1/2 - 356 Registry

Periodical MaileTIme-Dated Material- Change Service Requested
)ostm aster. Send changes to 3359 Kings Mill Road, North Branch, MI 48461
356 Registry
VoLume 26, Number 6
March / April 2003
In The Mail
4
Upcoming Events
5
The Miscellany File
Gordon Maltby
6
President's Letter
Chuck House
8
Membership Memos
Barbara Skirmants
10
Transmission Upgrades
Mike Robbins
13
All Porsche MeetJDunkel's
Bob Campbell
14
Bob Holbert
David A. Duerr
18
Reviews
Bill Block
28
Years Ago
Jim Perrin
29
Distributors
Jim Kiple
30
Suspension Basics
Pat Tobin
34
356 Collectibles
Prescott Kelly
38
Porsche Lit Meet in LA
Prescott Kelly
42
The Maestro
Harry Pellow
44
Classified Ads
Vintage Racing
Tail Lights
45
Keith Denahan
49
50
356 Registry magazine is the official publication of 356 Registry, Inc., an organization oriented exclusively to the interests, needs and
unique problems of the 356 Porsche automobileowner and enthusiast. The mission of the 356 Registry, Inc. is the perpetuation of the vintage (I948-1965) 356series Porsche through356 Registry magazine, the centralforum for theexchange ofideas, experiences and information, enablingall to share the 356experiences ofone another. 356Registry, Inc. is a non-affiliated, non-profit, educational corporation,
chartered under the statutes of the State of Ohio. Subscriptions are available onlyto members. Membership dues are $30.00 in the USA,
whichincludes $24.00 for a 6-issue annual subscription to356 Registry magazine, $40 in Canada and Mexico, $50to foreign addresses.
All rates are in U.S. dollars, checks MUST be drawnon U.S. banks. An application form formembership is available on the backwrap cover
of this magazine, frommembershipchairperson BarbaraSkirmants, 3359 Kings Mill Road, North Branch, MI 48461 USA, or on our website at 356Registry.org.
356Registry magazine (ISSN 10666877) is published bi-monthlyfor
356Registry, Inc. byMDesign, 215W. MyrtleStreet, Stillwater, MN55082.
Periodical Postage paid at Stillwater, MN and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
356 Registry, 3359 Kings Mill Road , North Branch, MI 484 61
The opinions and statements expressed in356 Registry magazine are not necessarily thoseof356 Registry, Inc., its trustees, officers or the
Publisher. Technical data and procedures describedherein are the opinions of the authors and carryno claim of authenticity or suitability
for a particular purpnse from 356 Registry or the Publisher. Any procedures described herein are carried out at the reader's own risk.
Porsche®, the Porschecrest, Carrera®, Targa® andthedistinctive shape ofthe Porsche models are trade dressand trademarksofPorsche
AG and are used with permission. Publisher reserves the tight to edit or refuse publication and is not responsible for errors or omissions.
It's timefor a thorough spring cleaning!
On the cover: Bob Holbert on his way to another
class win atSebring, 1963. John Calamos photo.
On the wrap: Elly Holbert advises her husband
before a race early inhis career.
Photo courtesy Bob Holbert.
No part of 356 Registrymagazine may be reproduced in any
form without the express written permissionof the publisher.
Copyright © 2003 by 356 Registry, Inc. c/o MDesign, 215 W.
Myrtle St., Stillwater, MN 55082. Printed on a Heidelberg 5color press in Red Wing, MinnesotaU.S.A.
locaURegional 356 Groups
' These groups offer activities, information and fellowship for 356
enthusiasts from a particular geograp hical area . Each group operates
indepe ndently and is not sponsored by the 356 Registry.
WEST
Porsche 356 Club
Bob Fitzpatrick
23738 Barona Mesa Rd.
Ramona CA 92065
760-788-9354
356bo b @cox.net
356 CAR Club
Jim Reeder, Jr., President
PO Box 726 , 4551 Eggers Dr.,
Freemont, CA 94536
510-793-4030
Central Coast
Dick Douglass, President
5214 Calle Cristoba l
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
805-967-5545
356 Group Northwest
356 Group Northwest
Bruce Rockwell, P.O. Box 1451
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
253-858-2788
bnmrock @harbornel.com
Sierra 356 Porsche Cl ub
Glenn Lewis, 2000 Royal Drive
Reno , NV 89503
Rocky Mo untain
Porsche 356 Club
AI Gordon, 12773 Grizzly
Littleton, CO 80127
303-979- 1072
Mountainland Porsche 356 Club
Edward Radford
1568 Connecticut Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
801-521-7330
Hawaii 356 Owners Gro up
Rick Woltz
7 19 N. Kainalu Drive
Kailua, HI 96734, ph. 808-262-541 7
rdwpoorboy @hawaii.rr.comp
SOUTH
Southern Owners Group
Ray Ringler
3755 Creek Stone Way
Marietta , GA 3006 8
Three56 @aol.com
Tennessee Tubs
Nate Gree n
4003 Sunnybrook Drive
Nashville, TN 37205
ngreene @mathewsp artners.net
Florida Owners Group
Rich Williams, 4570 47th SI.
Sarasota, FL 34235
813-758-0356
rich356fog @earthlink.net
EAST
Potomac 356 Owner 's Group
Dan Rowzie
800 South Samuel SI.
Charles Town WV 254 14-1416
356 Mid Atlantic
Dan Haden
715 St. And rews Road
Philadelphia, PA 19118
356BURGH
Lenny Santora
1345 Falla Drive
Bethel Park, PA 15102
412- 835-6594
lennyg356 @aol.com (email)
geocities .com/we lcomet0356burgh
(website)
356 Southern Connecticut
Register, Ltd .
P.O. Box 35
Riverside, CT 06878
w3.nai.neV'edwardh/ed4 yhtm
Typ 356 Northeast
Peter Crawford
11 Pearl St., Marblehead, MA 0 1945
781-631 -6012
www.Typ356NE.org (website)
pcrawford356 @yahoo.com (email)
MIDWEST
Group 356 St . Louis Region
Ted Melsheimer, Sr.
10517 E. Watson Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63127
314-966-2131
Windige Stadt 356 Klub
Dale Moody
19532 Governor's Hwy
Homewood , IL 60430
708-798-2637
Fah r North
Phil Saari
3374 Owasso SI.
Shoreview, MN 55126
651-484-0303
ps356er @aol.com
356 Motor Cities Gruppe
Barbara Skirmants
3359 Kings Mill Road
North Branch, MI 4846 1
810-688-2059
Ohio Tub Fanatic s
Richard King
330-67 8-6259, tubfanatic @aol.com
SOUTHWEST
Arizona Outlaws
Porsche 356 Club
Mike Wrough ton
19870 N. 86th Ave.
Peoria, AZ 85382, ph.623-3 62-8356
mwrou ghton @aol.com
Zia 356
Joyce Y. Hooper
4700 Westridge PI. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87111
JYHRetired @webtv.net
Tub Club
Bob Morris, 397 Cree kwood Dr.
Lancaster, TX 75146
ph. 972-227-8 357
rob.morris @attbi.com
Lone Star 356 Club
Mark Roth
4915 S. Main, Suite 114
Staffo rd, TX 77477 (Houston)
281-277-9 595
mroth356 @earthlink.net
OUTSIDE USA
Maple Leaf 356 Club of Canada
Scott Gray
467 Sandlewood Road
Oakville, ON L6L 3S3
sgray88 @cogeco.ca
Australian Porsche 356 Register
P.O. Box 7356, SI. Kilda Rd.
Melbourn e, Victoria 3004, Australia
356 Down Under
P.O. Box 47 677
Ponsonby, Auckland , New Zealand
nz356downunder @xtra.co.nz
www.356 downunder.co.nz
To subscribe to the Registry's electronic mail list,
send an email to [email protected]
with the single word subscribe as the message,
or go to the Registry's website at 356registry.org
The new password for members-only pages: RSK
Valid through May 31, 2003
Officers
Magazine Editorial Staff
Chuck House, President
([email protected])
11073 Begonia Ave.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714-418-0779 (hm), 949-567-452 1 (wk)
949-567 -45 10 wk fax
Gordon Ma ltby, Editor
Alice Ross-Jinks, Production Manage r
Mary Skamser, Office Manage r
215 W. Myrtle St., Stillwater, MN 55082
651-439-0204, fax 651-439 -7620
(Gordon Maltby @356registry.org)
Bob Campbell, v.P., Event Insurance
(BobCampbell @356registry.org)
20964 Canterwoo d Dr.
Santa Clarita, CA 9 1350
66 1-25 1-3500
Dr. Bill Block, Book Reviews,
356 Registry Database Monitor
(blocklab @aol.com)
423 Hawk High Hill, Metamo ra, MI 48455
810-678-3017
Patty Yow, Secretary
(PattyYow @356regis try.org)
Randall Yow , Treasurer
(RandaIlYow@356reg istry.org)
811 S. Elm Street
Greensboro, NC 27406 336-272-6 336 (wk)
336-545 -8994 (hm), 336-275 -9116 Fax
Trustees
Bob Campbell
(BobCam pbell @356registry.org)
20964 Canterwood Dr.,
Santa Clarita, CA 9 1350
661-251-3500
Chuck House
(ChuckHouse @356reg istry.org)
11073 Bego nia Ave .
Huntington Beach, CA 92708
714-418-0779( H)
Joe Johnson
(JoeJo hnson @356registry.org)
618 Gatewood , High Point, NC 27262 -4722
336-886-5287 (H)
Roland Lohnert
(RolandLo hnert @356registry.org)
1422 Twin Oaks Ln., Castle Rock, CO 80 104
303-663-4363
Vic Skirmants
([email protected])
3359 Kings Mill Rd, North Branch , MI 484 61
8 10-688-2 059
Randall Yow
(RandaIlYow@356regi stry.org)
811 S. Elm Street
Greensbo ro, NC 27406 336-272-6336 (wk)
336-545-8994 (H), 336-275-9 116 Fax
Club Services
Barbara Sk irmants , Membership ,
Renewals,Circulation
(BarbaraSkirmants @356registry.org)
3359 Kings Mill Rd, North Branch, MI 4846 1
810-68 8-2059
John Jenkins, Travel Assistance Network
Oohnjenkins @agilent.c om)
3122 Kingsley St., San Diego, CA 920 16
619-224-3566 ,619-224-39 33 Fax
M & M Enterprises, Wes & Diane
Good ie Store (356goodiestore @usa.net)
25209 Casiano, Salinas, CA 93908
831-643-0356, fax 831-643 -1333
Dr. Bre tt Johnson, Porsche Factory Liaso n
(356drb @indy.net)
7510 Allisonville Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46250
317-84 1-7677, fax 317-849-2001
Ke ith Denahan , Vintage Racing
21537 11Oth Ave. S., Boca Raton, FL 33428
561-482-0516
Dr. Brett Johnson, Restoration Editor
(356drb @indy.net)
7510 Allisonvill e Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46250
317-841-7677
Dic k Koenig, Four Cam Forum
7S 710 Donwood Dr., Naperv ille, IL 60540
630-369-4492
Prescott Kelly, 356 Collectib les
(KellyCT @optonline.net)
16 Silver Ridge, Weston, CT 06883
203-227-777 0
Hanry Pellow, The Maestro
([email protected])
20655 Sunrise Drive, Cupertino, CA 950 14
408-7 27-1864
Jim Perrin , Historian (carrerag ts @aol.com)
Box 29307 , Columbus , OH 43229
614-882-9046
Jim Sc hrager, Marketwatch
[email protected]\)
54722 Little Flower Trail
Mishawaka , IN 46545
574-259-9261
Vic Sk irmants, Technical Editor
(Barbara Skirmants @356regis try.org)
3359 Kings Mill Rd, North Branch, MI 4846 1
8 10-688-2059
Hal Thoms, Photographer, West Coast
Vintage Racing (photoby hal @aol.com)
13341 Ethelbee Way, Santa Ana, CA 92705
714-73 1-7191 (W)
Pat Tobin, Pat's Posts
(audio .consultan t @verizon.net)
17092 Chatsworth St.,
Granada Hills, CA 91344 -5849
818-368-1262
Website Staff
Ch ris Ma rkham, Webmeister
(Webmeister @356regist ry.org)
7185 W. Zayante Rd., Felton, CA 95018-9466
831-33 5-3582
Rob in Hansen, Ass 't. Webmeister,
email List Monitor
([email protected])
John Audette, Website Technical Editor
(356ja @adventive.com)
Rick Dill , email List Monitor
([email protected])
Richard Millang, Web design
RichardMillang @356registry.org
Remembering Olaf Lang
he Porsche community was stunnedby
the untimely death of Olaf Lang on
October 7. A native of San Jose, CA,
Olaf had gone to Porsche as an apprentice in
1978, immediately after high school, but rather
than returning to theUnited States, his passion for
Porsche became a career. His last position was as
T
I
Above: At the1998 Monterey Histories, Olaf was
entrusted to drive Mark Donohue's all-conquering 917/30, winning the Group 5B race for CanAm cars that year. Right: Piloting a 993 at the
Nurburgring, 2001. Photos courtesy Ingrid lang.
liasion between Carrera platform engineeringand
marketing/customer service.
Porsche enthusiasts on both sides of the
Atlantic turned to Olaf as a source of accurate,
definitive information on individual cars, and historians called on him to clarify the sometimes
confusing details of early models. His knowledge
and research dispelled many an urban legend.
Olaf made his own contributions to the Porsche
literature; thefruits of his research have appeared
in these pages as well as in BrettJohnson's books.
He was a skilled translator of Porsche literature,
including the English text (translated under the
pseudonym "John Winbigler") of the definitive
356 .... 911 .... 912 .... 914 .... 924 .... 944
The largest combined new and used
parts inventory on
the planet.
Over 30,000 sq. feet
Recently added 378 tons of new
and used parts to our everexpanding inventory.
Now covering 911, 914. 924. 944
through 1989.
911 Carrera RS book by Drs. Gruber and
Konradtsheim.
Olaf's life revolved around Porsche. As often
than not, his Porsche activities continued beyond
the office. On weekends, he would often instruct
at the company's customer driving schools. One
colleague in Weissach writes "My personal recollections are of someone you could depend on,
both in the office and during driving schools. He
had a way of explaning things to people which was
very simple and to the point, in contrast to lotsof
engineers 1know, who simplycannotdescribe the
problem and thenmove on to a possiblesolution.
During driving schools, if it was necessary to
"kill" some time, he could callup on lotsofsafety-related anecdotes and keep the participants
interestedand motivated."
OlafLangwas a successful race driver in his
own right. Often invited to the cockpit of significanthistorical Porsches owned by private collectors throughout the world, he was valued for his
ability to drive quickly without abusing irreplaceable equipment. Fans may recall his winning performance inan ex-Team Penske Sunoco 917/30 at
the 1998 Monterey Histories, He also competed
successfully in theEuropean Carrera Cup championship.
Olaf is survived by his parents, Paul and
Ingrid Lang, his widow Susanne and sonTobias.
- PeterAlbrecht
Building,Maintaining &Supporting Race Cars and "Outlaws"
!lJmJ[J~
ARRIVE &nRlVE: Rental Race Car Program
Family-Oriented Race Group
Full-Service Race Shop
Transporting
Track Support
Hospitality
McMinnville, OR • 356shop.com
503.835.2112
503.835.2300 • FAX 503.835.4000 • 356shop.com • 13851 SE Eola Village Rd.• McMinnville,OR 97128
4 Volume 26, Number 6
UpComing Events
activities for the entire family. You can camp or
stay in a nearby motel. Swap meet on Sunday.
Hosted byPartsObsolete, ;03-835-2300. Register
online at www.3;6shop.com.
April 11-13
Cambria, California
'orth Meets South at CambriaPines. See below.
May 16-18
Winchester, Virginia
The 2003 North vs. South Blue Meets Gray event
will be held in Winchester, Virginia at the Holiday
Inn, ; 40-667-3300. See page 9 forinfo.
May 16-18
Globe, Arizona
join us for the Arizona 3;6 Outlaws Baja Fiesta
Coronado ;2 ; . Conquistador Francisco Coronado
traveled ;2; turns in 97 miles in 1;40 on horseback defining the ultimate windingroad. just over
400 years later, Dr. Porsche built the ultimate car
for drives in the twisties, Now, the two meet in the
Baja FiestaCoronado ;2;, thedrive you've always
dreamed of. See the flyer at www.3; 6registry.org
or contact registrar, Steve Proctor, [email protected], ;20-;77-9507 or jeff Gamble, [email protected], 520-299-6714.
Ju ne 6-8
McMinnville, Oregon
Come visit the beautiful Northwest and enjoy a
weekend surrounded by Porsches. There arc
North
J une 7
Knoxville, Tennessee
Second Annual TN 3;6 RELIABILITY RUNthrough
the Great Smoky Mountains. The Run will startin
Knoxville with several stops in the mountains for
pictures and lunch. The route will include the infamous "Tail ofthe Dragon" on US129 which consists of 318curves in 11 miles. Info: Lynn Sheeley
IV, 4041 Sutherland Ave., Knoxville, TN. 37919.
865-582-2;56 or [email protected].
cross; lots of good Porsche fellowship and
German food and drink. All Porsche lovers are
invited to comeearlyand stay late. One ofthe fe-dtured cars will be Bill jackson's SIN 0017 GmUnd
coupe. For information, directions and concours
pre-registration contact event chair Sharon
Maybee at 303-6;;-9831 or [email protected]
Sept. 3-7
Asheville, North Carolina
356RegistryEast Coast Holiday2003. See page I1
Sept.27
Lewisberry, Pennsylvania
(Tentative) 356 and early VW swap meet at Ski
Roundtop. Contact Mike Moody at 717-502-8820.
Jun e 22
Dana Point, California
The Porsche 356 Club's Dana Point Concours.
October 2-5
Taos, New Mexico
356 RegistryWest Coast Holiday. See page 12.
Jul y 20
Henderson , Colora do
Third annual GmUnd event at the Colorado
"Pfortnerhaus," just north-cast of Denver. Ajoint
outingfor the Rocky Mountain 356 Porsche Club,
PCA and the North American Porsche-Diesel
Tractor Registry. Events will start at 10am featuring a lop onlycar and tractor concours; car and
tractor show with peoples choice; swap meet; the
second ever anywhere Porsche-Diesel tractor-
October 17-19
Oakhurst, Californi a
Octoberfest at Yosemite. Informal, low key,
Central CA 3;6 mountainmeeting. Near Bass Lake
and Yosemite Park. Magnificent mountain roads,
little traffic. People's Choice concours. Tour to
Mammoth Pool overlook. Brats 'n Beer dinner.
Drive in or drive home through the park. Lowend
of season room rates. Info: Lee Whistler at ;;9
877-8760or \[email protected]. Comeon up!
eets South ¥ Cambria, California ¥ April 11-13, 2003
The Porsche 356 Club proudly presents NORTH MEETS SOUTH in
Cambria, California on April 11 - 13, 2003.
A356tradition since 1987! Headquarters Hotel, Cambria Pines Lodge,
(800) 445-6868 or (80;) 927-4200 for reservations. Event highlights:
Driving tours, tech sessions, People's Choice Car Show & luncheon, Awards
Banquet & slide show, Swap Meet & more!
Event info: Steve Schmidt, 714-832-3128, [email protected] or
Bob Clucas, 714-639-4477, [email protected]. (Reg. Form also available
onour ClubWebsite, please vislt wwwporschejobclub.org). Don't delay, REGISTERTODAY AND SAVE $$$!
Registration questions? Send email to: [email protected] or call 714962-287; .
Ir----------------------------------------------------~
North Meets South· April 11-13, 2003· Cambria, CA REGISTRATION FORM (You may photocopy form topreservemagazine)
I
I
I Registrant
--iREGISTRANT ($99 after Mar. 14)
I
[Co-Reqistrant
$79
= $,-
-
-
$69
=$,-
-
-
---i
I
---l
I Address
CO·REGISTRANT
I
: City
State
I
I Phone
Zip
-1
Email
I
I Indicate type of 356 you wish to enter in People's ChoiceCar Show- Please mark either: OPEN
: Please mark one: Pre-A_
--lAwards Banquet Sat Eve $35 ea. x
A_
T-5B_
I Shirt Size: (for Registrantand Co-Registrant) S_
T-6B_
M_
Special Interest_
L_
Xl_
0utIaw_
XXL_
Choices: Tn·TIp #_
Chicken #_
=$,-
-
-
Salmon #_
or CLOSED
Unrestored_
Concours Luncheon·Sat $15 ea. x
= $,-
-
-
= $,-
-
-
(no size guarantee after Mar. 14)
1------------------,-----------------1 Child's Lunch-Sat
$8 ea.
x
Make checks payable to:
North Meets South
(drawn on US banks only)
www.porsche356c1ub .org
Eventcancellation policy:
To3114=100%; 3115to 3121=15%;after 3128=none
~----------------
Mail payment and registration form to :
Felix & Jenn ie Macaluso
10177 Swallow Ave.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
TOTAL = $,
Registration questions?
Send email to:[email protected]
or call 714-962-2875.
_
have a box of children's books left from
the days when my son was more "Daddy
can we read a story?" and less "Yo, Pop.
Can you hook me up with some new tires for my
car?" Titles like "Nary' Alice, Operator Number
9" have been gatheringdust these manyyears, but
I was thinking about that slim volume recently. In
it, our heroine Mary Alice is the telephone time
operator on whom the whole town depends to
keep them on track. The fact that she is of indeterminate species (some sort of duck/platypus
cross) doesn't seem to effect her accuracy, reliability and good humor. One day she goes home
sick and in her absence the entire town finds how
I
6 Volume 26, Number 6
Gordon Maltby
dependent theywere on her. Soon well again and
back on the job, MaryAlice discovers friendship,
job satisfaction and employment security. We can
only assume she didn't work for a Baby Bell or
someinternet startup.
Here at the Registry publishing office I have
my own "MaryAlice" in the form of the two lovelyladies shown at left. Mary Skamser (left) is our
business manager, shipping director, sales and
billing chief and several other titles I haven't
thought up yet. She also answers the phone with
what I can only describe as an audible smile. If
you call Maryand are not laughing within 15 seconds, all I can say is boy, are ) 'OU having a bad
day! She's accurate, reliable and a lot of fun to
have around. And best of all, she does the magazine proofreadingso I can blame her when things
go wrong!
The Alice half of our dynamic duo is Alice
Ross Jinks, who has held the title of magazine
production manager for the last three years. lIer
actual title should be "Organizational guru" or
maybe "Chief detailenforcer" or "Trail Boss ofthe
big digital roundup" as each issue goes to the
printer. Without someone like Alice to create,
adjust and keep track of all the electronic bytes
and pieces that make up this publication, I'd be
up the bitstream without a paddle.
Alice is also very tolerant of my many questionable innate traits, like the ability to choose,
um, "interesting" second colors for these pages. If
I ask, "How about that PMS 259 purple?" she
doesn't even have to say, "It was ugly when we
used it two years ago and it hasn't gotten any better with age." Just a knowing smile and "lImm..."
gets the message across.
Having these two around makes me look
good, but there are some drawbacks. I took a
week off inJanuaryfor a vacation, and here's the
report I got via email:
"Freakishly warm and
sunny this week. We used
a blank checkto install a
hot tub out back. We are
paying for the cocktails
and take-out ourselves.
Forecast for next week
is snow and freezing
rain. See you Monda)'
- iI/aryland Alice. "
What a crew! ~
Visit the online
Parts lists!
. . -, ..:c ---..-..
('
~'\VIek'S;>
\)~~rJ .>
---------
www.stoddard.com
Have you been there today?
·Stoddard
Imported Ca rs ,lnc.
Front Floor Mats
644.551.101.00
644.551.101.06
~op RJE
Tunnel Mat
644.551.111.07
356C
List price: $59.95
Special Price: $39.95
c::: H E"
M]I
D E AL ER
356A, 3568 T5
3568 T6, 356C
List price: $129.75
Special Price: $99.95
13 time
1=1 c:::J ~ 5
(Snap Fasteners Included)
JE ~~
200 2
356
New/Old Stock
Stoddard
356 Nose Panel 1/2
1-800-342-1414
..3568
..3568
..3568
..3568
T5
T5
T6 , 356C
T6, 356C
List price: $455.58ea.
Special Price: $375.00ea.
Imp orte d Cars ,lnc .
38845 Mentor Ave.
Willoughby, Ohio 44094
440-951-1040
fax 440-946-9410
..Lft 1/2
..Rt 1/2
..Lft 1/2
..Rt 1/2
NLA.503.011.03
NLA.503.011.04
NLA.503.011.11
NLA.503.011.10
Horn 8utton
(82mm recess)
644.347.821 .01,
356, 356A
List price: $85.00
Special Price: $69.95
Flywheel
616.102.201.03
8eehive
Light
(SWF)
ORI.631.009.00,
356, 356A (pre T2)
List price: $85.00
Special Price: $50.00
1600 C/SC
List price: $450.00
Special Price: $350.00
MarchiApril 2003
7
-
-
ave you taken care of those winter
maintenance items on vour 356 vet?
For some, this might even be the year
toget that 356offtheblocks andback on the road
after a long hiatus. I always look forward togetting
ready for the spring event season. It'sa chance to
start off on some great adventures to meet new
and old friendsand mill around tubs of all colors
and styles. Keep an eye out in the Registry and in
your local 356 club publication for upcoming
events and drive your 356 to one. You'll be
amazed at the people you'll meet and the fun
you'll have.
~~; .•• i ...-.~' ~_.
.
~~J.d:;.~:-'~.., - ~.:_~__ '=~_.J _ o'i~l,
H
Marsha Headington with her Main Squeeze at
the East Coasty Holiday in Charleston.
Chuck House
The Registry board of trustees met on
January 31st, just before the big literature/memorabiliaand Dunkel swap meets in LA. Itwas quite
a fun-packed weekend and you can read more
about it in this issue. I'm happy to report that
Registry club operations are running smoothly.
Membership has grown to over 7,300 strong;
financials are holding steady which allows us to
keep dueswhere they are, and wehave two great
Holidays planned for this year and are already
investigating potential 2004 Holidays.
We reviewed and approved the publishing
contract with RPMAuto Books, which publishes
the Registry magazine - let me again add that the
Registryreviews and awards three contracts annually: Publishing, Membership Services and the
Goodie Store. Anyone can bid for these contracts
so if you or someone you know is interested in
bidding, please have them contact me or one of
the other trustees for more information.
Other importantitems discussed at the meetingincluded plans for making past Registryissues
available on CD (a big project in which Joe
Johnson has been spearheading along with other
volunteers), and a discussion on the number of
Registry trustees. The Trustees voted to increase
the number of Trustee positions from the current
six to seven. This puts the number of Registry
Trustees back to historical levels and will mean
that this year's election will have four open positions. I view this as a positive move which will
allow some new blood on the board while giving
opportunities to well-deserving trustee candidates. The next trustee meeting will be during the
Asheville Holiday in September where we'll
squeeze in a meeting amongst all the planned
activities. It should be great trip and I hope to see
you there.
As usual, Gordon has assembled another
great issue so sit back and enjoy the ride.
,
Blue Meets Gray
he "Blue Meets Gray" weekend will be
held in Civil War-rich Winchester,
Virginia. This upper Shenandoah Valley
town changed hands 72times duringthe CivilWar.
Earlier, George Washington hadan office in downtown Winchester while he surveyed the surrounding area for Lord Fairfax.
You may explore some of these sites Friday
afternoonandSaturday afternoon. We willprovide
helpful information to make finding these points
of interesteasier.
