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Restoration Journal of a 1958 Porsche 356A Cabriolet
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Porsche Windshield
 We picked up a new windshield from Momentum Porsche in Houston today. When I was calling around to the usual 356 parts vendors for quotes, one of the them suggested I contact my local dealer for a quote. He went on to explain that if I wanted an original Sigla windshield, all of the dealers go through Porsche. The only problem is that once the vendor receives the windshield, I then have to worry about UPS shipping the glass to my doorstep in one piece. Of course it would be insured, but then I would have to deal with the damage claims. If I buy if from my local dealer, I can pick it up from the showroom and drive it home myself.
I was also surprised to find that Momentum had the best price around. Even though I paid local sales tax, this cost offset the cost of freight. It took about 3 weeks for the windshield to arrive.
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Saturday, October 21, 2006
Nose Job
Bill and Mick at Hamilton Classics have made good progress on Annie the past few weeks. We plan to go up and deliver parts tomorrow and will have a better understanding of the progress to report. Here are a few photos of their work.
So far, Mick found that when I installed the dash cowl, the forward edge at the hood was a little too far forward. Now that he has corrected this the hood fits better.
More exciting is that he was able to save the nose. Here are before and after photos of his work.
 
In the meantime I've been collecting parts for the reassembly process. My study is full of nice new shiny parts that are arriving daily. I'm afraid to take them to the garage. I don't know if it's because the garage is still dirty or if I'm afraid they will get lost. The gold scripts and license plate light came from NLA Limited on Friday and the Bursch exhaust came in from Zim's last week. Several other parts are coming in from other vendors and eBay in the next few days.
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Saturday, October 21, 2006
Gas Tank Sealing
We restored the gas tank using the Eastwood tank sealer kit a couple weekends back. The system was really easy to use and looks like it will be a good solution. My gas tank was in pretty bad shape and it looked like it had been sealed once before in the past. The layer of rust inside of the tank was thick and there was qute a bit of loose stuff. One the positive side, I filled the tank with water and found that it did not leak. I was skeptical that this seal kit would work with the old stuff still stuck to the walls inside the tank.
The overall process takes about 3 hours to complete and I recommend having someone help you. There are numerous steps of mixing, sloshing stuff around, and waiting. Overall, it is a simple process. The Metal Wash dissolves the dirt and fuel varnish, while OxiSolv etches the surface for good adhesion of the Sealer. You will also need 1/2 gallon each of Muratic Acid and Acetone that you can get at the local hardware store for less than $10. The final step is the Sealer which forms a tough, elastic barrier which resists all types of fuel additives and protects against rust. I used two bottles of the sealer and could probably have used a third for a better finish. Be sure that you wear good chemical gloves and long sleeves. Also have on hand plenty of baking soda to neutraize the chemicals after the flush. It will kill the grass and leave a nice orange spot.
 After two weeks of curing I flushed the gas tank with water for about four hours today. I filled the tank once with water and flushed though the fuel cock and a filter with a bilge pump sending water back into the tank. I did not have the fuel screen in the tank as I wanted any loose stuff to flush out of the tank. Every 15 minutes or so I would lightly knock on the outside of the tank with a rubber mallet to make sure that there was nothing loose on the tank walls.
No big surprise, I found that the fuel cock that I rebuilt leaked considerably from the valve area. Rather than build it again, I'll just replace it with a new one. This had been recommended to me before but I didn't listen.
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Since I made this post, I have since learned that you must keep clear the vent holes in the top of the tank. If you don't and the holes get plugged from the new sealer, the tank will collapse as the fuel pump sucks down the gas. Yes, the fuel pump is strong enough to do this. I have since seen photos. I was able to reach in through the filling hole with a dental pick and dental mirror to clear the vent. It would have been easier when the sealant was still soft and not fully cured.
Theresa adds an edit that the application of the sealant took more like 5 hours compared to the 3 hours that I recall. Maybe the fumes were getting to me.
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Sunday, October 01, 2006
Shop Delivery
 Yesterday we delivered Annie to Hamilton Classics and she is now in the vary capable hands of Mick and Bill. It should be a 3-4 month process to straighten out doors, deck lids, and various other panel fits including the recreation of the dreaded nose section. Once they have the car all straightened out they will paint and we should received a nice painted shell ready for reassembly.
Bill pointed out a couple small mechanical details that I will need to fix. As you may have noticed, the rear sits a little too high. I'll need to pull the trailing arms again and rotate the torsion bars a notch or two. The front is a little too high as well but that is an easy adjustment. We have left it sitting this high to load onto trailers.
I picked up my 2nd hard top from Bill as well. I'll spend the next couple weeks cleaning this up and making sure I have what I need between the two tops.
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