July/Aug 11

July/August 2011
The award winning Speedsters of Bruce & Kathy Ungari and Dana & Irmela McDaniel (stories inside)
IN THIS ISSUE
Round Top Peak DriveSpeedster Stories
Event Close Ups Schedule of Events Tech NoteProduct Review
... and much more!
356CAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
356CAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
& COMMITTEE CHAIRS
1st Saturday San Mateo Breakfast
Barney SpeckmanPresident
[email protected]
2130 Belford Drive
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
hm: 925-937-3972 mb:925-367-3940
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.
Ed Morris [email protected]
31 Anderson Circle
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
hm: 925-933-1285
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.
Vice President
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]
4551 Eggers Drive
Fremont, CA 94536
wk: 510-793-4030
fx: 510-790-2838
pg: 800-971-5943
Garrick HueyDirector
[email protected]
P.O. Box 3059
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
hm: 925-938-8390
mb: 925-209-7593
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
Michael HodosDirector
[email protected]
Editor, Newsletter
944 Bryant Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
hm: 650-326-6121
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
6:30 PM The Point (formally Portola House), 3326 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz. From Highway 1 Exit 41st Avenue. Go South on 41st Avenue ~2 miles (towards the beach). Turn right on Portola Drive at the four-way stop intersection. Proceed 5 blocks to the restaurant on the left. 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.
Cover photos: Bruce Ungari and Dana McDaniel
The New 356CAR Grille Badges Have Arrived!
For the first time in 16 years new 356CAR grille badges will be made
available to memberships in good standing as of May 31, 2011. The
cost will be $5 each and initially will be limited to one per membership.
The new badges will first be made available for purchase at the
San Mateo 356CAR Breakfast on August 6 and the Sacramento
356CAR Breakfast on August 13 on a first come, first served basis. Arrangements to distribute the badges at the other breakfast locations may be made at a later
date.
In the meantime, if you would like to make other arrangements to purchase your badge please
email [email protected]. Members who opt to have their badges shipped to them will be
charged an additional $5 to cover handling and shipping. Members who choose this option
should send a check made out to 356CAR for $10 to 356CAR, P.O. Box 1243, Carmichael, CA
95609-1243. Be sure to annotate the check “356CAR Grille Badge.”
The special $5 purchase price available to eligible memberships only will remain in effect until
September 25. Additional badges may be offered for sale to members and non-members at a
later date at a price to be determined. 2
plaques as soon as the design is finalized, signed off by the board and
fabricated.
President’s Message
By Barney Speckman
North Meets South 2012 - Mark your calendars now for this event on
April 26-29. We’ll be returning to San Luis Obispo and the Embassy
Suites but with some notable differences . . . a Friday evening dinner
event and the Saturday Concours and barbecue lunch in a nearby
beautiful park setting not previously used for this event. Details will
emerge as the planning gets underway with Chairman Phil Rowe and
his team.
Your newly elected board members and the three at large board
members that we selected to make up the full 356CAR Board met for
the first time at Mimi’s restaurant in Fairfield on July 19. The Board’s
first order of business was to elect officers and agree on other critical
board responsibilities. The meeting went very well and the outcome is
listed below. You can see that I was selected President which is why I
am writing my first President’s Message. Here are your new 356CAR
Board Members and their responsibilities:
Rennsport Reunion IV and the Porsche Race Car Classic - October
14-16 will be like the Monterey Historics/Reunion weekend for
Porschephiles with both the Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca and
the Porsche Race Car Classic at The Quail going on simultaneously.
See the Schedule of Events for details.
Barney Speckman – President
Ed Morris – Vice President
Garrick Huey - Secretary
Jim Reeder - Treasurer
Fred Huberty – Membership Chairman
George Breein - Events Chairman
Kent Anderson – Insurance Chairman
Michael Hodos – Newsletter Editor
Phil Rowe – NMS 2012 Chairman
West Coast Holiday – It’s in Palm Springs October 26-30. See the
356registry.org website for the latest information.
I would be remiss if I did not express sincere gratitude to past
President Jenny Derich and to the three members of the Board
who decided not to run for re-election and thereby give others the
opportunity to serve: Treasurer Elaine Cannon, Directors Mark
Grimstvedt and Harry Servidio.
The minutes of the July 19 meeting will be posted on the 356CAR.org
website Member’s page shortly.
In closing, I know that I speak for the new Board when I say we are
looking forward to continuing the great traditions of 356CAR while
making improvements along the way. Please feel free to let anyone on
the Board know if you have an idea for something we should try or
something we should change.
