques plus
Porsche and Ferrari from the beginning
through 1989. A judged concours with
~175 vehicles vying for 1st and 2nd place in
30 classes plus 14 major awards and the Best
of Show.
Application deadline is June 30. See
www.motorclubevents.com for additional
information.
August 14
10 AM – 6 PM
August 15
10 AM – 7 PM
Automobilia Monterey
Embassy Suites, Seaside
This is the largest automobilia show in
the US. Only original posters, photos,
signs, rallye plates, badges, pins, models,
literature, books and much more. Benefits
the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center.
See www.AutomobiliaMonterey.com for
additional information.
August 17-19
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
550 vintage vehicles with Cobra as the
featured marque. See www.mazdaraceway.
com for additional information.
August 26
10 AM – 4 PM
Hillsborough Concours
Crystal Springs Golf Course
Black Mountain Road off Highway 280.
See www.hisllboroughconcours.org for
additional information.
September 16
Drive Your Porsche Day
Watch www.356CAR.org for additional
information.
September
21-23
FIA World Touring Car Championship
Infineon Raceway, Sonoma
This will be the first apperance of this global
stock car racing series on American soil.
See www.infineonraceway.com and www.
fiawtcc.com for additional information.
See the following calendar of events and 356CAR.org for additional
information.
North Meets South 2012 – April 26-29, 2012
The 25th year of this signature event just keeps getting bigger and
better with well over 200 cars and 300 participants expected to attend
in San Luis Obispo. This year includes small parts sale, traditional
People’s Choice Concours followed by lunch, outstanding guided
driving tours, tours of Hearst Castle, awards banquet, and the usual
crack of dawn Sunday morning parts swap meet before heading for
home. To receive the special event Thursday-Saturday night hotel
rates at the Embassy Suites San Luis Obispo first register for the event
at www.356CAR.org and then reserve your room.
Event dates and locations are subject to change. Always check
www.356car.org for the most up-to-date event information.
March 3
March 4
8:30 AM
29th Annual Porsche Literature, Toy/Model,
and Memorabilia Swap Meet
At the Los Angeles Airport Hilton Hotel,
5711 West Century Boulevard, 9 AM to 2
PM. Admission $10 at 9 AM or early bird
admission $30 at 7:30 AM. Over 225 tables
of collectibles.. For vendor information
contact Wayne Calloway, 1504 East Cedar
Street, Ontario, CA 91761 or call Wayne
Callaway at 909.930.1999. See Close Ups
and LALitandToyShow.com for additional
information and related events throughout
the weekend.
SoCal All-Porsche Swap Meet & Car
Display
The Phoenix Club
1340 South Sanderson Avenue, Anaheim
92806.
The 356 Club of Southern California will
have both indoor and outdoor vendor
displays as well as large outdoor areas for
swap meet participants and car corrals.
Admission is $10. See Close Ups for
additional information.
April 26-29
North Meets South
San Luis Obispo, CA
Event headquarters will be the Embassy
Suites Hotel, 333 Madonna Road, San Luis
Obispo 93405. Watch www.356CAR.org for
updates.
May 10-12
American Le Mans Series Monterey
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
This is a six-hour-into-the-darkness
endurance race. Tickets on sale now. See
www.mazdaraceway.com for additional
information.
June 1-2
Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival
Infineon Raceway, Sonoma.
400 historic race cars in 10 unique race
groups. See www.infineonraceway.com for
additional information.
4
September
28-29
Mendocino Tour
Bill and Gwen Jacobson will once again be
hosting this traditional North Coast Fall
getaway. Watch www.356CAR.org for
details as they become available.
October 6
USS Hornet Guided Tour
707 West Hornet Avenue
Alameda 94501
Following the San Mateo breakfast.
Required pre-registration information as
well as admission, meal and flight simulator
prices will be posted at a later date on
www.356CAR.org. Contact George Breein
at [email protected] and 408.888.5925 for
additional information.
October 11-14
356 Club of Southern California
Yosemite Fall Festival
Tennaya Lodge
1121 Highway 41,
Fish Camp, CA 93623
Online registration is now available at
www.356club.org or contact Bob Lee at
619.518.8645 for additional information.
5
October 21
San Francisco Sports Cars People’s Choice
Concours & Swap Meet
191 Industrial Road, San Carlos, 94070. Co-Hosted by 356CAR and the NorCal912
group. Concours entry is $5; Swap Meet
vendor space is $10; No fee for spectators.
