PORSCHE 356 NOS Green Metal 101

[Bill Brown]

356A twin grille decklid..... part # 644.512.001.01 "cover without lock & hinge" "356A Carrera Coupe". This info from the 59 parts book.

[Rusty Tubs]

Any ideas what this speedster/ open car decklid was intended to be without rain tray? This is how I bought it.
Looking for a complete stock one...anyone have one?

[John Pierce]

Great topic Ric.

The details really help with the restoration process. Maybe we could get the manufacturers to use them for better molds.

John

[S.J.Szabo]

It's just a thought, but the crustiness by the rack mounts give me the impression that the rather crude "modification" included more than hole-chopping.

Thanks Mr.Brown. I'll have to dig out the tag fragment from archives to see how they compare.

[JTR70]

Almost forgot about this thread... here's todays entry.
What appears to be an NOS "A" version door bottom.

Right side anyway.




Factory Rust repair panel.

Right rear quarter panel leading edge.

Door jamb flange and corner..

Didn't think the factory offered these small rust repair strips back then. Looks identical to what RD offers today.

[JTR70]

NOS Late B/C splash pan. (possibly AT2 as well?)



Lower corner is much more squared off than the reproductions

Corner is also relief cut and spot welded in place.


This was good confirmation for the correction I had to do so the new panel would snug up against the rocker profile as it tapered too quick with a very soft rounded corner. There was no relief cut in the corner as it was shrunk and worked heavily to gather up the metal to make the turn. I was impressed with that even though it was the wrong shape to fit properly.

Outer mount flange for the back of the front fender.

Several relief cuts to make the turn. The repro I bought only had one relief cut along this flange were as you can see this factory unit had several more.

upper corner detail

Mount flange to the upper trunk closing panel.

Part came complete with reinforcement bracket attached.

[Rusty Tubs]

The difference between (galvaneal) reproduction



stamping and NOS battery floor.
The definition is lost and the bend line not present on the reproduction.

[Jack Staggs]

Factory Rust repair panel.

Right rear quarter panel leading edge.

Door jamb flange and corner..

Didn't think the factory offered these small rust repair strips back then. Looks identical to what RD offers today.

EDIT: I mistook this part for the Rear of the Front fender!

That is an odd part, for several reasons. Porsche would have to make special dies to make this part since it includes part of the rocker panel. This piece eliminates the lead filled overlap between the rocker panel and the fender, but only part of it. The forward part of the fender to rocker would still have some of the overlap/leaded joint. This can cause no small problem when attempting to weld in the full repair piece, as some lead will still be in the joint of the remaining metal. Also of note is that the lower end of the repair piece is cut short, requiring use of a small sliver of the existing rocker, that is likely rusted as well. A long extension of the lower end would allow an installer to form the rocker material to fit all cars, preA included. Oh, and forget the drill hole for the rocker trim. Nearly anyone can drill a hole, if needed, in the correct location. The RD part looks very similar, except it extends further in to the cowl (scuttle for the Brits).
All of this has come to my attention once again, as Trevor and I are working on a car that needs some help in this area (rear of front fender). We will probably make our own parts for the repair, as the replacement pieces that I have seen in the past will not fit the curvature and gaps of the doors, which are in excellent condition. The problem with this car is that the lower part of the rockers on this car are out of shape, and look like they were repaired with a hatchet. What a surprise.
I am reaching out to anyone that has replaced their rockers, and can supply us with the forward 8" or so on each side of the leftovers in decent condition. Anything will be considered. Thank you in advance, all you crazy welders.
Jack
ifix356@juno.com
949-492-9606

[bbspdstr]

............... Oh, and forget the drill hole for the rocker trim. Nearly anyone can drill a hole, if needed, in the correct location. The RD part looks very similar, except it extends further in to the cowl (scuttle for the Brits). All of this has come to my attention once again, as Trevor and I are working on a car that needs some help in this area. We will probably make our own parts for the repair, as the replacement pieces that I have seen in the past will not fit the curvature and gaps of the doors, which are in excellent condition..........

I make wood "hammerforms" out of good plywood that have the shape of the front of the rear fenders and the rear of the front fenders ("wings" for the Brits ) on each side to make my own beginnings from which to create what really fits. The holes are for bolting the metal and both sides the form together for a non-slip tightness for the hammering part of the operation. On those parts, usually two sets of holes exist, welded closed after final forming and installation.

I will take pictures to share of what "green parts" of NOS metal I have left. Not much. I will also try to find a picture of one big wall of one of my shops where we had all that mounted for easy visual inventory/reference/impressing customers/bragging rights. Nose and tail panels, doors and lids, floors and rockers, etc. They used to be "relatively inexpensive" and far easier/cheaper to install than repro, so a win-win for restorer and customer.