Saturday's People's Choice Concours will be
held in our Special 356 Corral at the nearby
Summit Point Raceway during the running of
Brian Redman's Jefferson 500Vintage Races. We
will be able to visit the pit area and parade our
356's on the same track during the lunch break.
In addition, Brian Redman and forme r
racer/track owner Bill Scott will select several of
our Porsches to act as pace cars for the Briggs
Cunningham Enduro Race on Saturday afternoon.
We return to Winchester in time to relax
before the Saturday night awards party.
Rooms are put aside at the Holiday Inn in
theExecutive Suite @ $69per night. When calling
forreservations, inform themyou arewith the 356
T
•
•
•
•
Upholstery kits or custom services
We manufacture what we sell
Proven show-winning quality
Knowledgable & friendly staff
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
1236 Simpson Way
Escondido, CA 92029
Seat recovering & rebuilding
(760) 737-3565, fax (760) 735-9909
Website - www.autosintl.com
email [email protected]
Volume 26, Number 6
$2 .89 NET WI. 22 Oz. II LB. 6 OZ.) (623 .78)
Mike Hechinger of Heading, PAhas a pretzel
companyand like anygood 356enthusiast would,
he included his Speedster on the bag's logo, Mike
and Phyllis drove to the North Coast Holiday
where they gave mea sample. Good pretzels! And
a great label. Gordon Maltby
Jack Magrane
lot of us knew John K. "Jack" Magrane
who passed away in December on Cape
Cod. Jack was an early356 Registry member, and
Chairman of the Suffern East Coast Holiday in
1981.Jack loved 356s, old VWs and swap meets.
He may be best remembered for his terrifying
electric bullhorn, built into a blue lady's cosmetics case, that he would fi re off at swap meets to
announce another sale. Other than that, he was a
lovable guy that touched many of us in the 356
hobhy ...and we'll miss him. Prescott Kelly
A
I
Blue Meets Gray May 16, 17, 18, 2003 • Winchester, VA
Porsche group and that roomsare reserved in thc
Executive Suite. Call 1-540-667-3300. Rooms
must be hooked byApril 15th, 2003.
If yo u have any questions, call Mickey
Lombardo: 1-610-759-5009 or email:
[email protected].
----------------------------------~
Blue Meets Gray· May 16-18, 2003· Winchester, VA REGISTRATION FORM
I
(You may photocopy form to preserve magazine) ' Award's Dinner saturday Night (Buffet Style) is included with RegistrationFee. I
Registrant
_
Co-Registrant
_
Address
_
City
State
Phone
Shirt Size for Registrant: S_
_
M_
L_
XL_
Zip
_
Areyou staying at the Hotel?: YES_
XXL_
Shirt Size for Co-Registrant: S_
or
M_
NO_
L_
XL_
(Note: Registration after April15this the SAME PRICE, butdoes NOT include a t-Shirt)
I People's ChoiceCar Info - Check one for your car. Pre-A _
I
I
I
I
I
I
A
B
BLUE MEETS GRAY
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday May 16th:
2:00-6:00 pm
Friday Evening
Check-In and Registration
Dinner on your own
in Winchester area
Saturday May 17th:
7:00-8:00 am
8:30am
Late registration
Line upfor tour to Summit
Point Raceway
Concours - Summit Point
9:30 am
356 Porsche Corral
11:30 am-1:30 pm Lunch
356 parade on Sum mit
12:00-1 :00 pm
Point Track
1:00 pm
The select 356s will act as
pace cars for Saturday
session of Briggs
Cunningham Endu ro Race
Return to headquarters hotel
3:00 pm
7:00 pm
Awards dinner/party
c
Make checks payable t o: Mickey Lombardo
1 x $65
REGISTRANT
Mail payment and registration form to:
M ickey Lombardo
CO-REGISTRANT
1 x $50
68 7 Feh r Road
Naza reth, PA 18064
Email: MandNL@ a o l . c o m T O T A L
= $,
_
= $,
_
. _--------------------------------= $,
_
Sunday May 18th:
8:00-1 0:00 am
Coffee anddonuts and Swap
Meet at back of lot of
Holiday Inn
After the Swap, you are on your own to either
return to Summit Point to watch morevintage races
or head home.
MarchiApril 2003
uring the Registry trustees meeting
held at the lAX Hilton onJanuary31,
the trustees voted tosend every active
member a name badge. They felt this was a good
way to give something back to all members that
willbe useful and hopefullyappreciated.
One of the reports that I prepared for the
meeting was an accounting of lapsed members.
From Jan I, 1998 to Jan I, 2003 we have over
3300 lapsed members - those who oncebelonged
but did not renew. I will be mailing a special
"Come on back" letter to these lapsed members,
trying to entice them back in time to be included
in the freename badge mailing. Your membership
must be active on May 31,2 003 to be included.
can buy up to 1st class at any time during their
membership.
Our current active membership is right at
7200. We have lost a few members during the last
billing period, but during the holidays sometimes
the renewal cards get lost in the shuffle.
D
Are you moving?
Barbara Skirmants
First Class mail
Last year we started to offer the option of 1st
class postage forUSAmembers. TheJan/Feb 2003
issue only had 175 members opt to buy up to 1st
class postage. I know that our APO members
receive their magazine by surface because it is
mailed "Periodical" which is the old 2nd class
rate. Buying up to the 1st class rate, those magazines would be sent overseas byairmail. I thought
this would be very attractive to our APO members
because it takes several months to get your magazinesvia surface, or slow boatmethod. The rate is
$45.00 per year for 1st class mail. USA members
Barbara poses with her Ccoupe, under assembly at Neil Goldberg's shop near Detroit.
Gottfried Hogh photo
Please don't forget to let me know. Every
billing cycle I get back in the mail probably 50
magazine covers from pepole who haved moved.
Ifyou move and don't tellme intime, the USPostal
Service will forward your magazine 60 days from
the date their receive your change ofaddress. This
is the very best scenario. After 60 days they tear
the cover off, throw your magazine away, send the
cover back to me with your new address indicated and collect .70 from our escrow account on
hand at the Post Office. We've wasted the original
postage cost, spent even more and you received
nothing for it! When this happens I have nochoice
except to advise you to purchase a replacement
copy from the Publishing Office.
Speaking of moving, Vic and I have purchased a home with shop on 10 acres, about 50
miles north of metro Detroit. All renewal billings
and new membership forms will start to be
addressed to our new residence/shop in North
Branch, Michigan. We hope to be completely
moved in byMay I, 2003.
?E Jj f [J Jj j\Jj J\ J~ LErlAND
THE SUPER STORE FOR YOUR PORSI:HE
®®
PRO
Due
T
S
SINCE 1964 - THE BEST SOURCE OF PERFORMANCE, RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE FOR YOUR PORSCHE@
Tear Drop Tail Lights For
Your 356 A 1 8, & C
Gas Flap For Your
3568T6, 356C
• Made In Germany - "Not Replicas "
You asked for them , now
Per formance Produ cts has
brought them back. We have the
exclusive for all 356 owners. Th ese taillights are out of the
original tooling which means they are the real thing stamped
with the SWF logo "Not Replicas". Available in U.S. and
European versions.
rJ356 Left 1957-65
rJ356 Right1957-65
1])356 Left 1957-65
1])356 Right1957-65
'U.S. Vers ion
913783*
913784*
913785**
913786**
$119.95 fA
119.95 fA
119.95 fA
119.95 fA
• Keep Your Fenders NickFree
• Prevent Chipped OrDiscolored
Paint On Your 356
At last, a replica of the discontinued
gas flap for the late 356 BT6 body,
and 356C models. Th is flap is
necessary to prevent chipped or
discolored paint around the gas
filler neck.
3568T6, 356C
1963-65
913714
$9.95
fA
•• European Version
' ''PORSCHE' , 911", BOXSTER' , CARRERA", CAYENNE", TARGA", AND THE PDRSCHE CREST' ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF PORSCHE" AG."
10
Volume 26, Number 6
Register Now!
356 Registry Holiday Asheville
Early Arrival Day
Wednesday
9/3
*
*
*
*
Thursday
9/4
Friday
9/5
Saturday
9/6
*
*
*
*
Special drivin g tours: "Tail of the Dragon",
or Mount Mitchell & Chimney Rock
Explore Asheville's eclectic, histo ric
downtown
356 Tech seminars
Welcome reception
Dine-around Biltm ore Village
*
*
*
*
*
Mountain Driving Tours
Explore area: antiques and arts & craf ts
Biltmore Dairy Ice Cream Socia l
356 Literature and memorabilia exc hange
Din e-around Historic Downtown Asheville
*
*
Concours d'Elegan ce & Breakfa st on the
front lawn of the Biltm ore Estate
Explore the Biltm ore Estate grounds :
man sion , gardens, winery & scenic roads
Victory awards buffet luncheon at the
Deerpark restaurant, Biltmore Estate
Farewe ll Party, headquarters hotel
*
*
Swap Meet
Coffee & Final Farewells
*
*
*
Sunday
9/7
Explore Ashev ille on your own
Registration opens, headquarters hotel
Official tappin g of the 1st keg
Hospitality Suite open f or business
"Taste of Ashevill e" Party
(Restaurant & Wine Tasting)
Holid ay hotel accommoda tions begin at $90.
Hotel reservation cards will be sent with your registration co nfirmation.
Biltm ore Estat e eve nts have limit ed space .
Large vehicl e/tr ailer parking is limit ed .
Register now - don't accept anything
less than your first choices
Registration materials available four ways:
On the web @ www.356holiday.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 800/228-6624
Write: 356 Holiday, P.O. Box 273,
Powell,OH 43065-0273
0 0/1 1/11 0/1 '11 Ash eville
.11011111
stttcbelt,
BIlle
at t tciligbt .
Ridge Pa rk way m ile
m arlier 3 56 .
,-
356 West Coast Holiday
Taos, New Mexico October 2 - 5, 2003
Registrant name
356 Registry mem ber #.::...'
_
Co-registrant name
_
Jr. Registrant name(s) & age(s)
_
Contact address
_
City
_
Phone
State
_
Zip
_
Email
Is this yourfirst 356 Registry Holiday? No
Details of your356:
Yes_ _
Year
_
Are you bringing a 356 to the Holiday? Driving _ _
Trailering __ No __
Model
Pre A Open _ _ Pre A Closed
A Open
_
_
COpen
B Open _ _ B Close~d-=::;:;:;;;;:"';"~;';';;;::=-,
ACCOMM ODATIONS
CClosed _ _ Special Interest _ _ Outlaw
(Please note: rooms available
for Holiday hotel registrations
are first-come, first-served.
Entering the Peoples' Choice Concours? (Awards categories for all 356s!)
No
Yes
Phone early to make your
Do you need truck and/or trailer parking?
No
Yes
reservations):
Call 1-800-428-3626 for all
Are you bringing items for the swap meet?
No
Yes
Hotel reservations.
All registration fees include: Name Badge for access to all Holiday events, Hospitality Suite, Reception, and
Sagebrush Inn Concours. In addition, registrant receives long sleeve denim shirt, car badge, and goody bag; co-registrant
Headquarters Hotel
receives long sleeve denim shirt. Registration - After Au gust 1, 2003, add Late Reg istration
Standard Roo m
$ 81.00
Fireplace Roo m
$ 91.00
Registrant
$100
Small Suite
$101.00
Co-registrant
$ 80 X_
$101.00
Deluxe Room
$111.00
Executive Suite
Jr. registrant (17and under)
$ 50 X_
A Closed
Late Fee (registrations received after 8/1)
Comfort Suites
$ 25
Subtotal reg istration fees
All Rooms
$
Drive-Out Lunch
$ 15 X_
=
Gourmet Conco urs Lunch
$ 25 X
=
$ 35 X
=
Awards Banquet
Quality Inn
All Rooms
Optional events:
_ _Beef _
_ Fish _
_ Vegetarian
356 Registry memberships ($30/year) requi red for non-member registrant
Denim Shirts Size (ind icate number)
Total fees enclosed
(_S _ M _ L _ XL _XXL)
$._- - -
$ 91 .00
$ 69. 00
Cancellation and
refund policy:
100% refund of
registration fees if
cancellation is received
bySeptember 1, 2003.
After September 1, 2003
there will be no refund .
Sorry.
Send check or money order payable to 356 Holiday 2003 and with forms to:
356 Holiday C/O Joyce and Larry Hooper, 4700 Westridge Place NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111
Phone: 505·296·8912, Email: [email protected]
._ ------- -- -------------- -- ---------------------------------- ---- --------------- ------ -----------------12 Volume 26, Number6
Possible
Transmission
Upgrades,
Tunnel-Type
Versions
644, 716, 721
Mike Robbins
Here is the list of transmission upgrades.
Someday I should go
through the list and assign
a rating as to major vs,
minor importance... and
degrees in between.
Note: The factorydid not
always make revisions at
the serial no. specified in
technical literature. Some
of these upgrades are very
beneficial; others are of
lesser importance.
Beginning
SER. NO.
Up to
SER. NO.
11001
11001
? [644]
14053
11001
11001
11001
11001
11001
11001
25000
11001
11001
11001
11001
11001
11001
28722
32001
33188
40102
70848
END
11001
32001
32001
END
33183
35001
32001
32001
35001
50001
51017
60862
15960
16744
22425
22996
ITEM
DOCUMENTATION
Change from steel to bronze shift forks
Add cups for front mounts. Revise qty and positioning
of reinforcing plates.
Change to revised operatingsleeve (Lead angle changed).
Change intermediate plate & clamp plate. (4 bolt to 5 bolt).
Change to flanged axle nuts.
Change to nose wi seal for selector shaft.
Change 3-4shift fork to reinforced type.
Change gears to 716 or 741 type.
Improved synchronization and stronger coupling.
Change from hex to "starfish" diff cover.
Offered cast iron intermediate plate.
Change to molycoated fulcrum plate
Change to spherical fulcrum plate
Change 6 bolt to 12 bolt differential
Use improved differential housing; 3 or 4 choices.
- Use the best you canafford!
Change to latest ring gear bolts.
Change to nitrided reverse shift fork.
Change to later selector shaft and shift rods.
(Wider contactsurface.)
Change to revised synchro stop, brake bands & circlip,
Use later case 741.301.1 01.1 0. (Reinforced web).
Change to later intermediate plate wi oil hole.
Sen' Bulll4J57
ServBull ?
Serv Bull 31/57
Serv Bull 27/57
?
Serv Bull 27/58
?
Serv Bull 21/59
?
Serv Bull H1/60
Serv Bull H6/60
Serv Bullll4J63
Several
Serv Bulll14J63
Serv Bull 36159
Parts Cat. IVl61
Shop Man. Supp.
Shop Man. Supp.
Serv Bull 111/63
356 POWER
Call on NLA for any new, reproduction or rebuilt parts for
your 356. Thirty years experience, world wide reputation.
Featured here are newly introduced engine components to
add power and value.
1720cc Pi ston & Cylinders
Aluminum Oil Cooler
• Quality permane nt mold piston s. "hypereutectic" 13%
silicon. ins uring strength and therm al co ntro l.
• Balanced withi n 1/2 gram. rings ga pped and installed .
• Ligh tweight offset wrist pin for quiet operation.
La test an d most efficie nt design - Superior U.S.
manufac tured uni t for all 356 & 912 engi nes.
• Cylinders are superior castings
finish ed on the latest Sunnc n
CNC hone (CK·21).
Available NOW!
Part# NIA 103 901 86
• Impro ved coo ling co mpared to
cur re nt Porsch e or 36hp coolers
used by some engine bu ilders .
• 45%ligh ter th an origi nal steel
units, minimizing possible
eng ine case crac ks.
• Special mountin g fast en er s for
early an d late eng ine cases.
Available NOW!
Parl # NIA 107 041 00
NeuTek Camshafts
Inlroducing a new wide range of camshafts for
Porsche 356/912. All new billets - nol regrinds!
• Camdesigns ground exclusively forus by Erson Cams.
• Specific cams available to work with Zenith andSolex
carbs for vintage racing.
• Improved SC/ 912 cam forexcellent street performance.
• All new, nocores to send. All grinds in stock.
Call for pricing and specsheets.
Deep Sump
& Skid Plate
• SUMP adds 35%capacity & increased cooling.
Beautifulpolished aluminum casting.
• SKID PLATE for vintage racing & off-road rallys.
Easy removal. Matte finish or mirror polish.
Engine Bearings
• A wide selection of Standard and
align bore oversizes. From StdlS td
thru 3rd/3 rd. early and late cranks.
48-Pages
of parts for
all 356
models
Toll Free Order Line
800.438.8119
PO BOX 41030, Reno, NY 89504
775/ 626.7800 Fax 775/626.1220
Marchi April
200~
1~
Meet at the Dunkels'
By Bob Campbell
" Discover California Gold"
was the theme for the
2003 A11-Porsche Meet at
I
Peter and Larry Dunkel's in Anaheim,
"
California on February 2nd.
Participants walked by a mine shaft
with a gold 356 Cabriolet at the bottom, past old mining equipment and
buildings and then through another
mine entrance to discover their own
gold, at one of the largest Porsche-only swap meets in the world. The swap meet was
sold out in less than two hours and sales were brisk with plenty of "treasures" discovered allthroughthe day.
Over 200 Porsches were parked on the front lawn, with another 150 cars in the
paved parking lot and mine entrance area. All the Porsche race cars were gathered in
the center of the parking lot, surrounded bythe Early911S Registryandthe RGruppe
cars. Aworld record total of forty-eight912 model I'orsches were gathered together
in an impressive showing of the newly-formed 912 Registry. If you snoozed on this
morning, you were looking for a parking place down the street.
The Dunkel museum was again packed full of too many things to see, including
a Porsche helicopter, two tractors and about a trillion Porschetoys. TheSaiurday night
"Tribute to Scooter Patrick" was a sell-out crowd with plentyto eat, drinkand see. A
lot was learned about his impressive racing career and I think he even learned a few
new things about himselfat the sametime. It was a terrific eveningenjoyed byall.
2003 marked the first time that donations were requested to benefit the Nevus
Outreach organization, which is a group that is trying to raise awareness and funds to
battle this terrible children's disease. Peter Dunkel and I are very proud to announce
that this event raised over $45,000 which willgo directly to somevery deserving children and their families.
We want to thank each and every one of the almost 100 volunteers who got up
earlyand stayed late to bring to you this very unique event, anda special thanks to the
356 Registry for their initial support nine years ago that brought you the first All
Porsche Meet, and their continued support and efforts up to this year.
Well,it's like Adamsaid to Eve in the Garden of Eden, "Stand back, I don't know
how big this thingis goingto get!" After nine years oforganizingthis event, the growth
each year continuestoamaze me, and the most remarkable aspect of this very unique
eventis that it runs on pure enthusiasm.
I
Peter Dunkel
is interviewed
during
Sunday's
meet, surrounded by
Porsches
and sunshine
at Dunkel
Bros.
Machinery
Moving Co.
The 912 Registry had cars out in force (above) and the front lawn
was filled with other Porsches (right). Gerald Barnes' America
Roadster, a former racer, was fresh from a restoration at Willhoit's.
14
Volume 26, Number 6
Left: AGT2 on display high
above the front lawn.
Right: Bob Campbell.
Below from left: Cheryl
Dunkel and Felix
Macaluso. An Elva-Porsche
and Peter Dunkel's 550
project on display.
Third row: The 356
Registry tent manned by
Barbara and Vic Skirmants.
The race cars display area.
Photos by Don Rutherford
Above: Wayne Baker on two wheels stops to
visit with Duane Hyatt and his 911 Police car.
Left and right: Swap meet action was intense all
day with parts from almost all years and models available somewhere on the huge site.
March/April 2003 15
p;
e following information comes
from the Ford Taurus SHO tcebsite,
SHOtimes. Man)' thanks to them for
the use ofthe material. Please note the inf ormation here is to a great extent based on personal preferences, and is meant to add to the
data already published preuiously in this magazine. Debates about the merits of silicone
fluid in a street cal' (man)' Registry members
use it and love it) and whether a plastic container will absorb an appreciable amount of
moisture uibileon a storeself, will be left to tbe
reader to resolve. Use tbe data, consider tbe
opinions. GAl
Brake Fluid DOT Ratings
by Dave Zeckhausen
Let's look at what the DOT ratings mean,
The table below shows the MINIMUM wet and dry
boiling points for DOT 2, 3, 4, and 5 brake fluid
in degrees fahrenheit.
DOT 2 DOT 3 DOT 4 DOT 5
Dry
Boiling
point
374
401
446
500
Wet
boiling
point
284
311
356
356
TRAVEL BAG
The DOT 2 spec is for drum brakes and is
obsolete. If you have any DOT 2 in your garage,
throw it away! DOT 5 is for silicone brake fluid.
Silicone brake fluid (DOT 5) should be avoided
because it is not compatible with regular brake
fluid, it is hard to pour without introducing bubbles and thus results in soft pedal feel, and moisture still gets into your systemandwill pool in low
areaslike your calipers and encourage rapidcorrosion. STAY AWAY!
That leaves DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluids. These
fluids are compatible with each other and may be
interchanged or mixed with no illeffects.
Let's look at some popular brake fluids and
their boiling points:
Fluid
Castrol LMADOT 3/4
Ford Heavy Duty DOT 3
ATE Super Blue Racing
ATE TYP 200
Motul Racing 600
CastroI SRF
Performance Friction
DRY
446
550
536
536
585
590
550
WET
311
290
392
392
421
518
284
Castrol LMA is very good at rejecting moisture and may be kept in your brake system for a
couple years. The LMA stands for "Low Moisture
Activity." This is the minimum quality stuff that I
would use in my Impala. It comes in plastic containers which do not have a long shelf life. Don't
buy lots of this stuff at a time because moisture
can make itsway through the plastic containers.
Ford Heavy DutyDOT 3 is VERY inexpensive
and is popular among racers because ofits excellent dry boiling point. It absorbs moisture quickly, but the racers don't care since they change
their fluid frequently. Comes in metal cans so it
may be stored. I'would not use this in my Impala
for the street.
ATE Super Blue Racing and ATE TY!' 200 are
the sante brake fluid in two different colors (blue
and amber, respectively). BMWrecommends this
brake fluid for their street cars because it, like
Castrol L\1A, absorbs moisture very slowly. The
advantage over LMA is that ATE has a much better
wet boiling point. You can putthis stuff in your car
and forget about it for a long time. An excellent
choice for a weekend track car which also sees
regular street duty. Comes in metal cans. This is
what I use in all my street cars.
Motul Racing 600is a very exoticand expensive synthetic fluid with high wet and dry boiling
points. I use this exclusivelyin my race cars. Too
expensive for the street and requires frequent
changing due to its hygroscopic nature. Sold in
plastic bottles. It is not suitable for the street
because it absorbs moisture quickly.
vee
Your 365 & 911 I n st rum e n ts
S ervice & C on cou rs R estoration Shop sin ce 1955
NORTH HOLLYWOOD SPEEDOMETER
&CLOCK COMPANY
6111 LANKERSHIM BLVD., NO. HOLLYWOOD , CA 91606
Phone: 818-761-5136 - Fax: 818-761-4857
Email:
info@nhsp eedometer.com www.nhsp eedometer.com
OVER 45 YEARS OF SERVICE AND SATISFACTION
Please call or write for our free custom Porsche instrument catalog
Handle most of
your 356 roadside
1, - - ----;::;,--------, emergencies with this comprehensively equipped parts
bag. Available in hunter
green, navy blue, and black,
it L~ designedto fit easily
under the hood of all models, and has ample space to
accomodate your tool kit and
more. This bag containsfar
more practical partsthan the
original factory trip kit.
1' ------==-----'
Only $300.00
phi s tax andshipping
16
Volume 26. Number 6
For details, pleasecallDawn at
916-447-3665
Solid Aluminum CNC Billet
NikasiFM Plated Aircooled
Cylinders and Pistons Kits
Bore Sizes 66% Lighter Drastically
from 80 to
than
Increased
106.3 mm
Cast Iron
Cooling
VW Type 1 & 4
Porsche 356 911
Corvair
912 914
Starting under $18001
fx: 413.280.9041 www.lnengineering.com
Castrol SRF is a hyper-exotic and hyperexpensive brake fluid that is generally used by
wealthyPorsche millers at track events. I'veseen
prices of $78 per liter for this stuff. Sold in metal
cans. I can't afford this stuff
Performance Friction lIigh Performance
DOT 3 has a good dry boiling point buta crummy
wet boiling point. It comes in metal cans which is
good for shelf life and sells for $7.87 per 16
ounce container. Ifyou are even considering this
fluid, I would go with the cheaper Ford lIe:I\YDuty
DOT3. In either C;L~e , changethis fluid frequently
due to the poor wet boiling point.
The impact of moisture
content in brake fluid
by Leigh Smith
hc amount of moisture in brake fluid
definitely affects its performance. The
big problem is it is absorbs moisture
quickly. Over a relatively short period of time
brake fluid will absorb moisture from the air. SAE
field tests have shown that the arcrage one year
old car has 2% moisture in the flui d, A random
test of vehicles in the U.S. showed an average
water content of 2.6%for vehides with :U1 average
age of 8 years. And 25% of these vehicles had
water content greater than 4%.
T
r.....otOon's
As water content in brake fluid increases
overtime, the boiling point decreases. Fluid with
a reduced boiling point (or high water content)
c:U1 create vapor by boiling in the caliper, or
wheel cylinder. The resultis sudden brake failure.
And water in the brake fluid cancontribute to corrosion of parts such as steel pistons and ABS
modulators.
The end result is even though DOT 3 fluid is
"rated" at greater than 401°F, in the typical 3 to 4
year old car with 3 to 4% moisture content, it
could boilunder 300 And ifit has more than 4%
moisture, you may :L~ well be running straight
water!
Moral: Flush your brake fluid every year or
so. But only if you would like it to work well
scarcely an inch away from those toasty 500°F
rotors on your SilOduring a couple of hard stops!
Or wouldyou rather have a squishypedal?
Technical data courtesy of Leica
Refractometers. wwwlelca-ead.com.
0E
Bleeding tips
byGary Morrell
irst, brake flu id is hygroscopic, it
absorbs water. Water in the brake fluid
lowers the fluid's boiling point and
rusts the steel parts ofthe brake system, whichare
F
Resto/:
.~u
qt,~'~ , specialilin. in 356 and 911 restoralions ~
~
- Lar ge inventory of paris - Compl et e rust repairs
many Since the fluid is subject to a great deal of
heat in the calipers, we'd like the boiling pointto
be as high as possible. Boiling brake fluid makes
for reallyentertai ning (NOT!) stops. Second, ifthe
brake fluid has been boiled in the calipers, say,
due to some "spirited" driving, it is useless and
needs to be removed.
The fluid that is most at risk forwater accumulation in the brake system is the stuff in the
plastic reservoir, Not onlyis itexposed to moisture
every time you open the cap, but the plastic reservoir is slightly water permeable, so this fluid is
constantly exposed to contamination. There are
two morals to this point:
I. Before bleeding the brakes, steal the
wife's turkey baster (Ed. note: Bl~)' a lIligblJ' cac
orothersmall bandiacuumptonp) and use it to
suck the old fluid out ofthe reservoir. Refill itwith
fresh fluid and thenstart bleeding. This wayyou're
not wasting time bleeding old fluid through the
system. Marital bliss hint: buy your own turkey
baster,
2. Don't buy brake fluid in plastic bottles: the
manufacturer has thoughtfully arranged for it to
be water contamtnated before you buy it. Buy
brake fluid in metal cans, Ford Heavy Duty DOn
is used by more racing teams thell..! can remember, and the cans arc metal.
~
$58 ,600 for a
'5 5 356A Speedster?