In the meantime, here are some additional topics of interest:
Gathering of the Faithful - Planning for the upcoming Gathering of
the Faithful (GOF) is proceeding apace for this traditional biennial fall
event on September 25 at the Blackhawk Country Club in Danville.
Watch the 356CAR.org website for updates, details and registration
information soon. Don’t miss this unique event that we purposefully
scheduled more centrally in the Bay Area this year to make it more
easily accessible to the membership as a whole.
Thanks!
Barney
Subscribe to the 356CAR eNewsletter !
Grille Badges - We still have few of the new 356CAR Grille Badges
on hand and more of these very popular badges have been ordered.
They should be available for sale at GOF in September. The price of
the badges for members who have yet to receive them will be just
$5 per badge for those who purchase the badge in person at GOF or
$10 which includes an additional $5 for shipping and handling for
those who choose to have their badges mailed to them. Please see the
announcement elsewhere in this issue for details. After September 25
one additional badge per member will be made available at $20 per
badge while the supply lasts.
Our eNewsletter offers a number of advantages for you and for the
club:
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Window Stickers - The redesigned 356CAR window stickers are still
available free to members in good standing while the supply lasts.
Please see the announcement elsewhere in 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
Sign up now by sending email to [email protected].
Be sure to indicate whether or not you wish to receive the
eNewsletter exclusively.
Membership Renewals - Did your 356CAR membership expire
in June? Please take a look at your mailing address on the back of
your newsletter. If it says “Expires June 2011” then your 356CAR
membership renewal was due in May. Memberships are $15 for
the eNewsletter version only or $21 for the hardcopy version or
both. Multi-year renewals are welcome. See the inside back cover
for additional information. The 43% of you who now receive only
the 356CAR eNewsletter version received a Constant Contact email
reminder at the beginning of June if your membership renewal was
due.
California Automobile Museum
At the January 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!
Four Peaks Tours - With the completion of the Round Top Peaks Tour
on July 16 the Four Peaks Tour series is now complete for 2011 except
for the makeup drive to Mount Diablo planned after the GOF. See the
story in this issue. Those entitled will receive their well-deserved dash
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Event dates and locations are subject to change.
Always check www.356car.org for the most up-to-date event information.
COMING EVENTS – CLOSE UPS
See the following calendar of events and 356CAR.org for additional
information.
Laguna Seca Pre-Reunion – August 12-14
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca officials announced that the PreReunion on August 7- 8, 2011, which was closed to the public for
several years, is once again open to spectators. Previously known
as the Pre-Historics, the Pre-Reunion is a relaxed weekend for
competitors to prepare for their Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
races the following weekend. The drivers get valuable track time to
shake down their cars, test tire and car set-ups and have fun with their
fellow competitors. Admission is $20 per day. Tickets will be available
for purchase only at the gate and include complimentary parking.
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion – August 19-21
Formerly known as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, the
event is now produced exclusively by SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing
Association of the Monterey Peninsula), a not-for-profit corporation
established in 1957. A professional staff supported by thousands
of community volunteers and a volunteer board of directors is the
backbone of every event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. For Rolex
Monterey Motorsports Reunion tickets and additional information
visit www.Mazdaraceway.com or call 800-327-7322. Daily tickets can
be purchased in advance at a $20 discount from the gate price.
August 7
8 AM –
2:30 PM
Nor Cal Vintage VW & Porsche Treffen
2011
Dave Brubeck Park, 4202 Concord
Boulevard, Concord 94520. $15 per car/
driver, passengers free. Contact Michael
Rogers at 925.890.21265 for additional
information.
August 12-14
Pre-Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca
This is the relaxed kickoff to the Rolex
Monterey Motorsports Reunion August
12-15. Admission is $50 per day. See
www.mazdaraceway.com for additional
information.
August 16
10 AM – 6 PM
August 17
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 16
11 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 August
5. See www.motorclubevents.com for
additional information.
August 19-21
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Jaguar will be the featured marque along
with featured historic groups 1966-1983
Formula 1 and 1969-1974 Can-Am racecars.
See www.mazdaraceway.com for additional
information.
August 28
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- 18
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.
September 25
10 AM – 3 PM
Gathering of the Faithful
Blackhawk Country Club
599 Blackhawk Club Drive
Danville, 94506
Come at 10 AM to display your car and
visit. Lunch @ ~12 Noon. Watch your
email and www.356CAR.org for additional
information.
