55 Coupe project

[Dan Kalinski]

Excellent work, Steve!

Always look forward to reading your posts and checking in from time to time on this great thread on the '55.

Not doing near the work you are completing, but at the same time, still feel the great pride of accomplishment when things do go well after my hands are at the task of the moment.

Have several items to contend with that are very vexing (due to theft of my parts) although, in the long run, hope these will be worked out without too many more sleepless nights.

Again, greatly appreciate your ability to do the work and the wonderful documentation on your progress.

Best,

Dan K.

[Jim Liberty]

Steve, I couldn't get that done in a half a day. The rubber seal at the steering tube is one of my worst experiences in sheer frustration. I never got it in myself, had to get one of the guys to do it.

I'll send you pics of my Type II just finished. You will then see about my love for the real 356. I'll send an email, I can't attach here.

.....................................................Jim.

[Mark Erbesfield]

Wow Steve, it has been so long since I checked it. You have made great progress. I have finally finished my 66 911 so I will be getting back on my 57 356 soon. Nice bit of inspiration you have given me.

[Greg Bryan]

Steve - that's an impressive list for one day - I don't think I have ever accomplished that much in 8 hours. Maybe because of too many items like:
Drink coffee
Eat donut
BS with friend
Drink first beer
Go to lunch
Smoke cigar
Look for critical lost part
Not find it
Drink more beer
etc, etc, etc.

[Jim Nelson]

Great job, it looks fantastic. Now for the shiny bits...

[Jim Liberty]

Greg, you just outlined my normal day. .........................Jim.

[Steve Harrison]

Thanks for the comments fellas,...I've never felt alone in this project although in reality I am quite isolated out here in the hinterlands, haha. There was many a day that I got by by hanging out here on the forum, reading threads, looking at pictures, and kicking around ideas.
So Mark,...I didn't know you let your 66 911 get ahead of your 57 .
When last I knew, you were going great guns on the project, and were well ahead of me. Does this mean I might get finished before you,? Haha. You coming to the ECH?
And Greg/(Jim),..haha, yes, that might describe my "pre baby" days perfectly to some degree. But,...after I had the little Icon Boy,...it's all changed. You have to grab the time when it's hanging there, like juicy ripe fruit that'll be gone before you know it,..and it usually is. Funny thing,..right now as I type this he's konked out leaned up against me on the couch. Softly breathing.
Wood stove cranking out the heat, fine grilled salmon dinner behind me,...ahh...Nirvana 8)

Well, I did get a few stolen minutes in the past few days and furthered the project by:

Final painting the rear underneath (covering overspray from the topside painting) from the tortion bar tubes back rearward,
Putting on rear shocks,
Threading tach cable through the tunnell,
Cutting gaskets for and installing the tortion bar hole covers,
Put the fuel shut off aluminum position indicator disc back on,
Just for fun, I hung the washer bag (55 is the first year for the bag), and put the trunk mat in,...frivolous tasks yes, but oh..oh..so satisfying.
Bolted down the steering box access plate,

Not much in reality, but I didn't have a lot of time. It's just nice to know that as I do each thing,..it's finally for the last time.

I also finalized my order for the carpets, upholstery, and headliner. I was going to wait for the upholstery due to cost considerations, but I just couldn't resist getting it all together at once. Yes, I am racking up a credit card balance at this point, but I am, as they say in Shakespearian times,...'in earnest', haha.
I also was given a small consideration on price due to ordering everything all at once.

It's dark blue carpets, dark blue vinyl upholstery, and charcoal genuine wool headliner. My thinking is that all this dark interior stuff compliments the fairly light Pearl Grey exterior color well.
I will post a picture of the samples I was sent soon....but for now all I have to post is THIS!

These are my light bezels. Originals that I sent out for plating. They are in the copper stage and I can't wait to see what they look like finished!

This is a picture of my shines down housing that I got from Omar Almada a few years ago. He said it came off a 54 and that means it will be right at home on my 55 because 54 and 55 share a lot of these detail traits. It's fairly straight as acquired, but pitted as you can see.

This is how it looks as of this afternoon,...yes, the picture was sent TODAY! I can't wait,...it'll be finished and back here in about a week or so. I'll post pix when it gets here.

[Phil Planck]

Steve
All I can say is - WOW! Really looking great, due to your determination. I bet you are picking up some room in your garage/shop as all of these pieces go back on the car.

[Martin Benade]

Steve, were those copper plated parts re engraved, or were the original markings left showing that much? If they were engraved again, how was that done?

[Anthony Duncan]

Steve,

It's a gosh wow from me too. I'm deeply envious of both the condition of your beautiful '55 & the skills you've shown to get you to this point. I've enjoyed reading your thread & other posts over the months/years(?) & am willing you toward your goal & of course the ECH. One of the reasons I've followed your thread so avidly is that I too have a '55 coupe (#53403).
I don't have anything close to your skillset, but as it turns out I chose my friends well (take a bow Nige, Dan, Alex & Dave!)