I will also tell (again) now that one of my bigger frustrations was renting a small airplane in the '70s with a pilot friend to fly to a New York state apple barn to look at a collection of NOS parts and get there before I was "scooped." The upper part of the barn was already cleaned out by the time of my arrival, I believe by someone who used the term "NLA" as a business name.... but the very dark and dank lower level was full of 'green' metal parts, sitting in a few inches of water...of course, the area of the parts in the water was that of the rusted areas of the parts they could have replaced...and rust was already VERY advanced on the green parts, so I passed on a bid for all and flew home with nothing.

-Bruce

[jim nelson]

Here's a good one. NOS T6 "subframe", from the cowl to the battery box.

[JTR70]

Hey Jack,
Sorry so late on this response to your request. Are you still in need of those rocker sections?

WOW Jim, That is a nice piece! That would go great with this hood:

Notice no holes for the handle.







Notice the large spot welds ahead of the hinge plate. Seems a reinforcement plate had been added behind there to slow down a possible "gas station kink"

[jim nelson]

Another nice piece....battery box, complete, and a T6 engine lid in the background...

[bbspdstr]

I am not going nuts, just half nuts. The frustrations of my job are gaining on me and I'm at the stage on new projects that it's relevant on this thread:

This is about restoration at the higher, better end. I have been agonizing on problems and come-backs for more current replacement parts being "all there is and BTW, say "thank you" by vendors for the past several weeks. Good cars, good owners, most re-restorations after decades of "OK" but now needed, desired, to be "just right."

Anyone know a good source for something as simple as a good exhaust flange gasket? I just got off the phone with a guy whose total restoration I just kicked out and who gave up a Holy Leistritz for a Damned Dansk and he is bringing it back for it suddenly sounding like he was riding his lawnmower after a few hundred miles. Where's the QC for 'all the money'? I'm seeing those new gaskets burn out way too quickly and likely due to not obvious but imperfect flange alignment to the ports.

I want to get everything in pieces with "some assembly required" and put things as they need to be to fit....

As for sheet metal, that T-6 hood doesn't look quite NOS, sorry to say, unless it had been thrown over the fence at Teaneck instead of into the dumpster as a reject. The edge inner fold is crude and the inner frame usually had the hood handle holes even if the outer skin didn't.....but usually did. The "reinforcement" spot welds appear as I remember those of the Stoddard repros which were made with that added support and also made with the 'either/or' mounting for T-6B or C latches. Those were e-coated black as were the close-but-no-cee-gar noses from the late '70s/early '80s production...and maybe the green was used sometime in that run. Can't be sure of anything from a picture, sorry, so as the kids say now....."jus' sayin'"...

I had a 3-piece front end a long time ago, NOS. Nose and both fenders...and knew a local who found a 4-piece, tied at the rear by a cowl. Both were under $2k 30 years ago, still a lot of money then but hard to store until needed so they were easier to find and buy. I had a (T-6, which version I can't remember) battery box I kept for reference. With Jim's pictured front tub, we'd have half of a brand new 356!.....without numbers. We could use that battery box and add a repro Carrera motor, aluminum panels and have an abcGT!

Justin, if you read this, thank you for the promotional cards. I have been handing them out to everyone I see and have had a couple say they've signed up already, one from CA and they love the freshness of your site.

Also, many thanks to whomever (you or Rick) for the NOS battery box floor for my C-2 project. Now I am picking through all sources for sheetmetal parts for a '56 4-cam Speedster that was raced hard and put away wet. Blasted, it revealed a need for parts of a floor pan. Luckily, I have one of the best repros but, of course, the customer and I would like to find NOS or counterfeit NOS...for EVERYTHING!

Back to work, typing with one good finger and one that's taped over a wound....damned sheet metal!
-Bruce

[jim nelson]

To clarify, Bruce, those bits aren't mine; I did see them, though, and put them up for the purpose of the green metal topic. Totally surprised you could get a piece like that. I agree fully--the real bits are absolutely the ones to have, and searching for them is hard as hell.

[Jack Staggs]

Bruce, et al... We also had issues with the new exhaust gaskets when they first came out several years ago. I believe the problem is caused by themal expansion differential between the engine and muffler, ie, growing and shrinking at different rates during heating and cooling cycles. Ever notice that the leaks almost always are at the muffler to head mounting, not the J tubes to head?That's because the J tubes have long runners, giving flexibility. We deal with it by using TWO gaskets, AND muffler paste at the muffler/head joint. We then run the engine for ten minutes or so and allow to cool. We then re-tighten the four attachment nuts (12mm atf please). You might be surprised how much they will turn. We very rarely have a return, and then usually after several years of service.