-"
- Compl et e paint and body service - Compl et e electrical service
Phone: 562.531.4643
Fax: 562.531.4451
16230 Minnesota Avenue, Paramount, CA 90123
est. 1978
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March/April 2003
17
Spyder Man
David A. Duerr
interviews
Bob Holbert, perhaps
the winningest Porsche
Spyder pilot in history.
~
Bob Holbert bought his first Spyder in 1957 and later sold it to Roger Penske, who
campaigned the car in the under-1500 cc classes. Holbert's second RS was used in the
1600 cc classes. In 1960 a factory-fresh RS 60 (above) graced the family driveway,
complete with FIA-mandated top. Their new Pontiac tow car is also seen. Top of page:
Bob Holbert today at his Pennsylvania dealership where his son AI's 962 is on display.
18
Volume 26, Number 6
b ert McCormick Holbert was born
in 1923 and raised in Warrington,
ennsylvania, a small suburb north
of Philadelphia. He attended local schools and
enlisted in the Navy in 1943. In the service he
was a Motor Machinist 2nd Class workingon V12 engines in PT boats. When he left the Navy in
1946 he joined his brother-in-law's auto repair
business back in Warrington. Eventually Holbert
acquired the business and itwas to become one of
the first combined Porsche-VW dealerships in the
nation. Initially called Holbert's Garages, Inc. it
hasgrown into one of the most successful imported car facilities in the country.
The name Bob Holbert is associated with
numerous successes in Porsche Spyders during
their heyday, 1957-1962. His successful racing
career in these innovative small-displacement
sports racingcarsled to their well-deserved reputation of "Giant Killers." He routinely beat much
larger displacement sports cars driven by a potpourri of world class drivers.
His racing successes are too numerous to
enumerate here but the following is a brief snapshot:
"Class wins at Lemans and Sebring, beating
all other Porsches including factoryentries.
"Three time winner of the Number One
Driver award bythe New York Times.
"Sports Illustrated Driver of the Year.
"First United States Road Racing
Championship Winner.
"Numerous overall and class wins in
Porsches and later Shelby Ford-powered Cobras
in a racingcareer that spanned roughlyten years.
Bob Holbert's racing career coincided with
the transition from the "gentleman driver" period
- the clubby atmosphere of "the right crowd and
no crowding" - to rampant money-driven professionalism. The cost of racing at top levels grewto
a point where private owners just could not compete with professionally sponsored factory racing
teams. His story makes for an interesting chapter
in motor racing history
David A. Duerr: What kind of cars were you
interested in?
Robert Holben: ~IG s . The fi rst car we raced
was a supercharged MGTD. ~ IG 's were very popular at the time. Haling a supercharger on it made
us think it was pretty hot shit.
DAD: Who prepared the car?
Rll: I ran myown foreign car repairshop in
Warrington next to my father's hardware store, I
owned the car and did all the race preparation.
The first race we ran was at Thompson,
Connecticut. 1blewup in the first practice session.
We had to workon it all weekend in order to just
be able to drive it home. That was not a lot of fun.
DAD: 11011' didyou first get involved in motor
racing?
RH : We went to a sports car race at
Bridgehampton, Long Island. It looked like fun.
We began with the TD in 1952, which was
followed by a TF then a Te. My favorite
was theTe.We did quite well with the TC.
We racedMGs forabout three years. They
were great cars.
DAD: 110 11' did you do in your early
career?
RH: At Thompson in my first race,
the organizers did not register my practice time. I had to start at the veryback of
the grid. We stillwon - with the TD it was
very satis~i ng to win my first race,
DAD: 1was surprised to see a picture of you in the Caddy V8-powcrcd
1954 MGTC Special called the Cheetah.
This car is stillactivelycampaignedin the
club I race with. It still looks exactlythe
same as it did almost 50 years ago. 11011'
did you get involved with this car?
RII: Ed Plaisted, the owner, wasn't
doing too well with the car. lie asked me
to try it out. This II';L~ the first really fast
car I'd ever driven, I did well with it, fi nishing second in the big-bore unrestricted race and then a fell' months later, I won with it
at Thompson.
DAD: It's neat to see these cars stillout there
in their original unrestored condition. There's a
lot of history to go along with their patina. How
old were you when you began racing?
RII: About Thirty.
DAD: 11011' did you learn to drive a race car?
Rll: On public roads. There were no driver's
schools back then, Wc did however; go to open
practice sessions at Lime Rock to sort out and
develop the cars.
DAD: What tracks did you attendi
RH: Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Thompson,
Vineland, Marlboro and other tracks in the
Northeast. We also did some hill climbs. All these
events were with the SCCA.
DAD: I didn't knoll' you did hill climbs.
Rll : The racing schedule was pretty spottyin
Top: Holbert in one of his early race cars, an MGTC. Above: Holbert's Garage, the combined Porsche/Volkswagen dealership shown in the mid-1950s. The post-war repair
shop was growing into a new and used car facility with service facilities for all types of
"foreign"cars. Below: The "Cheetah," an outrageous amalgam of American and Brit
parts that gave Holbert his first taste of real speed and power.
March/April 2003
19
Above: The races
were often a family
affair for the
Holberts. Here Bob
and his wife Elly
check out track action
along with sons Al
(standing) and Larry.
Right: Bob and Elly
receive congratulations on a win from
starter Tex Hopkins at
Watkins Glen. The 550
carries the "OldYork
Road Sports Car
.
-- -Club" logo.
Below: "Spyder bodywork 101." Al Holbert works on his father's race car at the shop in Warrington.
20
Volume 26, Number 6
the beginning - weracedin all the events held in
the Northeast.
DAD: How did you get involved with
Porsches?
RH: We became a Porsche dealer in 1954
and Volkswagen in 1956 so our repair shop
became a dealership. We became one of the fi rst
combined dealerships. At that time MG's were getting beaten regularly bythe Porsches. In 1956 at
Cumberland, Maryland I sawmyfirst 550raced by
Jack McAfee. It was very impressive, beating much
larger displacementcarssuch as the Ferraris,Jags
and others. That winter I bought an RS-550 and
first raced it at Cumberland in 1957.
DAD: What was your favorite race in a
Porsche?
RH: The most satisfying race was for the
Governors Cup in 1957 at Marlboro, Maryland.
The reigning champions were Lake Underwood
and Charley Wallace (both in 550s) . Marlboro
was Wallace's home ground and he was heavily
favored to win. In the feature race, the lead
changed hands many times but I finally finished
first. There was a big awards ceremony during
which I was awarded this enormous silver cup by
the Governor. It was very satisfying to beat the
local favorite on hishome track. Ranking right up
there was a race at Watkins Glen also in 1957,
against Paul O'Shea's factory 300SL. Displacement
of the Mercedes was double that of the Porsche
but 1finished a very close second.
DAD: My wife and I saw you race against
O'Shea's 300SL at Montgomery, NewYork - an airfield circuit. Did you ever race 356 Carreras or
pushrod Porsches?
RH: No - only Spyders.
DAD- Whatkind ofsupport didyou get from
thefactory?
RH- Certainly not "state of the art" racing
bits. I purchased my own 550 and we raced with
equipment that was pretty much last year's. The
biggest help the factory provided was a Technical
Rep at the races. His name was Wolfgang Reitzel
andhewas very helpful. Of course, thelatest technology and parts were reserved for the factoryentered cars.
DAD: When I visitedHolbert's Garages in my
Speedster in the early 60's, your son AI was busily
porting a Spyder cylinder head. He was just a kid.
You obviously were using some tricks of your
own. How close to standard were the Spyders you
raced?
RH : They were raced pretty much as delivered. We very carefully followed the factory settingsfor the most part.
DAD: You didn't raise engine compression
or change the cams, for example?
RH: (Smiling broadly) "The engines were
mostly to stock specs but set up very carefully
regarding cam timing especially."
DAD: What about valve springs?
RII : Initially, we shimmed the valves ;U1d
later used a heavier spring allowing the engine to
be revved higher safely, We used 8,000rpmallthe
time - sometimeshigher,
DAD: I was at Watkins Glen the year yo u outdragged a Scarab across the start/finish line for
first place - last lap, last turn, I'd like to have seen
the tachometer telltale then,
RII: Dave - you have a better memory than I
do. I don't remember that race, butyes, as I said,
we didsometimes go higher than 8,000.
DAD: After the race, my friend jack Murray
and I were looking at the cars in the pits. The final
race results were Holbert, Scarab, Penske,
Scarab, The major teams all had these giant 18
wheelers equipped with machine shops, an endless arrayofspares anda half dozen guys todo the
wrenching. We came upon your rig. It was a gray
Pontiac station wagon wi th a rudimentary trailer.
In the backofthe wagon were a few spares, some
tools and a complete spare Spyder engine, jack
and I could never figure out how you beat those
big verywell-equipped teams. I mean the Scarabs
must have been doing well over 300 hp and they
weighed a little over 2,000 lbs. They certainly
were scaldinglyfast on the straight.
RII: Luckily at the end of the long racetnJically the feature race-s-many of the bigger
engined cars ran out of brakes, That's what probably happened to the Scarabs,
DAD: Who built your engines?
RH: We did. They were assembled by myself
and Earl McMullen, who I believe still works for
Roger Penske. Talk about reliability! In all our
years of racing Spyders we experienced onlyone
engi ne failure! I should mention here that in the
beginning Vasek Polakwas extremely helpful to us
in settingup the car, lie was farandawaythe best!
DAD: Did you attend the Carrera school to
learnhow to build engines?
RII: No, I was helped by the factory Reps,
DAD: So you were pretty much self-taught.
1I0woften did you "freshen-up" your engine.?
RII: About every 10 hours. Perhaps that's
why we hadso few problems.
DAD: You mentioned Roger Penske, lie's
done quite well fo r himself.
RH: (Laughs) Roger Penske purchased my
550when I moved to the RSK. The RSK was one of
the first produced. Roger ran a 1500 and I had
1600 so we could both get class wins and not really compete with each other, We usually won our
respective classes. Later we co-drove at Sebringin
a Brumos car winning our class, and also the
Index of Performance.
DAD: It has been written that the success at
Sebring led to your being invited to race at Le
Mans. Of the various Spyders you raced, which
was your favorite and how did theydiffer?
RII : I think I liked the 550 the best - it was
the easiest to drive once one got used to it. That
took a few races. The RSK was very twitchy and
best on short courses, The Rs-60 and Rs-61 were
excellent on very fast turns due to their longer
wheelbase.
DAD: The April 1986 Road & Track contained an article where the Porsche RSK, Ferrari
Testarossa, and "0" jag were compared. In that
article you state thatthe only way to go fast in the
RSK is to keep it slidingall the time - toss it into a
turn, get the back end out and hold the slide controlled by the throttle, This must have been very
exhausting, especially in a long race.
RII: Yes, but it was the only way to go really
fast in thatcar.
DAD: At the end ofthe tracksession Phil Hill
said to you thatyou must have hada lot offun having been away fro m these cars for over twenty
years, With typical Bob Holbert understatement
you replied, "I didn't realize how much fun we
used to have."
DAD: Where are these cars now?
RII: Boy, I wish I knew!
DAD: In the late '60s and early '70s, Spyders
were literally a dime-a-dozen. There's nothing as
obsolete as an old race car, Perusing old Road &
Tracks of that era disclosed innumerable great
sounding Spyders in the 5 to 10 thousand dollar
range,
Rll : Some time ago I was asked to examine
what was claimed to be one of my old Spyders. I
couldn't tell for certain ifit was or not. There was
some dispute about it. I don't think it was my car.
From left: Elly and Bob Holbert, Roger Penske.
bandleader and sports car enthusiast Paul
Whiteman. lisa Penske. The group is celebrating
a class win at Sebring in 1961.
DAD: Ifonlywe could have bought them all
up like the Schlumph brothers in France bought
up all the Bugattis! biter inyour career you began
to race on the West Coast. What about the purported West Coast vs. East Coast rivalry?
Rll: There wasn't really any rivalry to speak
of. There was a lot of camaraderie back in those
days - we were all fellowracers. But don't forget we all wanted to win!
DAD: \~~l at about the drivers overseas and
the professional Formula I pilots, Were the factory drivers faster?
RII: Not necessarily. Certainly j o Bonnier
was no faster.The front rankwere generallyabout
equal: McAfee, Ken Miles and the others. The two
that stood out were Moss and Gurney, On any
given day theywere faster. Formula I drivers were
not faster generally than sports car drivers,
DAD: You were one of the first Americans
(perhaps the fi rst) to be invited to drive for the
Porsche factory in Europe, What was that like?
RII : I don't know that I was the first
American. Racing in Europe, other than the language problems, was really no different than racing in the U.S. I onlycompeted once at Le~l an s , I
was teamed with Masten Gregory in an experimented 2-liter Porsche. This engine was later to
MarchiApril 2003
21
be used in the 904 and theCarrera 2 road car. We
finished 5th overall, first in class. I could never
understand this. We were very surprised that our
win was practically ignored by the Porsche factory.
DAD: Well, it was perhaps that you-outsiders, as Americans- beat all the official factory
cars and official factory pilots!
RH: Perhaps, butit is still a puzzle.
DAD: Thatwas againstmuch larger displacement cars - some of which would approach 200
mph and hadaerodynamic aids. How fast was the
Spyder - 150 mph?
RH: All of that - more like 160-170 mph.
DAD: What was that like? How stable were
they at top speed? Did it rain? It seems to always
rain at LeMans.
RH: Luckily for us, it only sprinkled a few
times. The car was very stable at top speed. We
knew nothingaboutaerodynamic aidsat that time.
I think we were just at the front edge of needing
the help of spoilers at top speed. I have driven at
200mph ina lister Chevy with no help from aerodynamic aids.
DAD: That· must have been a bit scary.
Certainly not for thefaint hearted.
RH: (Smiles broadly)
DAD: If you examinea course diagram of Le
Mans itlooksto beprettyeasy.Just a series oflong
straights connected by some fairly slow curves.
Holbert receives a silver 356 from Huschke von
Hanstein, a gift from the Porsche Factory to
honor himas Porsche driver of the year, 1961.
Right: Roger Penske ran aSpyder in the 1500 cc
class, while Holbert's car was a larger displacement1600. The two were thus able to race
together but not compete directly. They would
often both take class wins. Here Holbert (14)
and Penske dice at the Montgomery, NY airport
circuit.
356
Enterprises
personification (per-sane-fl -kashen) noun .
1.The act of personifying.
2. A person or thing typifying a certain qual it y or idea that is outstand ing;
an embodiment; exempl ifi cation .
3.The artis tic repre sentation of an abstract qua lity or idea as a person.
Visit Gary Kempton Rest orat ions on the web :
www.garykempt onrest orat ions.com
or call 850.926.1779 • fax 850.926.7462
International Mercantile
Manufacture rllri stributor Since 1971
Obsolete R ubber &
Trim for the vintage
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series auto
-
Please call or wri te for latest parts catalog: P.O. Box 2818 Del Mar, Ca liforn ia 92014-5818 _
(800) 356-0012
22
Volu me 26, Number 6
VISA
(760) 438-2205 Fax (760) 438-1428 ema il: intern ational mercan tile@hotm ail.com website: im356-9 II. com
White House is very fast and has claimed a large
number of cars and lives. If the in car footage of
Stew McQueen's Le~lans doesn't get your adrenaline moving you have probably suffered cardiac
arrest. Other than having the cojones to drive at
top speed for a long time was Le~lans an easy
track to drive?
Rll : Far fro m it. The track is, I think, over
eight miles long. I never learned that track. I
couldn't remember which way the turns went.
Even after 24 hours, I couldn't remember it. No,
not an easy track at all.
DAD: What was Von Hanstein like?
RH: Von Hanstein was an excellent driver,
fi rst of all. lie was the equal of any of the drivers.
lie was a very personable and smart and a good
team manager, I was proud to be associated with
him and the factory team,
DAD: Which were yo ur favorite tracks?
Rll: Marlboro and Mosport, Both were very
tight and technically very difficult. Mosport especially because of the elevation change.
DAD: What about your least favorite?
RII: Bridgehampton, Long Island. It took
forever to get there out at the very end of the
island, all thattraffic! First you had to get through
NewYork City.
DAD: I remember driving out to
Bridgehampton with my wife in our new-to-us
The master's touch. Holbert was always directly involved in the tuning and maintenance of his racing
cars. His training and skill as a mechanic complemented his natural ability as a driver, a competitive
combination that was often unbeatable,
German-Made
Brake Sets
2front and 2rear hoses
for A, B, C
Fiberglass Dash Tops
A& B/C
$19000
Fiberglass
ABumpers
Outstanding Quality,
Looks like steel!
Marchi April 2003
23
Speedster. The january 1963 ROAD & TRACK
covershows you on thegrid, in pole position. Next
toyour Spyder is Alan Connellin a mid-enginedV*
Cooper, and Pedro Rodriquez in a 4 liter Ferrari
Testa Rossa. You are sitting there nonchalantly
with your arm draped over the door while Pedro
adjusts his goggles. This is a vel)' fast course yet
there you are on the pole. I don't know Connell
but Pedro was a world class Formula I pilot. Both
of these cars had well over twice your Spyder's
displacement. I don't get it.
RH: Getting the pole or putting up the fastest
lap in the race was always a macho thing and lots
of fun to do. It was also an ego thing - to put
together a perfect or almostperfect lap. To hitone
with no mistakes was a vel)' difficult thing to do. It
was impossible to do it consistently. The reason
we were so fast, is the Spyder was fast everywhere
- fast turns, slow turns, the car just handled better
plus we never ran out of brakes. Those biggerengined V8s and V12s were much faster on the
straights butwejustgobbledthem up on the twisty
stuff. Plus, by the end of a long race the big cars
typicallyran outofbrakes. Theyalso needed to pit
more often for gas.
DAD: Well, at leastthe French recognize this.
At Le Mans the person setting the best qualifying
lap gets 100 bottles of the world's best champagne. What didn't you like about the
.
•••••
Bridgehampton track?I was always terrified about
the vel)' fast right hander at the end of the
start/llnish straight. On one lap my Speedster just
went straight and I had to toss it into a slide and
then catch it again. It stillscares me silly andallat
well over 100 mph.
RH: No, we got that turn pretty well under
control all right. What I liked least was the back
part of the track. It was an endless series of vel)'
fast right and left handers. It was easy to get lost
and not know which way the track went. The tum
started out the same but ended vel)' differently.
DAD: In the Bridgehampton 400/400 Race
your ring and pinion failed but you handily won
the 3 hour GT race in an Abarth Carrera. For us
the ride home Sunday nighttookforever- I think
we drove across Long Island in first gear.
DAD: Whatabout suspension modifications?
RH: Again - we ran the cars set up to factoI)'
specs. The big advantage that we had against the
other teams was gearing. We set the gearing
specifically to the requirements of each track.
Porsche had a tremendous selection of gears for
each gear position plus a variety of ring and pinion gears. Thus wewere able to choose individual
gears for everysituation.
DAD: Racing is fun buta lot ofit is just plain
drudgery - pulling the drive train out in the middle of the night to change gears.
.
Rll: You bet, but we still had a lot of fun in
those days before it allbecametoo professional.
DAD: Later in your career you began todrive
for Carroll Shelby. Were you on the payroll as a
professional driver?
RlI: Yes, I was, but during the years with
Porsche it was strictly amateur. There were no
purses - we just raced fortincups. When wewent
to Europe for LeMans, Porsche just picked upour
expenses. Porsche was a vel)' small company then
and were known not to be overly generous with
their drivers,
DAD: Jim Stephensen, a Registry member,
loaned me a video produced by Ford. The featured race was Road America, the deciding event
for the US roadracing championship. In that race
you shared a Cobra roadster with Ken Miles.
During a pre-race interview your principal competition, Bill Westuhoff, allowed that Bob Holbert
was the guyto beat - the best driver in theU.S. This
was quite a compliment. Bill went on to win the
race in a brand new Elva-Porsche and you finished second. A lot of time was lost in the pits
changing brakes on the Cobra, butyou went on to
win the USRRC.
RH: In the race you mentioned, Ken Miles
blew the engine crossing the start/finish line.
DAD: How didyou first link up with Carroll
Shelby?
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24
Volume 26, Number 6
•
'te l 626.445.0108 fax 626.445.7581
Rll: We used to run into Shelby at the races
so I got to know him. I told him I wouldn't mind
driving one ofhis cars someday. Awhile later I got
a phone call fro m him in the middle of the night.
It didn't seem to bother him that he W;L~ on West
Coast time.
DAD: You racing career ran just over ten
years. Did you have anybig accidents?
Rll: Yes, twice, At Mosport I was rear-ended
in the RS-60 just as the nag dropped. The car hit
the guard rail and nipped upside down right on
the grid. Normally, beingat the fron t of the grid is
the best place to be - out ofthe traffic. But notthis
time. There I sat upside down with a full fuel tank
leaking onto the track and the electric fuel pumps
tickingawaymerrily. I justsat there for a long time
- it seemed like forever. I burned all the skin off
oneofmy arms and hada seriousconcussion. For
a long time I didn't remember the accident at all.
After a few years I began to remember it piece by
piece. It's funn y how one's mind works. The body
of the RS-60 W;L~ pretty well banged up. I purchased an RS-61 chassis and we swapped all the
running gear. The disc brakes were a big improvement over the drums and we were making some
improvements to the engines. The longer wheel
base of the Rs-6 1 caused it to handle much better
in very fast turns. Plus Dunlop finally came out
with a vel)' good tire. This was verysimilar to the
car with which we did so well with at Le Mans,
running an experimental 2 Litre engine. This W;L~
done as a factory test and yet we won our class
after 24 hours. The second accident was in the
rain out on the West Coast in a King Cobra. I W;L~
sorting out the car for Dave McDonald (Dave was
testing at Indianapolis) The handling of this car
was terrible. I just lost it in a very big way and
crashed heavily
DAD: Sir, I can relate to that, just having
experienced myfi rst serious accident a fewweeks
ago.
Rll : We were disappointed that the factorv
ignored our Leslans ChL~S win - we never heard
anything about it - thatrace.
DAD: You co-drove an Abarth Carrera with
Dan Gurney at Sebring winning your class. What
W;L~ that like?Where were theSpyders?
Rl l: There W;L~ no Iactorv entry that vear at
Sebring- I think it was '62 or' '63, i'm no't sure.
The previous year a Porsche driver bad been
killed and there was talk of a lawsuit against the
factory Thiswas a back door effo rt completely. All
the parts and spares came in the back door. We
were not so keen about not being up with the
fastest cars. There were no factory cars entered.
No RSKs, no Rs-60s. We were in the wrong class like a ladies' ChL~S . The factory was afraid of getting into a hassle with the law.
DAD: VintageMotorsports did a great article
on the Shelby Cobras. The magazine cover is one
of my favorite photos. The Cobra Daytona Coupe
# 14 of course, is pictured. A crew-cut Dave
McDonald stands next to you, the epitome of a
clean cut all-American kid. Next to Dave is Bob
Holbert exuding confidence and calm with a most
placid demeanor. Then we have a smiling Carroll
Shelby "Ole She!" just a good ole farm boy but
without his biboveralls foronce.These guys' look
like theyare really having serious fun. I guess this
is your favorite picture since it hangs over the
desk in your office. In that same coupe you came
in first in GT ChL~S and fourt h overall in the 1962
Sebring race. But I guess it's pretty silly to try to
compare the Spyders to Cobras.
RII: Yes, they were totally different. I was
attracted to drive for Shelby since by this time I
Sebring, 1960. Holbert took second overall in the
Brumos RS60, teamed with Roy Schechter and
Howard Fowler. Here he follows the winning
Factory RS60 piloted by Hermann, Gendebien and
Bonnier. Below: Three of the greatest American
Road Racing drivers of their era; Dan Gurney,
Roger Penske and Bob Holbert at Sebring.
W;L~ gelling tired of preparing my own car. It
seemed like a great idea to just show up for the
race and get behind the wheel. But the cars were
not up to my standards of preparation frequently.
This was a problem.
DAD: This weekend I raced our 1956
Porsche at Lime Rock Park. There were three
MarchI April 2003 25
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26
Volume 26. Number 6
Spyder owners present, some ofwhom you know:
Jim llaas, Tom Beil and Sandy Sadtler. Tom Beil
still owns and races his RSK. These old friends
spent a lot oftime "bench racing" about thegood
old days. Theweight oftheir carscameupand the
consensus was they weighed about 1,350 Ibs.
Then, ofcourse, they began to discuss engine output.Jim Haas said, that in the late '60s someone
dynoed a 1700 cc engine and it gave 190 hp Did
you ever dyno any of your engines?
RII : (Shaking his head) No, but I really
doubt that kind of horsepower output. Maybe they
were measuring it differently, SAE instead of DIN.
Agood 1700 should give, about 165-1 70 hp DIN,
no more.
DAD: Well, that's right. Porsches rule of
thumb for their racing engines has historically
been 100 horsepower per litre, So that's right in
the ball park.
RH: Right.
DAD: I met a man recently out in Lionville,
PA., who raced a Denzel at Sebring in 1952 and
later C and 0 type Jags. His name is Buddy
Huggler. Buddy's brother-in-lawis Peter DeCosta.
He also racedJags. Buddy said Peter came up to
you after a race and offered to buyyour whole rig
- the Spyder, tow car and trailer righton the spot.
RH: That's right, he wrote outa check.
DAD: I thinkthat's prettyfunny. Did Peter do
well racing with your car?
RH: No, not really.
DAD: I reckon the driver had something to
do with the success ofthatparticular race car.
RH.: (Smiling.)
DAD: You sold your RSK to Roger Penske.
R.I1.: That's right.
DAD: Roger campaigned the car very successfully for a while and subsequently sold it. The
new owner showed up at the next race and began
to complain to Karl Kainhofer (who used to
wrench for you and Roger) that the RSK was bog
slow, he was very disappointed in it, etc. Fed up
with this guy's complaining, Karl asked Roger to
take the RSK out for a few laps. Roger promptly
turned in laps 5 seconds quicker than the unhappyowner. I guess it wasn't the car!
DAD: Whose car did you race on the West
Coast?
R.H.: Our own cars. My crew towed out
there and I usually flew out.
DAD: You didreallywell especiallyat Laguna
Seca and Riverside, usually winning the under 2
Litre class. I mean, were these especially easy
tracks or were you an especially fast read? You
went all the way out there and beat the local hot
shoes at their own gameand on their home turf!
RH: What I found was that we could learn
anynew trackcompletelywith onefull day's practice.
DAD: You were racing against some of the
best Spyders in the world, prepared by the best
(Vasek Polak) and driven by the likes of McAfee,
Miles and other drivers of that caliber. And you
beat them all.
RH: Yes.
DAD: Did you keep records of your race
starts, wins, finishing places, lap times, etc.
R II.: No
DAD: I'm gellingthe impression based upon
the research conducted for this article that perhaps you are the' winningest Spyder pilot of the
entireSpyder era - late '50s to early '60s. That is,
you won more major races or scored more class
wins than anyone else in the world.
RII: I really don't know, we didn't keep
records. Maybe Mileswon more racesthan I did.
DAD: But he raceda lot overseas at thattime.
RII .: I don't know, perhaps someonehas the
race results.
Dave McDonald, left, was a good friend and one
of Holbert's co-drivers in the Shelby Cobra.
DAD: At the end of your racing career you
were racing Porsches very little and concentrating
on the ShelbyCobra effort. You chalked up some
really good wins with Cobras, especially with the
Cobra Coupe - one of my all time favorite cars.
Dave McDonald and you won Daytona in 1963.
With that kind of success, what led you to bring
your racing career to a close?
lUI.: There were a number of factors.
