Rusty Tub 2 1958 Speedster Project

[Trevor]

Totally!

[bbspdstr]

Please allow me to chime in here. I began in '65 with a Speedster and have owned about 15 of them since, some nice and one very rusty one now buried under a local super-highway while it was being built, after being stripped, (should have saved that number plate, huh?) my last in my avatar and now sold. I am left with a paltry '58 Coupe. However,I'm warming to that practicality as I age.

Your course is set, but rather than compromise a nice A Coupe, what does Trevor Marshall get for a whole 'new' metal body of a Speedster sans chassis number?

Drew, you will have a Speedster with a Coupe chassis number, so perhaps your local governmental transportation agencies can provide an "special vehicle number" all it's own, instead, if you don't sacrifice the Coupe.

I had a client a long time ago who wanted an SC Cabriolet. He had a very nice SC Coupe that was very straight and sound but needed paint. Cabs cost more back then than a Coupe, as much as $10,000 at that time! All the Cabs he found were not as nice or structurally sound as his long-time friend, the Coupe...so he approached me about a 'trasformation.'

(Like a surgeon performing a complete sex change.)

I found a scrapped Cab (I said this was a while ago) for the upper panels that were different...for $1000 with no paperwork or numbers, found a used top frame for $250 and went to work. The total job back then cost less than $15,000...equal to the difference in value plus the painting of the Coupe if he has stayed with that

I don't know where that 356 is now, but the owner was driving a Cab with a Coupe serial number for many years until he retired.

Of course, his registration and insurance still was for a Coupe...but that was his 'problem.'

I must confess that I have toyed with the same idea of using my A Coupe as a donor for a "Psudo-Pspeedster" but now that owners of your ilk have done this dirty deed, all I can say is "thanks" for making my A Coupe more valuable.....and one with a Sunroof is just fine!

I may two-tone the paint so the top is different from fender (wing?)tops up, add a side strip a la Speedster and add the fender emblems...maybe Speedster seats...and tell people it's my latest Speedster with a hardtop that has a sunroof. And no leaks. And a taller windscreen and roll-up windows...and....and....

Regards,
Bruce

[JTR70]

Alright Drew, Your journey begins! WOW! That is a dry car Most of Ric's inventory comes from the Eastern states so this is a rare offering from him and I'm very surprised that he didn't keep this one for himself.
It is only natural of course for 356 lovers like us to cringe at the thought of cutting up such a well preserved chassis but as has been said earlier its your car now. A more palatable conversion is of course the cancer bucket I'm working on but when you consider the hundreds of hours I've had to spend just to create a suitable platform well your are hundreds of miles ahead of me just by shoving this car into your work space. Yes, this donor is valuable as a coupe but so is all of the time and frustration you're saving. You mentioned earlier that you'll be watching my conversion closely but I'll probably end up watching yours as you blow right past me.
If it makes you feel better I have two coupes in my shop that were just as well preserved as yours.
This is the '58 turbo coupe in the hotrod forum

Hit hard in the front but very little rust, even the floor pans were solid. Ric had a 59 coupe with a cherry body but a severally cancered out chassis we pleaded with owner to trade out the cars since all of his specified conversions required almost total removal of the original frame.

He wouldn't go for it so another solid donor bit the dust. For this conversion the rusty coupe from Ric was the smartest way to go.

The second car is my own coupster project I began almost 14 years ago.

This coupe was probably every bit as nice and rust free as my coupe I'm trying to finish now. Solid floors etc.

I really hesitated as I had my die grinder in my hand ready to make the first cut. The only thing that spurred me one was 5K worth of Trevor marshal Speedster sheet metal I had just purchased.
Do I regret it after all these years? If I wanted a stock coupe now then absolutely yes. But I still want my Hotrod Speedster and the modifications I want would be absolutely foolish to do on real one.

Just after arriving at the shop I'm in now.

