Guys it’s been a while since I posted anything. Life gets in the way
Have a new “Back to the Road” project. Very nice signal red over black, 1965 SC coupe that has been off the road for 5-6 years. Mostly all there, recovered from a restoration project that went too long. Nice dry Karman Body car. Matching numbers and appears to be straight and never hit. It came via an estate sale, the previous owner had started five 356 restorations at the same time then passed away. Local Dr. bought it, sight unseen from a auction broker and contacted me when it came off the transporter. Engine out on a pallet, interior in boxes, T-5 seats missing all the closing tin, but overall nothing too hard to locate. So far it needs a battery box repair and passengers floor. There is a 1/2 thick fiberglass in the floor. Looks OK from the bottom , tap test fine and no flex, but must have had a real problem to have that much fiberglass in the floor. I could carve a corvette from it.
Took the engine and put it on the test stand, pulled the plugs, mystery oil in the holes, ran a compression test and leak down. Compression was a little low but leak down was 95%+ on all for. Figure the compression was just dry rings from 5 years of setting out of the car. May have been rebuilt but no data on the engine. Adjusted the valves set the points and timing fired up after a few attempts. Has Webers that were dried out and a couple plugged passages, but finally cleaned up. The engine fired up good oil pressure and finally took a carburetor tune after about 30 minutes and getting warmed up. Here is Richard the new owner running his engine on the bench.
Swapped the T-5 Seats for a very nice set of T-6 with Eric Lenius and picked another chrome wheel for a spare. After looking for seats for a week of so I found a local 356 guy and restorer who is doing a very well appointed 60 Rutter Coupe, S-90 with GT Fuel tank, Rudge wheels fog-lights and many other options. So it worked out for both of us. The seats were redone a couple years ago and have perfect chrome and are in super shape. I cant say enough about how helpful Eric was in this. Converting the seat pans or the floor rails would have been a pain.
Stuffed the motor, now working the fuel system and tank and brakes. Tank is rusty and fuel valve is plugged. Pulled the cup off the strainer and it had 1/2 in of aluminum dust mixed with bad gas in the bowl.
But over all the car looks good, it was painted with single stage, but not wet sanded or cut yet, Original rubber everywhere and was not disassembled when painted. Not a bad job, just not correct for a restoration. It will be passable from 5 ft. But overall another tub heads back to the road.
More to follow thanks for looking.
Have a new “Back to the Road” project. Very nice signal red over black, 1965 SC coupe that has been off the road for 5-6 years. Mostly all there, recovered from a restoration project that went too long. Nice dry Karman Body car. Matching numbers and appears to be straight and never hit. It came via an estate sale, the previous owner had started five 356 restorations at the same time then passed away. Local Dr. bought it, sight unseen from a auction broker and contacted me when it came off the transporter. Engine out on a pallet, interior in boxes, T-5 seats missing all the closing tin, but overall nothing too hard to locate. So far it needs a battery box repair and passengers floor. There is a 1/2 thick fiberglass in the floor. Looks OK from the bottom , tap test fine and no flex, but must have had a real problem to have that much fiberglass in the floor. I could carve a corvette from it.
Took the engine and put it on the test stand, pulled the plugs, mystery oil in the holes, ran a compression test and leak down. Compression was a little low but leak down was 95%+ on all for. Figure the compression was just dry rings from 5 years of setting out of the car. May have been rebuilt but no data on the engine. Adjusted the valves set the points and timing fired up after a few attempts. Has Webers that were dried out and a couple plugged passages, but finally cleaned up. The engine fired up good oil pressure and finally took a carburetor tune after about 30 minutes and getting warmed up. Here is Richard the new owner running his engine on the bench.
Swapped the T-5 Seats for a very nice set of T-6 with Eric Lenius and picked another chrome wheel for a spare. After looking for seats for a week of so I found a local 356 guy and restorer who is doing a very well appointed 60 Rutter Coupe, S-90 with GT Fuel tank, Rudge wheels fog-lights and many other options. So it worked out for both of us. The seats were redone a couple years ago and have perfect chrome and are in super shape. I cant say enough about how helpful Eric was in this. Converting the seat pans or the floor rails would have been a pain.
Stuffed the motor, now working the fuel system and tank and brakes. Tank is rusty and fuel valve is plugged. Pulled the cup off the strainer and it had 1/2 in of aluminum dust mixed with bad gas in the bowl.
But over all the car looks good, it was painted with single stage, but not wet sanded or cut yet, Original rubber everywhere and was not disassembled when painted. Not a bad job, just not correct for a restoration. It will be passable from 5 ft. But overall another tub heads back to the road.
More to follow thanks for looking.
Comment