Racing had a short term payoff or results, whereas concentrating on the business produced long
term results. I was verybusy growingthe business
and hada familyand a sonin college. Racing was
gelling very time consuming with all the travel.
Plus the accident at Kent.
DAD: Unlike many other very well known
drivers it appears like you never really looked
back. Your involvement wirh Motor Racing since
you quit has been extremely limited. What are
your hobbies and interests now?
RH: Well, I'm here at the dealership every
day.
DAD: Like manysuccessful business owners!
executives, I've met, the business is your life to a
great extent.
RH: I don't really have any hobbies. In mv
free time I have three acres ofgrass tocut. ~
ob Holbert is the most pleasant, mild
mannered, unassuming, modest gentleman I have ever met - almost the
opposite of what one would expect in a very successful race car driver. During the course of my
research for this article I spoke to many people
who know him wellandsomewhomhave worked
with him for many years. To a mml they all said
what a great guy he is.
Bob Holbert began a racing dynastypartlyin
conjunction with Roger Penske, His racing career
began as an amateur and ended with the birth of
professionalism in the '60s. He was self taught,
and to a great extent he turned the wrencheshimself. He knewevery inch of his racecars intimately. MIen he flicked on the ignition switch he knew
it was rightbecause he had built it. This gave him
a decided edge: he knewits limits.
Similarly, regarding driving skills he was self
taught. In Bob's Racing memorabilia file is a neat
letter written by a childhood friend, recounting
the two ofthem driving up to Vermont. The friend
was at the wheel of a new 1949 Olds V8 - the first
V8 and far and away the fastest U.S. built sedan of
that time. Bob was driving his father's 1939
Plymouth 6 cylinder coupe - the very oppositeend
of the performance spectrum, and among the
slowest cars on the planet. During the entire trip
to Vermont on demanding country roads, Bob's
friend could notget awayfrom the Plymouth. "Try
as I might to lose Bob, through the winding hills
of the Berkshires and the Green Mountains, never
did I gain more thana fewcar lengths on him."
Apparently, something switched in the psyche of Bob Holbert when he lit off the guttural
basso profundo bark of the 4 cam Spyder, When
bottom gear was selected and the clutch engaged,
the mild mannered gentlemen drove with intelligence, passion andconsummateskill- and almost
always at the absolute limit. How else can one
explain the numerous poles, fastest laps, class
wins and overall wins?The victories came against
much larger displacement machineryand the best
drivers in the world.
Then we have Bob Holbert's oldest son, AI.
We first sec him as a kid porting a Spyder cylinder
head, doing bodywork on dad's 550. Then he's
behindthe wheel ofthe brand new RS-60. He went
on to achieve great things in racing Porsches,
becoming the ultimate professional driver. But
howcould he not be successful with such talented
mentors in his corner?
The name Bob Holbert is keyin the annals of
Porsche's early success. It was a pleasure for this
writer to have been there to witness someof those
successes first hand, It is also a pleasure to have
met with the man who added greatly to Porsches
"Giant Killer" reputation, and who gave so freely
of his time and patience for this article.
Thank you, Mr. Holbert, and best wishes to
you and your fmnily.
B
Anote from Registry member
E. A. (Ed) Franco-Ferreira
"Recently, I read with great interest
anda senseofnostalgia your remarksabout
Bob Holbert in the 356 Registry .
"I worked for Bob on and off summers from 1954 to 1956while I was in college. In the beginning I was pretty much a
gopher and often drove up to Hoffman in
New York to get parts.
"In 1956 I was (I guess) the fi rst
parts man in his ew VW dealership, a
medium sized garage next door to his
father's hardware store in Warrington, PA.
"Bob raced an MG-ID for a few years
and then an MG-TC in 1956. I went with
him to a number of races in 1956. Bob did
all the race preparation himself and did
quite well with the TC. We raced at
Thompson, CT on Labor day weekend.
Trailers were not permitted on parkways so
the race car had to be driven. Bob's son Al
and I drove the TChome. AI must have been
around ten at the time. We climbed into the
TC and fired it up. AI looked up at mewith
an ear-to-ear grin. It was like we had both
died and gone to heaven.
"Bob bought his first Spyder in 1957
and immediatelydid well with it - he was a
natural. We never had a bad weekend racing. I purchased a Speedster in 1958 and
Bob and I set it up for racing per thefactory manual and other official factorysuggestions. Bob is a great guyand it was fun to
work for him. I stillstop byto see him when
I am in myold stompinggrounds."
Photos from the Bob Holbert Collection
Achat with Larry Holbert
DAD: Larry Holbert (Bob's son), thank you for meeting with me. Years ago, when a friend and
I were snooping around the pits at Watkins Glen after one of your father's wins, we were really
impressed byyour Pontiac towcar with the spare Spyder engine in the back, keeping company with
the familyluggage. Four spare tires were strapped to the luggage rack on top. This is how we travel
to the races today, fortysomeyears later!
LH: The Pontiac was a pretty special vehicle. My father had becomefriends with Zora Arkus
Duntov who developed the ARDUNHemi cylinder heads, the Corvette and who also raced Porsche
Spyders, Dad also befriended Bill Mitchell andJohn Del.orean at GMso he was prettywell connected. Dad ordered a special one-off tow car: 421 cubic inch engine with "trips" (three two-barrel
carbs), a high lift earn, towing package, heavy duty suspension - the works. We had to drive to the
factoryto take delivery, it was so special.
This wagon, fully loaded, would towall dayat well over 100 mph! I was just a kid butwe went
to all the races as a family - except the West Coast. My job was to take note of the tach tell-tale and
also guard the car from careless spectators who mightdent the fragile alloy bodywork.
None of the family members were present when my father had accidents at Mosport and Kent,
Washington. We hada lot offun back then, and maybe wewere good luck. Myfather usuallywon the
races we attended.
MarchIApril 2003
27
"The sheet steel box frame, very stiff torsionally, gives the car good road holding even at higher speeds, improved even more lately bythe addition of telescopic shockabsorbers.
"Thanks to the low weight and very easy
steelingyou have an impression that handling on
very uneven or wavy roads is a little unstable. This
apparent instability goes away once you get used
to the car however. You can certainly drive a
Porsche with great precision.Acertain inclination
in earlier models for the rear to skitter outwards
in bends was corrected by the use of telescopic
shocks."
Auto Motor lind Sport 1951
or almost a decade Ulrich Upietz has
turned outlarge books essentially composed of marvelously sharp color photographs. Every year there is a new Porsche Sport
- the last five years, aka My Big Color Book of the
911 Carrera GT3 . Previously there was Porsche
Sieg LeMans - unfortunatelyPorsche hasn't won at
LeMans in a while; hence no Porsche SiegLeMans
for a few years. Upietz
has teamed with the
English journeyman
Porsche writer Michael
Cotton and a German
journalist Ekkehard
Zentgraf to bring out
the definitive history:
Porsche in LeMans.
Out of more than 360
pages, the first 60
cover the 356 period.
No new sources of
color
photographs
have been tapped - but there are some black and
white unfamiliar to me at least. After the Gmtind
cars, very few 356s ran LeMans, and none, other
than the Carrera Abarth are pictured. However,
the Spyder period is extremely well covered.
Almost all of cars are identified as to serial number. A most unfortunate exception is the 1956
F
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dealer inquiriesinvited
28
Volume 26, Number 6
Dr. Bill Block
Carrera 1500, which isn't. The last 356-bodied
Porsche to run LeMans, #83203 ran in 1957.
HeinzHeinrich, 904 expert, looked over the book
at the LAX Lit meet and says they got the 904s
wrong and that a car shown as practicing under
the number 33 but it is not the same car which
ran. I hope I got that right; 1 was simultaneously
selling books and Heinz is off to Europe so I cannotconfirmwith him. In the back ofthe bookare
year-by-year lists of all Porsches by drivers,
entrants, model & serial number, class, position,
laps, km covered, kmlh and reason if retired.
Perusal of the chart for 1963 shows Barth and
tinge taking eight in number 28, a
718/8 #047. However, a photograph in the body shows the number 34 Carrera Abarth and the caption claims Barth and tinge drove
it. Earlier the 2000 GSIGT, whose
front end presaged the 904, is not
onlymisidentified asa type 695and
mistakenly said to have a steel
body, but the chart has tinge and
Pon taking tenth in a Carrera
Abarth. In other captions the
Abarth is identified as a 1600 GS,
butis properly a GTL. The photographs are fabulous, the text authoritative - if not always entirely
accurate. The chart in the back seems reliable.
Worthy but expensive at $89.95, Porsche in
LeMans is worth considering, especially since
used copies of Pascal's Porsche at LeMans are
even more expensive. I am indebted to Frank
BarrettofToad Hall Motorbooks, the importer, for
my review copy.
Porscbe Jl lI selllll is an extremely small
format 120 x 120mm but 200 pages thick book.
Contrary perhaps to initial expectations, the book
is not a compendium of cars in the museum, but
a book sold only by the museum. It is primarily
composed of Christophorus photographs and
posters. There are 10 chapters: Spyder, LeMans,
Paris-Dakar, FI & 2, Targa Florio, Stars & Stripes,
Schlepper, Carrera, Present and Past. The Spyder
chapter has reprints of several posters, including
a 550RS on the magnificent Grosser Bergpris von
Schweiz. The remainder are all from the 2000
Porsche Sport calendar, completewith watercolor
tinting. The LeMans chapter admits to no
Porsches prior to the 917 of 1969. Paris-Dakar
features some superb posters and a technical
drawing - unfortunatelythe type number is cut off.
An interesting graphic shows the Paris-Dakar car
and the LeMans GTX class 959, both painted in
Rothmans livery. Surprisingly, Porsche resisted the
temptation to segue to the Cayenne. The FI & II
chapter opens with the Dan Gurney poster-well
known, but nonetheless superb-followed by a
list ofevery form ularace entered 1957-1987, pole
positions and wins, Several pages are devoted to
the Cistialia. Interestingly, there is a photograph
of the unsuccessful 787.
Unlike others, the Targa has several pages of
text. I hadn't known that Maglioli, unable to convince FerryPorsche and Huschke von Hanstein to
enter the 1956 Targa Florio on basis of their
chances of victory, did so on the basis that Targa
prize money was second only to Indianapolis.
Maglioli won with a solo drive. Though scheduled
as co-driver, von Hanstein kept his eye on the
treasurer. Almost all of the text in the book is in
the Targa chapter. The Targa chapter alone raises
the book from pretty, really pretty, pictures to a
reference. There are
nuggets of information
in the several pages of
text not fo und in any of
the standard references,
including Prichard's
Targa Florio. Stars and
Stripes starts with the '71
Daytona poster, followed
by the photograph of
550-02 on an open trailer, pulled by a Mercury
convertible, across the
river fro m Manhattan. Schleppers grace several
graphics, two pages from the PorscheJr. owner's
manual, several artistic graphics of what look to
be more Jr.'s; but only one photograph of a real
- possiblya Standard, but perhaps a real Super
- tractor. The Carrera chapter starts off with a
real Carrera: the Carrera GTS, aka the 904. Then
there is a photograph of the museum slate gray
with red interior '65 911. I guess this makes my
slate gray with red built in '65 911 an honorary
Carrera! Following (finally) are several photographs of 356s - some of which may even be
Carreras and ofthe Monte Carlo winning 911s which weren't. Finally, a 73 911RS. Surprisingly,
the Present includes the 959 (at least 15 years
old) as well as the GT l. The pastis reallythe past.
Included are a new, to me at least, photograph of
Lohner-Porsches under construction, the Prinz
Heinrich Austo-Daimler; and several neat raci ng
photos ofGmtind coupes and ofcourse, #1.
Actually, this is a much more instructive
book than I had thought on firstglance, more than
just prettypictures. Porsche Museum is available
for about $15.00 onlyfromthe Porsche Museum.
Perhaps 1can get a fewsent over.
Jim Perrin
,
:vo1.
9
-no. 3
20 Years Ago
Charlie White's Literature Collector's
Corner" column in the Registry of twenty years
agodiscussed a number ofissues, including some
of the accessories available as indicated in the
l'orsche accessory catalogs and parts books.
Although many people are aware that you could
order chrome bumpers for your new 356A, he
commented that the 356B parts book listed
chromebumpers forthis later model.Charliealso
mentioned that in looking through the 356B
accessory catalogs, he had never seen this option
listed in them.
On a related topic, we see many cars with
chromewheels at 356 eventsthese days. I remember when I was driving my first Porsche in 19591960 in a relative small city in the Mldwest, There
were perhaps ten Porsches in the area, and none
of these cars had chromewheels. One daya 1959
silver coupe showed up which had chrome
wheels. I was struck by the sight of the chrome
wheels, which I thought lookedverynice. If someone were to study Kardexes, I'll bet that they
would discover only a very small percentage of
356s were delivered with chrome wheels.
Jerry Keyser's column mentioned that the
New Hampshire East Coast Holiday IX and the
Santa Barbara West Coast Holiday VII were comingup. Jerryalso had a quote from a March 1983
Autotreeh column by Maurice Cooper which
pointed out one of the great advantages of a single-marque club such as the Registrywhich brings
together people with similar interest.The quote is
"The best of all is that you're just likely to fi nd
people who, by virtue of their joint interests,
become friends for life."
Vic Skirmant's Technical column primarily
consisted of an extensive article by Craig Richter
on exhaust systems. Vic also had suggestions relating to frozen shock absorber rear bushings and
installing rear wheel seals.
Brett Johnson's Restoration column had a
continuation of an article by Dick Pike on repair
ofhinges on Speedster seats.As manyofyou know
from personal experience, the same features of a
Speedster that let all that fresh air in also let all
that rain in. One resultis that manySpeedster seat
hinges became quite rusted and stiff, resulting in
damage to adjacent sheet metal. (In the "old
days," some Speedster owners in California
drilled a fewholes in the floor pan to let the water
out.) Brett's column also discussed interior mirrors and windshields.
Gene Babow's column was titled "Duntov
and Porsches." Most car enthusiasts are well
aware that ZoraArkus-Duntovwas a keyperson at
Chevrolet in the design and development of the
earlyCorvettes. What they are not aware of is that
he was also very involved wi th Porsche in racing.
Gene had the opportunity to interview him, and
learned that Duntov was a Porsche factory driver
at LeMans in 1954 and 1955. lie fi nished 13th
overall in 1955 driving a Porsche 550Spyder,
covered included \'D~I , Nardi, LL, Derrington and
Carrera 2.
Mark Turczyn's Early Cars column discussed
several topics including early transmissions,
gauges and banjo steeringwheels. lie pointed out
that the two types of white banjo steering wheels
used on early car were both made by Petri. The
optional one with the horn ring was called a
Pealit, Pealit was the model name, not a manufacturer's name.
Vic Skirrnant's Technical column discussed
crankshaft end-play. Vic gave important tips on
how to assure you are getting real readings and
not false readings.
Ron Roland's Nuts & Bolts column had an
attention-getting title, "Be careful what you wish
for . . ." The column discussed increasing prices
of cars and parts. Of course, by 1993 the market
had dropped substantially on prices of many collector cars including early Porsches. Ron commented on howit was now easier for enthusiasts
to buy Speedsters or similar cars because the
prices were now lower. lie also discussed the
quality of reproduction parts. The balance of
Ron's article discussed metal work of the front of
cars including fit of trunk lids and lining up panels and openings correctly. ~
Headlight
Stoneguards
"No drilling"
$275.
10 Years Ago
Dick Koenig's Four-Cam Forum column discussed 356A fo ur-cam service bulletins. These
were issued by the factoI)' on an as-needed basis
to assist dealers in servicing customer cars.
Included in the column is a listing of 24 bulletins
issued by the factory. Adjacent to the column was
a note thanking Dave Seeland for all of his efforts
over a 15 year period on writing the Four-Cam
Forum column.
Brettjohnson's Restoration column presented Bob Smith's "Wood Mleel Trnth Table." Bob
Smith is an Arizona 356enthusiast who developed
a special interest in wood rim steering wheels,
and extensivelystudiedvariations amongthe various ones available for A, B and Ccars. lIis table
listed information on the variations, including
how constructed and size information. Wheels
Lug Nut
Tiedowns
Set of 4
$130.
ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
Include check or money order in U.S. funds payable
to M & M Enterprises, or charge your order to your
major credit card.Add Sll .00 shipping for orders
over S100.For overnight, foreign, and special or
large orde rs-please call . Mail orders to: M & M
Ente rprises, 25209 Casiano , Sali nas , CA 93908.
CA residents please add 7.25% sales tax.
To Order Call
831-643-0356
or fax (24 hours)
831-643-1333
[email protected]
.." ~ .
MarchiApril 2003
29
things to be right. I have long suspected that this
phantom idle speed thing was caused by the centrifugal advance weights not returning to their
"rest" position when the throttle was released. I
recently had the opportunity to recondition the
distributor and carburetors on Steve Cripps' C
coupe, and during the carburetor and timing
adjustments, I experienced the phantom idle
problem on his car. Since I had a timing light on
the engineat the time, I was able to catch the idle
coming back tonormal with the timing lightworking. Like mycar, his idle hung atabout 1100 rpm,
and after a bit, (sometimes) returned to about
750. I watched that happen with the timing light
showing about 10 degrees of advance, and then
returning by itselfto thespecified 5 degrees as the
idle speed fell to normal. Gotcha!
Below we see the centrifugal advance curve
for the Band Cdistributors. These specs differ a
bit from normal to SC to Carrera andso forth, but
they are very similarfor all 356s, especiallyat the
lower end.
Distributor Adva
and Phanto
Idle Speed
byJimKiple
Editor's note: Rather than another
"rebuild your distributor" article, Jim Kiple
offers some specific remedies to a specific
problem, Your distributor maynot needa complete rebuild but it may need cleaning and
checking Even if you opt for professional
rebuilding, the information here gives you
insight into themysterious workings ofthe distributor. Enjo)' and hopefully, learn. GM
Adesign flaw in a 356? Get out of town!
The more I'm around theSouthern Owner's
Group and participate in club events, the more I
~~~~~~~~li~II~~~i
would
agreeOUf
they
all have cars.
a personality
of their "
learn about
wonderful
I think everyone
own, andcome with several traits that you have to
learn to love, learn to forget, or learn to handle:
Zenith carburetors that mystically lose the fuel in
the bowls in just a fewdays of sitting, shift linkage
aggravation, random backfires for no reason, and
I'm sure you can addothers,
One such malady I've noticed that plagues
most 356s (including mine) is what I call "phanJOOO
..,
tom idle speed," This is the problem that manifestsitself in an idle speed that simply hasa mind
Engine base timing is 5 degrees (on a C),
of its own, Sometimes it comes back where it's
which is why thegraph starts at that point. You'll
supposed to be (about 700), butmore times than
notice that the distributor puts another 5 degrees
not it floats around 1000 to 1200 rpm, or wherofadvance inpretty quickly, atanywhere from 700
ever it seems happy, Most ofus learn to accept it,
to 1000 rpm. That's cool going up, but coming
but it has bothered me for a long time with my
down it becomes difficultfor theadvance weights
background as a professional automotive technito return totheir restposition ifnormalidle speed
cian, It's difficult to find design flaws in the 356,
is in the range where they actually want to be
but I may have found an answer to this problem,
working. If the weights are hanging outthere putand it appears to be at least a conflict in the disting another 5 degrees of advance in, naturallythe
tributor advance mechanism (or in the advance
engine is going to idle faster. If everything is in
specification) when combined with design idle
perfect shape, thesprings should pull the weights
speed,
back tothe rest positionandthe enginewill return
to normal idle. But guess what? It doesn't always
Here's the deal
happen. Hence the phantom idle speed problem.
Obviously, there canbea number ofreasons
I had a long phone conversation with Ken at
for highidle speeds, Vacuum leaks are one of the
Stoddard's about this. Ken is the guywho rebuilds
more common reasons, either from gasket leaks
all the distributors and carburetors in Stoddard's
or worn throttle shafts on Solex carburetors,
service department. He acknowledged that this is
Generally, a vacuum leak will result in a constanta common phenomenonin 356s. He also said that
lyhighidle or onethat is erratic and difficult toget
912s and early 911s are equipped with a vacuum
to normal, and not the phantom idle speed that
retard unit (everybody thinks it's a vacuum
I'm talking about here, If you can pull your idle
advance). Why do you suppose they did that? To
speed down by dragging the clutch in gear, and
make the idle speed more constant? Like theysay,
the idle stays down, read on,
"The battle is not always to the strong, nor the
I have said before that I'm not an'expert on
raceto theSWift, but I know how I'd bet".
356s, but I am a hopeless gear-head who likes
I have a sneaking hunch that the Porsche
engineers mayhave actuallydone this on purpose,
to provide sort of a "throttle damper" so the
engine wouldn't die if you quickly opened and
closed (blipped) the throttle. By hanging that
extra 5 degrees of advance out there and letting
the springs slowly return the weights to rest, it
would work as a throttle damper by allowing the
engineto return toidle slowly. Okay, maybe it's not
a design flaw, but like several other things on
356s, everything has to be perfect for it to work
properly. After 40-odd years, it's difficult to get
things that perfectagain.
So what to do?
Here's what I didon my car, andit seems to
have worked. Alittle more time will prove it, but
so far so good. I felt that the springs on the
advance weights needed a bitmore tension to help
them return the weights to rest at idle speeds.
Below is an exploded view of the distributor
advance mechanism.
Driven shaft
-----... . '
Sliding surface
\
J()
~
30
Volume 26. Number 6
- -
c:::::
Return
#.. springs
-'-'-J I~""t"">f/
...:J ,~ \
. ~ ClO
Advance
. weights
....• .......-
"
, '-- Driving shaft
•
The driving shaft is the main distributor
shaft, and the driven shaft is the breaker cam.
There is a thin phenolic sliding surface that sits on
the advance plate on topofthedriving shaft. This
provides a slick surface fortheadvance weights to
ride on to help eliminate sticking. The advance
weights hook on to two pivot pins, and are
retained by hairpin clips (lovingly known in the
trade as "Jesus Clips", since when you pop them
off you find yourselfsaying, "Jesus, where did that
go?") There is a small fiber washer under each
weight on the pivot pinto reduce friction. There is
a slot in each advance weight that mates to a pin
pointing downward on the driven shaft. The return
springs hook between the driven shaft and two
vertical spring anchors on the advance plate. As
the weights swing outward on their pivots with
shaft rpm, they pull the pins on the driven shaft
with them which causes the breaker cam to
advance position, opening the points earlier, and
therefore advancingthe spark. Clear?Good!
As you cansee, there are lots ofpoints where
friction andsticking canoccur, andwe have to get
all those places in perfect condition in this
process. After that (and here's the "fix"), we want
to bend the vertical springanchors outtoward the
edge of the distributor bowl casting as far as we
can without the anchors rubbingthe inside of the
casting. This adds tension to the return springs to
helpthem return the weights totherest position at
idle. Make sense? Hang in there with me.
Putting in the Fix
If your distributor has just been completely
rebuilt (like Steve Cripps') putting in the fix is a
ten-minute job after removing the distributor and
supporting it in a vise, It might even be done with
the distributor in the car (although I wouldn't do
it that way). The photo here shows the slot in the
breaker plate and one of the two springanchors.
All you have to do is line up the spring
anchors with the slot in the breaker plate, and usc
the tip ofa small screwdriver to push (bend) each
tab out until it touches the bowl casting. There
should be enough "spring-back" in the anchor to
keep it from touching the casting after bending.
Spin the distributor shaft slowly after you bendthe
anchor tabs to be sure that the anchors arc not
touching the bowl casting. But if (like most ofus)
your distributor has not just been rebuilt, thenyou
get to do a lot more work before putting the fix in.
Here's how.
Doing the complete job
This is a perfect example of the difference
between restoration and repair. Rebuilding a distributor goes a lot deeper than just putting in
points and a condenser, lubricating the cam, and
settingthe point gap. If Porsche did, infact, design
this as a throttle damper, then we have to make
every detail in the advance system right to give it
everyopportunityto work as designcd. That's what
"restoring" any component is all about. It means
making sure that every little thing is as "new" as
we can make it. When you do that, you can then
have the confidence that it's as good as it can be,
and should last us long as the original did. That's
S EAT BEL T S!
REPRODUCTION & CUSTOM-FRONT & REAR!
-Reproduction "Show Quality" 2 & 3 point
-Specializinq in 3-point lap and shoulder systems
-No fuss, comfortable, retractable inertia-reel systems available
~!!~~~~~~o:p:ro:f:e:s:si:o:n:a~IIY~Engineered hardware and instructions
Authorized Recaro dealer
RE.R
Professionally For FREE info, write or phone: 1 - 8 0 0 - 5 9 3 - 8 7 8 7
Engineered or 805-528-7888 ' Fax 805-528-7887 ' www.peparts.com
PrOducts
111 9-A Los Olivos Ave., Los Osos, CA 93402-3232
All Credit Cards Acc epted
S. Lucas Valdes, P.E.M.E.
Trevor's Hammerworks
real important in the restoration ofa 356, or any
car for that matter. Once we get the advance systemas perfectas we canget it, we're then goingto
giveit a little extra help to do its job.
Start by removing the breaker plate. You'll
have to remove the small bolt that provides the
electrical connection and retains the breaker
pointspring. Be careful to lay all the components
and insulators out in order, sincethis is critical to
keep the connection from grounding and disabling the ignition system. Remove the breaker
point arm andthen removethe breaker plate. The
breaker plate is held in the distributor with three
small screws. '1\1'0 arc the distributor cap clip
screws, andthenthere is a thirdscrew that locates
into the breaker plate.
Caution: One distributor cap clip has a vertical tab that locates the cap in the correct position
on the distributor. This clip locates in the hole
closest to the electrical connection. Be sure to
replace this clip in the correct position. If you
reverse it (mount it in the other screw hole), the
distributor cap will locate 180 degrees out of
position, and the engine willnot start. Don't worry
about the position of the breaker plate. It's
designed in such a way that you can't put it back
in wrong. Do be careful to note where fi ber and
spacer washers arc (such as under the breaker
pointarm) so you don't lose them or get themout
We see it over and over...
Parts for our customers that have
been previously balanced at
another shop. Holes drilled all over
the place, grind marks on factory
cranks , and worst of all-weights
welded to clutches. Balancing is a
very important step in any engine
project. Don't let some clown do a
balancing act with your precious
parts. Get it done right. Send it
to the "Spin Doctors" at CEo
CE - your
complete
Porsche®
Machine Shop
and Engine
Parts Supply.
COMPETITION
ENGINEERING
Phone
440-953-0501
Fax
440-602-9885
Online at: www.356panels.com
2841 Fulop St.,
Lake Isabella, CA 93240
760-379-3879
760-379-4517 FAX
www.competitioneng.com
MarchiApril 2003
31
,
li:1I~==r.:~~~.~...J
of order. There are several of them in here, so
take your time and treat them gently. The little
fiber washers can get pretty brittle after lots of
years. When you lift the breaker plate out, you will
see the advance mechanism as shown in the next
photo (above) .
With the breaker plateremoved, you can see
the advanceweights and return springs under the
driven shaft (breaker cam). If you look closely at
the photo, you can see that the coils in the return
springs are pretty much closed up and touching
each other. Ultimately, that's what we're going to
help, by addinga bit more tension to the springs
in the fully returned position.
