Harry "Maestro" Pellow's books & videos

[Juha Vane]

Harry did in my opinion great job with his books & videos.
It's sad that these are not available anymore. Hopefully the 356 will
outlive us all and new enthusiast are replacing us. Harry's books and
videos would be beneficial and I'm wondering if someone who know
Mary Pellow could ask her if 356registry could reprint Harry's books
and videos and pay her royalties. Am I dreaming?

[John Brooks]

Used and pre owned copies are still available on eBay and Amazon.


https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... =0&_sop=16

[Juha Vane]

I'm aware of these, some of them are copies and pricing is relatively high.
A newcomer to 356 might balk a bit to pay for an used book over 100USD
without knowing if it's worth it. These are mainly instruction manuals that
are useful in a workshop, the value is in the content. These are not 1st print
rarities where the value is in the book itself.
I have almost all of Harry's books, bought from himself years ago and I
understand that these books present now some value, if reprint's appear,
their value will drop, but I don't care.

[Steven Murray]

As a 356 wanna be I purchased some of his books. I wasn't sure of the value they have today. There are references to big bore kits that may not even be sold today, the gasoline issues have changed. His books contain a lot of entertain stories which might make me smile but don't help me understand how to purchase a car. Some of his books repeat the same stories making me wonder why I purchased the 2nd book.

I think what might be lacking for 2019 356 wanna bees is a current book which would highlight the new environment of higher prices and more folks trying to make a quick buck on crazy high prices of he cars. I hoping the 356 magazine might address some of this and it does a bit in market watch but the magazine of course is focused on current owners more than wanna beez.

[Paul Lima]

I have a set of original VHS tapes which I will happily sell for some reasonable price. I gave away his books (I had his original binder versions). I think he knew far less than he thought he did and I found reading the books to be unproductive. He deserves credit for all the data he collected.

[Wes Bender]

As a 356 wanna be I purchased some of his books. I wasn't sure of the value they have today. There are references to big bore kits that may not even be sold today, the gasoline issues have changed. His books contain a lot of entertain stories which might make me smile but don't help me understand how to purchase a car. Some of his books repeat the same stories making me wonder why I purchased the 2nd book.

I think what might be lacking for 2019 356 wanna bees is a current book which would highlight the new environment of higher prices and more folks trying to make a quick buck on crazy high prices of he cars. I hoping the 356 magazine might address some of this and it does a bit in market watch but the magazine of course is focused on current owners more than wanna beez.

I concur that a book with current information would be very useful, but I also think that there is still a lot of good information to be gleaned from Harry's books. If I remember correctly, Harry's son was going to continue to sell his books and videos, but then seemed to lose interest. It would be a good idea if the Registry could try once again to obtain permission to reprint his stuff.

[Steven Murray]

could ask her if 356registry could reprint Harry's books
and videos and pay her royalties. Am I dreaming?

The registry has great volunteers that already do too much but a better idea might be to put out a new book with contributors so that youngsters hoping to enter the 356 world can have a good experience. How to spot a car that is really 2 cars welded together. A chapter on seat pleats. Chapter with pictures of forged engine numbers. How to spot a properly installed K member. PPI - I know with a house inspection the contract says the inspector's liability is limited to his fee. Inspectors have 'no skin' in the game if the most they can loose is their fee. The registry magazine has not been covering these types of issues. In the Pellow books cars were cheap so he could say - just buy a car without huge flaws, learn from it, sell it. Today such a stunt will automatically cost you $4k loss in sales tax.

[Juha Vane]

Steven, excuse me but perhaps you bought the wrong books from Harry?
Some of them are more articles about this and that.

"The ABC's (and 912) of Porsche engines" and "Secrets of the Inner Circle"
are still very valid today. The first one describe the different engine components
and the other contains also a step-by-step instruction how to assemble the
engine. Also 15 pages "How to purchase a 356". I'm not trying to say that Harry
was "God", but in my humble opinion he knew a lot of 356, specially engines.
Big bore kits are still available and used, I don't understand your comment about
gasoline? Yes they contain ethanol today but burn in the combustion chamber.

If you read the 356Registry Magazine there seem to be in every? issue an article
about auctions and what cars was sold for. Also the price and condition are commented.

The last 356 was built sometime in April 1965 to my knowledge, so the newest car is over
53 year old. You can pretty much estimate the price of a 2017 Toyota Corolla without
seeing the car, but "every" 356 is more or less "individual". Some of them are restored to
a condition that is better than new, some of them is just a chassis number. So every car
has it's own price. I agree with you that the pricing is high, in some cases a bit insane.
But what can we do, nothing. It is possible that the 356 price "bubble" will burst, but if so
probably not so much than with other old cars. 356 is still pure joy to drive, but I'm of
course biased.

If you want a 356, be prepared to either pay quite much or work quite much. I don't think
there is any other way. It took me 15 years to purchase my 356 and still luck was involved.
Walked away from many cars and some I just couldn't afford. If you do your homework and
know the 356 you probably can buy a 356 that is worth what you pay and if needed can sell
it without a substantial loss, but this is a maybe.