This is a space-limited first come, first served
event for both the concours and swap meet. Swap meet vendors who make an advanced
reservation by contacting Wil Patterson
at 650.851.7152 or [email protected]
and arrive by 8 AM will be guaranteed a
space. Rain cancels. Watch www.356car.
org or contact Michael Hodos at mehodos.
mac.com or 650.326.6121 for additional
information.
November 2-4
Classic Sports Racing Group Charity
Challenge Vintage Race Weekend
Infineon Raceway, Sears Point in Sonoma. Take a tax-deductible three-lap ride for
charity in the vintage racecar of your choice
for a good cause. See www.csrgracing.org for
additional information.
December 1
8:30 AM
San Mateo Benefit Breakfast & Toy Drive
Bring an unwrapped $10 toy or a $10
donation for the San Mateo Firefighters’ toy
drive. Watch 356CAR.org for additional
information.
December 15
Sacramento Holiday Party
Check 356CAR.org for additional
information as it becomes available.
The President’s Notchback
By Barney Speckman
The editor thought that it would be nice for the members of 356CAR to get to know the members of the board a
little better via the Porsche 356 vehicles and automobilia they own. It took just a little arm-twisting to convince
the President to write what I hope will the first of a number of such articles in the series.
Barney and Nancy Speckman’s 62 Notchback.
The story of my Porsche 356 goes all the way back to my college days
at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the mid-1960s. One of my roommates
was from Washington State and his father bought him a brand new
Signal Red 356 C Coupe to take to school. The car was beautiful and
as you can imagine it was very popular with the college coeds.
ever since. It was built in October 1961 in Stuttgart and was one of
the earlier twin grill Karmann Hardtops built (number 218 out of 697
total.) I was told it was a California car that spent part of its life in
the Central Valley. Since buying the car I replaced the engine with
a rebuild by Wolfgang Reitz. Wolfgang also installed a replacement
transaxle for me with one I purchased from The Maestro Harry Pellow.
One Christmas break my roommate flew back to Washington and
since I had a part time job in San Luis Obispo he left the car for me to
use. The car had an aftermarket exhaust with an optional straight pipe
that could be bolted on in place of the normal muffler. The optional
exhaust was on the car when I drove it that December. Needless to say
I fell in love with that car over the holiday break and recall rattling all
of the windows in town with the sounds that came from that straight
exhaust. Much to my dismay my roommate’s farther talked him into
a new Porsche 912 the following year, a car with which he had nothing
but trouble.
A few years back Jim Breazeale of EASY told me that he had once
owned the car. He told me a story about a trip he made to Oregon in
the summer of 1980 to find parts for his disassembly business and was
told of a car for sale in nearby Troutdale, Oregon. What he found in
a carport (not a barn) was a Ruby Red 1962 Notchback that had been
sitting for some time gathering dust but fortunately not out in the
elements. The car had some serious collision damage to its right rear
quarter panel
Jim said that while he would have normally bought the car and parted
it out, he knew a guy in California named Bob Astrada who wanted
to complete his collection of 1962 Porsches. All Astrada needed was
a Notchback. Jim bought the car and within weeks sold it to Astrada.
Fortunately Bob Astrada’s father Al was a well-respected Porsche
restorer who offered to return the car to mint condition for his son.
Bob then moved to Fresno with his 1962 356 collection where the
history of the car is lost until it showed up in Penn Valley. Fortunately
for me, Jim did not turn the car into parts but made it possible for me
to own a restored California car.
Fast forward to the early 1990s. I had owned a number of family cars
and not one of them was a Porsche. I knew Harry Servidio through
our mutual involvement in an Indian Guides troop to which both
our sons belonged. Harry had the blue C Coupe that he still owns
and invited me to go to a San Mateo 356CAR breakfast. After some
time, many breakfasts and a trip to a North Meets South with Harry I
decided it was time to own a car like the one I had enjoyed so much in
San Luis Obispo some 30 years earlier.
After some searching we got a lead on a couple of cars for sale in Penn
Valley that Russ Ulrich had restored – a 1957 silver sunroof A Coupe
and a 1962 red Karmann Hardtop. While I initially had my eyes on
the sunroof, I ended up liking the looks of the Karmann Hardtop and
decided it would be mine. The car started its life as a Ruby Red T-6
with black leatherette interior and looked the same when I bought it.
