The Official 356Talk Forum

I'm a little confused about where to put this -- already on Authenticity board. Forgive me for duplicating it here, if I shouldn't -- I've been away for a while.

Anyway, I want to know about the little round pressing welded to the bottom of the battery floor. Anybody have a clue when these were first used? Chassis numbers are a plus!

PS, I am looking for people who can photograph various detail items for Authenticity IV. Cars needn't be pristine or totally correct, just the items in question.

Brett:
'53 cab no. 60238 (Euro delivery 08/17/53) had two of the drain covers spot-welded in place. One on the battery box and one on the A-brace (bottom panel-front axle housing). '55 parts book lists them as p/n 356.49.404 - two per car. No reference in the '53 manual. Trevor's pre-fab battery boxes have them installed already. We cut the original one out and spot welded it to the replacement A-brace piece.

You know, I never noticed the second one. I was going to ask when they stopped using those, but #54205 has its original one (which I never noticed before -- don't spend enough time under the car), so I suspect they stopped using that one when they started making 356As.

Back to my original question -- were they used from the beginning?

11816 has the drain in the battery floor, but non in the A brace. Car was completed 9/52.

Now on to what is leaking down there

Early 356As still had them.

Hi Vic!

Never had a '56 -- you mean they had both front and rear? Or just front? Was the front one used until the flat 356A battery floor was updated?

This was in early 1957, yes? Info I had from the past, based on Speedsters: Early flat 83378, late center depressed/drain 83402. Would like other data points, but then this is 356A and belongs elsewhere?

An A could not have the rear drain. Nowhere to put it.

Vic Skirmants wrote:An A could not have the rear drain. Nowhere to put it.

Actually... that's partially true. An early A didn't have center rib, so it had two drain hats. See Justin Rio's car.

Pictures copied from this thread on Justin's website: http://www.abcgt.com/forum/4-356-Forum/ ... 6&start=54

Thanks, Trevor; I was thinking of the rear pan of a pre-A.

So, to date I have the following input -- using calendar years:

Earliest car (coupe) reporting with just the front one fitted #11270 -- Late 1951
Latest car (coupe) reporting with just the front one fitted #11816 -- 9/52

Earliest car (cabriolet) with both #60338 -- 8/17/53
Latest car (coupe) with both #54205 -- 9/23/55

Assumption all 356s from at least 8/17/53 had two

Flat floor to ribbed floor 356A changed in early 1957 between Speedster #83378 and #83402

Did all flat floor 356As have two drains? All 356As don't have them, yes?

Scratch the #11270 from previous post -- from a different inquiry -- the #11816 is the only car so far with just the front one.

11735 has 2 drain holes

early As only one drain. See Justin Rio blog. He initially thought 2 but later modified the battery box.

Hmm interesting, I must have missed that post by Justin.

Didn’t he also post a 56 workshop manual picture that showed two drains on an A?

Added by edit - the picture.

Here's the photo from the August '56 workshop manual showing drain caps:
(Added as you were adding photo to your post Trevor!)