1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

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Don Gale
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1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#1 Post by Don Gale »

Well, not really a barn find. It's been sitting in no fewer than 4 of my previous garages since 1979. Original black plate Calif. car which I purchased in 1973 as a nice running presentable daily driver, for $900. I chopped the roof with a new metal sunroof for $175 in 1975, compliments of Aase Bros. when they were still in SoCal. (may you rest in peace, brother Dave). I did at least 1 valve job before fully re-building the motor; sourced a good used 644 trans from Dave for $325 in 1974, blew the trans shortly thereafter (diff carrier collar snapped off). Sent the trans to Walt's in Santa Ana for a full re-build, awesome job, Walt up graded it with a 12-bolt SC ring gear, heavy duty carrier, and ground a good used 644 main shaft to clear the ring gear, all new bearings & syncros. Walt assured me it is now bullet proof, as long as I don't get too happy in 1st.

I lost track of how many miles it has on the clock, about 150k miles when I bought it. I know I put at least 75k on it since then. It was originally silver with red interior and oatmeal carpet The seller said he bought it from the original owner. He was the service manager at a Pontiac dealer and bought it and had his dealership paint it with a 70's vintage Pontiac yellow, and upholstered it with black tuck & roll naugahyde to flip it, so realistically, I'm the second owner. It was my daily driver until I parked it with a badly leaking float valve on the left bank (Zenith 32 NDIX). I've had them apart so many times & can re-build them in my sleep. I cut the fuel off at the petcock and ordered new gasket sets at the time, and then life got in the way. Now the time has come to get her back on the road. Hope to make Flagstaff in October. I'm certain I won't have the bodywork started by then, but at least hope to have it road worthy.

Image

First step: clear all that crap off the roof and scoot it away from the wall and pull the motor, which has long since seized. Time for a full tear-down, clean, inspect, and assess whether the cylinders will clean up with a light hone & new rings, or replace with new ones. For now, they are NPR 1720 big bore, piston domes & skirts which were properly machined to 22 degrees and appropriate head mods to fit the non-original Normal engine, at a shop near Berkeley or Albany, CA, whose name I have long since forgotten.

As for now, I am rebuilding a 1600 VW motor for practice before I tear into the 356 motor:

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/porsche1.htm

Lots of mechanical work after I refresh the 356 motor and get it running. Gotta replace the brake cyls. & hoses, slide a boroscope in the trans plugs and do a visual, replace the axle boots, do a full inspection on all the wiring, inspect the tank, flush & refresh the fuel lines . . . I will update the above website periodically when I make progress.
1958 356A 1600 Super Sunroof Coupe
former 1966 Euro 912 Sunroof
former 1978 Intermeccanica Speedster w/'68 912
Member Since 1983, #4039

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JohnPierce
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#2 Post by JohnPierce »

I love the picture. Thanks for sharing and let us know how things progress.
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Jim Liberty
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#3 Post by Jim Liberty »

A sunroof to boot. …………...Jim.
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Don Gale
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#4 Post by Don Gale »

Fast forward a month or so. I'm bound & determined to make the Flagstaff meet in October, one way or another, either by refreshing my 356 motor, full rebuild on my 912 motor, or stuff my "practice" VW motor in it. I did run it many many years ago with a 40 hp VW motor while I was in the middle of the last 356 rebuild. I have the practice motor longblock assembled, waiting on a VW 36 hp style fan shroud such that it's compatible with my 356. Progress so far:

Image

http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/porsche1.htm
1958 356A 1600 Super Sunroof Coupe
former 1966 Euro 912 Sunroof
former 1978 Intermeccanica Speedster w/'68 912
Member Since 1983, #4039

"Nostalgia isn't what it used to be"

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Bob Forman
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#5 Post by Bob Forman »

Don, would you share the VIN for the SR registry?
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Don Gale
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#6 Post by Don Gale »

ok, i'll have to dig it out of the corner. As you can see, it's buried pretty deep under my cluster of junk
1958 356A 1600 Super Sunroof Coupe
former 1966 Euro 912 Sunroof
former 1978 Intermeccanica Speedster w/'68 912
Member Since 1983, #4039

"Nostalgia isn't what it used to be"

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Bob Forman
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#7 Post by Bob Forman »

Thanks, Don.
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Vic Skirmants
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#8 Post by Vic Skirmants »

Bob; it's not an original sunroof. Read his post.

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Bob Forman
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#9 Post by Bob Forman »

Vic, I understand that but the database even includes transplants....with an "*" to specify the abnormality. If possible, which is unlikely in this case, we try to determine the donor car.
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Don Gale
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#10 Post by Don Gale »

I don't have any documentation on the donor roof clip. I bought it from Dave Aase in 1974 for $175. He told me it was a new never installed clip from the factory which he shipped over from Germany in a transportainer on one of their parts scrounging trips. It had no obvious signs of having been severed from a car. He fit it with used rails. I cut & spliced the roof onto my coupe in 1975, should have kept the solid roof clip I removed from my car, but back then I had to vacate my garage and it wasn't worth enough at the time to fuss over. It was a quick joy ride around the block with the roof off that gave me the convertible "bug", hence my Intermeccanica Speedster build five years later.
1958 356A 1600 Super Sunroof Coupe
former 1966 Euro 912 Sunroof
former 1978 Intermeccanica Speedster w/'68 912
Member Since 1983, #4039

"Nostalgia isn't what it used to be"

Robert Thiemrodt
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#11 Post by Robert Thiemrodt »

That's the way my 69 911E barn find was stored. That's why it cost me 500 bucks to have a pdr specialist come out and remove all the ripples in the hood. Sorry for mentioning a 911.
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Re: 1958 356A 1600S "Barn Find"

#12 Post by Mike Horton »

Great project, I'll follow it, for sure, have FUN!
Mike

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