58367 The $75 Junkyard Carrera coupe restoration

[JTR70]

Thanks Per! Yes, they do make some nice stuff. An old 356 wouldn't pass DOT here either but you'd be amazed what they allow to run up and down the highway here in the States if its old enough.

2/24/18
Time to see if it fits...


I of course hit a small snag.

Right before I could get the relief notch for the bolt to line up with the clamp the end of the shank bottomed out against the puck.

Easiest thing to do would be to grind off a few Mm's off the end of the shaft but I hate the idea of modifying original parts to work with aftermarket stuff so I disassembled it and ran it over to my machinist to put a hole in the center. OG part saved and the puck is a little lighter. Win/Win.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Back from the machine shop

Clearance problem solved...

Fully assembled with steering shaft...at last.



I'll hammer the locks over once I'm 100% sure it won't have to be adjusted or taken apart for whatever reason again.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JOP]

[JTR70]

Hey Per, No I figured guys like me would find their own way around the problem.

[roy mawbey]

Justin, I replaced my original coupler with the fabric type material some years ago for the later rubber one. The 50 year old one had not failed but it sort of worried me when I looked at it. Still have the old one in a box to remind me. Your new looks very professional .

Roy

[JTR70]

Thanks Roy! The one I just took out of it was fine as well but this was just added insurance so I thought what the hell.

[JTR70]

Back to door thresholds


Since I'm going with the GT interior theme these stock runner extrusion go back into the box. Man, I've had these new since 1988!!

I don't want to glue that GT pebble finish vinyl directly onto my rockers so I decided on a removable base plate of aluminum sheet. Paper template for it in process.

Gives me the chance to shape the ends correctly to the car


Front and back. ..
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Now you have surprised me Justin. I had no idea the door thresholds were steel and not rubber on the GT versions. In all these these years of looking at so many photos of so many 356 cars I never knew that. They say you can keep on learning something new well I have today. This steel is covered in vinyl if I get you correctly?

Were they steel when your dad got the car from the breaker yard?

Roy

[JTR70]

Hey Roy, Sorry for the confusion. The original rubber runner goes directly onto the rocker on all 356. There is no sub-panel in there. I'm making this one custom for that GT vinyl to go onto. I don't think the original GT's had such a panel, this is just my own hair-brained idea. I'll post the finished product here shortly. Justin

[Phil Planck]

Justin
Hope you shared the shank issue with Ron LaDow

[JTR70]

Will do Phil.

[roy mawbey]

Thanks Justin, I will be interested in seeing your final threshold pics when you are ready. Pleased in a way its your idea as I thought I was loosing my marbles!
Roy

[JTR70]

Hey Roy, continuing on with this threshold project....

New alloy base trimmed exactly to the paper template making sure I got all the irregular closing angles dialed in.

Mocking up threshold seal with holding channel.

Using a section of seal to dial in the right spacing for this strip. This channel is supposed to screw directly into the threshold itself but I just don't want to drill the holes.

So for now my plan is to mount it directly onto my new base plate and have the whole thing removable as a unit. Wrapping this new base in the GT alligator skin next.
Justin

[JTR70]

Holes punched for the seal strip. Had just glued the face of the panel on and getting ready to fold the edges over.

Fully wrapped and first install.

Alloy and wrapped edges are close enough in thickness to the OG rubber allowing the original edge strip to firmly hold it in place.

Fitment in and around all the edges turned out like I had hoped.

Once the threshold seal and carpet tack strip are in this new panel will be firmly secured into position.

[JTR70]

A quick mock up with a section of tan carpet to give a Glimpse of what the final presentation will be like.

As I was making this panel I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or if it was going to turn out right but by the time I shot this photo I was glad that I did.

Motivated to make one for the left side. Template just flipped over and reshaping the corners and edges as needed.
Thanks for looking!

Justin

[JTR70]

Left side

Completes my little threshold side project


Onto the next deal...
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

New Alloy GT decklid from Trevor's Hammer works.

Finally took delivery of my new GT lid from Trevor Marshall last March. Complete alloy construction and a work of art!

I was under no illusions about what the initial fitment would be like. Actually fits just as well as some factory lids that where not OG to this car.

I will be adding and subtracting all along the edges of this lid to get uniform gap with this car. The trick will be doing it all the while taking care not to screw up the paint job. Lots of masking tape and paper for protection.

Came complete with the carb ducting.

[JTR70]

You can just tell a lot of hours went into building this thing. Which is probably why it wasn't cheap, but, I HAD TO HAVE IT! Hopefully I can the carbs to line up in there on my polo motor but if all else fails I run without them.

Interesting relief detail for the oil filler neck.

Will hinge and latch it in its best adjusted position first to get a baseline fit then begin the needed changes from there. ...all without chipping the paint.
This lid BTW will stay raw and in a matt finish to highlight the fact that it is alloy. More later.
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[roy mawbey]

Justin, That lid looks fabulous. I can understand exactly why you want it to stay Raw Ali but and I have never doubted your inspiration before on anything regarding this Carrera but purely by just looking for some time at that photo from a personal point of view I would paint it. It stands alone on the back it does not flow to an end factor. It might for me always look unfinished. The lid will always look special painted or not, the work involved determines that for sure. Of course its your car Justin !!! I only mention that because its so perfect it would have to stay that way for me if it were mine!

Roy

[JTR70]

Hi Roy, That was just my initial plan. If it looks weird or unfinished I can always paint it.