That was June 1993 and I have owned my 1962 Ruby Red Notchback
6
My wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed our Notchback for nearly 20
years. While it is a clean driver and not a show car, it has won a few
awards at North Meet South events. Not only do we enjoy driving
the car in our club events, we also enjoy the car because of all of the
great friends we have made as a result of getting involved with this
wonderful community of people.
for the time because it was the most precise. The mechanism was
developed in England for racecars and motorcycles. It had a very
complicated gear movement, rather like a clock. The magnetic field
movement, by comparison, was much more common and far simpler.
VDO used this movement only on tachometers, but the English had
speedometer applications also. Most chronometrics were found on
Spyders but there is a version with a smaller diameter case that fits
exactly into 356 production cars.”
The Story of Palo Alto Speedometer
By Dick Koenig and Michael Hodos
The November/December 1997 issue of the 356 Registry Magazine featured
an article by Dick Koenig in the Four-Cam Forum entitled “Instruments
and Their Restoration – An Interview with Claus Mees of Palo Alto
Speedometer.” The following article is based on that column and a recent
follow-up interview with Claus’ son Harmut Mees who now manages the
business.
Founding Palo Alto Speedometer
“When I was a kid I had a picture of
the Golden Gate Bridge on the wall in
my bedroom. I don’t know why but
I was fascinated with this. I told my
mother someday I was going there.
After my apprenticeship I served
in the military and then went back
to VDO for a full time job. I didn’t
make any waves and things went
smoothly. One day Mr. Hans von
Payer, who was in charge in Detroit,
came to the main office in Frankfurt. I spoke with him and he agreed to be
my sponsor. It took about 8 months
to get the papers. During this time it
got a little rough in my department.
Young men (I was 21 or 22) were
expected to stay in Germany and
follow the older generation. My
department manager absolutely
couldn’t understand what I was
doing. So, I got “reassigned.”
In the Beginning
As Claus Mees told Dick Koenig,
“In 1955 I was ready to start my
apprenticeship. In school we were
given an aptitude test to determine what
kinds of training we would get. Some
guys were assigned to study electronics,
some tool and die making, and so on.
I was put in a group to be instrument
mechanics. Actually, in German the
word is “feinmechaniker.” Fein means
delicate and could include instruments,
cameras and so forth. I don’t know how
they separated us, but when we were 15
we didn’t ask those kinds of questions.
“My father played a big part in how I
got started. He was a friend of Herr
Spohn who was the head of the parts
department at VDO during that time.
Actually they met in the POW camp
sometime in 1944 or 1945. They were
Hartmut Mees in his office.
with the English, not far from Frankfurt
and didn’t stay very long - maybe a half
year. They were lucky. When I was ready in 1955 my father made the
arrangements with Spohn. So I made an apprenticeship at VDO. We
spent three full days each week working in the shop and the other two
we had classes in the morning and practice in the afternoon. This was
a typical schedule for most apprentice programs. I didn’t work on the
assembly line. Mostly I worked in the room where they made special,
short run instruments. I helped build some of the early Spyder and
Carrera gauges with the special calibrations and the chronometric
tachometers too. Time went by fast.
“In those days they had in every
German city what was called
VDO Dienst-VDO service. This is where most garages took their
instruments for repair. I was sent to the one in Frankfurt. It was real
luck because I received hands-on repair experience which I would
have never gotten at the factory. I took apart all kinds of instruments
for several makes of cars. Back then speedometers made lots of noise;
that was the number one problem. They were made of pot metal and
the shaft wore out.
“Soon my papers arrived. I took my suitcase and a cardboard box.
That’s literally all I had plus three $20 bills my mother gave me. I
had a contract with VDO in Detroit for one year and planned to go
back to Germany. At that time the exchange rate was 4 to 1. (Editor’s
note: today it’s DM 1.49 to $1.) I was paid $2.50 per hour which was
DM l0. That was big money in those days. I saved according to the
plan and everything was going well. Then one day something special
happened. I was working on an instrument that had a little sticker
on it. Guess where? Do you remember the picture I had on my wall?
San Francisco! I peeled off the sticker and wrote the guy a letter. He
responded and told me to come see him if I was in San Francisco, but
there were no assurances.