There are a lot of books you ask for, the restoration books tell how to restore something
and then you know how it should look like. If you are looking for a book "how to buy the
perfect 356 for little money" this probably won't happen. If you want a 356, educate yourself.
I have limited knowledge of 356, but you could start by reading & understanding these 3 books:
- 356 Porsche: Technical and Restoration Guide, Vol 1
- 356 Porsche: Technical and Restoration Guide, Vol 2
- Restored by Hand: The "Nuts and Bolts" of Porsche 356 Restoration

I felt the need to defend Harry's books a bit and ended up rambling, apologize.

[Adam Wright]

There was talk a few years ago about the Registry buying the rights to the Pellow Publishing. I asked the Trustee's about it at the open meeting at the Holiday, they seemed un-aware of a pending deal, but promised to check into it and report back.

[Richard Shilling]

I bought my '65 C in 2000. Then I joined the Registry and discovered Harry's books. I bought a couple and my wife found me deeply engrossed in them and wondered why? It had been 30 years since I'd worked on a 356 and Harry's books brought back memories that were long forgotten. I told Barbara "This guy knows his stuff". I found it fascinating that the issues we faced in the dealership in 1967 were pretty much the same I see on the Registry today. Yes, Harry had his flaws, but he fixed cars. Not theory, not armchair mechanics, he fixed cars. His technical information is as valid today as the day it was written. And yes it's a shame that they have slipped out of print. I'm one of the chorus asking the Registry to contact the family and take over the printing and distribution, if possible.

[Adam Wright]

Also, for the record, the first time I took a 356 engine out, it was using a Harry book to walk me through it. They are in-valuable for the novice who might not be able to fully utilize the Factory Shop Manual. Oh, and they are funny too, shop manual is pretty dry reading.

[Steven Murray]

Steven, excuse me but perhaps you bought the wrong books from Harry?

"The ABC's (and 912) of Porsche engines" and "Secrets of the Inner Circle"
are still very valid today.

I felt the need to defend Harry's books a bit and ended up rambling, apologize.

Hi Juha, I did pick the ABC's for about $100 back in May but am waiting for a winter snow storm to read it. At the same time if I do get a 356 I'm hoping that nobody has to touch the engine, I don't see myself getting into a rebuild myself. I'm not 40 anymore. I just checked Harry's buying tips from Secrets, he spends 2 or 3 pages on California license plates and black/blue plates. Regular used car talk. Harry never had to deal with much dishonesty in 356 buying back in the day because the cars had modest value. Most 356s were purchased directly from the current owner. SO I like Harry's books but it's a new world out there and Harry didn't cover that (naturally).

My next step might be some of the shop manuals. I decided to hold off on that until I actually own (if ever). They seem to go for between $200 and $450. Supplement manuals and parts manuals.

I should probably even build a new garage to be ready for the new arrival.

[Juha Vane]

Steven, can be quite difficult to find a 356 with an untouched engine, but even more strange
things happen. I'm not really in the position to give advice, but aren't you a bit over 60?
Age is "just" a number, getting older is mandatory, growing up is not! I just turned 65 and
drove with a motorcycle from Chennai, India to Helsinki, Finland. 65 days and 15000km,
some said I'm nuts, perhaps they are right. And check this guy:

https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/sport-l ... 15895.html

Of course there can be issues coming with age that you can't control, but don't let your age
hinder you. If you plan to build a garage, you can rebuild your 356 engine. And 356 Registry forum
has a lot of nice people willing to help and steer you in right direction with your rebuild.
Here I speak from personal recent experience, thank you guys!

Check the not so expensive factory shop manuals from:
- Bill Romano, wsr6 at sign mchsi.com
- late DerWhite, derwhite at sign aol.com
Above from 356 Registry Resources.

[Steven Murray]

aren't you a bit over 60?
Of course there can be issues coming with age that you can't control, but don't let your age
hinder you.
.

Yep over 60 but it means that I'm running out of time more than meaning i can't do things. I'd rather be training for the 2019 ironman across the street from you in Tallinn rather than getting into a rebuild. If I was 40 I might think it worthwhile to rebuild the engine as I might end up rebuilding a few during my life.

We old guys have a lot of spunk!

[Juha Vane]

Steven, this has became more a philosophical discussion, but the fact is
that no one (almost) know when we go. We have all the time we have and
we should do things we enjoy as much we can. It's not always possible for
various reasons, but we should try. I personally enjoy tinkering with mechanical
things, like engine rebuilds. We should also try to live so that when someone
close by die, we have said and done so that we don't moan afterwards that I
should had / had not did or said or not said what ever. You never know who
goes and when, but now I've gone way too far from 356, apologize.

I wish you luck that you find "your" 356, there is something magic about these
little furring cars and most of the people involved with them.

Bill Block http://blocks-books.com/BLOCKS-BOOKS/Welcome.html has information
about books, there you could check if some book would answer the questions you
might have. Unfortunately there is some "not so good" Porsche books around.