Gathering of the Faithful – September 25
This year the Gathering of the Faithful will be held at the Blackhawk
Country Club in Danville, a brand new venue for this event. The
location is just 5 miles from Highway 680 and will thus offer a
shorter drive for many of our members. The event will honor the
casual atmosphere of past gatherings in a very unique setting with
a dedicated parking area, lunch in the club’s Lakeside Ballroom that
overlooks the golf area, foothills and a the lake, and a relaxing veranda
for catching up with your friends and acquaintances. Discounted
early registration will be available and is encouraged. Watch 356CAR.
org and your email for registration information, directions and
additional information.
Rennsport Reunion IV – October 14-16
For the Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV taking place at Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca in October, both the men and machines are expected to
draw one of the largest crowds in track history. This event at Mazda
Raceway Laguna Seca will undoubtedly draw the biggest Rennsport
gathering ever of Porsche racecars and the drivers who drove them.
See www.mazdaraceway.com for additional information.
Porsche Race Car Classic – October 16
From Le Mans to Sebring to Riverside, the cars that made Porsche
the most revered name in racing are coming to The Quail. An
unprecedented assemblage of Porsche’s purpose-built racecars
and production cars with significant race histories from Porsche’s
breakout era are coming together for a day of appreciation and
celebration. Gmünds, Glöcklers, 550s, 550As, 718s, 718/2s, 804s,
904s, 356 Coupes, Speedsters, Convertible Ds, Elva Porsches,
Dreikantschabers, Dolphins, and Poopers. You name it. If it raced
between 1950 and 1965 it will be there for this one time only event.
See www.2011porscheracecarclassic.com for additional information.
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October 1-2
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.
October 14-16
Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
An unprecedented gathering of Porsche
historic and modern race cars from around
the world, and many of the famous
drivers who piloted them to victory, will
descend on Laguna Seca for three days of
racing, story-telling and camaraderie. See
www.mazdaraceway.com for additional
information.
October 16
Porsche Race Car Classic
This will be a once-in-a-lifetime gathering
of vintage Porsche race cars from 1950-1965
coming from around the globe. Porsche
AG and Porsche Cars North America
will be major collaborators for this event
at the famed Quail Lodge and Golf Club
intended to raise critical funding to directly
support lung cancer research. Headquarters
hotel will be the Portola Hotel and Spa
at Monterey Bay at 831.649.4511. See
www.2011PorscheRaceCarClassic.com for
additional information.
October 26-30
2011 West Coast Holiday
Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs, CA.
Registration opens February 1. Special Event
Travel Bag goes to the first 300 registrants! See westcoastholiday.org for additional
information.
2012
April 26-29
North Meets South
Event headquarters will be the Embassy
Suites Hotel, 333 Madonna Road, San Luis
Obispo 93405. Watch www.356CAR.org for
updates.
September
14-15
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
Are you getting your 356CAR emails?
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)
5
Round Top Peaks Drive
By Barney Speckman
On Saturday July 16 twelve cars participated in the
latest peaks drive as a part of the Four Peaks Challenge
that 356CAR began in 2009. You may recall that
anyone who completes four of the peaks drives with
three out of four in a Porsche 356 will receive a dash
plaque memento.
The drive to Round Top was the seventh such peaks
drive put on by 356CAR. Steve Douglas has been
instrumental in organizing all of the drives. Like
all the other drives this one was very enjoyable. We
started out at EASY in Emeryville with some donuts
and hot coffee while we heard all about Jim Breazeale’s
car that he enters in the 24 Hours of Lemons races.
Built on a Porsche 914 chassis it apparently meets the
requirement that each car entered must cost less that
$500 excluding the safety equipment. The next race
Just part of Jim Barrington’s collection on display at his shop.
is on August 6-7 at Thunderhill Raceway Park just off
Highway 162 near Willows, California.
At the appointed time we left EASY for Jim Barrington’s automobile
collection in Oakland. Many of us were not aware of this gem
hidden away in a light-industrial section of the city. Jim has a large
assemblage of cars that he and his son proudly showed the group.
The collection includes a number of unique Porsche 356s cars not the
least of which is a 1949 Gmünd coupe and a custom built 1959 GT with
right hand drive from South Africa. Jim also had a half dozen Hudson
Hornets that are a passion of his and several other unique cars on
display along with historic gasoline pumps, signs, steering wheels and
other automobilia.
After our visit to Jim Barrington’s we proceeded to drive the hills
above Oakland and Berkeley with their spectacular views of the San
Francisco Bay, the rolling hills and San Pablo Reservoir to the east.
About a third of the group went on an impromptu “special” mini-tour
after getting separated from the main group. They thus confirmed
what we have proven to ourselves time and time again . . . it’s hard to
follow route instructions and drive at the
same time! After regrouping we visited the
famous Redwood Valley Railway in Tilden
Park to see the scaled down steam trains.