“I have to be honest. I don’t remember some of the specifics any
more. There was a room where they made small series for special
applications like racecars or even for tractors. If 20 or 30 of something
was needed, the assembly line wouldn’t make them. Also, if someone
wanted a special calibration, like a higher red line, we would make
it. Probably the most unusual instruments made in that room were
the chronometric tachometers. We had a couple of master mechanics
who were in charge. Because we were young they watched us all the
time. Typically we got a drawing or a sample. Since the quantities
were so small it was just done from scratch. Often existing parts from
readymade instruments would work. You might be able to use the
case, or light chimneys or whatever. We would make some parts on
the lathe if required. The final calibrations and testing were always
done by a master mechanic. The apprentices could do things only up
to a point.
“The chronometric tachometer is also known as the “telltale.” It had
the usual white pointer and a second re-settable one that was red. The
red needle moved to the highest rpm the engine was run to and stayed
there. It didn’t go automatically back to zero but had to be reset by
pushing a button on the backside. During a race it would show how
high an engine had been revved and if it exceeded the limit. The
chronometric movement was considered to be the highest technology
“Orrin Hurlbut was a neat guy. After my year was up in Detroit I
bought a ticket on the California Zephyr and then took a taxi to 131
Feld Street. I was wearing a suit and tie and had a nice haircut very proper. It was early in the morning when I arrived. We had a
conversation and he asked me if I wanted to start immediately. So,
I took off my tie and jacket and went to work. A few years later I
married my sweetheart who was also working in the U.S. A short time
later the VDO store in Palo Alto was for sale and I bought it. That’s
how it happened. The two people who helped me most - von Payer
and Hurlbut - really made my whole life. There wasn’t any fancy
planning. I really love thinking back on this time.”
7
Before and after Porsche 904 Tri-Gauge at Palo Alto Speedometer.
Claus Mees came to the United States in 1963. In 1966 he purchased
the small VDO store at 723 Emerson Street in downtown Palo Alto. In
1978 the much larger building across the street at 718 Emerson became
available. Claus purchased it and that is where the shop remains to
this day.
When asked what advice he would offer customers to help ensure that
their transactions with Palo Alto Speedometer go smoothly Hartmut
instantly responded, “Have them ask for me if they have a question.
I’m always happy to speak with them!”
Palo Alto Speedometer Today
Hartmut Mees literally grew up in the VDO store, went to school at
the Woodside Priory from which he graduated in 1987, received his
degree in Electrical Engineering at Santa Clara University and then
spent three years in Germany as an apprentice at Mercedes Benz in
Frankfurt where he literally started out cleaning bathrooms before
he “graduated” to phone technical support in 1994. He now works
alongside and manages a team of five technicians the most senior of
whom has worked for the company for 35 years. In addition Claus
Mees still works at home and drops in on the shop once a week to
make sure that everything continues to be done to the high standard
he established 45 years ago.
Today the business is comprised 80% repairs, 15% customization
and 5% creating one-off instruments to order. Interestingly enough,
the most frequent repair is the replacement of late model Porsche
911 odometers. According to Hartmut the most common mistake
that owners make when it comes to caring for their instruments are
attempts at do-it-yourself repairs without
the proper tools and/or training. Owners’
attempts to install aftermarket dial faces
are also a significant problem as are worn
speedometer cables because if they are not
disconnected and replaced promptly when
they start making noise the instrument itself
can be destroyed!
A small workbench and lots of very small tools.
Since worn parts can rarely be repaired
and thus must be replaced, where do all
the parts come from to fix the hundreds of
instruments that are shipped to Palo Alto
Speedometer each year? While the primary
source of parts today is VDO/Siemens
(Siemans having purchased VDO some
years ago), many of the instruments are
still being repaired from a huge stockpile of
parts purchased with great foresight in the
early years by Claus Mees. The remaining
parts needs are either sourced from the
original German suppliers if possible or
fabricated by a cadre of specialists that have
been cultivated by Claus and Hartmut over
the years.
8
356CAR Membership Recognition
By Barney Speckman
It is my pleasure to announce that the 356CAR Board has provisionally adopted a policy that establishes the following awards to recognize the
valuable contributions of individual members to the current and future existence of the club. The awards are intended to recognize a wide range
of contributions - beyond simply being a long-term member of the club. The policy creates a progressive scale of awards so that large and small
contributions to the club can be recognized appropriately. All awardees will receive an appropriate token of appreciation and will be recognized
on the 356CAR.org Members page.
