356 B T6 Restoration

Share progress on your 356 related project or full restoration with others!
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Craig Richter
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Joined: Thu Dec 15, 2011 9:01 pm
Location: San Miguel de Allende/Traunkirchen

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#46 Post by Craig Richter »

Neil, you are enjoying a completely different 356 hobby than what I knew. These cars were new when I was a kid and racing around SoCal, and no rust had yet showed up in California. If our "maturing driving skills" smacked a cone at the parking lot autocross over the weekend, we just got a rubber mallet and buffed it out. The rest of the evening was spent in the garage tuning the motor to a few cans of Country Club, so we could go hunt down MG's on Mulholland 'till all hours. Boy, it's good they don't let me out much anymore!
You, on the other hand, are an amazing craftsman, saving our little beasties for another generation or two. Probably more, since we don't seem to drive them as hard anymore. People will take better care of your work. And you seem to be enjoying the heck out of the whole deal! My hat's off to you, from all of us...
Craig
 

neil blaber
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Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:40 pm
Location: melbourne, oz

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#47 Post by neil blaber »

thank you craig, sounds like you had a great time back in the day!

i do plan to use this, not every day but as close to it as possible. its a car and was made to be driven! so that is what it shall get lol. as for being an amazing craftsman, wow thank you but i don't think so.

its nice to hear about the fun times from the guys that enjoyed these cars in their youth before they became collectable items
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neil blaber
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Location: melbourne, oz

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#48 Post by neil blaber »

this weekend has seen a little progress, i ran a centre line down the car so i could get measurements on both sides from it. just to make sure they are the same distance apart. i then made a couple of brackets and tacked them to the cross section on the jig using an angle finder so they were both the same, i then used a straight edge and a spirit level to get the height the same across the width of the car, then clamped the inner longitudinal to the angled bracket.

all the pieces for the right hand side of the car are just about done now (inner longitudinal, inner door hinge pillar, outer hinge pillar, side panel to the axle beam). they should be welded together this week coming.

i have taken a pic but its really bad so excuse my shody camera skills, you can see the orange centre line and the angled brackets (just lol)
2014-08-10 13.11.27.jpg
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Andrew Serdich
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Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 10:21 am
Tag: Enjoying the ride
Location: Coatesville, PA

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#49 Post by Andrew Serdich »

Neil,
She is looking great and the progress you are making is amazing. How quickly you are getting the car back together is just unbelievable.
Keep the photos coming

Andy
1962 356b T-6 Coupe

neil blaber
356 Fan
Posts: 183
Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2013 10:40 pm
Location: melbourne, oz

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#50 Post by neil blaber »

thank you Andrew for the kind words and for following along :)

its been a few weeks so here are a few more pictures
2014-08-28 18.45.54.jpg
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and the heater tube is in but not yet welded to the pillar
2014-08-28 18.34.31.jpg
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and a quick pick of my shody welding
2014-08-28 18.37.15.jpg
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all is going well, i have bought a new windscreen from PGI ( http://protector.com.au/company/about.html ) pretty sure many people on here will have heard of them before. i got the info from a thread on the registry. great guys i thought, great price too! i will post a pic up later on as the build progresses...

i took delivery of a couple of pieces of cool toys, lol

i bought a bench top lathe and a milling machine, so i can make up other things for the car (just because i have not enough to do...)
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neil blaber
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Location: melbourne, oz

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#51 Post by neil blaber »

update time again...

i have finally got my @ss in gear and welded the hinge pillar in, and done some more adjusting to get the bulkhead to fit snugly,
also measured and trimmed the front floor pan :)
2014-09-05 18.38.34.jpg
2014-09-05 18.38.34.jpg (90.62 KiB) Viewed 5274 times
nothing but inspirational! well to me anyway...

as you can see i have a little more shape to put in the bottom of the bulkhead to match the floor pan.

i have done some other things for the car and will post the pics when the part is finished...
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neil blaber
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Location: melbourne, oz

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#52 Post by neil blaber »

made a start on the rear chassis rails today, this is how the rear seat area looked earlier this afternoon
2014-09-08 17.06.54.jpg
2014-09-08 17.07.35.jpg
2014-09-08 17.31.24.jpg
2014-09-08 17.31.59.jpg
2014-09-08 17.32.20.jpg
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Jim Nelson
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Location: SoCal

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#53 Post by Jim Nelson »

That's an impressive job you're tackling. But you're at the point where you could do a 5-speed. Any inclination?

neil blaber
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Location: melbourne, oz

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#54 Post by neil blaber »

thank you jim :)

i have thought about doing a five speed, i would like it to still be a swing axle though....

today's event looks like this...
2014-09-09 18.59.47.jpg
2014-09-09 19.00.23.jpg
this took a little bit more effort than usual but its 1.6mm (16 gauge) took a bit of whacking and still needs a bit more...
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ryan base
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Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 12:30 am
Location: salton city

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#55 Post by ryan base »

hi Neil following your thread with much interest it seems there are a few number of "panel beaters" such as yourself with the courage and capabilities to attend to the various rust issue nightmares incumbent in such a project as your car you used the term "daunting" which has stuck in my mind and i wonder at your skill in attacking those problems you just waded into the rust with abandon and showed us how it can be done thanks for sharing your process

Roy Smalley
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Location: North East Texas

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#56 Post by Roy Smalley »

Lookin' good Neil.
RoySmalley
www.eurowerks.com
 Roy Smalley
Texas

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Adam Wright
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Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#57 Post by Adam Wright »

Neil, I should have included an option to buy the car back at the same price, it's looking great!
www.unobtanium-inc.com
Check out my Barn Find column in the Registry magazine, always looking for good stories.

neil blaber
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Location: melbourne, oz

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#58 Post by neil blaber »

thank you guys, kind words much appreciated

ryan, i think its just a matter of getting on with the job in hand. it'll never get done otherwise!

roy, thank you, i had a look through your site and it all looks great work.

adam, no going back now! unless you want me to offer a re-deal? lol

had a bit of time on it today and made some progress, the small piece i started the other day now fits, also started on the adjoining piece
2014-09-13 15.22.37.jpg
2014-09-13 16.42.31.jpg
2014-09-13 17.45.29.jpg
it still needs some trimming to final shape. it is 5mm short at the back but that's just me being rubbish, so rather than add a piece on i shall make the cross member above the gearbox hanger 5mm wider. possibly add a little more torsional stiffness to the shell
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Jim Nelson
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Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#59 Post by Jim Nelson »

Mad skills, wish I had them !

neil blaber
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Location: melbourne, oz

Re: 356 bt6 restoration

#60 Post by neil blaber »

thank you jim,, I'm sure you have skills and talents i wish i had, but what I'm doing is not that complicated. its only metal
2014-09-16 18.32.39.jpg
little more added to it, i have started the lower edge today.

plenty more to follow!...
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