Many on the trip recalled fond memories of
riding these trains as children. Several of us
took the opportunity to take a ride on the
train again.
Big kids riding on a little train in Tilden Park.
After finishing up at the railway we drove
down the eastern side of the ridgeline
leading into the town of Orinda where we
had a relaxing lunch at Orinda’s Village
Pizza by sharing four great pizzas and four
great cold pitchers of beer.
Several drivers completed their fourth
drive on Saturday and are now eligible to
receive the dash plaque. Rocky Raymond,
who is working to finalize the dash plaque
design, was on the drive and he shared the
latest design with the drivers to get their
comments. We are considering two more
drives in 2012 and there is also a makeup
drive to Mt. Diablo planned after the
Gathering of the Faithful at the Blackhawk
County Club in Danville on September 25.
See you there!
6
1954 Porsche 356 Speedster #80013
By Bruce and Kathy Ungari
In August 2005 I was on a quick trip to visit my folks in the San Francisco Bay
Area. I didn’t know it yet, but my car life was about to change as a result. It
was but a few minutes after I had walked through my parent’s front door
when I heard the familiar voice of my friend Darrell outside yelling out
something like, “Bruce, I got it! I got it, number 13!”
After a very quick walk down to Darrell’s house I had every lid and door
open, had identified the number 13 stamped in the lids and had crawled on
my back around the car three or four times. It was in one of those moments
that the old feeling hit me once again . . . I had to have that car! As it turned
out Porsche Speedster 80013 was just the ninth production Speedster in a
group of the first 10 shipped by Porsche AG to Max Hoffman in New York
City.
Bruce Ungari hard at work preparing for a backyard concours in 2006.
Originally I was going to do just a “driver” restoration of the car so I could
enjoy driving it. However a few months after shipping the car to 356 Restore
in Parker Colorado I started to question my decision of making it a driver. I talked with a lot of people and they convinced me that I should do
a full restoration. Originally I was going to send it to Jim Kellogg because he is good at doing driver quality restorations. I asked Pre-A expert
Tom Scott to oversee the restoration work in Colorado. He was instrumental in convincing me that the car was so rare that it deserved a fully
correct, world-class concours restoration.
I shipped the car to 356 Restore in Colorado in October of 2006 and at that time Jim and BJ Kellogg began taking it apart. They had the car
stripped, then analyzed it and started in on the heavy metal restoration. The car was found to have no collision damage. The doors were
untouched, solid and original. I decided to go ahead with the full restoration. Restoration expert Tim Goodrich took a trip from Oregon to see
80013 during this stage.
Don Diltz is the custom painter in Elizabeth, Colorado
who completed the finish bodywork and painted the
car back to its original Signal Red (Fire Red) with single
stage paint. After the car was painted, I decided to
have the car returned to California where Jim Hardie
could complete the restoration and reassembly paying
particular attention to originality and the quality detail
that the car deserved. Jim quickly put the car on a
rotisserie where a great amount of time was spent on the
undercarriage.
I had many club friends on the lookout for certain correct
Pre-A parts that I needed for the project. I had been
collecting the rare parts for some time at swap meets,
via online resources and through other Porsche 356
connections.
Don Zing became involved in the restoration early on
using his extensive knowledge of the first 201 early Pre-A
Cabriolets/Speedsters. His advice was extremely helpful
in ensuring the authenticity of 80013. Steve Heinrichs also Restoration in progress.
provided historical information. Jim Hardie and I spent
tens of hours researching originality. The Porsche Speedster Type 540 book by Heinrichs, Zing, et al was an extremely valuable resource.
I purchased the car in August of 2005. It was shipped to Colorado in October 2006 and returned to California in January of 2010. Its first event
showing was at North Meets South 2011 where it took 1st in the Speedster class.
Many people from 356CAR stepped up to help and gave generously of their knowledge, skill and advice. Jim Hardie did an incredible job as
lead restorer, creative re-constructor and archeologist. Without his expertise it would have been impossible to have such a high level of quality
in the car. Roy Nielson did an amazing job on the interior and top. Bob Cannon, Kim Nelson, Bill King, Bob Murray, Kit Sodengren, Ted Blake,
Mark Hanson, Rich Peters and many others contributed a great deal to the final success of this historic Porsche. We are all lucky to have so
many incredibly talented friends in 356CAR who are so willing to share their skills and time for the improvement of these great little cars. Truly
the people make this club what it is today.