Using a pair of tweezers, gently lift the outboard eyes ofthe springs out and off theanchors,
then lift thedriven shaft up and out ofthe distributor. On the underside of the driven shaft, there
are two pins that locate into slots in the advance
weights. One pinis longer than the other, andthat
long pin also goes through a hole in the advance
plate. This is done to limit the advance to 30
degrees. It also assuresthat you can't putthe driven plate in 180 degrees out of phase, but it can
trick you into thinking that it's in correctly when
you go back together. Note where this long pin
goes when you take it apart, andthings will goeasier when you reassemble thedistributor. More on
this pointlater. Also note that there is a fiber thrust
washer and a spacer washer on the driven shaft
just below the breaker cam. These are important
because they space the driven shaft under the
breaker plate. Makenote of the positionand location so they can be correctly installed later.
When you remove the driven shaft, the
return springs will hang under it on the inner
anchors. These anchors are closed so that the
springs will not fall off of them, or at least they
Long
w.eight
pm
32
Volume 26, Number 6
should be. If the springs are in good shape, you
shouldn't have to disturb the inner anchors. If the
springs are damaged, newonesare availablefrom
Stoddard's. The photo below shows the driven
shaft turned upside down.
Note the long weight pin. Thisis the one just
described. Clean up the driven shaft to remove all
traces of old grease and any rust or burrs on the
weight pins. Polish the weight pins with 600 grit
wet-or-drysandpaper so that there will be a nice
surface for the weights to work against. Also polish the breaker GUll with 600 paper to remove any
nicks, rust, or scale. Pretty is good!
Belowis shown the advanceweights in position. The advance weights appearto be symmetri-
cal, so it really doesn't matter which one goes
where. Using a small awl or screwdriver point,
carefully remove the hairpin clips (so you don't
have to say "those" words) and lift the weights off
their pins. There will be a small fiber washer
under each weight on the pivot pins. Carefully lift
those off as well, and clean all the old grease and
junk off the weights, fiber washers, and the pivot
pins too. The cleaned weights are shown here.
After the weights are clean, roll up a small
bitof600paper andpolish the inside ofthepivot
holes, and the inside surfaces of the operating
slots. All these metalslidingand pivoting surfaces
should be polished to eliminate any unwanted
friction. The lower weight (shown below) is
turned upside down so you can see the rubbing
pad thatis stamped into each weight. These pads
ride on the phenolic sliding surface under the
weights to reduce friction. Polish these pads with
600 paper as well, to make sure the weights will
move ;L~ freely as possible when they're back
together.
Lift the phenolic sliding surface out of the
distributor and clean it up too. It should be flat
and undamaged. There will probably be marks in
it where the rubbing pads work on the surface.
That's okay, as long as you can't feel any ridges
that the pads could catch on. Stoddard has a
replacement pad that's made out of Teflon if you
need one. According to Ken at Stoddard's, the
Teflon pad doesn't fix the phantom idle problem,
butit was a nice tryanyway. Once the slidingsurface is clean (or replaced), reinstall it in the distributor as shown below. Make sure that the hole
in the advance plate is exposed under the sliding
surface so the long pin on the driven plate will go
into it.
Before you go any further, check the distributor shaft for any play in the bushings and any
excessive vertical movement. If the shaft is not
snug, stop right here! The bushings willhave to be
replaced before going any further. If there is
excessive clearance in the shaft, proper distributor operation cannot be achieved, so that's got to
be fixed first. Usually these distributor shafts and
bushings are pretty bulletproof. Mine has over
150,000 miles on it and it's still in perfect shape.
Check the condition of the vertical shaft that the
driven shaft slides down on. Make sure it's clean
and polished also, since this is what the breaker
cam rotates on to advance the spark. When everything is ready, put a thin coat of wheel bearing
grease or silicone paste grease on the weight pivots, in the weight operatingslots, and on the rubbing pads on the weights, then reinstall the
weights with the hairpin clips. Don't forget the
fiber washersunder the weights. Also wipe a thin
coat of grease on the vertical shaft before
installingthe breaker cam (driven shaft) .
Before we install thedrivenshaft, we need to
pay a little extra attention to it. Inside the hole in
the drivenshaft, you should find two felt oilwicks.
Using an awl or a small screwdriver, push out
these wicks and clean them with solvent. After
cleaning, squeeze out the solvent on a paper towel
or rag to remove the solvent and dry the wicks,
After the wicks are dry, puta few drops of engine
-----..
Oil wicks
oil on them until they are saturated. These wicks
provide oil for the breaker cam to pivot on the
vertical shaft of the distributor shaft (driving
shaft) . The wicks are shown above.
Leave the wicks out for now, and install the
driven shaft on the vertical shaft ofthe distributor.
Be sure that the long pin alignswith the hole in the
advance plate. The springs will hang down and
disappear on you as you slide the parts together.
Getting the pins to line up with the slots in the
weights while trying to get the springs to lay out
flat at the same time will cause yo u to hold your
mouth funny and mutter a lot. Patience will prevail, however. lIaving a beer handyisn't a bad idea
either. It takes some poking and fiddling, but it
willgo together. Once it's together, install the two
oil wicks in the hole in on top of the driven shaft.
anchor outward until it touches the bowl casting
and release it as shown below.
As mentioned, there should be enough
spring-back in the anchors to keep them from
rubbing the inside of the casting, Rotate the distributor shaft to be sure that the anchors clear the
casting all the way around. Adjust if necessary.
You'll find that you will only be able to bend the
anchors out about 1/16 of an inch, but that's all
that's necessary. You'll also notice that now the
spring coilsstill have a bitofspace between them
with the weights at rest. That's just what we're
looking fo r.
Once yo u've put the fix in, you can reinstall
the breaker plate. Don't forget the spacerwasher
and fi ber thrust washer on the driven shaft before
you put the breaker plate in. In addition, remember to put the distributor clip with the locating tab
closest to the electrical connection hole, as mentio ned earlier. Once the breaker plate is in, install
the movable pointarm and the electrical connection boltand insulators. Sinceyou didn 't move the
point adjustment, the points should still be set
correctly. If yo u need a newset ofpoints, nowis a
perfect time to put them in. Don't forget to lube
the breaker cam with distributor cam grease.
Don't use anything else. This is a special type of
grease made especially forthispurpose. After that,
put the distributor back in and go for a ride. See
ifyou like the difference.
Alittle trivia and confirmation
- - c::::
Final assembly and the "fix"
Once everything is engaged and seated, twist
the breaker cam back and forth to assure that the
weights are properly engaged with the pins and
move freelyin and out.Then use your tweezers to
gently reinstall the spring eyes on the outside
anchors. Oncethis is done, take the tip of a small
screwdriver and push (bend) each outside
..
....
/7
<:
!'
If you look back at our exploded view, you
will seea screw and two washers in the illustration
(#'s 17, 18, and 19). The outboard spring
anchors are actually slotted and adjustable with
these screws. There are a couple of reasons that
I haven't mentioned this until now. First, to adjust
them you have to remove the distributor shaft.
Second is the fact that these adjustments are
almost always at their maximum outward position
anyway, so the whole exercise is a mute point. Ken
at Stoddard's confirmed this. lie said that he
almost never finds the adjustment to be other than
at m:LX, and in fact, he has seen somedistributors
with the slot in the anchors filed out to allow for
more outward movement. lIe also told me thathe
always assures that he has as much springtension
on the advance weights as he can get, but he has
never tried bending the outboard anchorslike I'm
describing here. He agreed that itwould probably
help, and was interested in the results. He also
said that he didn't think the basic advance curve
would be negatively affected by addinga bit more
springtension.
What are the results?
I've made this adjustment to my car and to
Steve Cripps' car at this point. In both cases, the
idle speed is now repeatable, but the "throttle
damping" still functions. By adding this slight bit
of extra spring tension, the weights pull back to
rest at idle and the idle speed slowly returns to
where it's supposed to be, every time. Neither car
experienced any degradation in performance
either. On mycar, the distributor putin30 degrees
of advanceat about 3000 11JI11 before the fix , and
it still docs. It runs just :L~ strong :L~ it did before,
but now it idles the way it's supposed to. To me,
that's the sign of a good fix .
If you don't want togo throughall the aggravation of disassembling your distributor, you can
trythe "easy way" as described earlier. If it doesn't work, you can always pull the distributor down
later and do it right. Stickingadvance weights are
a common problemhowever, and it pays to do the
"restoration" as I've described here.
I hope this helps. I'm veryglad I did it, and
itshould work on yo ur car as it did on mine, Keep
in mindthat there are other reasons for phantom
or erratic idle, and this is not a "fix-all" deal. It's
just one element toward preserving our tubs. Got
questions? I'm availablevia emailat [email protected] or feel free to give me a call at 770428-6679. I'm usuallv home. Let me hear from
you. I'm here to help.' ~
Jim Kiple lives inAcworth, Georgia and
is technical editor for the Southern Owners
Group (SOG) newsletter. He spent 43 years
in the technical end of the automotive business, nearly30 of those years as an ASE certified
Master
A u to mo b i le
Technician. lie served
on the boardofASE for
nine years, and was
chairman in 1989.
Twenty-one years were
spent in the technical
area for AMC and
Chrysler, and another
nine years as Director of TechnicalServices
for NAPA (National Automotive Parts
Association). Now retired, he spends a good
deal of time solving problems on his 356,
giving tech sessions and writing articles for
SOG. We're pleased to have him here.
MarchiApril 2003
33
t's hardly a secret that the 356began life
as a sport-modified VW chassis with a
custom body. Over the model's IS-year
life span, more and more VW parts were re-engineered into a Porsche version. The steering and
suspension systems started out almost identical to
early VW, and although refined through the
model's life, remained very faithful to VWheritage
even until theCand sc.
Let's start with steering. From the V\V it
inherited simplicity. But with thatcame vices. One
is bump steering. That means that when the suspension is exercised, especially side to side or
cornerto corner, thecarchanges direction. I have
never found this objectionable at normal driving
speeds, although I probablyjust got used to it. But
it bothersmea lot when the car is barelymoving,
in slow traffic, and onewheel traverses a substantial bump or pot hole. The change ofdirection of
thecar is unmistakable and steering correction is
required.
Bump steering can be due to any of several
geometric design compromises in suspension
travel, at either the front or rear of a car. Here's
I
More than you
ever wanted to
know about 356
steering and
suspension
Pat Tobin
what happens at thefront ofthe356: when a steering gear box is used (rather than rack and pinion), the easiest way to couple the Pitman arm
(the "outlet" arm of the steering box) to the
wheels is by simply attaching tie rods from the
Pitman arm to each wheel. Problem with that is
that the steering box is off center, resulting in the
two tie rods being ofunequal length. Enter bump
steering: when the steering box moves with relation to the fro nt wheels, the wheel angles will
change slightly by unequal amounts.
Most cars with steering gear boxes adopted
"center point steering" in the '40s. The Pitman
armis coupledto a center-mounted pivotingrelay
armfrom which equal-length tierods extend outward to each wheel. That drastically reduces
bump steering, but means extra complexity,
weight andexpense which could notbe justified in
the People's Car. Even ifthe extra cost could have
been justified in the356, it would have been difficult to find space for a central steering relay arm
in the compact chassis, so we have to make do
with a certain degree of bump steering. In the
rear, some bump steering is an inherent characteristic of swing axle geometry. Mayas well learn
to love it.
Steering gea r
Isect io no l view)
o Steering box cover
o Ser screw
o Pressure spring
o Fill er pl ug
o Upper thrust beoring
o A d justing sleeve
(1) O il seol
o Coupling d isc
®
Connection for steering
column
Idouble-orm flange)
@) Sreeri ng column
®
®
Steering column tube
Carbon brush
@ Commuta tor ring
@ lower thrust bearing
@ Reta ining nut for
p ifman arm
@ Steering wo rm
®
Sector shaft
@ To rsio n bar
®
Sreer ing nut
@ Pitma n orm
@ Tie rod joinr
34
Volume 26, Number6
Then there's the V\V steering box, used on
the 356 prior to the '58 models. It is simple and
economical, strictly in character for its intended
purpose. But it has rather high drag (friction),
being of the simple "worm and nut" type. High
friction per se does not make thecar hardto steer
ifthe frontwheels are easyto swivel, That was certainlythe case on the V\Vandearly356s with narrow, hard tires and minimal caster. But that
changed when the 356Aappeared in model year
'56 with 4.5" wheels andgreater caster. (Caster is
a geometric offset between the steering axis and
thetirepatch on theroad which provides the selfcentering tendency of the front wheels - like the
casters are supposed to work, and usually don't,
ona grocerycart. More caster increases the steering effort required.) The steering became slightly
on theheavy side, especially for sucha small, light
car.
The problem was effectively addressed when
the ZF steering box appeared on the '58 models.
The ZF-Ross "single peg" design has less friction.
It is also more expensive; a proper choice for a
car which was moving upscale from its V\Vroots.
There is another improvement in the ZF
steering box: the variable ratio is higher. That
means that at straight ahead, the steering wheel
must be turned a little farther to get a certain
change in the direction of the front wheels. It is
easier to guide the car down the straight and narrow if the steering is not too sensitive. Another
benefit is lower steeringwheel effort in the vicinity ofstraight ahead. Asthesteeringwheel is turned
farther either side of center, the ratio smoothly
decreases, meaning that the steeringgets "quicker;" otherwise it might take a full turnofthesteering wheel to rounda corner. The ZF has an average ratio of I:16; forthe VW box it is I:14. Yet the
steering wheel turns lock-to-Iock is slightly less
for the ZF, 2.26, compared with 2.4 for the VW
box. (Iurning circleis thesame with both.)
When front-end work isdone, itis easyto get
correct toe-inbythewrong means - withthesteer-
The VW steering box as used in the early 356.
The "steering nul" 19 (which is one-sided and
doesn't surround 16. the "steering worm")
engages the wormgear with four threads. lots
of friction. There is additional friction in the
coupling between the nut and "sector shalt" 17.
2and 3. the "set screw" and "pressure spring,"
bear on the top of the sector shaft, not on the
nut as it appears in the two-dimensional drawing. The "Pitman arm." 20. connects with the
inner ends of both tie rods. 21. It can be seen
that the front torsion bars (one shown atlS)
are square in section. comprised of a stack of
flat strips. The "carbon brush," 12. is one of two
which must be withdrawn when the steering
shaft (here erroneously called the "steering column," 10. is withdrawn or replaced.
ing linkage a little offcenter. The quick and dirty
way to set toe-in is to adjust one tic rod, not both
equally (On the cars with the VW box there was
no choice - only the longer tie rod was
adiustable.) The ZF box has centering alignment
marks on the input shaft and case. Front wheel
alignment must be set for straight ahead when
those marks are lined up, indicating that the box
is at the exact center of its movement range. And
onlythenshould the steeringwheel be mounted in
straight-ahead position. Ofcourse, once the steering wheel is centered when the marks on the box
are in alignment, its mounting position should
never be changed. These daysit is sometimes difficult to find the marks due to build-up of corrosion etc., especiallyon T-6 cars where the box is
covered bythe gas tank. Dan Pelecovich did a very
helpful article on this which is re-printed in the
Registry's Technical and Restoration Guide, page
360.
There is one more thing about A steering.
The bearing at the steering wheel itself is just a
fiber sleeve within a rubber sleeve. Another
descendant ofVW lineage, it is an inexpensive but
somewhat crude arrangement.The main problem
is that, when heated by the sun beating down
directly onto the top of the steering column, the
fiber sleeve expands andcreatesa lightbinding on
the wheel. It is felt as a stickiness whenturningthe
wheel and can be extremelyannoying. That happened on my '; 6 coupe when just a year or two
old. Re-lubrication didn't help much. What cured
it was to remove the steering wheel and steering
shaft. I simply used sand-paper over a piece of
tubing to sand out some extra clearance in the
fiber bushing. It need not be precise at all - a little extra clearance in a steering wheel bearing is
rarely noticed. Worked like a charm. To remove
the steering shaft, loosen the clamp on the spline
just above the flexible coupling at the steering
box. The two electrical carbon "brush" contacts
on the sides of the steering column, for horn and
headlight flasher, must be pulled back when the
shaft is removed and replaced. One of the most
welcome improvements in the B cars, in my estimation, was the adoption of a needle bearing at
the steeringwheel.
3;6 suspension sometimes gets beat up
prettybad in modern discussions. Epithetssuch as
"archaic" and "does everythingwrong" are plentiful. For sure, great strides have been made in
suspensions since the last 3;6 rolled offthe production line. In that respect the 3;6 is cursed by
its brilliant longevity - it is still around to be criticized because it doesn't handle like a modern car
on modern tires. But the VW/3;6 suspension was
very advanced for its day and still has unique
advantages.
There are a host ofmodifications availableto
improve the 3;6's high-performance handling at
the cost of dollars and ridingcomfort. But W:L~ it
so bad in its day? Racing in the
mid-'60s, all we were allowed to
modify was to dccamber the rear,
add a stiffer front sway bar and
lower the front ride height. We
could use any shocks and any
tires, but only on the stock 4.;"
wheels until '6; when ; " wheels
were allowed. Nevertheless, the
3;6 dominated its racing class. E
Production also included AUa
Romeo, Austin Healy, Elva Courier, Lotus 7A,
Morgan, Sunbeam Alpine and others. Rarely did
anyofthemwin a race except forsuper driver Ken
Miles in the Alpine, andeven then DaveyJordanin
a Speedster beat him more than the other way
around.
Let's take a close look at the 3;6 suspension
and how it got that way. For starters, torsion bar
suspension is very economical and efficient in the
space it requires. The 3;6 is even smaller than a
VW bug - can you imagine a 3;6 withcoil springs
andAarms?But the realmagicoftorsionbar suspension is in the way up and down movement of
the suspension is coupled to twist the torsion bar.
Atrailing amI on the end of a torsion bar behaves
as a crank. To mercifully avoid gelling bogged
down in trigonometry, think of it this way: when
the trailing arms are horizontal, vertical travel of
the wheels has the greatest leverage advantage in
twisting the torsion bar. As the end of li e trailing
arm is pushed farther upward bysuspension travel, the leverage advantage is reduced and the suspension finds the trailing arm harder to move.
That is progressive-rate springing. Some modern
cars use coil springswhichare woundin a certain
way to give a progressive rate, butduring the first
life of the 3;6 progressive springing was rare.
That's why the 3;6 combines a comfortable ride
straight and level with firm control in turns, very
unusual for itsday, and a large part of the unique
feel of the 3;6. Thoseof us who remember the more traditionalsportscars recall
the spine-crushing ride we had to accept
in order to getreasonably flat cornering. I
moved to myfirst 3;6 from an MG-TE By
comparison, driving the 3;6 felt like riding on a cloud.
At the rear, the progressive effect is
even more pronounced than at the front.
The rear crank arms (trailing arms) are
longer whichactuallylessens the progressiveeffect fromthe basic crank trigonometryrelationship. But the armsthemselves
- wide, flat plates of spring steel - are
twisted by the arc of the swing axle when
the suspension works, and the resistance
to twisting multiplies the progressive
effect.That means that the rear springinggets a lot
stiffer when the suspension is flexed. This effect is
clearly demonstrated when the rear wheels are
t
dim.!
This Factory manual draWing illustrates toe-in
and shows the unequal length tie rods as a result
of the steering box being mounted off center.
"decambered" for racing, That puts the trailing
armsin a twist when the car is at rest position, and
you can reallyfcclthat in the seat ofthe pants as a
much harder ride,
Yet another advantage of 3;6 suspension
design is a wide spring base. Spring base is the
distance between the points where the bodwchassis unit is attached to the springingsystem at front
and rear, Look at it this way: springs of a certain
stiffness will support the stationary weight of the
body no mailer where they are placed. But ifthey
are placedcloser together, theywill have less control over the body's tendency to roll in turns. A
wide spring base means that body roll is more
limited and controlled. On the 3; 6, the spring
base is the distance between the outer ends of the
outer bearings whichsupport the torsion bars. Or
to simplify: the distance between the points where
the trailing arm hubs meet the chassis. In the
front, the 3; 6 spring base is wider than the coil
springand A-arm suspensions whichwere almost
universal when our tubs were made, but not as
"ide as modern MacPherson front struts. At the
rear it's harder to find a wider spring base except
possibly on some modern cars with sophisticated
multi-link suspension,
Fronttorsionbar housing tubes and trailing
arms. This is pre-A; noticeVW-style bump stop
and lack of sway bar.
MarchiApril 2003
35
Equally beneficial is the low center ofgravity (cg) of the 356. Sure, there are lots of other
sports carsas low as a 356, butwe have a secret
weapon - therear mounted, horizontally opposed
engine.In a horizontally opposed engine thecylinders, pistons, heads and valve train are down at
crankshaft level, so the cg is about a foot lower
than that ofan upright, in-line engine.
Ifwe combine these three virtues - progressive springing rate, wide spring base andlow center of gravity, what do we have? Aside from the
comfortable ride, we have a carwhich hasvery little body rollin turns.
Now let's go back to the negative side ofthe
ledger again. There is one disadvantage to the
trailing arm front suspension: as the suspension
works, the wheels remain parallel to the vertical
axis of the body. In other words, when the body
leans, the wheels lean with it - they do not stay
perpendicular to theroad. Most ofus are familiar
with theterm "front suspension byunequal-length
A-arms." That applies to thetraditional coil spring
front endwith an A-shaped arm below the spring
and another above. The upper A-arm is shorter
(horizontally, from thecenter ofthecar outward)
than the lower one so that when the body leans,
thewheel leans theother way relative to the body,
which keeps thewheel perpendicular to the road.
The MacPherson strut does the same thing, as
does the 911 front suspension (through 1989) ,
which is basically a MacPherson strut coupled to
a torsion bar rather than a coil spring.
But the twin trailing arms of the 356 front
suspension don't provide that advantage. Some
hold that it was done deliberately, so that thegrip
of the front tires wouldn't be too much greater
than that of the rear ones during hard cornering.
Perhaps that was a consideration in the design of
theVW. But in thecase ofthe356, my take on the
question is that the trailing arm front suspension
was deemed acceptable because body roll during
cornering is slight andtheother benefits progressive spring rate, wide spring base) were highly
desirable.
In racing 356s, some modify thefront wheel
uprights to put a bit of negative camber on the
1. tors ion bars
2. compensating spring
PORSCHE 356 REAR TORSION BARS THROUGH THE AGES
Model
Diameter length
Relative Stiffness
356 pre-A
25 mm
552 mm
356 A,B
24 mm
672 mm
With camber compensator
23 mm
672 mm
356 C, SC
22 mm
553 mm
It is interesting that, over thelife ofthe 356, the rear torsion bars steadily graduated down
in diameter. However, the 22 mm C/SC bar is actually stiffer than the 23 mm bar used with the
camber compensator, because it is shorter. Relative stiffness of each bar was calculated using a
standard engineering formula forstrength ofround torsion bar springsusing theA& Bbarasthe
benchmark reference.
front wheels to help keep thetireflat on thepavement during really severe cornering. That's OK,
but I think it is more effective, if rules allow, to
"box" thefront trailing arms. That means welding
braces onto thetrailing arms to makethem stiffer.
Remember, 356front trailing arms were designed
for the VW on 3.25" wide wheel rims. Used with
modern wide, sticky tires, theside forces presented to those trailing arms can be many times what
they were designed for, andthey bend like springs.
Pictures are common ofracing 356s with modern
wheels andrubber in a hardturn, with theoutside
front wheel bent under rather badly. That's mostly
trailing armflex.
Now, how about those swing axles? Are they
truly a work of the devil, as Ralph Nader would
have us believe? First of all, let's get one thing
straight - swing axles are oneform ofindependent
rear suspension. 1 think it might have been
Triumph, with the TR-4, which made "IRS" an
advertising buzz word. Ok, acronym. Whoever it
was, it applied to the next generation of independent rear suspension, in which thewheels are
guided bytriangulated trailing arms and the rear
half-axles are articulated (double-jointed, in this
case). The notion became widespread that IRS
meant only that configuration, and that swing
axles were a horse of another color. Bottom line:
when the rear wheels are suspended independently ofoneanother, that is, without a connecting
solid beam such as a rear axle tube, the suspension is independent. Swing axles are one type of
independent rear suspension.
4 . front mount
Brear suspension with camber compensator, 2. Note tubular extensions at trailing arm hubs to
accommodate longer rear torsion bars, 1. used in Aand Bmodels.
36
Volume 26, Number 6
1.23
1.00
0.917
0.956
So where did swing axles originate? First of
all, it is interesting to note that any rear-engined
car must use independent rear suspension. If
there were solid rear axle tubes extending from
either side of the differential, the entire
engine/transaxle would be unsprung weight!
Wouldn't that be a barrel oflaughs.
In a nutshell, swing axles are the simplest
way to achieve independent rear suspension. And
when the VW was designed, simplicity was the
name ofthe game. Why were they carried over to
the356? Nothing better hadbeen developed at the
time and tiny Porsche, which envisioned a total
run ofonly 500 356s at theoutset, certainly didn't
have the resources to start with a clean sheet of
paper on a new rear suspension design. Last but
not least, most of the parts were easily available
from VW.
Ariyway, swing axles are adequate for low,
sporty cars where there isn't much body roll. All
in all, swing axle suspension was an entirely suitable choice for the time. According to some historians, there were design exercises directed at
eliminating theswing axle late in the model life of
the356butnecessary changes to thebody/chassis
were impractical. BMW was pointing theway, having pioneered the triangulated trailing arm with
articulated half-shafts, the system ofIRS that took
over the world within a few years, on its model
600in 1957. By 1965 theswing axle was definitelylong in the tooth and there were few mourners
at its demise. But treated with respect, it ain't all
that bad.
The key to driving fast with a swing axle is to
keep the tail down, which means keeping the
power on during hard turns. Lifting off the loud
pedal while in a hard turn causes a weight shift
forward, which allows the rear suspension to
"stand up," which is what we don'twant because
of the dreaded "jacking" effect, and the tail will
likely start around to pass you. Plan ahead and
don't overdrive your field of vision. But if you
encounter a surprise and must lift during a hard
turn and the tail starts to come around, steer in
thedirection oftheslide, as we have all been told
a jillion times. That advice usually refers to a slide
onice, when things happen slowly. When onpavement, it is only half thestory. On pavement, when
the rear tires again get a grip, the tail end will
come back into line very suddenly. When that
happens, the driver must bealert to straighten the
fro nt wheels (italics: immediately) or the tail will
whip the other direction into a counter-slide that
is much worse than the original. It is safe to say
that a large percentage of loss-of-control accidents that begin with a tail slide are actually the
result of the violent counter-slide.
Remember parttwo of the traditional advice
and be readyto catch the counter-slide.
Rear Suspension
Now let's take a closer look at the rear suspension. This getsveryinteresting. While the front
suspension remained almost unchanged from the
3;6 -A, plenty of tinkering was done at the rear.
The steep progressive stiffness in the rear was
doing an excellent jobof providing a comfortable
ride with plenty of protection against hitting bottom. But it turns out that the greater roll stiffness
(resistance to body roll) in the rear, compared to
the front, was actually increasingthe tendencyof
the rear end to break loose first in hard turns.
This seems to be counter-intuitive, but it is true,
and here's howit works:
When a tail-heavy car isin a hard turn, life is
tough on the outside rear tire. It must bear the
greater weight (vertical) of the rear compared
with the front, plus the greater centrifugal force
(horizontal) of the power package at the rear.
The force vector resulting from these two pulls
will exceed the traction capability of the tire at
corneringspeeds where the front end is stilldoing
fine. What we need is a waytotransfer some of the
excessive force from the outside rear tire to the
outside fro nt tire to even things up a bit. There
are two ways to do that - increase the rollstiffness
at the front or decrease it at the rear. Afront antisway bar was added in the '54 models; an even
stiffer one would do the trick butat the expense of
a choppier ride, not acceptable. So let's make the
rear torsion bars softer; that will lower the roll
stiffness at the rear. In a turn, less weight will be
CISC rear torsion bar and trailing arm with rubber donut bearings and end cap. Note lack of
tubular extension at torsion bar hub, very similar to pre-A.
transferred to the outside rear tire and more will
go to the outside front..
