Linda's 1960 Roadster, #87954

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Carl Zapffe · #46 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

Always little odds and ends. Here is the electric fuel pump which has been installed:

And here is the Fram oil filter painted in the period correct colors:

Carl Zapffe · #47 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Mon Aug 31, 2009 1:00 pm

I have great admiration for anyone who attempts to piece back together a car that has been in storage, or worse, for 24 years like Linda's Roadster. Many of you have done this, and, to be honest with you, I don't know how you do it. No doubt you live with the factory manuals at your side as you go through each and every section of the car.

I can only imagine how difficult it must be to inventory and categorize thousands of parts for reassembling a car like this. The first few pictures on this post showed my Roadster arriving as a shell of a body with little or nothing attached to it. Everything else probably arrived in boxes and bags and anything else suitable for holding the miscellaneous parts. Who knows how many parts "took a hike" during those 24 years?

In this instance a minor but important piece known as a steering column spacer was found to be missing. Ibrahim comments further that this item is only found in Roadsters. Anyway, he sent out a call for help on the 356 Parts/Accessories want ads here:

http://356registry.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12996

and Buster Venable down in Naples, Florida answered the want ad. Thanks, Buster, for coming to the rescue of my baby Fraülein Zuffie!

Carl Zapffe · #48 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:15 pm

The muffler and the attachment parts are in and ready for installation:

After installation:

Carl Zapffe · #49 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:19 pm

Undercarriage shots. Just gorgeous! Terry - Beautiful workmanship!

Carl Zapffe · #50 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:24 pm

We're getting close to the end! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Soon she will be road tested, and just about two weeks until Fraülein Zuffie will be picked up!

The bumpers have been installed! Here is a shot of the rear bumpers:

Jim Nelson · #51 Post by **Jim Nelson** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:45 am

The car looks fabulous, Carl--you must be getting fired up about getting it back on the road. Nice Work!

Carl Zapffe · #52 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 12:47 pm

Jim,

I'm like an expectant dad pacing outside the maternity ward, only I'm up here either in Wisconsin or in Illinois and my baby is in pre-natal care down near Lincoln, Nebraska!

Counting the days, just counting the days! Down to 15 now. Two weeks from tomorrow, and two days before "Drive Your Porsche Day" in honor of and in celebration of Ferry Porsche's 100th birthday.

Bill Oldham · #53 Post by **Bill Oldham** » Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:39 pm

Carl,
I do not see any camber compensator. Have you switched to stiffer torsion bars and are doing without?
Bill

Frederic Prince · #54 Post by **Frederic Prince** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:26 am

better is the Vic skirman's suspension system, wich you can put on the car in 10 minutes, and improve the road driving much much

fred

©

Carl Zapffe · #55 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:32 pm

Bill and Fred,

Vic Skirmants has provided a camber compensating spring for the car because I have asked for it. It just hasn't been installed yet. While a few(?) things have been updated or changed, like the full leather tan interior, three point tan seat belts, an electric fuel pump, a third brake light, CU LED lights installed in the tail lights, five chrome wheels, and a new aluminum oil cooler, it has been my desire that the restoration of this Roadster will be as period correct as possible.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, as the case may be, Terry Worick has been spending more time completing the car and spending less time sending me pictures. I suppose that I should be happy about this, but I feel like an expectant daddy locked out of the maternity ward with nothing to feed my anxiety over a long Labor Day weekend!

Carl Zapffe · #56 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:33 pm

Bill and Fred,

(09-03-09) Here is a picture of the camber compensating spring that has been supplied to us by Vic Skirmants. I am sure that it has been installed on the car by now.

Carl Zapffe · #57 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:41 pm

(09-03-09) I mentioned in an earlier post about my Roadster missing its steering column spacer. Buster Venable of Naples, Florida stepped up to offer his for a remanufacturing copy. Here is what Terry tells my about this in his update:

Last night I met with my friend Scott Kahler who is a professor at a local community college and car enthusiast. He is restoring an Austin Healy Sprite. He is going to duplicate the roadster steering column bracket for us. He teaches machining and metal work. He will make it on a CNC controlled milling machine.

Carl Zapffe · #58 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:52 pm

In an earlier post I was asked if Vic Skirmants broke in the engine before returning it to Absolute Body and Paint, and here is Terry's answer:

I spoke to Vic in detail about the engine break in procedure and will do as he has asked me to. We will be in excellent shape.

Here is a pic of the distributor wires to the spark plugs. Terry comments about them as being

the new Beru plug wires (very nice).

Carl Zapffe · #59 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:03 pm

(09-08-09) Last minute problems. Always problems! Carbs, brakes, and the throttle linkage.

Hello Carl,

Here is an update with the progress. Yesterday as you know I started the engine and all went well. In addition to that I tuned the carbs. One of the carbs had a sticky float valve so it was replaced solving the problem. Also I bleed the brakes, finished installing the emergency brake cables, adjusted the emergency brakes, adjusted the brakes, adjusted the clutch, worked on the throttle linkage (its not done).

Today I will finish that up and move on with installling other parts. I should have your car driving by the end of the day.

Terry

Carl Zapffe · #60 Post by **Carl Zapffe** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:11 pm

(09-08-09) She runs! The S-90 engine for Linda's Roadster runs for the first time in 25 years! A little bit rugged and without the air filters for the carbs, but she is running!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8alEz2ATtk&feature