Last but certainly not least were two Southern Californians who contributed significantly to the restoration effort: Pre-A engine specialist Tom
Birch located an unnumbered, NOS, two-piece factory replacement case from the correct time period to build an outstanding engine and Victor
Miles worked his magic on the fine detail parts restoring most of the original 80013 small parts to perfection.
Thank you all!
7
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1955 Porsche 356 Speedster #80518
By Dana & Irmela McDaniel
Mr. James McDaniel and the boys in Burbank, 1958.
This car came into our family on July 22, 1957. My father bought it
used from Burbank Sports Car Center in Southern California. He
traded in a 1951 MG TD that was mother’s daily driver. Since my
brother and I rode in the back, it had much more room than the
package tray behind the MG seat. On Sundays my father packed the
whole family of four in the Porsche for fun drives along the winding
roads of the L.A. area. We don’t know what attracted my father to a
Porsche although my brother says he thought that my Dad was tired
of getting beaten by the neighbor’s XK120 Jaguar.
The Speedster body had already been repainted white before we
bought it, so we didn’t know that the car was originally Speedster
blue. The interior was original with cream-colored Acella Bast vinyl
seats, tan carpet and painted blue dash. It had red seatbelts with a
friction buckle like the old canvas belts one would wear. Since there
weren’t many Porsches with which to compare we didn’t know what
was correct on a Speedster nor did we really care.
My mother thought the car looked like a ladybug and convinced my
father to paint it 1957 Mercury Persimmon, a somewhat popular new
color at that time. He also chromed the bumpers to look more like
those on a normal American car. The original muffler had capped
header pipes added near the left and right ends that could be opened
to pretty much bypass any noise reduction.
In 1959 my father decided it was time to leave the L.A. smog and
moved our family north to the Bay Area. Six months later he opened a
small body repair shop. While the Speedster was still my mother’s car
my brother and I were pushing to have it painted a more reasonable
color. Eventually we prevailed and paint job #4 was a dark gold used
on Chrysler Adventurer models.
Since we owned a body shop there were numerous changes in family
cars and, since the Speedster was sitting in the garage rarely used, it
was unsuccessfully put up for sale in the early sixties for $1,500. It
sat for several more years until I graduated from high school when it
became my graduation present. It was not the cool car I would have
wanted. It needed some work to get it running, as the original 1500
alloy cylinders were using oil and needed replacing. In addition I no
longer liked the gold color.
Having a father who was a mechanic and body man, I worked with
him to install new 1600 normal pistons and cylinders. I prepped the
car for paint job #5 using 1963 Corvette Sebring Silver that I sprayed
myself for the first time. Incidentally, each new paint job was simply
sprayed on top of all the previous paint jobs. No “bare metal” resprays for us!
We added a black top, black vinyl seat covers and door panels, and
black carpet to the front and side areas. The tan stayed in back until
I could afford to do more. Instead I bought 15-inch wheels to replace
the original 16-inch wheels, I added Koni rear shocks, a Bursch
exhaust and front nerf bars.
While I had raced quarter and half midgets since I was 12 and driven
on the street occasionally since age 13, this was my first street car. I
spent many hours on the roads in the Santa Cruz Mountains learning
and enjoying great handling without a lot of power.
In 1969 my plan was to increase the power. I bought Super 90
pistons, a used set of Zeniths carburetors and manifolds, and got
a performance cam from Johnny DeLong in San Jose. It ran with a
wonderful lumpy idle. In fact, once it had some break-in miles we
found it overpowered the clutch in second gear.
From then on life took over. Irmela and I were married, we moved to
the North Bay, my dad died, and there were things that needed doing
that were more important than getting an ailing car running again.
The Speedster was parked in the garage to be dealt with in the future.
That was in 1970. It remained a “someday” project until 2009.
In late 2008 Irmela crossed paths with Jennie Derich sitting in the
Derich’s Speedster in the Santa Rosa Costco parking lot. Jenny and her
husband Tim were returning from the 356CAR Mendocino gathering.
Jenny invited us to come to a 356CAR Sacramento breakfast to get to
know the Porsche 356 community. At the January 2009 breakfast we
met Jim Hardie. The next thing we knew we had begun a hands-on
restoration with Jim’s assistance and the help of many others in the
local Porsche 356 community. Irmela spent countless hours stripping
paint, removing the windshield posts, cleaning parts, restoring
fasteners and keeping track of all the bits and pieces. Most of the
original parts were refurbished with only a small number replaced.
10
The car was finally ready for the road on May 14, 2011. Less than a
week later we drove it to the North Meets South 2011 event in Morro
Bay. With only a few minor adjustments required, it made the round
trip as well as the Saturday drive to the winery at Carmody McKnight
Estate Vineyards on Chimney Rock Road. We met many more great
people at the event and proudly took 2nd place in the Speedster class at
the Saturday Concours.