So we soften therear torsion bars. But hold
on - what's this?The rear end is hanging a couple
of inches low and the rear wheels have negative
camber as a result! Uh oh - it looked good on
paper, but we need some help here. Well, how
about addingsomesort of trick springwhich will
help support the vertical weight of the rear end
without adding to the roll stiffness. Voila - that's
exactly what the camber compensator does. I
think the name derives from the fact that it compensates for what would otherwise be excessive
negative camber.
The camber compensator appeared on the
first Super 90s in the 1960 model year, optional
but rarelyseen on the other B models. For those
who may not have seen one, it is a single flat leaf
springthat runs beneaththe differential.The ends
connect to the axle tubes near each wheel. The
center is loosely pivoted beneath the transaxle
case so that the springcan be freely tipped left or
right as the suspension works in turns.
Simultaneously the rear torsion bars were
reduced in diameter from 24 mrn to 23 mm. One
silly millimeter doesn't sound like much?Don't be
fooled - it was an 8.3 percent reduction in stiffness.The camber compensator has a secondary
function: it tends to pull down on the inside rear
wheel when the body leans in a turn. That's well
and good, but a minor contribution compared
with its realpurpose ofallowing a softer roll stiffness without the taildragging on the street. Does
the camber compensator work? You betchum, but
only with its unseen partners, softer rear torsion
bars. It's a system.
For the elSC models, the suspension was
massagedyet again. The camber compensator was
dropped except for the Carrera 2;itissaid to have
beensupplied on the 356 SC butI don't recallever
seeing one; perhaps it was a rarely-exercised
option. This time, torsion bar diameter was
reduced again, to 22 mm, but the torsion bar
length was shortened from 627 mm
to 552 mm. (TheGSand GTCarrera
reartorsion bars remained 23 mm.)
Theformula for a change in stiffness
when both diameter and length are
changed gets a little more complicated. Basically, the reduced diameter makes the bar softer butmaking
it shorter makes it stiffer. According
to my figures the net result is a 4.4
percent reduction in stiffness compared with the standard NB bar.
That seems to represent a compromise - softer than the regular NB
bars but not as soft as the special 22 mm bars
used with the camber compensator (see table).
The bars were preloaded a bit more to keep the
tail at the same height. That means that the rear
trailing arms are installed with more of a downward angle, unloaded, so that the softer bars are
"wound up" more when the car is at rest, resulting in the same ride height. But with a softer rear
spring,thereis greater susceptibility to hitting bottom. That was addressed with a more elaborate,
long and progressive rubber bump-stop that
stands readyto assist the softer rear bars when the
tailgets dangerouslylow. Inthe front, rollstiffness
was increased with a larger anti-sway bar. My
guesswould be that the resulting rougher ridewas
offset by the radial tires which were prevalent by
'64, compared with the harsher bias ply tires of
earlier models.
Interestingly, the ClSCrear bars were shortened to the same length as the pre-Arear torsion
bars! Well, to pick nits, the pre-Alength is shown
as 552mm and the ClSC bars at 553mm, a difference so insignificant it could be related to the
number of beers consumed at lunch. But those
pre-A rear bars are a hefty 25mm in diameter!
Those babies are stiff. Little was known about the
effect of roll stiffness on cornering when the 356
was originally designed. It makes me wonder
whether the famous "wischen" (wiping) action of
the tails of pre-A 356s in cornering might have
been due to excessive roll stiffness in the rear,
rather than the skinny tires which usually got the
blame.
Howwell did the final tweak of 356 suspension work out? In the Registry Technical and
Restoration Guide, page 372, Dave Seeland
writes in part, "...as it canle from the factory...
Ludvigsen iBxcellence \Vas Bxpectedt reports
0.81 to 0.83g skid pad figures for the 356C... Of
the 77 cars listed in the January Road & Track
Road Test Summary, only fou r cars had better
skid pad num bers than the 356: BMWMI, Ferrari
Berlinetta Boxer, Lamborghini Countach and
jalpa, The 356C equaled the 930 Turbo and was
better than the 911 SC, the 944 and the 928. Not
too shabby at all." Uh, what was that again about
the horrible 356suspension?
Braking
Last but far fro m least: braking. That is
where a rear-engined car really shines. During
braking there is an effective shift of weight off the
rear tires ontothe front ones. Sincea rear-engined
car is tail heavy anyhow, that weight shift tends to
balance up the downward force on the tires. In
general, rear-engined cars can brake harder
under totalcontrol than can fro nt-engined ones.
The suspension ofthe 356, while antiquated
in someways and not designed for high performance on today's wide, sticky tires, is head and
shoulders superior to cars which were its contemporaries. The unique combination ofride and
handling creates joyin the seat of the pants which
is one of the main reasons why we love to drive
these old tubs.
MarchiApril 2003
37
u ••
liebe zu ihsn
Budt
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1m Apra-ntalJvpn CroOlorm.. t
von 30:0:30 em
und bn"C'1 ca . gO Farbb,ld ..
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:P:~~~::::I:";:;"~:"p:~oCO"l&"'.
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and Spanish
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P o r .. ci ,.. .. l n U:". p h .. .. . ,
N'_."A""~,~......,.".~ II
Ibm.alodl.dlr,n
""•• S<:hre'bm"d".... '
N.m• • "d.<ldr....
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Love f or the pors
ch e
L ' a InOu r qu'on. a pour e U e
Asn o r e p er l a pors c h e
x
AsnOr a El . · "
Above, left: The front cover of the colorful brochure included in mailings of Christophorus to subscribers, plus the inside spread of that brochure (above, right). You could have purchased the book
in the 1960's for $9.00 plus mailing costs, a far cry from the $600-$1,200 they can bring today.
Above: Aclose-up of the stylized drawing that
outlines aSpyder against a 356 against what is
presumed to be wind tunnel airflow. It was
subsequently used on many factory pieces, and
became known as the Liebe zu Ihm design or
drawing.
Group at right. top photo-left: The dust jacket
for the book with the shot that became synonymous with the book: a child's pony riding stick
through the bumper of a red 356B coupe. Topright: The book without dust jacket shows a
heavy linen cover. Bottom: Atypical spread with
a caption in five languages on the lefl-hand
page and photograph on the right.
38
Volume 26, Number 6
I
--
- ::::--
-BUcher
Books
9
10
Above. left: Asample of the horizontal format photography - the size of a
Christo calendar shot. Because he owned it for ten years. the author just happens to know that the Spyder shown is Jon von Neumann's 550.06. now in a
prominent West Coast collection. Above. right: Asample of the vertical format
photography - the size of a cover shot from an issue of Christophorus. the factory magazine. depicting a 356 in a village in the mountains.
11
Richard von Frankenberg I .Autos·
RIchard von Frankenberg I ..Autos". In Gennan
~a:~v::,n:::~~e=:~~~ngewOhnliche
~~~~n:::~:~=~r~ ~~~O:~~~·
RIchard von Frankeoberg I •Porsche The Man and hIS ears- (Engliache Obersetzung
des obengenannten Buche s)
~~C:~~nv:'nI~~an~~~r(~~~I~:hraltC:~Sj"8tlon
12
13
WER BEGESCHENKE
ADVERTISING
ARTICLES
o f the abov e book)
. Li ebe zu Ihm- . Porsch e--Bildwerk 1950-1960
"Lov e for the Pcre che ". an illustrated book
about the Porsche . 1950-1960
Lex -ken - Kassette rmt 4 Banden :
Enghsc:h - Deutsch I Deutsch - Enghsch :
FranZOsisch - Deutsch I Deutsch - Fran2 0sisc:h:
Spa nisch - De utsch I Deutsch - Spanilch :
Ita henlsc:h- Deutsch I Deutsch - Ita lien isch
Dlcll ona ries' Casket. 4 vo lumes each :
Eng li sh - German I Gennan - English :
French - Genn an I Gennan - French :
Spani sh - German I German I Span ish ;
11allan - German I German - Itali an
... . ...,
OS" P' S Sn..lO
"S I tofo
oeto
S So..t<tpo
~.·9 1 "0
PU., ".,
!II 1'r0 PU."",
very, very popular 356 collectible is the 1960 book
entitled Liebe ZII Ibm, an idiomatic German expression that translates to "Love for the Porsche," or
L'amour qu'on a pour elle (French) , or Amore per la Porsche
(Italian), or Amor a EI (Spanish). This is yet another product
ofthe emphasis that the factory putondeveloping merchandise
for gifts and to sell in 1960. Previously reviewed items from
1960 include the porcelain plate set, theaccessories (pepper
shaker, salt shaker, mustard jar) for the plate set, the matching placemat set, andthewrapping paper.
Liebe ZII Ibm was subtitled "ein bildwerk uber den
Far left: The front
cover of the factory's 1963
Advertising Articles
catalog with the
inside page (above)
featuring Liebe zu
lhm, along with several other books that
could be ordered.
Left: The simpler
enclosure that the factory also used in mailings of Christophorus.
The top half isfor a
subscription to the factory magazine. and the
bottom half is for ordering Liebe zu Ihm.
MarchiApril 2003
39
Porsche-wagen 1950-1960" or "an
illustrated book about the Porsche
over the years 1950-1960." That's
exactly what it was, some 79 photographs in total reproduced in large
format, one photographic plate per
page, with explanatory captions in five
languages on thefacingpages. Many of
these photographs had been previously published either in thefactory magazine Cbristopborus or in the attractive Cbristopborus calendars that the
factory issued each year starting in
1956. The book ran the same full
gamut as the magazine and calendars,
with some funky German cheesecake
shots, novelty shots, travelogue pictures, and depictions of the cars in
beauty poses and in competition.
The first photograph in the book
is an untitled black and white shot of
Ferry Porsche, not unexpectedly, and
the second plate is Ferry's sister,
Louisa- also theAustrian Porsche distributorandmother ofFerdinand Piech, Porsche's
Director of Competition during the glory days of
the 906 (1966) through the 917/30 (1973) , and
more recently Chairman of Volkswagen (and
Audi) . After the family, and then the title page,
~~
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ova" 'nl"
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lloboq bn .".r -:0:1'>;<0. . . 4 i t "IurI,.. h i t th " bu.ut y of
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inhi biti on . .. h en dr ivillS .. Porll"b ,, ? Or 18 i t 1'. r b 81'. tb " t
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80.1" 111" £ th e ..." t a Ut,. o f tb. Porll"b" " ..... r lind b7
upl" l n lll.£ H p eyobo - 8ndytiodl y ?
BO"."er , 1 1 i " 'l uU e 0" .. 1.. 10 tbflt Poraeh.. owner" h av " "
_p.oi al LOY! f OR TllEI R c n and ee e mon in H tb.an .. . nl y
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LOVE FOR TIl.E POIlSCH& _ t h .. t 1e h e_ the Ulull t retad bo ck
18 oa ll ,,<1...b l oh 1e being p" bl llb.d p r i v U . l y _ Uh th e
p. l'1IIiae10n et' t h e Dr .• l llll' .h . o .F . POl'llehe K . _ C .
It 110 a b ook ..b out t he POl'llOh .. over the.l'"ar. 1950 - 196 0
witb "bo"t 90ph et Oll'uph a • .I, de ·LWl. e dlt10I1t"Ull'h -Q" .. U t y
ll'l oa "yp..p "r e nd t' j "'e l a nguall'e • . Thl a Porao h . p 'e t " r . -b oo k
_1 11 b" e .. rt aln1ywdoo.. ..d .. tt h gr.. . t e ntbua1aa.. by .. . 1lJ'
Po r eob .. f r ie nd a .......h.ll tak..
Ube r t y of " .... d ing yo u
. n or d. r I'0 1'1ll1n du . HOle . Tbebook wtl1b. . .",.. i hbl .. by
S.ph..b.r1960. tog 1",eyou ..oougb u .... to d.01d....h .. t b ..r
y O\l . ..n t t o 1n o l u d.. 1 t &11101111" y our Cbr1 .t.. "a g 1l't e .
tl,.
The letter that was sent to Porsche dealers by the
book's publisher, Hermann lapper in Stuttgart, in
advance of its publication. Dealers who wanted
to give away copies or sell the book initially
ordered from lappet then later from the factory.
OIL FILTER - MAHLE
$4.75
AIR FILTER ELEMENT ALLWIZENITH . .9.75
1600 ENGINE GASKET SET COMPL. .. .89.50
OIL LINE INLET
8.50
OIL LINE OUTLET
8.50
OIL STRAINER GASKET KIT
1.50
9.25
GENERATOR PULLEY HALF INNER
GENERATOR PULLEY HALF OUTER
9.00
A-B-C- TRANS GASKET SET
.45.50
34.50
SWEPCOGEAR LUBRICANT (GAL)
BOSCH 050 DISTRIBUTOR
.85.00
POINTS FOR .050 DISTRIBUTOR
.2.50
CAP & ROTOR FOR 050 DISTRIBUTOR 19.50
62.50
KINGAND LINK PIN SET GERMAN
BlC HOOD HANDLE with CREST
75.00
CHROME LOCKING ANTENNA
19.50
A-B-CSTAINLESS BRAKELINE SET . . 42.50
BRAKE MASTER CYL. NB wlreservoir . .89.50
$99.50
BRAKE MASTER CYL, CISC
C BRAKE CALIPER KIT F OR R
12.50
A-B-C OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE
19.50
A HORN GRILLE
21.00
B-C UPPER HORN GRILLE
.21.50
B-C LOWER FOG LAMP GRILLE
23.50
A-B HUBCAP BABYMOON
21.50
B HUBCAP S90WITH ENAMELCREST 37.50
C HUB CAP WITH ENAMELCREST
37.50
AS IDE VIEWMIRRORAERO
.41.50
B SIDE VIEWMIRROR PONTOSTABIL .41.50
C SIDEVIEW MIRRORDURANT
.42.50
B-C BUMPER GUARD F OR R
98.50
A BUMPER DECO F OR R
65.00
B-CBUMPERDECO F OR R
62.00
A ROCKER PANEL DECO
50.00
B-C ROCKER PANEL DECO
48.00
CUSTOM-FIT CAR COVERS $109.50
Call about parts for newer Porsches, too
Monday-Friday S am-S:30 pm
We also c a r ry a full in ventory of parts for all other
Porsche models - Please c a ll.
"In nearly every comer of the world, you'll
find Porsche friends who are all members of the
Porsche family.
"And each one remembers vividly his first
introduction to thePorsche... the excitement and
pleasure ofhandling it on theroad... thewonderful experiences he's enjoyed with it.
"The Porsche was first displayed to connoisseurs and critics at the Geneva Auto Show in
1949. The technically skilled and creative hand
of its great designer was immediately evident in
every small detail ofthis fabulous new automotive
achievement. lis classic design is basic and has
become standard for the ultimate in automobile
construction throughout theworld. This is a car
which has theSecurity ofthe past, theExcitement
ofthepresent, and thePromise ofthefuture.
"Adherence by the Porsche Works to the
basic conception and design of the car throughouttheyears hasadded tremendouslytothe prestige and popularity of the Porsche. Whether you
lookat the 1952, 1956 or 1960 models, you will
instantly recognize in eachthesame beautiful profile, and...when you drive any model it responds to
your touch with the same amazing power and
agility.
"This book represents a kaleidoscope of
AUTO RESTORATION
356 Specialists
-Show quality painting
-Metalwork, rust and
collision repairs
-Enqine and transmission
rebuilding
-Interior installation
-Ca rs / part s bought and sold
-Larqe used parts inventory
-Appraisals and pre-purchase
inspections
Same location since 1976
Visitors welcome!
=
Visit us on the internet at:
w w w .fo r e ig n int rigue. c o m
Em ai l to:info@f oreig ni ntr ig u e.com
40 Volum e 26, Number 6
comes the introduction, worth repeating here:
0. "'• •_
.... lU.U ItT><.o.T1l 1)
1360 Gladys Avenue
Long Beach , CA 9080 4
-
V«4
Tel. (562) 439-3333
Fax (562) 439-3956
www.willhoitautorestoration.com
races. 'Iluschke'{s ic) :L~ hisfrie ndscall him, like
the Porsche team, is known theworld over."
Also sought after bythe fans of the bookare
the advertising brochures that Porsche used to
help sell the book to friends of the house of
Porsche. There are at least three pieces known.
The most attractive is the
color, fo ur-page brochure
liThe price? It sold
Then comes the meat of the
that was included in mailings
hook, 77 shots of Porsches of
Cbristopborus magazines
originally for $9.00
to subscribers (page 38). It
356s and Spyders - and the peoor DM38 - prices that admittedlyW:L~ written before
ple behind them. The photographs are in m:lIIYdifferent for- compare quite favorably the bookwas completed and
mats. The horizontal shots are
it quotes contents of
to the $600 minimum "approximately
typically taken from the calen90 large
dars; the vertical shots are typi- for one on eBay today... photo reproductio ns in
callytaken from the covers of the
versus the 79 we
and they have gone well color"
factory magazine. Then some
know the book actually conshots are re-cropped for imagi- over $1,000 at auction." tained.
native page positionings. If we
Asecond two-part card
include the opening two photos of Ferry Porsche
was later used and combined an order card for
and Louisa Piech, 16 of the total 79 photographs
Liebe ZII Ibm with a card for subscribing to
are in black and whitewhile 63 are reproduced in
Cbristopborus. Because these sales were made to
full color.
existing subscribers, the factory shipped out the
Incidentally, the onlyother person presented
book with an Invoice, and buyers paid for the
in the book, per the caption, is: "Porsche Team
hook after they received it. The price? It sold
originally for $9.00 or DM38 - prices that comManager Huschke vo n lIanstein can on occasions
(sic) still not give up actively participating in
pare quite favorablyto the $600 minimum for one
marvelous pictures selected with great care and
love for the subject. It is not intended to demonstrate any specific Porsche model but serves
rather to portray the incomparable Porsche
Experience.
"Each page reflects lace Jar tbe Porscbe
car."
Vintage Posters
Porsch e - Ferrar i - Mercedes
Facto ry - eve nt - spo nsor
Finest selection of 1950-60's & earlier images!
Buy - Sell - Trade
Original Memorabilia
Factory publ ications, photos, signs , adverti sing items, race prog rams , rallye plates ,
post c::ards~ vintage models, original ads.
356 Leather Goods
Key foblholder, Messko tire guage pouch, interior & exterior luggage straps, owners manual
pouch, spare tire strap, GT window straps.
The finest guali/}' leather and craftsmanshipl .
Halon Fire Extinguishers
• No Damage . No Residue · UL Listed. 20 Vr Warranty
on eBay today... and they have gone well over
1,000 at auction.
The last sales piece is a letter, hand-signed,
that promotes thebookto dealersinadvanceofits
publication. The publisher mailed it with a "spring
1960" date line to Porsche dealers on a custom
letterhead printed exclusively for the hook. The
letter notes the hook's availability in September
and advises that the publisher will he forwarding
order forms in due course.
Other references to the book are in the
Advertising Articles catalogs that the factory
issued. The one shown on page 39 is from the
1963 catalog and shows Liebe ZII Ibm along with
other books. Wc also know that there W:L~ a
Marketing Bulletin issued on the book, but it is
eluding this hard-working author at this writing,
buried somewhere in the piles of
Service/Iechnical/Marketing Bulletins that await
sorting some other l-o-n-g weekend.
If you have some other Liebe ZII Ibm items
we could talk about in a future issue, please contact me, Ernail is best at Kell~cr@ opton li n c . n ct or
snail mail to 16 Silver Ridge, WcstonCT 06883. If
necessary, please feel free to call me at home at
203-227-7770 between 8pm and 1 0p m ~e kd ays
or all day weekends. Thank you.
'4W
"California" Used 356 Parts
EASY
European Auto Salvage Yard
4060 Harlan Street
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 653-EASY
Fax (510) 653-3178
email: [email protected]
Glove Box Size:
2" diameter, 8.5" height•
.5" handle extension, 14 oz.
net weight; color: Red.
S74.95+postage
Now you can buy top quality U.S.made rust
repair panels for your Porsche" from the
source. Complete line for 356, 91 1 and 914
at affordable prices. Dealer inquiries invited.
www.restoration-design.com
517-663-4545 FAX 517-663-5318
InteriorfTrunk Size :
2.5" diameter, 10" height.
3" handle extension, 1.3 lb.
net weight; colo r:
Red; mount ing bracket
included. S90.95+postage
VISA and MasterCard accepted
39-page list of memorabilia & products available
SASE +$0 .96 postag e (US) or $3 .00 (foreign) to:
Call or write for a free cata log!
224 Nor! II Main St r eet
Eaton Ra pid s . MI 4882 7 - J2 0 0
SPYD ER ENT ERPRISE S
RFD 1682 - Laurel Hollow - NY 11791-9644
Tel: 516-367-1 616
FAX: 516-367-3260
email: singer356 @aol.com
Personal~g serious enthusiasts §!n~ 198O!
- Distributor Contained
, Electronic Ignition
'NEVERCHANGE
POINTS AGAIN!"
All Bosch Cast Iron: 6v.-$106, 12v.-$97.
050,009, late 031: 6v-$79, 12v.-S69.
Early 031: 6v-$120, 12v.-$110. $2 Fri. in US. Tax in CA.
NEW 050 WIPERTRONIX INSTALLED
6V.-$159, 12V. $149. FRT. ADD'L
SAM SIPKINS
510·632·8232
MarchlApril 2003
41
Wayne Callaway (with Susan
in the background) with his
display of posters and toys.
The old 356 Registry Holiday
posters were especially popular.
Far left: Frank Barrett finally
made a return appearance
with his Toad Hall Motorbooks spread. Moving the
meet forward one week
loosened up Frank's publisher responsibilities for The
Star, the Mercedes-Benz
Club magazine.
by Prescott Kelly
Right: Northern Californian Bob Boyd brought
down an amazing array of rare and desirable
356 and racecar literature, including an original 550 Spyder owners manual and dozens
of 356 Carrera pieces.
Bill Rauskolb and daughter Siena presided
over the best table of VW goodies at the
meet. The white ceramic model at the left
rear isthe rare factory 50th Anniversary
Celebration press and dignitary handout.
Famous Tucson-based Jeff Gamble is
a regular at the lit Meet with his
stunning and prize-winning Porsche
bronze sculptures. These pieces are
so attractive that Jeff is always
awarded the table just inside the
main door.
42
Volume 26, Number 6
Florida's Gary Kempton with Connecticut's
Ernst Benzien and Ernst's delightful
daughter Kirsten (now from San
Francisco), who oversaw the meet's supply of 20th Anniversary toys and T-shirts.
en about I; Porsche hobbyists
first got together for this swap meet
just over 20 years ago at the Hyatt
Hotel next to Chicago's O'Hare Airport, few of us
gaveany thought to whether we'd still be doing it
20 years later, But the driving forces behind "The
Lit Meet" were the same then as they are now:
great fellowship - much of it with people you get
to see onlyat this event, the thrill of the hunt for
new goodies to add to our collections, and a
chancetosell offsome unwanted items and duplicates, Of those three, as it is with almost all 3;6
events, fellowshiphas turned out to be the biggest
draw.
A little history: The organizers - Wa}l1e
Callaway,Jim Perrin, and this reporter - originally
chose Chicago, thinking that the center of the
country would be a good draw for both CO;l~tS .
Three years later, we moved the Lit Meet to Los
Angeles. The Santa Barbara Registry Holiday Lit
Meet in 1983 and then the Porsche Parade Lit
Meet at Costa Mesa in 198; demonstrated that the
heart of this hobby was in California. February
1986 saw the first L.A. version of The Lit Meet,
held at the Hacienda Hotel on Sepulveda
Boulevard justsouth of the airport. The fi rst year
saw tables jump from 30 for the last year in
Chicago to almost ;0 tables. By 1993, at 10;
tablesincluding those on the veranda, wehad outgrO\\11 the Hacienda. The move to the L.A. Airport
Hilton carne in 1994 and that hotel has been the
host for the past ten years.
Located a short courtesy bus ride from LAX
and a half mile off1-40; , the Lit Meet is centrally
located for all of California. Hobbyists from the
Bay Area, Orange County, and San Diego, and all
points in between, drive in. Those ofus not so fortunately located fly in, and this year saw people
visit from about 2; states and 12 countries.
One crewfrom the Midwest exemplified how
to do it. Bill Ramsey, Myron Vernis, Todd
Wingerter, Harry Burnstine, Richard King, and
Ernie Puskas flew in together early in the week
before the meet, rented a huge van, and hit the
Porsche trail. They visited shops, friends, and
vendors who might have some goodies to sell or
trade before the meet. Lots of out-of-towners fol-
W
lowthis routine and several shops nowhave
either formal or Informal open houses. Bob
Campbell, John Willhoit, Carl Thompson,
Bill Perrone, Alex Bivens, Victor Miles,
European Collectibles, West Coast Classic
and others have many guests this week. On
Thursdaynightserious toycollectors end up
at Wa}l1e Callaway's house in Pasadena for showand-tell with freshlyacquired toys and lots of beer
and camaraderie. This year, the festivities - to
include a late dinner in Sierra Madre - included
local hobbyist Tim Board, Henrik Heede from
Germany with his wife and daughter, all the OhioIndiana crew named above, plus Pam and yours
truly
By Friday morning enthusiasts are flowing
into the Hilton. The restaurants stay busy at all
hours - thereare manytime zones represented by
the assembled faithful - and table hopping is
endemic. By 8pm the Hospitality Suite opens and
attendees get their credentials for the show, meet
andgreet, and headoffto oneanother's rooms for
pre-show buying, selling, or swapping. A large
crew (thankfully') joins theorganizers in the halls
downstairs to help label the tables for Saturday
morning. About lam, that task is done, and a few
hours of fitful sleep are sandwiched in. At ohdark-thirtyonSaturdaymorning, a largegathering
is ready to go, and the meet opens to a surge of
Early-Bird shoppers, followed by a tidal wave of
regularshoppersa couple of hours later. This year
all 225 available tables were sold out a week
before the meet, and over 1,000 people visited.
Forthis 20th Anniversary Meet, the organizers hadcommemorative T-shirts and 1/43rd scale
model 3;6s that proved quite popular... butnot as
popularas the old collectibles that dominated the
tables of the meet. Some of the goodies seen this
year included:
- A 19; 2 split-window ceramic 3;6 that the
factory used as one of its very first awards (don't
ask - it was in the thousands);
- Abeautiful original (English-language) ;;0
Spyder owner's manual;
- Abevy of 3;6A-B-C Carrera owner's manuals and supplements;
- A large stack of 3;6 -era distributor and
dealer internal memos;
- An almost complete Merritt-Miller 3;6 literature collection thatsold intact;
- Acomplete run of the English edition of the
factorymagazine Christophorus;
- A set of the colorful 1960 placemats
(reviewed in this column in thejan-Feb issue);
- Type 597 "Hunter" (Porsche's 356-based
"jeep") sales litand owner's manuals;
- The 356-era factory-issued black ceramic
ashtray and cigarette box;
- The rareJYE Spanish 3;6 toy with mechanical tin garage (and original box) thatgraces the
first pages ofthe Upietz/Zentgraf bookon Porsche
toys;
- Several '73 Carrera RS salesbrochures and
owner's manual supplements that changed hands
quickly;
- Apile of factoryphotos of908's plus a data
sheet on the 908;
- The large 3;6 cutaway poster (whichJerry
Seinfeld bought);
- ...and a tremendous amount more.
For nextyear, the organizers are planning to
move the meet to the more commodious quarters
on the hotel's main floor - just behind the lobby.