Certificate of
Appreciation
Recognition for individuals who have volunteered their service or made contributions to the club for a minimum of
2 years beyond being an active participant.
President’s Award
Recognition for individuals who have volunteered their service or made contributions to the club for a minimum of
5 years beyond being an active participant.
Normally individuals will be eligible for this award only after they have received at least 2 Certifications of
Appreciation. This award would entitle recipients to have their registration fees waived while attending events
sponsored by 356CAR (e.g. North Meets South, Gathering of the Faithful, etc.) during the calendar year this award
is presented.
Life Membership
Intended to recognize the exceptional contribution of individuals who merit special recognition.
In considering the award of Life Membership an individual must have demonstrated significant, sustained, high
quality contributions to the club for a minimum of 10 years. In addition to having annual membership fees waived
for life, this award entitles recipients to have their registration fees waived while attending events sponsored by
356CAR (e.g. North Meets South, Gathering of the Faithful, etc.) during the calendar year this award is presented.
Process for Nominating, Assessing, Awarding and Announcing
Awards
The President of the club will be responsible for publicizing and
soliciting nominations for these awards from the membership at large
on a regular basis throughout the year with a nomination deadline
of October 31. Nominations must be submitted in writing to the
President and must include a brief justification.
The President will then appoint and convene a subcommittee of
the board comprised of no less than 3 board members to review the
nominations and submit their recommendations to the full board on or
before December 31.
The full board will then vote on the subcommittee’s recommendations
on or before January 31. The approval of a minimum of 7 board
members will be required to bestow an award.
The President will announce award recipients to the membership
at large no later than March 31 via the 356CAR Newsletter and/or
other means the board deems appropriate (e.g. at club gatherings, via
ConstantContact email, etc.)
If the situation so warrants (e.g. if a number of midyear nominations
are received) the President may appoint and convene a review
subcommittee more than once a year to evaluate nominations and
submit its recommendations to the full board for a vote according to a
reasonable schedule established by the President.
Review and Revision
This policy will be reviewed and if necessary revised by the Board of
Directors no less than 2 years after its introduction and no less than
every 3 years thereafter.
Restrictions
No active member of the board is entitled to receive any of these
awards.
9
BOSCH Distributors
Restoration and Recurving
Vintage Werks
REPAIR, REBUILDING,
RESTORATION
of BOSCH Distributors
for
PORSCHE 356, 912, 911
Advance curve reset to factory
specifications on all distributor
rebuilds.
REPAIR, REBUILDING,
RESTORATION
of SOLEX and PIERBURG
Mechanical Fuel Pumps
for
PORSCHE 356, 912, 911
Ed Fall
PHONE: 801-355-0266
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: http://www.vintagewerks.com
10
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www.rectormotors.com
356CAR Holiday Gatherings
By Sally Biersdorff, Fred Huberty and Michael Hodos
Hollister Toy Drive Breakfast
Tis the season for giving and it arrived early for 356ers at the Hollister
Breakfast on the third Saturday morning in November. With a little
advance notice by email, toy shopping was completed early and
thoughtful members brought gifts to the San Juan Oaks Golf Course
on Saturday, November 12. We all felt the warm holiday spirit with
our contributions to Toys For Tots. The regular breakfast bunch were
there: George and Sharon Breein, Ken and Irene Mort, George and
Alexis Selland, Del Sessions, a guest or two, Frank Ditomaso, Alex and
Diane Fucile, Jack and myself.
While the breakfast menu always has lots of variety it hasn’t changed
much after 11 years of 356CAR breakfasts at San Juan Oaks. We kid
the waitress about “today’s special” as sometimes there is one and
sometimes not. It’s the cook’s prerogative! The toys were piled on a
separate table and carefully appraised by those present. The Mort’s
gift of a mechanical stuffed dog was the clear hit! When we pet the
stuffed dog, he made dog-like sounds and moved his paws. What
a perfect gift idea for the child or senior who wants a dog but can’t
tackle all the care-taking involved. Some lucky recipient is going to
love this one!