Occam’s Razor – a parable from North Meets
South 2011
By Michael Hodos
On Saturday afternoon after the NMS 2011 People’s Choice Concours a
number of us hauled our chairs out onto the porch that ran the length
of the building in front of our rooms at The Inn at Morro Bay to simply
relax in the sun and enjoy each other’s company. It wasn’t long before
some wine, fruit and a bowl of almonds appeared and we had a nice,
informal, afternoon soiree underway. As fellow Porsche 356 owners
wandered by, some stopped to visit and before long we had virtually
every chair in our assorted rooms out on the porch.
We would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to the entire
Porsche 356 community for their assistance, support and interest in
our project. We would like to particularly thank the following people
directly involved in the restoration: Jim Hardie as the project leader,
who guided and worked the entire restoration; Ron Uyeyama for his
paint and body work; Roy Nielsen for his spectacular interior and top;
Bob Cannon for special projects.
In the midst of the festivities, Bill King appeared in front of us in the
parking lot, opened both the trunk and engine lid of his beautifully
restored Auratium Green B Cabriolet, and plunged his head into the
engine compartment. Of course, it took only a few minutes for a
small contingent of acknowledged experts, self-appointed electrical
specialists and interested parties to form around the rear of the car, all
of whom began to offer suggestions to Bill about how best to trouble
shoot and fix the problem he was attempting to resolve – that his
generator was not charging the battery properly.
In addition, Bill King, Del Sessions, Tom Sansone, Bob Murray, Ted
Blake, Ron’s Transaxles, Jim Breazeale, Ed Rutherford, Keith at
NLA, Terry at International Mercantile, Rich Peters, Wolfgang Reif,
Paul Colby, Bob Lee, and several others I’m sure I’ve inadvertently
overlooked help make it all happen.
We’d like to extend a special thanks to the late engine builder Tony
Simeon for the engine we purchased that was a high school science
fair project with his daughter. Tony passed away before the engine
was completed so Jim Breazeale and a number of East Bay vintage
Porsche owners finished the project with his daughter. Needless to
say, she took first place in the science fair. We’re happy this engine
is now part of our family car. We still have the original dismantled
engine that will be a future project.
Needless-to-say, the assembled masses conveniently ignored the fact
that Bill himself is a very well known and widely respected expert
in all things Porsche 356! Of course, Bill soon solved the problem
by properly seating the generator brushes . . . the obvious, simplest
explanation in the first place.
This whole chain of events brought to mind a scientific precept that
the 14th century English philosopher William of Occam first postulated. It later became known as Occam’s Razor:
One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the
number of entities required to explain anything.
Put in more contemporary terms:
Where multiple theories exist to explain a
similar phenomenon, the one making the fewest
assumptions should prevail (i.e. it should be no
more complicated than necessary.)
Or as it pertains to our hobby:
The simplest solution to a problem is probably the best one.
It’s something worth remembering next time you find yourself
troubleshooting a thorny problem affecting your Porsche 356. It has
served me well on a number of occasions. For example, when the
engine won’t start even though it turns over, check every electrical
connection for corrosion - including the five copper conductors inside
the distributor cap! Right . . . don’t ask me how I know that!
11
New Measure Creates Serious Consequences for
Repeat Offenders
Negligent Drivers Face Traffic School Roadblock
Chronic traffic offenders face a tougher road ahead now that the
California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will track safety
convictions in a whole new way.
Beginning July 1, 2011 the courts will no longer be allowed to
“dismiss” infractions after a driver attends Traffic Violator School
(TVS). Instead, state law AB 2499 now requires that all offenses be
recorded as “convictions,” which will create a detailed breakdown of a
person’s driving history
“This new law creates serious consequences for repeat offenders,” said
DMV Director George Valverde. “It is an important step in ensuring
that our roads remain safe.”
Under the new guidelines, drivers who attend a TVS course will
have their first conviction masked and avoid negative marks on their
driver record. However, if they accrue additional violations within the
next 18 months the convictions will appear on the record, negligent
operator points will be assigned, and their insurance company will be
notified.
Up until now, convictions stamped “dismissed” were equivalent
to a verdict of “not guilty” so it appeared as though there were no
violations. Frequent offenders had been able to use this loophole
as a way to repeatedly attend TVS. Traffic Violator Schools are now
required to inform their students about this change in the law.
A TVS conviction will not be masked if:
• There is a prior TVS dismissal/conviction within the
previous 18 months.
