57 356 A mild resto

[merbesfield]

Pan fully painted and seam sealed.

[merbesfield]

Rear quarters cleaned painted seam sealed and painted again.

[merbesfield]

Last bit of metal finishing was to perfect the area where I returned the rear tail lights back to their former glory and back to proper Beehive lights. Lots of metal bumping and slapping and filing and killing my shoulders. But it’s done and the are good for minimum filler.

[merbesfield]

Next up is prep for undercoating. That will take some time by myself for scuffing, taping and final shooting. Hope to enlist some help from my daughter and BF 🙏🏻

[JTR70]

Your call of course But I'd recommend holding off on the undercoating until your bodywork and paint phase is complete. The D I'm working on came undercoated before hand was so nice and pristine when it showed but now most of it is a sanding slurry and overspray covered mess. I'll give it a tickle in flat black to clean it up again but it was one more thing to worry about as the bodywork progressed. The rough texture is also more trouble to clean and prep verses a plain primered or painted steel surface. Also, if you have any overlooked slight dings, dents or low spots that you want to address later, the undercoating will make it nearly impossible to locate and work with any real accuracy. Ask me how I know...LOL

[merbesfield]

Finally in undercoating. I thought about what what you said Jason, but in the end this will be a driver and I wanted it done. The bottom will be painted with a basic flat black for touch up. Ready to flip this baby and get on to minor body and paint. Pics were just after shooting so it’s a bit shiny but will flatten down once dry.

[JTR70]

Looking good Mark, both you and Scott seem to be rounding the corner. Keep it going!

[roy mawbey]

Well done Mark, the underneath looks great. You should be pleased with that. Before you do body painting tape up the area's underneath it won't take that long as Justin is right its amazing how that great black finish gets area's covered in rubbing down mess and paint spray. Well done indeed!!
Roy

[merbesfield]

Hi Guys, I am still alive! It has been too long, but the good news is I hope to get back to my project very soon. I am finishing a couple other projects and intend to make 2024 my 356 focus. I hope I keep that promise to myself. Cheers, Mark

[roy mawbey]

Mark all the best for 2024 and your 356. Bit by bit and keep smiling ! Roy

[roy mawbey]

Mark all the best for 2024 and your 356. Bit by bit and keep smiling ! Roy

[JTR70]

Hey Mark, Great to hear from you. Just a skeleton crew around here these days but glad to see you back. Last time we spoke you were selling this project right? Maybe a change of plans then?

Looking forward to any updates.

Justin

[merbesfield]

My car is now back on level ground, though not on its own wheels yet. Engine is currently being built by Jack Lewis and myself. Going 86mm Big Bore. Haven’t yet finalized who will supply the P&C’s. One option is Shasta. Another is Wossner out of Germany. They don’t currently offer oversized a 86mm big bore piston but they have committed to build me some. The question is how long to get produced.

https://wossnerpistons.com

I have been busy cleaning and detailing all the engine parts along with all my bits that will be freshly plated Clear Zinc.

[merbesfield]

I have been busy order lots of cool parts and stuff. Just placed an order for some alloy wheels and an LED bulb kit from Jules at Vintage. Taking my time to detail every nut and bolt before sending them out for plating. Past experience has taught me that final quality in plating is all about the prep prior to the platers job. The internal engine parts are not getting plated btw 😉

[merbesfield]

PS I am building a 69 912 motor for my 356 😎

[JTR70]

Check out LN engineering for the cylinders and either JE or Carillo for the pistons and of course total seal for the rings. 912 makes the perfect base for a hot rod.

I went with Carillo's for my project and LN's for the barrels.

Justin

[roy mawbey]

Well done Mark and lot of work on your project keeping you busy !

Roy

[merbesfield]

Thanks Roy. Having a lot of fun. I love getting the details right.

[merbesfield]

Justin, those pistons look like jewelry. Have you heard anyone say that the LN’s don’t seal? My mechanic who builds motors seems biased towards not liking the LN setup. Not sure why. He said they took a while to not smoke.

[JTR70]

I haven't heard anything negative about them Mark. Sounds like they may take a little longer for the rings to seat but that just means that the super hard nickasil coating is doing its job.