This move will give vendors and shoppers more
space, especially relieving the over-crowded
aisles. So ifyou haven't made it to "The Lit Meet"
yet, next year would be a great time to start.
Tentative date is January31st. Watch these pages
for updates.
This gorgeous 550
Spyder made the trip
from Germany with its
maker, Bernd Pennewitz
from Stadthagen
Germany (right), and
friend David Levinson
from Haan (left) . It
could have been yours
for $4,500 - actually
quite reasonable given
the workmanship of the
huge model.
MarchIApril 2003 43
t was Bright and Early one Monday
Morning at Noon, on the first day of
October, when the Maestro was "cc'ing"
a pair of Cylinder Heads for the Brooklyn 1968
912,when a Customer walked in through theTen
Ton Titanium Back Door. It was a Brand New
356SC Owner, having just bought his car three
weeks earlier - a Red 1965 Cabriolet, with a reallygood paint job and a nice Leather interior, but
with no perforations in the Seats.
The guy hada "loose" gearshifter andwanted itfixed. Happy to oblige, theMaestro hopped in
the Driver's Seat, grabbed the Gearshifter and
shifted it through thegears. Whilst in any Gear, the
gearshift was loose as a goose!
"Your shifter Bushing are bad," said the
Maestro Confidently. "Either the Bushing in the
base of the Shifter or the onesin the "U" Jointin
the back. Or both! The easiest one to check is the
Shifter bushing."
So the Maestro got out his Allen wrenches
and popped outthe Gearshifter.
Inside the cup of the Shifter Rod, he found
the decapitated remains of the old Bushing.
"AHA!" He shouted- there's your problem! "Your
Shifter Bushing is Shot!"
So the Maestro went to his Stash of Shifter
Bushings and found only one left. Well, one was
all he needed, so he grabbed it and went backto
the 356C. He installed the Bushing. Replaced the
Shifter. And told theguy: "There, that's fixed. Now
your shifting will be MUCH BETTER," said the
Maestro brimming with Overconfidence. "Give it a
try."
The Maestro hopped out of and the Owner
hopped into the Red 356C Cabriolet, Absolutely
Amazed that the Maestro could have Diagnosed
and fixed the problem so swiftly when all the
othershops hadNooooooo idea whatwas wrong.
The Guy grabbed the Shifter. And shifted through
theGears with the engine off.
"Oh it feels soooooo much better," he said.
He fired the 356 up and put the shifter into
Reverse. And let outthe Clutch.
And the 356went FORWARD!
So he tried again for Reverse. And again the
I
Distributors
Remanufactured
Correctly
Keep the original appearance and regain the performance lost through the years. All cast-iron distributors (383/9/18/22) restored to the highest cosmetic standards possib le, recurved and redegreed to utilize the fuel available today.
For further informat ion...
GEARHEAD CO.
DON MARKS
AMITY, OREGON
Call between 6-9 p.m., Pacific time
503-835-8410
44
Volume 26, Number 6
Harry Pellow
The Maestro ~eets a
gearshifter he doesn't like
356went FORWARD!
Now, the Maestro ordered the Owner out of
the car and HE gotinside.
He shoved the Shifter into what should have
been Reverse, but the Shifter ROTATED around
Clockwise! In a Circle! "What the Hel!?" , said the
Maestro.
So, what was wrong. Was wrong, was Wrong?
The Maestro hadseen similar problems with
the Reverse Lockout plate being installed BACKWARDS, but when he checked the Reverse Lock
Out plate, the little "Curved hump" thatkeeps the
Shifter from going into Reverse unless it'spushed
DOWN was on the Right side- the CORRECT sidethe Passenger's Side.
So, what was wrong with THIS 356C Shifter?
Turned out, after the Maestro disassembled
and cleaned everything inside the Shifter, that it
was the "Alignment Dowel Pin" inside the base
thatfits into a groove in the ball at the end of the
Shifter to keep said ball from rotating around in a
circle!
This "Dowel Pin" is held in by the funny
"wire" thatwraps around the base of the Shifter,
whose entire purpose is to hold the Dowel in
place.
In turn, the Dowel keeps the Shifter from
rotating freely.
Fixing the dowel fixed the356Degree Shifter
Problem.
The Maestro happened to glance at the
Engine of the Red Cabriolet and found it to be a
Real 356SCEngine!Arare onewith theEuropean
Heater System, which meant it came from Der
Fatherland or Scandinavia (but probably Der
Fatherland) , and therefore, had Significant Rust.
The Rust had been "fully repaired" at Great
Expense and the Paint job was nice, but Rust is
Rust.
Anyhow, the Engine was pretty well done.
There were a few of the usual errors - things that
attach to the Vertical Surfaces on the Fan Shroud
take 6mm BOLTS but here there be 6mm Cheese
Head Screws.
Not a Big Deal, butTelling.
And most all the 6mm Bolts that WERE on
the engine were the "Replacement Metric" hardware with the 8.8 in the Head and NO
Manufacturer's Logo. The Maestro likes Original
Bolts with Original Logos on them- like Karro,
Kamax, Dera, Verbus, etc. where they canbe seen
and enjoyed byall!
Also, the Breather Can Vent to the Right
Hand Air Filter was butan aluminum tube shoved
into the Holein theWire MeshSolex Air Filter. The
Maestro explained the Right Way- with the
Convoluted Tube going to the Solex's RightAngle
Bent Tubing that attaches to one of the 5 bolts
holding theAir Filter to theCarburetor.
All these things were minor, but then the
Maestro eyeballed the Distributor (an .050, a
good Choice) , and saw Something Strange. It was
an OIL Pressure Gauge "Sender" and it was
attached in a funny way.
Funny "Curious", not Funny "Ha ha". Well,
actually, it WAS Funny "ha ha"!
When the Maestro first noticed the Oil
Pressure Gauge, he looked at the 356C's Dash.
There was a Clock in theDash butno Oil Pressure
Gauge.
So he called the Owner over to eyeball this.
"See that," saidtheMaestro. "That's an Electronic
Sender foran Oil Pressure Gauge. But you DON'T
have an oilpressure gauge in the dash!"
"Whythat's Amazing Maestro.You're Right! I
Don't have a Pressure Gauge!"
"So, that Oil Pressure Sender is actually
Vestigial! But look at this. This is The Most
Amazing, Innovative Creation I've seen on a 356
so far This Millennium!"
Now, try to picture this: You know the
"Junction Block", that piece of Aluminum below
theOil Filter Can that theOil Temp Sender and Oil
Pressure Switch, and Oil Line TO the Oil Filter
screw into? Picture the Junction Block Properly
Installed on an Engine. Now, take outtheBolt that
holds the Oil Line going to the Oil Filter Can.
Place ANOTHER Junction Block (yes, a SECOND
Junction Block) , against theJunction Block onthe
engine, and screw the hollow bolt through the
CENTERofthatsecond Junction Block. That leaves
two Extra Holes in theSecond Junction Block, one
usually used for a Temp Sender and another
where the Line to the Oil Fitter Can went.
The Oil Temp Sender Hole had the Oil
Pressure Gauge. And a "356A" Inlet Oil line (on a
356cCarl) was attached to the second hole!
It as a Rube Goldberg way of getting BOTH
an Oil Pressure Gauge AND an Idiot Light!
Unfortunately, all the guy had to do was to get a
DUAL Oil Pressure Sender- one that will activate
theIdiot Light ifthe Oil Pressure gets toolow!
There was NO NEED for the Rube Goldberg
System! In fact, with alltheadditional "Junctions",
it was much more likely to LEAK! Maybe catastrophically! Such is the Price of Ingenuity.
Sometimes those Ingenious Ideas are GREAT.
Other times, you realize why they've been REJECTED! They're Just Plain WRONG! But Always you:
Keep the 356Faith!
Member's free ads
The classified are exclusively for members' non commercial use . Include your member number
when submitting an ad. Ads MUST contain the full
name of lhe seller and the state in which the item is
located. Ads are limited to 50 words or less of typed
copy. We reserve the right to reject illegible ads or
even worse, to guess at your meaning. The right to
edit or refuse publication is reserved; we are not
responsible for errors, omissions or misrepresentation.
Nole: One car for sale per member, per issue.
CONDITIONS OF SALE/PURCHASE
1. Seller will ship item within 7 days of receipt of payment. If buyer pays with personal check, seller will
ship within 7 days after check is honored.
2. If buyer is not satisfied with the item, buyer may
return item at buyer's expense. Within 7 days of
return of item in same condition as received by
buyer, seller will refund the price.
3. Seller assumes risk of non-delivery when item is
shipped to buyer. Buyer assumes risk of non-delivery
when item is returned to seller.
4. Unless otherwise stated, cost of shipping will be
in addition to item price.
5. By placing advertisements in the 356 Registry,
seller agrees to these conditions. By ordering, buyer
agrees to these conditions.
6. If the conditions of sale are not met, advertiser's
/ purchaser's Registry membership will be terminated. If you have a legitimate concern about a transaction you feel has not met the conditions above,
please contact Vic Skirmants at 27244 Ryan Rd.,
Warren, M148092. Fax 810-558-3616.
• In offering a car, please include your asking price to
save someone a cross-country phone call; chassis,
engine serial numbers are helpful.
• Ads must include your city/state, so buyers will
know where the item is located.
• Also include your membership number so that we
can verify you are a Registry member.
• Ads must be received six weeks before the cover
date. If your ad arrives after the deadline, we will hold
it until the next issue unless you instruct otherwise.
• The Registry will not publish any advertisement or
advocate any service which directly promotes the
alteration or creation of serial or 1.0. numbers normally found on the factory "Kardex" or Certificate of
Authenticity.
• Send your free member ads to the mail address
below or email to GordonMaltby @356regislry.org
356 Registry
215 W. Myrtle St.
Stillwater, MN 55082-4804
" ; 2 Cabriolet. Original engine. Silver/tan. Runs well.
~Iostly original parts, $3;,000. Mike Tuck, Redwood City,
CA. 6;0-368-1 736.
" ; ; Continental Coupe, Ser. #B3 08, Sunroof, Azure Blue,
1600 engine, 20,000 mi since compl. overhaul, Abarth
muffler, rechromed Rudge wheels with new Continental
tires, sameOIl11er for over 30 yrs. $36,000. Peter Stettinius,
Santa Barham CA. 80;· 687-3872, 8-10 AM or 8-10 PM
Pacific time. [email protected].
" ; ; Pre A-Speedster. Black wIRed Interior. A Phoenix,
Arizona car w/matching numbers. $;8 ,000. Dick
Stromfers, 623-93; -9406 or [email protected].
" ; 6 3;6ACoupe #; ; 673. All numbers match, verified by
Kardex. Original engine, trans, wheels, even huhcaps!
Correct Aquamarine Blue Metallic (#;7 07) with red interior. Restored bythe Paterek Bros. 2; YC'J rs ago. Very nice
car to drive and/or show. Complete tool kit, original
owner's manual. $26,;00. Brad Unnston, Pittstown :'oiJ
908-73;-2110.
" ; 7 Speedster (have Kardex) #83030, 64 SC Eng
#1'73 1178, Balanced, Blueprinted, Fresh original trans
BBAB, New brakes, New suspension, ZF box, Original
coupeSC'J IS, Cibies, Konis, Restored '89-'92 approx 10,000
miles since restoration, IIigh bow top, Connollyred leather,
Slategray, Y&Z harness, Many moreparts too numerous to
mention all included $6;, 000/obo, Glenn Mathias, Bowie
MD [email protected] 301-809-6033 EST
" ; 9 3;6 Aconvertible D. Fonner E production race car
from the 1970s. Ground up resto for vintage racing in the
late 80s, but never driven. Speedster windshield, 70s era E
prodengine, (3; 6 C), dose ratio IrJUs, disc brakes, stock
fenders, rollbar, and no interior. The car is not completely
finished. $24,;00 with trailer. Located in Eustis, FI.. Jim
LeRoy., 3;2-3; 7-18;6, e-mail [email protected]
" ; 9 coupe, 1600;\1, #10; 387, car is apart on included
rotisserie, some restoration done, most new rust panels
ind., engine #1'66223 (not orig), rebuilt, ready to go,
transaxle 644 type, rebuilt. have allglass, car is 9; %complete. $4200 for all. dig pies available. Jim Adkins, ~IO .
; 73·624-9933 adkinsj@midwt'St.net
" ; 9 3;6A Coupe, Viu 108342, Black Body-Red interior.
Black plate Calif car that was long term US dry stored.
Splendid flaking paint on straight bodywith excellent gaps.
All complete. Fitted with SC motor No. 812903. Car nowin
UK with all taxes paid (thus Europe also) offered at
GBP£78;0. Tel: London UK 0044 20743; 8;4; (before
IOpm GMT please) or email [email protected]
Tom Brent
" 60 3;6Bcoupe racer, Fullyprepared and maiutained by
Ecurie Engineering. Ruby red w/yellow nose. Fresh engine.
Virtually all racing extras, Fast, half second behind Vic
Skirrnants on his home track. CalVE-mail for pictures and
specifications. $37,000. 847-94; -2; 14, Ken Birchard,
Deerfield, II.., I\[email protected]
" 613;6B coupe, Redllightgreyleatherette, #112948, normal engine #606300. No rust, excellentdriver, newsquareweave carpet, battery, chromewheels, clutch assy. $10';00
finn. Located in Indianapolis, IN. Ken !Iaselwander,
ken3; [email protected] or 317-86; -767; .
" 62 D'ieteren T-6 Roadster #89612, Red/black, 6V,
103,000miles butdriven less than 4,000 miles since complete restoration 1982. Recent bare-metal repaint.
Beautilul, no rust. lnvited byPCNAas participantin Porsche
salute at Monterey IIistories, 1982. $68,000. Can be seen
on website: http://home,hellsouth.netipIPWP-62Roadster.
I'll send detailed car history if e-rnailed at:
[email protected], or 8;0-492-9364.JayPhelan.
" 63 3; 6C Coupe #21; 437. Eng. 711469. Black exterior,
red interior. Car purchased from California in July 2001.
Bare-metal repaint early 2002 and replacement of all rubher seals, New radio/cd player installed in glovebox. Body
has no rust and is beautiful. Interior is in nice condition.
Great daily driver. $17,000. Kenneth Moore, Griffin, GA.
770-412-1096 or [email protected].
" 63 1600 S coupe #212247, engine 70; 221. Ruby red,
black interior. Rebuilt engine with big bore kit. Rust free.
Bare metal repaint, 1997. New rubber, chrome, tires.
Brakes and shift linkage rebuilt, 1999. Blaupunkt radio,
tool kit, jack, car cover and manual ind uded. Very origi-
nal, honest, excellent driver, 17,; 00. Steve Keams, P.O.
Box 1262, Hailey, ID 83333 or stCl e@kC'J rnsbuilders.com.
" 63 3; 6 T-6 Super90 #123431, !Ieron Gmy, Black Int.Eng
#1'-602171. Ground up restoration, professional paint/body
work, newfloor and rebuiltengine in '92. Has won awards
in localshows, Good driver. Luggage Rack, bra, Workshop
Manual, extra parts and wheels. $18,000. Priscilla French,
Dixon, II. 81;-284-; 043, [email protected]
" 63 3; 6BCoupe 1600s, Chassis 21210; , Engine704896,
Transrnissinn 60;;6. White with red interior. Engine
rebuild by Maestro in 1993. All mechanical and electrical
systemsin excellent shape. Some rust bottom door, battery
box. Daily driver in Italy 1998-2001. $17';00. Bill and
Susan Jobst, 98; -640-1666, Slidell, LA or [email protected]
" 63 T; 3;6 B Super Coupe. #122047 Engine#: 704119
~Iileage: 88,H 9. Matching numbers. Kardex. \l;'hite' red
interior, Asolid, coupe wiih most metal restoration completed. Engine apart. Straight body with excellent panel
gaps. Some rust in door hottoms and frontof hood. Priced
forquicksale at $4,7; 0.JimGiordano, Bellevue, WA email:
[email protected] or 42; -603-9612.
" 64 SC Coupe #128868, Eng# 820680 restored with sweet
recent (1400 miles) engine rebuild by Ken Daugherty of
Inuisville (Thanks again Ken!) . Excellent gaps and paint,
grey leather, Ruhy red, )lias llella euro headlamps, have
originals; correct original wheels; nell' uninstalled Autos
International squareweave grey carpet set (the original is
toogood to change), new cocos; twin 40 Webers with correct intake manifolds; great smooth trunsmlsston: good
heater, expected defrost (hardly any) $36,000 invested:
$2; ,000 finn; ifyou sec and drive it you will buy. Car is in
Indianapolis area. Fred Butler, 317-873-; 288, [email protected].
" 64 Kannann Coupe #217497. Original engine with new
Weber carbs (!II'C), .0; 0 \lill1 a Pertronix, and a Monza
exhaust. Converted to 12 volts, Originally Signal red with
one repaint to Guards red. Right side door has been
replaced, gaps are good. Paint is very good bUI has a 3" x
4" area above the bottom of leftfront fenderwith bubbling
underthe paint. Orig. solid floors, longitudinal, diagonals,
etc. Repair under batteryonly. 91I headlights, Small dentin
rear bumper trim on right hand side of car. KBYGR2 gas
shocks. New steering dampener. Original black interior.
Nell' floor mat, Blaupunkt works on FMonly, another radio
in glove box. Could use a new headliner. Fuchs with 19;
Michelins. email pictu res available. Asking $19,000.
Looking for a IT Tiptronic or a Z3 coupetrade, Dan Gee,
;40-344-8003. Roanoke, VA. [email protected].
" 64 3;6SC Coupe #130099, Red w/Black interior. Eng
#1'7320;4 , Professionally restored I yr ago. Chrome
wheels, 12Velec, I.uggage rack, $2; ,000. Mike McKinley,
Iustin, CA 714-838-33; 3. campmckrscox.net.
" 6; C Cabriolet, #162023, lvory/black, full concours
restoration of engine, transaxle, body, interior, top. 121'
conversion, original hom ring, luggage rack, Blaupunkt,
wheels. 912 engtne/webers currently installed. Original
enginewith 6k onoverhaul included. $39,; 00. PaulAdams,
2482 !Ioof Circle, Shingle Springs, CA 9;682. ;30-67678; 4, fax ;30-676-13;3, sahpaa@c\lTIet.com.
" 6; 3;6C Coupe, #220; 16. Champagne Yellow. Clean int
& ext wllug rack, recent tires, battery, paint. Mechanically
sound. )liot concours, buta sharp, reliabledriver. Originally
WestCoast car, wellcaredforsince transfer toCT (no snow,
rain, salt or sun). $1; ,000. Loren Lettick, Wallingford, CT,
[email protected] 203-269·62 18.
MarchiApril 2003
45
Factory 550 enamel sign, '60 Aspen parade license plate,
PCA cloth banner, Strenger Factory reissue poster set #1,
many models/toys. Douglas Palm, 4243 S. Clarkson St.,
Englewood, CO 80110, 303-973-6509.
*Posters - Original dealerpostersfrom the 1950s, 1960s &
1970s showing 356s, Spyders, 904s etc., "1909-1959"
poster with 356A, $600. Jim Perrin, 614-882-9046, [email protected].
' Misc. parts: email me for list of parts for sale or your
needs. Jim Adkins, MO. 573-624-9933 [email protected].
*Parts: Speedster windshield frames. 3 upper pieces,
$I,OOO/ea. I lower piece$1,500. Conv. DlRoadster doors,
complete with glass door handles & original side panels.
Completetopassembly(originaltop). MikeIuck, Redwood
City, CA. 650-368-1736.
' Perfect condition '60s Blaupunkt radio, M, AM & FM
bands; refurbished by Wilford Wilkes. $330 firm. Ben La
Mar, Box 3122, HalfMoon Bay, CA 94019.650-726-4535.
' For Sale: 12V Bosch Regltr blk (N.O.S.). Hella 128's new
(2 pairs). Marchal fog/driving lights (restored) . Pre-A
Crank STD. SC Crank 050. A-B Instruments restored. 356912-911 Literature (150pieces) dealfor all. M. Lederman,
[email protected], 310-721-2516, fax 310-657-4760.
*356C eng. #P71 5137, complete w/htr boxes, Ansa exit,
clutch assy. Runs great. $2,800. Hardtop for Cab, nice
cond, $1,400. MESSKO gauge w/pouch from T-5 toolkit,
$225. Peter Heiligenthaler, 8 Scenic Dr., Clinton Corners,
NY 12514,845-266-5864.
'Steel wheelfor disc brake car 5.5x15$40, alum/steel push
rods$1 ea, oilcooler, old type, $50,912 engine case $600,
fan shroud$60, rear axle tubes $45ea, Zenith intake manifolds $40/set, 741 nose piece $40, main shaft $100,
tachometer $60, speedometer $60, Jon Meigs 4028 Casa
Grande Ct. Elkton, Fl. 32033, 904-827-9684.
*Parts: 356AIB Parts forsale: Super &Normal Engines and
Parts. A&B transaxles: $450ea. Zenith NDIX Carbs &
Manifolds: $295 set. ZenithAircleaner Cans: $45ea. Solex
PI!4 carbs: $175ea. Acabdoor-LH $375. BCab Doors-RH,
(T5) $350 & $175. Red B Interior-VG condo& complete:
$550/all. AIB/C Gauges &Switches. ACab Windshield frame
& dash clip-$350. Complete A front susp/steering
boxlbrake assembly-rust included: $250. AlB Gas Tank,
superb. $350.AlB Gas Tank, needs sealing: $125. CGauge
Set-(w/electric Tach) -Show Quality $550/set. Pre A early
turn signal Assembly and Bosch Distributor #VES BR4383.
Sport Muffler, B brake drums-set of 4 in good condoHella
128foglights, 3 Blaupunkt radios. Csteel wheels: $45 each.
Fuchs 6xl5 Alloys:$625/4. Loads of other NOS and Used
Parts.JimGiordano, Bellevue, WA, [email protected] or call
Jimat 425-603-9612 .
' 356 B/C original workshop manuals, 3 volumes in
binders, $120. 356A workshop manuals, 2
volumeslbinders, 1956, photocopy, $40. 356 spare parts
catalog, 1957, photocopy, $10. Up-fixin Vol. 2. '61-'66,
photocopy, $15. Christophorus 1967-2001 , 37 issues, $80.
Panos 1976-current, 300+ issues, $125. Porsche Carrera
sunglasses, black frames, '60-'70, $60. Shipping extra.
Shep Adkins, 930 RidgewaySt., Morro Bay, CA 93442-2851.
805-772-7757. [email protected].
*FactoryCalendars '59-'63 &'74-'79, Bosica 356 metal kit,
46 Volume 26, Number 6
" 61 356 Roadster #89005: Parting out my 356 Race Car.
Rust-free tub, 2 state-of-the-art Ecurie-built race motors;
skid pan; ltd-slip transw/ discs and HlBIEIA gears; racing
susp. components; fuchs wheels; call or e-mail for complete list and prices. Bob Tenges, Mequon, WI. [email protected].
' Bosch sv Horn, works, emblem still there. ,$25. S-90
Sump Valve, cleaned with newseal. $75. Fuel Gauge from
C, 6V. Rebuilt by N. Holly Speedo. $75. Reardeck lid from
CCoupe, with goodgrilles, minor rust in one corner. $100.
Push rod tubes, newset, $40. Hood handle ForBor C, good
chrome, orig. ceramic crest. $50. B. Morin, (508) 4291949 or [email protected]. Holliston, Mass
' Custom-built '58 Speedster fiberglass and metal hardtop.White w/white perforated headliner. Karman look with
flip out rear sidewindows andfull view plexiglass sidecurtains and glass rear window in metal fram e ('38 Chevy
coupe). Top hassufficientheadroom to fit 6'4" driver without removing wood seatrails. With sidecurtains removed,
no wind buffetingto 100 mph. StandardSpeedstermountinghardware. Needs newbottom seal. Back seatshelfwith
carpeting for flat luggage loading. Back seat rear from
coupe. $1995/obo. All + shipping and crating. 356A716/0
Transaxle with mounts and cradle, no axle tubes #25085,
$750/obo. Ruediger von Prittwitz, 2817 Greenfield Dr.,
Merced, CA 95340. 209-722-1935.
*356 Parts: "Porsche Pit Stop" poster $80. Porsche flag
3x5, the perfect gift, $49.95. Derrington wood wheel, not
repro, excellent condition, $1500. '56 356 A Carrera
coupe, die cast model 1:18 red $39.95. Plus shipping.
Thomas H. Powers, 1119 Glendale Rd. , York, PA 17403.
717-968-5080 or 717-845-5734.
*Porsche design ballpoint pen. Original box, never used.
14-K gold!stainlesssteel braided mesh bodypart#WAP 050
509 10. Orig $149. Asking $95. plus$5. ship. Original Fact.
poster "PORSCHESEIG: LE MANS '81" with a 936 #11driven by Icks &Bell. In orig. factory mailing tube. $45. +$5.
ship. Richard Bitterman 1701 W. Chase Ave. Chicago, IL
60626. Phone 773-743-1511 , Fax 743-3330. or Email
[email protected]
' Parts: For T-O Speedster (all stamped 383) Hood, not
bent, $500. Doors, high strikers, $1,000. Engine lid, $175.
Rear bumper, $200. 356 Limited slip, worn, missing one
shim, $200. 356A NOS trunk int. panel (4 pes welded
together) 644.502 .010.00, $1,000. 356AConvDcarpet set,
wool, black, $250. 356A Convertible D cloth top, black,
Robbins, $200. 4 cam angled tach drive, $100. Mike
Immarino, OH 440-968-3420. [email protected].
*1x set of Mahle pist/cyls, 4 pcnewintheboxfor Cengine,
madein Germany $1,600., I x front single mount forearly
B gearboxes, used in 59-60 new $400, 2 x B front brake
drum, new$680. each, I x set-R andLstubaxles forlate A
and B's, newnot redone for thepair $770, Bosch regulator
for late B and Cs, Bosch #0190350030 made in Germany
$120, pairof teardroptaillights,neworiginal SWF, notrepro
with red lens $650, Minilux glove box light,a veryrare factoryaccessory,new in the original bag$510.All listed parts
are new, in perfect condition and original Porsche-Swf or
Bosch. I will also trade with parts that I am looking for,
please see ad in "Wanted" section. Reinhold Plank, 39040
Varna Italy, fax 0472-200523 email [email protected]
' Engine #64889-1957 1600 Normal: Had about500 miles
on it afterfull rebuild bya 356 shop in Phoenixwhen itwas
removed and has been in dry storage, wrapped in plastic
since. Complete with: Zeniths, allsheetmetal (detailed) and
flywheel, less heater boxes. Price negotiable, but above
$1500. Engine #41148 (wrong number) , 616/40- 1969
912with split shaft Solexes: Complete w/ sheetmetal, solexes, flywhelli, heater boxes, running condition unknown.
$1000. 3-Piece Engine Case #P6621O- no crank- just 3Piece Case. $500. Late 1958 356 Roadster Transaxle
#28971, (716/0), removed from very earlyConv. D during
resto, operated fine when removed. $1000. FOB. AI
Schommer, NewIberia, Louisiana, 337-367-5689(h) , 337839-0800 (w).
' 356A Nardi steering wheel, must be original. Fitted luggage for 356s. Factory 356-era tools as supplied to dealers,
such as PIOI, P102, etc. Jim Perrin, [email protected].
614-882-9046.
*1953 Pre-A face plate and bracket thatholdsthe radio in
the dash. I have horiz. knobs (Telefunken). PaulRitchey,
1975 SE 3rd St., Durfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-427-3071.
*Set of steel wheels datedJan thruApril 1961 to use in my
'61 Roadster. Tony Scalies, [email protected], 610-2737300.