After breakfast the toys were gathered up and taken outside by the
gals while the guys moved the 356s near the gifts for a photo shoot by
George Breein. With the beauty of the San Juan Oaks entrance in the
background, our annual toy drive was documented in photos for all to
remember.
initiated the gift exchange. She proved to be a master storyteller. As
she read the 356CAR Christmas Story, gifts were passed back and forth
as dictated by her instructions. When the story ended laughter could
be heard throughout the room as all opened their presents to discover
many treasured gifts. Too soon it was time for the happy Porsche pushers to depart in their
sleighs, but not before all would express their thanks to Kim and
Rachael for a wonderful evening. Once again a terrific time was had
by all . . . a testament to the many talented and friendly members that
make the 356 California Alta Region such a great group of people. San Mateo Toy Drive Breakfast
The annual San Mateo Toy Drive Breakfast was another success this
year thanks once again to the efforts 356CAR member Rick Zobelein.
Some 50+ members and friends filled the traditional dining area at
Mimi’s Café to capacity and with many attendees contributing 2+ toys
it didn’t take long for the designated tables to overflow.
As usual toy fire trucks and sports cars dominated the list of
contributions . . . all donated to the San Mateo Fire Fighter’s Toys
Program for needy children. Ultimately, the toys and a substantial
amount of cash were given to the smiling firemen from Station 26 in
attendance. Our special thanks to Fire Captain Jay Del Secco and his
crew for picking up the toys and ensuring their safe delivery into the
hands of grateful children.
Once again what a great way to begin the Holiday Season!
The gathering of 356CAR members and Toys For Tots complete, the
toys were loaded into our Coupe to be delivered to a local fire station
in Hollister for distribution to needy children. This event brings us
together to help those less fortunate than ourselves and to give thanks
during the holidays for our many blessings.
Happy Holidays to all from the Hollister 356CAR Breakfast bunch!
Feel free to join us anytime on the third Saturday of each month.
Sacramento Holiday Party
T‘was the 16th of December and hardly a cloud in the sky . . . unlike
last year’s cold rain. Inside the Kim and Rachel Nelson’s elegant
showroom/garage, Kathy Sansone, Darlene Byerley, Rita Barker and
Elaine Cannon were putting the finishing touches on the wonderful
decorations in hopes that 356ers would arrive bearing gifts and
fantastic tales of Porsche adventures. Soon 356 sleighs loaded with
holiday food were ushered into position by the parking crew of Duane
Maracin, Jon Kramer, Steve Barker, and Tom Sisson. It wasn’t long before over 85 members had gathered. Many were
long-time members like Steve Douglas who came from while others
would be new to the group like Christy Barden, but all were most
welcome by our most gracious hosts. Everyone was in awe of the
holiday cheer that filled the air. Many members found a special treat
on the Christmas tree when they discovered Kathy Sansone had
created personalized ornaments of members and their cars while they
were busy admiring the various vintage cars and memorabilia artfully
displayed throughout the room. As all found their seats and dutifully waited for the nod from Kim
to start down the buffet line, Steve Barker and Duane Maracin began
performing their renditions of holiday music. Accompanied by the
social committee the pair sang carols as we all enjoyed the delicious
food. As time went on the anticipation of the gift exchange made
both old and young anxious. Soon the meal was over and Mary Geil
12
Ignition Systems – Part 1
As the engine RPM’s increase, given that the flame propagation speed
remains the SAME, then the combustion cycle needs to be started
earlier to achieve the desired “push” on the top of the piston. Also, as
the pressure (more fuel/air) inside the cylinder increases, then the less
advance the engine can handle at a lower RPM (bigger explosion). So
as you can see it depends upon the speed (RPM) of the engine, AND
the amount of air/fuel mixture (throttle position) at which the engine
is operating. OK, elementary internal combustion education is out of
the way.
The following edited article is reprinted from www.scuderiatopolino.com with
the generous permission of Paul Vanderheijden of Scuderia Topolino.
The ignition system sends an extremely high voltage to the spark
plug in each cylinder when the piston is at the top of its compression
stroke. The tip of each spark plug contains a gap that the voltage must
jump across in order to reach ground. That is where the spark occurs.
The voltage that is available to the spark plug is somewhere between
20,000 volts and 50,000 volts or better. The job of the ignition system
is to produce that high voltage from a 6-volt source and get it to each
cylinder in a specific order, at exactly the right time. Let’s see how
this is done.
Mechanical ignition systems all use an “advance” mechanism to alter
the timing of the spark pulse to the cylinder. A good starting point for
setting the initial timing (static timing) is 10 BTDC (before top dead
center). You might call this “idle advance” at 1200 RPM or below. As
the engine RPM increase, the amount of time available for ignition
decreases so the initiation of spark must occur earlier. There is a limit
to the amount of advance, but for standard engines this would be
around 32 degrees.