• The conviction is a major (2 point) violation (DUI or Reckless
Driving)
• The driver holds a commercial driver license or was
operating a commercial vehicle at the time of the violation.
California DMV Office of Public Affairs
Shop Rules – Part 1
By Michael Hodos
The following quote is one I try to remember whenever I discover that
I have just done something incredibly stupid while working on a car:
Good judgment comes from experience.
And where does experience come from?
Experience comes from bad judgment!
- Benjamin Franklin
In other words, this is one of those don’t ask me how I know this lists!
• Never, ever put something in your back pocket you don’t intend to
sit on. I could tell you horror stories about screwdrivers and leather
upholstery but I’m sure that you get the idea already.
• While we’re on the topic of screwdrivers, remember that they really
do quite a good job of conducting electricity . . . even if they do have
plastic or wooden handles!
• Don’t put away even one of the tools you’re using until the job is
completely finished. This rule is especially fun to test when your tools
are in one location (e.g. your back yard garage) and the car on which
you’re working is in another (e.g. a neighbor’s carport up the street.)
• Never lay a tool or part where there’s even a 1% chance that you’ll
step on it or trip over it . . . because you surely will.
• When you drop something follow its trajectory all the way down
to and across the garage floor until it comes to a complete stop . . .
and then pick up the item immediately! At one point in time I was
convinced that there were enough small clock parts “lost” in my
garage to build a working model of Big Ben.
• Put on rubber gloves before you start to work. People who
routinely violate this rule until it’s too late are easily identified. Just
look for those with permanently blackened fingernails and cuticles
and remember that no matter what they tell you they didn’t get
frostbite climbing Mt. Everest.
• The longer something is disassembled, the less likely it can be
reassembled with ease.
• Bag, label and note the order in which every part is removed even
though you’re absolutely certain you can reassemble whatever it is
you’re taking apart because you’ve done the job dozens of times and
you’re absolutely certain that you’ll have time to reassemble the part
before the end of the day. This is a corollary to the previous rule.
• Never forget Hofstadter’s Law: Every job always takes longer than
you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.
Porsche 356 Engine Trouble Shooting Made
Easier
There’s a reason the tune-up procedure progresses from one task
to another; it saves time. Yes, you can fiddle with this, that and the
other all you please, and perhaps get the thing running better than
it was, now “tuned” to a tired ignition.
Follow the path: Valves, ignition, carbs. It saves time.
Ron LaDow
http://www.precisionmatters.biz/
• Never forget Dunn’s corollary to Hofstadter’s Law: Reassembly
requires twice as long as disassembly raised to the next highest unit.
In other words, if it takes 2 hours to disassemble then it will take at
least 4 days to reassemble.
Finally, just in case you’re wondering about the “Part 1” in the title
of this article . . . it’s there because I’m reasonably sure that I’ve just
begun to scratch the surface when it comes to this topic. So as you’re
working on your cars take a few notes and help prove me right by
submitting your suggested additions to this list. As soon as I receive
enough additional submissions I’ll publish “Shop Rules – Part 2.”
Thanks!
12
Tech Note – The Importance of a Fire Extinguisher
By Harry Servidio
There are over 260,000 vehicle fires to which fire departments respond to each year. Two thirds of these fires
resulted from mechanical or electrical failures or malfunctions. You need to be prepared. While most fires
start small and can be contained quickly, waiting for a fire vehicle to respond can mean total loss.
Class B and Class C extinguishers are the most appropriate for automotive use. Underwriters Laboratories
(UL) assigns a numerical rating to denote the size of a given fire that an extinguisher can put out. A 2B:C
rating should handle most emergencies. C does not have a numerical rating, but indicates that the agent is
non-conductive.
The two main agents used in extinguishers today are dry chemical and Halotron 1 “clean agent”. Halotron
1 is a replacement for Halon 1211 in streaming applications. A “clean agent” extinguisher is electrically
non-conducting, leaves no residue upon evaporation and doesn’t damage surface finishes. Dry chemical
can damage surface finishes and electrical parts and wiring from corrosive powder. Steel cylinders are
recommended and should have a secure mounting strap. Loose cylinders can become an injury hazard
in the event of an accident. Incidentally, mounting an extinguisher in the engine compartment is not
recommended!
Should you have a vehicle fire remember this simple acronym to recall the proper use of an extinguisher:
PASS
Pull – Hold extinguisher upright and pull the safety ring pin
Aim – Stand back and aim at the base of the fire nearest you
Squeeze – Handles together
Product Review – Car Cover Clamps
Sweep – Extinguisher stream side to side
By Michael Hodos
If you’re a car cover
person and tired of
finding your cover balled
up under your car after
wind-blown nights in San
Luis Obispo or Morro Bay
this might be the product for
you.