Your last post piqued my interest in that you said that '55 was the first year of the washer bag. Which pump will you be using? A member is currently selling a SWF pump in the classifieds & I was wondering whether that'd be correct for my car?

Thanks, congrats & all the best,

Anthony
'55 Coupe

[Steve Harrison]

Hello Anthony,
Wow,...I am happy that another 55 coupe is in the works, haha.
Your car is an earlier number, by about 300 numbers, so, while there might be a difference in the fuel gauge set up, it's not likely there is a difference in the windshield washer set up. By saying that I mean to say that the one that Giuseppe is selling in the classifieds seems to me to be an even earlier pump than the ones that customarily come on our year cars. The knob alone on that one is a giveaway in that the W marked knobs went out before the 54 year, (or possibly even earlier,..I just don't know exactly when), but I can safely say that a continental wouldn't have W or S marked knobs in the dash. The washer pump in my car is a fairly simple thing,..it's got an aluminum cannister with a rubber bulb inside (Thanks Curt!), a plunger with a plain snot green knob, a T shaped fitting on the back with a ball and spring type check valve in one direction, AND,...the most important and often missing piece,...a "figure eight" type bracket that attaches it to the heater tube hoop under the dash. I can take a picture tomorrow for you. I just sand blasted and painted the mount bracket tonight. I also don't know the exact cut off of when the glass bottle SWF type washer set up was stopped....but I am glad for it, haha. One small break on the expensive stuff. Does your car have the mounting "wires" welded into the trunk channel? If so,...you're in luck too.
I'd love to see pictures of your car in progress. Did yours come with any options?
I always find options interesting, although mine only had turbo rings listed on the kardex.

And Martin, here's the way it goes with the markings...When the chromer receives the parts sends the marked ones to an engraver and the engraver takes digital pictures and logs them into his machine. I'm not 100% sure but I think the digital aspect of it allows it to register the location, dimensions, and proportion of the markings as they relate to the metal parts. Then the parts go back to the chromer and first there is a stripping process, then straightening (if needed) then polishing a bit, then copper coating. Then he polishes more, and adds copper if needed. Copper is sort of the "bondo" or "leading" of the chrome world. It can fill in pits and also is essential as a place for the nickle to adhere to well. (If there are deep pits, the pits can be brazed, soldered, or,..if severe,..welded.) After everything is dead flat, straight, and smooth, the parts go back to the engravers. At this point the original engravings sometimes are ok, sometimes are fainter, and sometimes are more or less gone altogether. The rings and light housing I sent were in basically perfect shape except for bad chrome so the markings came through fairly well,...but the engraver does his work to re-establish the depth and clarity of the marks. And just for kicks, if anyone is thinking,..heck, a guy could buy aftermarket stuff and just have the marks put on,...I'd say good luck. First, you'd have to find a chromer without scruples, and then you're faced wih finding a similar engraver who will do it,...and he will have nothing to go on for pattern as well. How will he do it? There are only a handful of professional folks who do this type of work, and none of them would fool with jeopardizing their steady lucrative restoration work of genuine parts to dabble in the original parts faking world. At least I can't imagine. The shop I used does a lot of the top restorer's work,..names you'd recognize,..
How would that go over you think? haha.

[James Davies]

Anthony, the SWF washer pump being sold in the Classifieds is a pull-type VW pump. Porsches were never fit with these pumps by the factory. Porsches came with push-type pumps. Both pump types were made by SWF. Mercedes 300 "Ponton" cars from 1952 on also shared this push-type SWF pump with the pre-A Porsches.

[Martin Benade]

I imagine the cost and labor of adding markings to repro parts is exactly the same as restoring actual original parts plus the cost of the new ones, so luckily there is no point to it. I suspect most anyone would do the job, there is probably no crime in doing a light bezel, it becomes wrong once you represent the car as all original. I will never have this problem as my car is devoid of original parts!

[Steve Harrison]

Ha ha that's funny Martin, you've got it easy in a way.
You're probably right about the costs as well,...nothing is cheap on these as Jim Liberty is wont to point out regularly,...and he's soo right.
I have spent quite a bit these past few weeks, and it's no surprise really,..I knew it would come down to this, the things I can't do myself and have no choice but to spring for. It's both fun and a little rattling at the same time. Fun to be the customer, and get to pick colors and have work done to specification, it's truly a fun and unusual experience for me,...but also a little rattling because for what I've had to shell out these past few weeks I could likely have nearly gotten a new Honda Fit, haha.
But it's all good. I am happy. And with the weather changing finally, it's time to get this thing DONE! (Now sing along with me the Wizard of Oz song,.."If I only had the,...Time." : )

[Phil Planck]

Formula for the day:

Results = (Effort X Determination2) + Time