The ignition system has two tasks to perform. First, it must create a
voltage high enough (20,000+) to arc across the gap of a spark plug,
thus creating a spark strong enough to ignite the air/fuel mixture for
combustion. Second, it must control the timing of that the spark so it
occurs at the exact right time and send it to the correct cylinder. The
ignition system is divided into two sections, the primary circuit and
the secondary circuit. The low voltage primary circuit operates at
battery voltage (6 to 7.5 volts) and is responsible for generating the
signal to fire the spark plug at the exact right time and sending that
signal to the ignition coil. The ignition coil is the component that
converts the 6-volt signal into the high 20,000+ volts charge. Once the
voltage is stepped up, it goes to the secondary circuit that then directs
the charge to the correct spark plug at the right time.
So how do we get from the 10-12 degrees at idle to the 32-34 degrees at
higher RPM?
Here is a diagram of such a system:
IGNITION
START
SPARK PLUG
IGNITION
SWITCH
PRIMARY RESISTANCE WIRE
BATTERY
Above is a good illustration of the standard mechanical advance
mechanism. The point plate in the distributor has two advance
weights on separate pivot pins. The advance weights are connected
to the advance cam via small, coiled springs. These springs provided
tension to keep the advance weights against the cam. As the
distributor spins, the centrifugal force generated causes the weights to
want to move away from the centerline of the distributor. However,
the springs provide a resistance to this centrifugal effect. As the
weights swing outward the points plate (not shown) that sits above
the advance weights is rotated so that the “points opening event”
occurs earlier. By varying the cam design and the tension of the
advance springs it is possible to change the advance characteristics
of the distributor. For example, in most Porsche 356 engines the
distributor’s mechanical advance mechanism is fully advanced by
3000 RPM.
COIL
BATTERY
DISTRIBUTOR
PRIMARY CIRCUIT
SECONDARY CIRCUIT
Without exception, almost all ignition systems were “mechanical”
systems, up to the early 70s. Engines, to operate efficiently, require the
spark to fire at some point BEFORE the piston reaches TDC (top dead
center). This is to allow the explosion to build enough pressure (push)
on the top of the piston, at just the right time, to provide optimum
power. If it is started too soon (advanced) then this explosion reaches
piston while it’s still traveling upward and you lose power, (trying
to push the piston the wrong way) waste energy, and create heat in
the combustion chamber area (and usually knocking or detonation
from an explosion instead of a nice smooth flame traveling from the
upper cylinder to the piston top). If started too late (retarded) then
you loose power because the piston is already traveling downward,
before the flame explosion can “push” it. This also creates heat in
the surrounding combustion chamber because remember, heat is
energy. This energy, if not used to push the piston, is released either
into the surrounding water jacket or the exhaust manifold instead of
powering your vehicle. Both are inefficient as far as maximum power
is concerned, but it makes an effective heater!
West Coast Holiday 2011 Article Errata
The chart shown below was incomplete when published in the November/
December issue. The version shown below is correct.
2011 West Coast Holiday - 356CAR Award Winners
Bruce and Kathy Ungari
Tom and Kathy Sansone
Fred and Annette Huberty
Bill and Lynn King
Jack and Rosslynne McCullough
Stephen and Vicky Childs
13
Judy Hanna and Rich Swenson
Del Sessions
1st in Speedster, Best of Show
2nd Pre A
2nd A Open
1st B Open
2nd B Open
3rd B Closed
4th B Closed
3rd C Closed
North meets South, 2012
Product Review – Quick Detailers
April 26-29 - San Luis Obispo
By Michael Hodos
In case you haven’t noticed when you drive your car to an event some
distance from home (i.e. North Meets South, Gathering of the Faithful,
West Coast Holiday, the Fall Festival to name a few), there are fewer
and fewer of your fellow Porsche 356 owners who use water to help
make their cars ready for the people’s choice concours.
North meets South returns once again to the Embassy Suites in SLO
for 4 days of Porsche overload. We will host driving and Hearst Castle
tours, a small parts sale, and the traditional People’s Choice Concours
at Laguna Lake Park. Things end with a ‘crack of dawn’ swap meet on
Sunday morning.