World Class Service
for World Class Collections.
After trying a variety of
homemade solutions designed to keep my car cover on in high wind
environments (cable with lock, big rubber bands, bigger rubber
bands, more rubber bands, mini-shock cords, maxi-shock cords, etc.) I
happened on this solution in a recent Griot’s Garage catalogue.
protecting the world’s finest collections
The bottom line is that this set-up really works and for a very
reasonable price. The only downside I’ve found is that it’s actually
possible to put the clamps on so tight that it’s almost impossible to get
them off . . . so a bit of trial and error is required if you intend to use
them with different car covers on different cars. Of course, you could
also purchase a set for each car cover and eliminate that worry.
800-922-4050 | www.hagerty.CoM
ColleCtion ManageMent • global Coverage • autoMobilia ColleCtions
Corporate entities • MuseuMs • Dealer ColleCtors
13
A set of four locking car cover clamps plus two 36” bungee cords that
stretch up to 54”(Part #92451) are available for $13 and free shipping
through October 17 from Griot’s Garage at 800.345.5789 and
www.griotsgarage.com.
Blaupunkt
From ~1955 onward Blaupunkt radios have a simple letter code to
indicate the year the radio was produced. Note that a radio produced
in 1961 could be seen in either 1961 or 1962 model vehicles.
1955 - 1956 - R
1956 - 1957 - K
1957 - 1958 - S
1958 - 1959 - G
1959 - 1960 - Q
1960 - 1961 - D
1961 - 1962 - E
1962 - 1963 - T
1963 - 1964 - U
1964 - 1965 - V
1965 - 1966 – W
Bosch, Hella, SWF and Blaupunkt Date Codes
By Michael Hodos
As many of you know, various parts used on our vehicles were datestamped by the original parts manufacturers. Due to production lead
times these date stamps typically preceded the manufacture date of
the vehicle by one or more months.
Bosch
Parts are stamped with a 2 or 3-digit sequence.
From 1945-1963, the format was 1 or 2 numeric digits followed by an
alpha character.
The first 1 or 2 digits are the month, 1 through 12.
The last digit is a letter that represents the year:
1945=A, 1946=B, 1947=C, 1948=D, 1949=E, 1950=F, 1951=G, 1952=H,
1953=J, 1954=K, 1955=L, 1956=M, 1957=N, 1958=P, 1959=Q, 1960=R,
1961=S, 1962=T, 1963=U
Note the letters I and O were not used.
This article is based on information found in a posting on the www.thesamba.
com by site by administrator EverettB.
Example: 8M would be August 1956
For 1964-1969, Bosch used a 3-digit numbering scheme. The first digit
is the last number of the year and the second 2 digits represent the
month. Example: 401 would be January 1964.
Hella
1950 and earlier parts are stamped with a MM DD Y sequence where
MM=Month, DD=Day and Y is a letter indicating the year.
1951 and later parts are stamped with a sequence consisting of 1 alpha
character and 2 numeric digits.
The alpha character is the year:
1949=H, 1950=I, 1951=J, 1952=K, 1953=L, 1954=M, 1955=N, 1956=P,
1957=S, 1958=T, 1959=U, 1960=V, 1961=W, 1962=X, 1963=Z, 1964=A,
1965-B, 1966=C, 1967=D
Note the letters O, Q, R, and Y
were not used and that H and I are
currently unverified. The numeric
characters are the week of the year.
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.
Bestell Nr.
Examples:
47 M would be the 47th week of 1954. 180 E 25-4 SB
07 26 H would be the July 26, 1949.
47 M
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.
SWF
Parts are stamped with a sequence consisting of alpha characters.
The first character is the month A-M.
Note I was not used.
The second character is the year:
1949=A, 1950=B, 1951=C, 1952=D, 1953=E, 1954=F, 1955=G, 1956=H,
1957=J, 1958=K, 1959=L, 1960=M, 1961=N, 1962=P, 1963=Q, 1964=R,
1965=S, 1966=T, 1967=U
Note I and O were not used.
Example: BB would be February 1950.
In the meantime, if you would like your sticker(s) mailed to you send
a self-addressed stamped envelope to Michael at the address shown
on the inside front cover of this newsletter.
14
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membership renewal is due in June. Memberships are
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the hardcopy 356CAR Newsletter. Multi-year renewals
are welcome.
Please send your check to:
356CAR
P.O. Box 1243
Carmichael, CA 95609-1243
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