I understand where David is coming from about them being overrated. Kind of like what I was saying in the other post about the "idea" of Pre-A being more romantic than the reality of going up the road in a stock one. Especially with one of those new mini-vans riding your ass up the hill. What really does it for me is sitting on the threshold of my buddies speedster with its low bow top up and looking inside that very cramped but racy cockpit. Its just cool!!!!!!!!!!and I want one.
Very excited for you Drew, keep us up to date on what you're doing!

Trevor, great photo of you and the Mrs.; a nice looking couple you make!

Very positive way of looking at it Bruce, just one less stock coupe in the world. Too many of those anyway.
Justin

[tperazzo]

Wonder what your local government requires for registration description? Also your insurance company may have issues if ever need to make a claim.

I drove around a Manx dune buggy registered as a vw sedan for a while. I would have been concerned if I valued that car at 100k verses the 3k it was worth. Not a dream car, but it was actually pretty fun. Plus the kids loved it.....I digress.

Might want to check with the authorities, and I think Bruce already mentioned, you might need a special VIN.

Are there any inspections required in Europe?

You've probably already done your due diligence, but I for one would be curious to know what hoops are required to jump through where you live.

Good luck,
Tom

[roy mawbey]

[Drew.s]

Also starting to strip the tar paper out before she goes to the blasters.
Next on the to do list was an Emory style rotisserie so with plans from the web I set about welding the box sections together (you can see the two hoops in the background).

[Drew.s]

Hi Guys
So as a bit of therapy I decided to start stripping one of the speedster doors I got from Ric, these were apparently his best pair of rust free late doors and were not cheap so on went the stripper and before long a line of bondo started to bubble up.



This was not looking good had the door been welded? Had it been hit hard?



Layers of bondo were removed and to my amazement a quarter inch of bondo was hiding nothing more than a slight crease almost invisible to the eye.

[JTR70]

That is a nice Speedster door; nice Speedster donor too! Glad to see you beginning to sticking your toes in the water Drew. Eventually you'll work up the nerve to take your die grinder or sawzall to those A-pillars and sail panels. Be right behind you as you progress!
Justin

[Drew.s]

Thanks Justin
Recieved your A pillar template and moulds safely yesterday, will start cracking on with the two hammer forms.
I have really heavy piece of English Oak that should work out quite well.
Which reminds me that many years ago I created a large hammer form to reproduce the rear torsion area sheet metal before they were available.
I will dig around the workshop and see if I can find it and share some pictures.

Regards
Drew

[Drew.s]

Aha! found some old pics and a drawing I made of the left torsion area.




Hope you find them interesting, I made the form from oak and went to night school to learn to weld and this was my final project.







The piece is now driving around underneath WUF810.
I will take a picture of the original hammer form/buck tonight if I can find it.
Regards
Drew

[Drew.s]

Hi Guys
Here is the revised A pillar drawing based on Justins template, moulds and others inputs.
Please shout if you see anything that looks out.



Regards
Drew

[roy mawbey]

Drew,

Nice drawings and nice fabrication you made for WUF 810. I did look under the car once at a car show near Horsham. It was very nice so I guess I have actually seen your work .

Following with interest. One question, the final photo of your door with the filler removed looks really good. I suppose the pic doesn't really show the depression crease?

Roy

[JTR70]

I continue to be amazed with those CAD drawings Drew! Great stuff and really nice work on that repair section. You're pockets will probably turn out nicer than mine. Glad you received the models. One word of caution with those. you will notice that they are not perfectly symmetrical with one another with one being a bit more shallower than the other. They are impressions from the 54th speedster built so you can imagine the inconsistencies with such an early car. As Jack mentioned there are potential clearance issues with all speedster mounts so if you're going to error, error on the side of making them deeper. Looking forward to your progress! Justin

[Drew.s]

Thanks Justin will add in a little more depth.
Dug out the oak hammer form/buck that I carved to make up that torsion bar area.
Took quite a while but in those days there was nothing on the market to replace this rusted out area.


I used this to form the shape then tacked the pieces together on the buck as you can set from the burning.


More updates soon.
Drew

[JOP]

Did you only do one set on it or did you produce more for others?
You should make another piece and the polish this wood up and keep it in your show off cabinet