In fact, thanks to the variety of waterless cleaning products available
today the frequency with which many of us need to wash our cars
has decreased significantly in recent years. Unless a car is really filthy
and/or bug splattered, one of these products can usually do the job
handily in half the time it takes to get out the hose, bucket, sponge,
towels, etc. previously required to make a car show-ready.
As a result of numerous requests we have added some Hearst Castle
tour options for Saturday aftenoon. The main tour is the “Grand
Rooms”, which will start at 2:20, 2:40 and 3:00. The tour is about 110
steps, ½ miles of walking and takes about 45 minutes. Driving time
from the hotel is an hour so those folks taking an early tour will want
to leave the concours lunch a bit early to insure being there on time.
For those wanting to see more of the castle we have also reserved
space on the “Cottages and Kitchen” and “Upstairs suites” tours.
Space is very limited and it leaves at 2:00. For those wanting to add
this to their day we will book them into the 3:00 Grand Rooms tour
so they have time to do both tours. These tours are only open to those
wanting to do both tours since it is limited to about 15 people. These
tours are first come first served and we cannot hold our reservations
beyond April 5th. We look forward to seeing you there.
New this year is 100% online registration and payment with event fees
the same as in 2010! The online registration process is easy, safe and
secure using your Credit Card, PayPal or check.
Additional event information and registration details at
www.356car.org
While Meguiars was undoubtedly the first to develop and market
a quick detailing product and its Ultimate Quik Detailer is still an
excellent choice today, there are now a couple of worthy competitors
to which it can be compared. The most well known is probably
Griot’s Garage Speed Shine, although Adam’s Detail Spray is relative
newcomer that seems to be slowly gaining market share.
World Class Service
for World Class Collections.
Ask anyone who has one of these spray and wipe cleaners in their
garage and they’ll tell you that they use it more often than any other
car care product in their arsenal of cleaning products. All three
provide a fast, safe way to keep any painted surface clean and shiny
and are perfect for between-washes. A quick mist and light wipe with
a micro-fiber towel removes dust and other residue without damage
to paint, chrome, glass, rubber or vinyl trim. Both the Griot’s and
Adam’s products are available in glove box size dispensers that are
very easy to use and both can be purchased by the gallon for refill
purposes.
protecting the world’s finest collections
Now . . . which one do I prefer? While I’ve used both for some time
and both seemed to be equally effective, I found that I prefer the
Adam’s Detail Spray product simply because I found that it seemed to
be significantly easier to spray on and wipe off which in turn makes
the job go more quickly.
All three products listed above can be ordered online.
800-922-4050 | www.hagerty.CoM
ColleCtion ManageMent • global Coverage • autoMobilia ColleCtions
Corporate entities • MuseuMs • Dealer ColleCtors
14
$
356CAR Club Name Badges
Club name badges with magnetic attachments are available to each
active member and one additional driver for $9 per badge plus packaging and mailing if required. Badges are normally mailed or hand
delivered within 30 days of payment receipt.
Contact Membership Chairman Fred Huberty at fhuberty@sbcglobal.
net to make the necessary arrangements.
356CAR Membership
Application / Renewal
New 356CAR Window Stickers Now Available!
New 356CAR window stickers are now available to memberships in
good standing. The window stickers are free. While the supply lasts
each member is entitled to one sticker per Porsche 356 owned. The
window stickers are available on a first come, first served basis at the
San Mateo 356CAR Breakfast from Michael Hodos and the Sacramento
356CAR Breakfast from Bob Cannon. Arrangements to distribute the
window stickers at the other breakfast locations may be made at a later
date.
first name Need more garage space?
See Leigh Rutledge and Bill Hambrick
for Sacramento’s finest homes....
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address
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Expert Vintage VW & Porsche Repair
Parts & Service
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1753 Leslie Street
San Mateo, CA 94403
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650-574-4643
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email
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Membership Dues
Dues renew every July 1st and can be prorated if desired.
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356 owners who know the
needs of car enthusiasts!
916-612-6911
[email protected]
916-600-6528
[email protected]
DUNNIGA
N
Realtors
$15 ($1.25/mo)
$21 ($1.75/mo)
2 years:$30$42
3 years:$45$63
Mail your completed application and check (payable to
356CAR) to:
356 CAR
c/o Fred Huberty
13286 Lake Wildwood Dr.
Penn Valley, CA 95946
15
13286 Lake Wildwood Dr.
Penn Valley, CA 95946