*AIB/C Cabriolet, Roadster or Conv. D. I will consider a car
in any condition, including an unfinished restoration or
project car. Location not a problem. Cash or trade for
coupe or olderJaguar. Jim Giordano, Bellevue, WA. 425603-9612. [email protected].
*AMlFM radio for
[email protected].
1960
T5.
Ron
Voyer,
*Information on 1964 356c (220370) . Original purchaser
lived in Phoenix, AZ. Boughtfrom a dealer (Competition?)
in Culver City, CA. I bought the car from RogerJ. Brown of
San Diego whoowned the car for 28 years. Color Bali Blue
with Black interior. Barry McKee, 2394 Sinclair Circle,
Burlington, ON, L7P3C3. 905-335-9723. virbar2 @aol.com
' Information on a 1957 Coupe, YIN 101124. Sold in 1965
in Las Vegas, NY. Was Silverlblack with a 1952 latefall 1500
factory rebuilt engine (KD-P-03075I) . Had a Halda Speed
Pilot, a dash-mounted stopwatch, and body-mounted wing
vent windows. Please contact Bill Rokovitz, 702-655-8877,
Las Vegas, NY, [email protected].
*Restored or mostly restored A Coupe. Glenn, 219-7696474, Schererville, IN or email spec sheet/pies to:
[email protected]..
*1956 Porsche "Driver." Limited budget, willpickup.Chan
Jay, 503-23 1-3745, Portland, OR.
*For '55 Speedster: Complete set correctdoor handles or
locks only. Complete set (correct) front & rear beehives.
Complete set bumper guards, front & rear. Mike Tuck,
Redwood City, CA. 650-368-1736.
*Lowerwindshield moldingforSpeedster, the one mounted
on the body. Driver manual fora 05/57 Coupe, thatshould
have the manual fromlate '; 6. ~PR big bore kit.Will trade
for parts. see For Sale ad. Reinhold Plank, .W040 Varna
Italy, f:LX Italy 0472-200;23, email [email protected].
· looking for a black Speedster, any year, in good to excellent shape..\ lust be matching numbers throughout, have
orig. kardex colors, and be as original as possible. El'ery
car considered although not looking for big project car.
Please contact Greg PrughJackson lIole, \W greg@jhrealtycom 877.7.W.8 103
LOCKSMITH SERVICES Offering a fulllineof factory,
non-factory and high security keys as well as location
services for hard-to-findblanks; keys cut by code; key
chartavailable. Perform ten-pointquality restorationof
locks and door handles. Electrical repair of ignition
switches performed. Key accessories available, i.e,
bulbs and batteries for light keys, fobs and pouches,
etc. For info call: Tony Euganeo 610-461 -0519. 501
Folcroft Ave. Sharon Hill, PA 19079
HONEST ENGINE Experience since 1965 in all areas
of the 356. Specializing in streel/high performance,
concourse, vintage race engine assembly and parts.
From fullconcourse to vintage race/high performance
street car restoration and preparation. Ask for Steve
Schmidt 714-832-3128, FAX 714-832-3198 or website / email at www.honesteng.com.
PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE PARTS: Acrylic green
replacement sunvisors for '51-'57 356. Rivets and
directions included. $60/$5 S&H. Tom Kincaid, 262249-0577. N-1545 Linn Pier Rd., Lake Geneva, WI
53147.
Dreamin' about driving your beloved Porsche in the
most famous European Historic Races (Mille Miglia,
French tour...)? AutobaseFrance offers youa parking
space right near Paris! Our facilities are heated and
safe, and we maintain your car so that it's always
ready to go. We can provide technical assistance on
the spot! For more info: Autobase France, 6 bis, rue
Danton, 78420 Carrieres sur Seine, France.
www.911avendre.com or [email protected].
SAFETY LIGHTS: The Lereyn Company has done it
once again! We have a new product, The Light Bar.
Check ourweb site, www.thirdbrakelight.com. forinformation on the Light Bar, as well as all the other products we offer for your 6 volt and 12 volt cars; Third
Brake Lights, Turn Signal Lights, and Tail Lights, all to
give you more visibility while driving. We now take
Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express to
make it easier for you to charge your purchases. Find
The Lereyn Company at: www.thirdbrakelight.com or
831 -636-3046. Add peace of mind to your driving
experience-hundreds of satisfied 356 drivers have
alreadyadded Lereyn Company lights to their cars.
BRAKES sleeved and rebuilt: Masters, wheels, clutch,
slave, calipers, Proportioning valves, boosters and
shoes relined . Quick Service. Lifetime written
Warranty. White Post Restorations, One Old Car
Drive, PODrawer 0, White Post, VA22663. 540-8371140 www.whitepost.com
Wooden Steering Wheel Restoration and Repair.
Complete & correct re-wooding, polishing, machine
turning (L.L.), and plating available. Many exotic
woods for custom orders. VDM, Nardi, Les Leston,
Derrington, Moto-Lita and others. Also B/C type
Carrera wheels. AUTOMOTIVE SCULPTURE by
Bruce Crawford. 805-528-6240. CA.
Optima batteries: Corrosion free/true zero maintenance battery for your Porsche. Totally sealed, nogas
or acid can escape. 800 CCA, retains charge in storage. 72-month warranty. Extremely rugged! $13512vt1$124-6vt, includes UPS. Add $5 west of Miss.,
"chipped" battery tenders 6 or 12-$40. Master cutoff
switch $10. CHATHAM MOTORSPORTS, 225 N.
Maple, Vinton, VA 24179. Chathamms @aol.com. 540981-0356(cute number, eh?)
DOC & CY'S carries a full line of PARTS FOR 356
NEW AND USED. Our catalog shows sheet metal,
trim, rubber and mechanical parts to help in your
restoration or maintenance. Bosch H4 conversion
headlight(replace seal beam) with 6 volt bulb, $48/ea.
Complete Hella European headlight assembly, $1 50.
Repro A horn button, $85. Inlet/outlet oil line $10/ea.
T6 battery floor, $60. B/C shiftboot, $14. Doc & Cy's,
1325 W. 30th St., Indianapolis, IN 46208. 1-800-9500356 or email: docncys @in.net.
NEW BOOKS: Porsche Museum 20.Faszination 356,
Kubiak 45.Porsche LeMans, Upietz & Cotton
75.Complete Porsche 912 Guide 20.Porsche 356A or
356B-T6 or 356B/C T5 Electrics (new format)
80.Automobile Year #49 45.Porsche Cayenne 40.
STOCKED: 356 Performance Guide, Spencer 20.356
Porsche: Driving in its Purest Form 45.Porsche 356
Carrera 30.356 Registry Porsche Technical and
Restoration Guide 18.356 Authenticity, rev 3
20.Porsche Speedster, Thiriar 45. Porsche 356
Defined, Johnson 30. Buying, Driving, Enjoying The
Porsche356, 20. Porsche356& RS Spyders, Maltby
(soft) 20. Porsche Legends (soft) 20. Porsche 356,
Long 28. Porsche 911 : Forever Young 55. Auto Union
GP Race & Record Cars, Van 32.Please include $3.
postage/shipment. BLOCKS BOOKS-THE FANATICS
CHOICE, 7295 Coldspring, West Bloomfield, MI
e-mail:
48322-4214 USA.
248/535-1449
[email protected]
FROM THE MAESTRO'S COLLECTION Engines;
Super 90s, Supers, 356s, 912s, Military Industrials, 2pc case engines. MaestroMaster Supranormals!
Transmissions, too. 356NB/C, including 644 and 741
Carrera with ZF lim. slip. Weber, Solex and Zenith
carbs, NEW 356B cranks. Used N B/C/912/Super 90
cranks. New 200mm flywheels. New mufflers, valves,
gasket sets. Piston/cylinder sets. Engine ass'y videos
- 5 tape set, 10hours, $75./set.And a Speedstertrans.
(BBAB gears) with a 741 nose piece, new bearings,
synchros, complete! Is the Maestro RETIRING? Call
HCP Research 408-727-1864, fax 727-0951 email:
[email protected] hcpresearch.com
TECH INFO: Exploded-View Part Diagrams setsshow all parts: Pre-A 51 pgs-$14, 356-A74 pgs-$1 7,
356-B T-5/T-6 118 pgs-$23, 356-B/C 114 pgs-$23.
Factory Workshop manuals: Pre-A250 pgs-$45, 356A 500 pgs-$65, 356 B/C 900 pgs-$85. Factory Parts
Books: 53 Pre-A 160+ pgs-$35, 55 Pre-A 350 pgs$45, 356-ACOMING, 356-B 1,016pgs'$75, 356-B T-6
Supplements-400+ pages-$45, 356-C Supplements
300+ pages-$40 (356-B + 356 BT-6 or 356-B + 356-C
together-$99) All are copies in 3-ring binders.
Postage
Paid
in
USA.
Website:
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/derwhite/Derwhites356
LiteraturePage.htm Email: [email protected].
Charlie White 8639 E. Via de los Libros, Scottsdale,
AZ 85258 PH: 480-367-8097.
Europeanvintage auto radio repair.
Blaupunkt, Becker, Telefunken, etc. Covering all 356s
and early 911s. 1950-1970. Tube or transistor. The
only shop catering to these specialized radios exclusively. Summer residence - Wilford Wilkes, P.O. Box
103, Brisbin, PA 16620 Ph. 814-378-8526. Winter residence is 457 La Playa, Edgewater, Florida, 321 41 .
Ph. 386-409-3093.
SAM SIPKINS, 356 MECHANIC. Custom Engine
Rebu ilding, Mechanical, Electrical, Structural Repairs.
PARTS SPECIALS: Fram Oil Filters, biggest and best
with gasket that fits, 3 for $15.60, 5 for $25. Racing
Exhaust System for B/C with U.S. Heater, Glasspack
$79, Quiet $99. KYB Nitrogen Shocks give a beautiful
ride, Front $48/pr, Rear $64/pr. Limited quantity
Engine Bearing Sets, ConRod B/C/SC .25mm under
$29, Mains C/SC .25mm under $100, Mains C/SC
.5mm under $1 00. Oil Strainer Kit $3. Conti Fan Belt
$4. Bosch Platinum PlugsWR7BP - 4 for $12. Freight
Add'l. Tax in CA. SAM SIPKINS, 950 77th Ave. #6,
Oakland, CA94621 ,510-632-8232. AMEX, VISA, MC,
DISCOVER.
March/April 2003
47
Vintage Racing I Restoration
Products & Services
For the 356 GT:
• Louvered aluminum decklidskins • Oil tankscreen & bracket
• GT louvers foryour steeldecklid • Rollbar with stubends
• Gascap with fin - nickelplated· Gas filler neckand tray
• FullSupport Wheel Spacers for DrumBrakes
• Aluminum GT mirrorcovers
• BrakeBacking Plate Conversions • GT Make-overs
Racing/Restoration Products & Services:
• Zenith Cams - RacePreparation
• WoodSteering Wheel Restoration and Refinishing
• Vintage RaceDecals - ManyStyles and Sizes
All Work Performed by European Craftsmen
Robert Kann
Phone / fax (562) 431-1523 • Los Alamitos, CA
Catalog Available • [email protected]
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References ava ilable from many satisfied customers.
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356 Tall 4th Gear Available • 28/21 Ratio
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Phone: (386) 428-BODY (2639)
email @:[email protected]
eft Mainely
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8645 Commerce Ave.
San Diego, California 92121
email [email protected]
See us on the web at:
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3561912
Volume 26. Number 6
356-911
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Custom by Design, Inc. • Berwick, ME
Tel: (207) 698-7646 Fax: (207) 698-7706
48
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No affiliation with or approva l of Porsche AG or Porsche Cars North America, or the 356 Registry is intended or implied.
ur final three races of the HSR 2002
season were reallywet, wet and pretty cool. In the second week of
September we shared a race weekend at Road
Atlanta with Tropical Storm Hanna. Two weeks
later in Savannah we got a brush from a tropical
wave for a half a day of wet conditions. Then on
November I it was medium cool in Daytona for
somefast race times.
O
ATLANTA
The Atlanta Historic Races started outdryfor
Friday's practices with nine of Dr. Porsches finest
creationstaking to the track. Keith Denahan (your
correspondent) was fastest, followed closely by
JohnSchrecker, Tim Baker and Bill Hartong. Next
on the time sheet is Jim Matthews, Jim Voss and
Dale Erwin. BothMike and Scott Krueger, a fatherson team had problems early 01' mayhe just forecasted the weather and left early. The last dry session of the event is the ever-popular Klub Sport
Challenge with five 356s joining the twenty-seven
Porsche field. Bill was ninth overall followed by
Tim and Dale. John did not start because of
trans/clutch problems, and Keith jumped the new
start procedure.
Saturday started out wet for quali~in g with
John on pole followed hy Dale, Keith, Bill andJim
M. The wind dried the track for a fast qualif)ing
race with Keith winning followed by John, Tim,
Dale, Jim M. andJim Voss. Then all hell let loose
and the rest of the day was rescheduled for
Sunday.
Sunday morning was storm-like but the
show must go on.John won a very slippery, excit-
ingfeature race followed verycloselybyKeith, Tim
and Dale. Just under an hour later we choose to
do it again for the second annual JIM CONNERTII
356 MEMORIAL RACE. The conditions worsened
as we snaked our way around to miss the small
lakes. Sliding was the norm and on the hack
straight as you hydroplaned all you could do was
wait and hope for a little grip. Jim Matthews performed a perfect 360 coming down the hill and
just kept going. The race became a little scary
because of lack of vision giving a huge advantage
to the leader. Keith survived in the lead followed
very closely hy TIm, Dale, Jim ~I. , John and Bill.
John slide off hut posted fastest wet lap again.
Special thanks toJohn and Marth a ofJ. SCHRECK-
Another racing season
passes so quickly
ER JEWELRY for sponsoring this race and supporting 356 racing for manyyears.
We 356 racers decided we had enough wet
for one event and skipped the enduro. Another
race in just two weeks made the decision easier.
SAVANNAH
Six of us ,~ 5 6ers arrive in Savannah to a wet
forecast; but it was dry! The overall turnout was
low again meaning this could he our last time on
this 356-friendly track, In Friday practices Keith
was fastest followed hyJohn, Jim Voss, Dale and
Tim. The day ended with my favorite race; The
KWB SPORT RACEwith Keith seventh overall followed very, very closely hy Tim, John, Dale and
Jim.
Qualifying on Saturday morning showed Tim
fastest; next on the time sheet was Keith, John,
Dale, Jim and Dennis Leadbetter. Our one-hour
enduro was right after lunch break so you don't
get to enjoy the food. Keith led, followed very
closelyagain byTim. The five-minute pitstop separated us, relieving some of the pressure. Keith
kept the lead followed byTim,John, Dale andJim.
Later in the day in our qu ali ~ing race it was Keith
again followed by Tim (less then a tenth back),
John, Dale,Jim and Dennis.
Sunday morning the min arrived and ended
pretty quickly, leming us a wet track for our feature race. We asked each other and ourselves the
question, "Will the track dry enough and what
tires to use?" Oh well, Keith led and pulled away
on rain tires but John and Tim closed quickly on
dry tires as the track dried. Keith held themoffon
the last lap by keeping the door closed in the
rhythm section. John turned fastest lap in the wet
again givinghim the title of Rain Master.
DAYTONA
Dad and I arrived Thursday somewhat
relaxed with a day to set up in the cool Daytona
Beach weather. Four 356s made the trip, three
from Florida and one from Colorado. Keith was
fastest right out of the trailer followed by Paul
Swanson,John Winter and Jim Voss. We qualified
Friday afternoon with Keith still fastest then Paul,
John and Jim. Friday again ended with that very
exciting KWB SPORT CHALLENGE and all four of
us joined the thirty-two car field forsomefast and
furious racing. Keith got a nice pull from some
veryfast two-liter sixes fora great lap time andfinished fifteenth overall followed by Paul, John and
Jim.
In the Saturday morning qualifying race
Keith led John, Jim and Paul (out with shifter
problems). Keith's motor tired and would not go
any more. At Sunday morning's feature race John
Winter won followed hyJimVoss and Paul.
So another racing season offun, friends and
furyflewbyso quickly, just as life does. Sodo what
makes your heart both race and rest with excitement. See you at the track soon.
Until next time, limit your slip
Clockwise from left: Denahan, Hunycut and
Schrecker at Savannah. The start, and John
Schrecker's #777 at Roebling Road. John Winter
on Daytona's banking. Jim Voss in his Roadster
at the Daytona horseshoe. R. Harrington photos
March/April2003
49
Net Results
Pushing Your luck
I made the mistake ofleaving myheadlightson the other afternoon at the
supermarket and of coursemy battery drained. I searched around for someone to give me jump butno one had cables. Then it occurred to me I could
push start the car, though I'd never attempted it myself. I asked a fewvolunteers to get the vehiclerollingandafter several attempts was finallyable to get
it started. Question: I'm not a gearhead like some of you on the list, but can
someone give a thumbnail of why push starts work in the first place? Also,
what'sthe correct sequence? a)get car rolling, turn key ingnition to on, clutch
into 2nd, pop clutch b)turn key ingnition to on, get car rolling, clutch into
2nd, pop clutch c)clutch into 2nd, turn key ingnition to on, get car rolling,
pop clutch d)makes no difference Al Nick
I'm notsure butI think there's usually enough juice left in the batteryto
generate a spark even if there's notenough to crankthe engine. I don'tthink
you need to get it rolling fast enough for the generator to kick in. If the batteryis reallykaput, butnot shorted, you're probablybetter off jump starting it
and Harry has several times provided a procedure for using a 12v jump if
you're not around some 6v friends. Particularly if it tends to flood or have
other hotstart problems. Oryou'llneeda reallylong steep hill. Bill Romano
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Bill, I think you are about right. The generatorwill notproduce a potential high enough to close the COcontacts in the regulator. This voltage has to
be above 6.4 volts if the regulator is anywhere near correct. And you will
neverget the engine rpm highenough to generate the 6.4 volts by push starting. I believe it is as Bill says, there is a little left in the battery, just enough to
fire the coil. Homework: assume that we are going to push start in second
gear, okay. Then putthe car in second and drive until the generator warning
light just goes out. This then is the speed that the pusharinos have to push
before the generator is working. If the speed is within the capability of the
push crew, then the generator is a factor, ifnot it isn't. If it isn't, then the batteryhad enough to fire the coil. All those years I push started my Ford (nota
356) I never gave it a thought. Also, if you have an electric fuel pump and
there isn't gas in the bowl, she won't start. But you knew that. So what is the
answer? Joe Leoni
A moderately discharged battery will have a relatively high "internal"
resistance which means that the terminal voltage will fall greatly under any
significantload. Still, the open circuit terminalvoltage will be down onlya little from the nominal 6-7 volts. Since the ignition is a very small load, there
will be sufficient voltage to generate thespark in a push start unless the battery is totally discharged (andtoastfrom ever being verygood again).
The generator requires a magnetic field to operate. This field is provided by coils on thestator (stationarypart) of the generator. When there is no
voltage and current from the battery, a very small residual magnetic field
remains. This may be "almost" enough for the generator to operate enough
to bootstrap up to where it can provide its own field current. This will take
significantly more revs than normally required to get the system
charging...andit maynot happen.
Many alternators use permanent magnets (on the rotor) to create the
necessary magnetic field. These will operate quite well without a battery,
althoughthe voltagemay not be be wellcontrolled. Of course, we don'thave
alternators. Rick Dill
Back in the early '60s when I was in college at the University ofMiami,
Florida (FLA = flat ground) , I went a month with a bad battery in my '56
KarmannGhia because I couldn't afford a newone until I got paid. I drove the
car to class everyday and parked by backing in up against a little rise where
the grass met in the old gravel/sand student parking lot. I'd come out and
using "B" roll start the car with minimal effort bymyself. Having it "right on"
tuning-wise really helped. But on the few times that I floodedit or forgot to
turn the key on, it was a real bear in the sweltering 99+ degree humid July
heat. Never mind the embarrassment of push starting your car every day in
frontofyour classmates who were alldriving Vettes,Jags andyes, new 356s.
I'd also leave it running at the7/11grocery store andnever hada problem in those days. Maybe it was thefiberglass holding the headlight buckets
in that scared the potential thieves off, or maybe the plywood floorboards.
Possiblytheydidn't appreciate the pop-riveted, tar-coated screen heater ducts
that also kept the flood of water from coming in from the front tires in the
famous Miami afternoon heavy rains. I could check my tire wear from inside
the car before that mod. I finallyfigured outthe car had been a hurricane saltwater flood "survivor." No wonder I had to keep patching it. Man, what a fun
car. Always ran like a top, though. Bob Slayden
SHASTA PISTONS& CYUNDERS
(1) 86mm x 9.25 c.r. Piston & cyl set
$1095.
(2) 86mm x 9.25 c.r. Piston set only
$695.
(3) 86mm x 11.5c.r. Piston & cyl set
$1150.
(4) 86mm or 83.5 mm x 11.5c.r. Piston set only .$775.
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Guide......$24 .95
WEBUILD POWERRJL, REUABLE ENGINES WlTHlHE PRODUCTS WESEW
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::z530-238-2198
www.shastadesign.com
50
Vo lume 26. Number 6
The fewtimes I've done it, I have the key on, clutch in and 2nd selected. Then push. I do this because onetime when I was pre-driving age Mom
and I got stuck in basically the same situation, but we were the only warm
bodies around. Fortunately, the parking lotwas on a hill, andwe were at the
top. Got the car going, Mom popped the clutch, and nothing happened. Now
with the car at the bottomofthe hill, she reached in her purse and pulled out
the key, asking ifshe needed it since we were push startingthe car.
SteveJensen ~
32.
ae
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• ONLINE CATALOG
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• SPECIALS
ENGINE PARTS
FILTERS
Air, 356, wI Zenith 32 NDIX carbs
7.99
Air, K&N 356, wI Zenith 32 NDIX carbs
37.50
Air, K&N assembly 356, wI Zenith 32 NDIX 49.95
Air, K&N assembly 356, wI Solex 40 PII
77.95
Oil, 356, 912 all, MAHLE wlgood gasket
4.50
Fuel, 356, 912 all, 5 & 7mm universal
.89
FOUN D! NEW OLD STOCK!
Intake Valve, 55-63,
Exh Valve, 55-63,
19.95 Intake Valve, C/SC/912 15,95
21.95 Exh Valve, C/SC/912
21.95
MISCELLAN EOUS
Rod Nut, 356, 912 all
.2.99
Flywheel Gland Nut, 356, 912 all
25.50
Engine to body Seal, 356
12.00
Ring Set, 356 most models
from 49.95
Pushrods, 356, 912
25.95
Pushrod Tubes, 356, 912
set of 8 $72.20
Cam, 356, 912 all, stock, new hardened 272.50
Oil Line, 356, 912 all, inlet or outlet line
12.50
Generator Pulley Half, 356, 912 all
10.95
Generator Belt, 356, 912 all
3.95
Oil Cooler, 356, 912 all
59.95
Fuel Pump Rebuild Kit, all 356 to 912 from 25.95
Carb Rebuild Kit, 356, 912
from 14.95
ENGINE ELECTRICAL
Bosch Spark Plug W6BC OR W7BC
1.75
Bosch SPark Plug WR7BP
2.95
Tune Up Kit, 050 Dis!. cap, rtr, pts, cond
25.00
Tune Up Kit, cast iron Dist.cap. rtr, pts, cond 30.50
Tune Up Kit, alum Dist, cap, rtr, pts, cond 27.25
Coil, 6 volt
32.50
Spark Plug Wire Set, 356, 912 all
29.95
Bosch 6 volt Starter, remanufactured ex 164.95
Bosch 6 volt Generator, remanf
ex 189.95
8mm Colored Ignition Cable Sets
Custom Made. High performance
ANY COLOR SET $33.95
6 Volt Electronic TIS Flasher ZIM EXCLUSIVE 49.95
As recommended by AI Zim on "356 Talk"
12 VOLT CONVERSION PARTS
356B thru C T·6 12v Conversion Wiper Motor
ex 299.95
Transistorized Voltage Reducer 12v to 6v (wipers)
39.95
Transistorized Voltage Reducer 12v to 6v (gauges)
59.95
Resistors for Relays
6.95
12 volt Hella Horns, dual horns, original style
pair 69.00
12 volt Coil, Bosch Blue
19.95
12 volt Optima Battery, Newest Spiral Cell Design
149.95
PREMIUM COACHWORK
RESTORATION PANELS
PROPER EUROPEAN GAUGE STEEL
PRECISELY CORRECT STAMPINGS
PERFECT FIT SAVES LABOR COSTS
PRICES HAVE NEVER BEEN LOWER
PRE A FLOOR PAN
$339.95
A FLOOR PAN
$299.95
B·C FLOOR PAN
$299.95
PRE A BATTERY FLOOR
$134.50
A BATTERY FLOOR
$137.00
$137.00
T5 BATTERY FLOOR
T6 BATTERY FLOOR
$1 37.00
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DUE TO CURRENCYFLUCTUATIONSPRICES MAY CHANGEW1TH0lIT NOTICE
SUSPENSION PARTS
356 C Steering Coupler ZIM EXCLUSIVE 39.95
Front Axle Link Pin Rebuild Kit
26.00
German Link Pin Rebuild Kit
59.95
King Pin Rebuild Kit
14.00
German King Pin Rebuild Kit
39.95
Tie Rod Ends, inner or outer
9.95
Shock, 356 56-65, set of 4
107.00
Steering Dampner, 356 all
19.95
Steering Box, ZF, rebuilt 4 stud version ex499 .95
BRAKES
Brake Shoes, 356 all drums, rebuilt
ex 37.95
Master Cylinder, wld rum brakes
94.50
German Wheel Cylinder Kit
9.95
Front Wheel Cylinder, drumbrake
CALL
RearWheel Cylinder, drumbrakes
CALL
Brake Pads, disc brakes, Frt or Rr
from 19.95
NEWEST Competition "C-Tech" Pads
55.95
Caliper Kit, 356 C, Frt or Rr
11.95
Front Rotor, 356C
41.95
Rear Rotor, 356C
64.95
Master Cylinder, wldisc brakes
142.50
CLUTCH KITS
Kits include Disc, Pressure Plate and T.O Beari ng
356 A, 180 mm, not O.E.
74.00
356 A, 180 mm, German
123.00
356 A, 180 mm, Spring Disc
82.00
356 A, 180 mm, heavy duty
182.00
356 A, 180 mm, German Spring Disc
148.00
356 B, 180 mm
279.00
356 B or C, 200 mm
329.00
BRAKE HOSE KITS
356A, Braided Stainless
42.50
356A, Braided Stainless, DOT Approved 62.95
356B or C, Rubber
39.80
356B or C, Braided Stainless
42.50
356B or C, Braided Stainless, DOT Approved 55.50
CHEMICALS / CAR CARE
ATE Gold Brake Fluid, 1 liter
9.50
ATE Blue Brake Fluid, 1 liter
10.95
Swepco 201 GL5 Gear lube, 1 gallon
35.04
Lexol LeatherCleaneror Conditioner,1/2 liter 9.95
Lexol Vinylex vinyl and rubber care, 1/2 liter 9.95
P21S Wheel cleaner, 1 liter
20.95
Klasse German All in One Polish! Wax
24.95
Zymol Carbon, "Ultimate Car Wax"
36.95
Zymol HD Cleanse, Pre wax prep
15.95
Zymol Clear Auto Bathe
15.95
Zymol Field Glaze
16.35
Stoner Tire Shine
5.99
COLLECTI BLES
356 TUB CLUB CAR BADGE
FAX# 817545·2002
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