DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Here we go, time to make public the old rust bucket itself. I'm only doing this so to remind me to get my a*se in gear and keep at it. So I bought the old dog earlier this year, it had had a severe smack in the front left and in the main needed a left hand wing and complete front clip which I think is how those colonials across the pond call them. After stripping the shell out I started on removing all the underseal and tar paper which seemed to be stuck on everywhere. A few nights with a butane torch and good blade saw to most of this, stinking job though, almost passed out from the fumes a couple of times. Unfortunately it uncovered a multitude of rust homes from engine compartment to rear seat squabs to sills to bonnet area under the petrol tank and the tank itself took four patches to repair. Yes welded the petrol tank, it only goes pop once, then yer OK. Oh both floors too and I welded in a new front cross member. I got the front from Karmoan Konnaction and the wing from Roger Bray and although I have fitted the wing I am not happy with the bonnet gaps so it's out with the porta power to ease everything out a bit. The bonnet has to go on before I can start with the front but the front of the bonnet was just one great lump of pug over rust so had to weld that up, a bit fiddly not wanting to get any distortion and I welded up the emblem holes cos I don't like the T6 handle. So I'm looking at this bare shell and I'm thinking sure would look better if it was all a bit lower. Shall I chop the top, I've only done one other car and that was a Beetle so I sort of know the deal but I am not sure about front screen. Actually I don't have a stock screen so moneywise I'm virtually there. And the car was never going to be a stocker anyway as I just hav'nt got all the original parts. Hacksaw in one hand, welder in the other, I'm going back out to the garage . . .
And there's a pic of my Harley, aint she sweeeet

Back in the shed last night I decided that I just cannot spray paint in the garage. I wanted to prime the front suspension area after rubbing it all down but the overspray was just so bad. When I come to paint the car I think I shall inpact staple polythene onto all surfaces as protection. At the moment there is too much stuff residing in the garage, my bikes, motorcycles, stereo and cd's all over the place and toolboxes. Just too much kit to be covered in crap. So I shall push the car outside, it's on a nice little dolly I fabricated at the outset of this restoration, then put a sheet of hardboard down on the drive to collect the worst overspray and let the breeze do the rest. Of course I dont' need any nosey neighbours to start spouting off about carbon footprints and pollution.

Not being that keen on xmas (no kids) we usually get away for a week or so and this year flew off to San Diego. Got off the plane at LAX got the renter and within 5 mins on PCH saw an immac bright yellow 356, homesick in an instant or rather garagesick. Some relief was having Speed channel on the hotel TV, and burning rubber on the rental Monte Carlo. Peeeel out! Back home and back to work on the old 356. I started welding a rust hole in the inner l/h rear quarter panel, it was just very thin from the corrosion which must have occurred due to a leaking quarter window and the moisture then trapped by the sound deadening material. This hole just blew out and I just had to cut out all the bad metal and I ended up welding in a 350mm X 150mm panel. I hope that this is the last rust damage I have to repair on this heap and I can start painting it. The shift rod seemed very floppy so I pulled it all out and found the rest for the rod was not bolted down. There appears no fitments to restrain this rest so I'm cutting the top of the central channel off to enable this rest to be located securely. I'll fabricate a new panel which I can bolt down. I am also removing the old umbrella handbrake lever to be replaced with a standard type floor mount, so having access to this centre area will be a help when I start routing cables. The next urgent job is to paint the bonnet area so I can get the bonnet back on to be a guide in replacing the front clip. KTF amigos.

Keep going It will all come good in the end!

Any more pictures?

Ignatzcatz wrote: I am also removing the old umbrella handbrake lever to be replaced with a standard type floor mount

Any particular reason?

Hi Gary, thanks for the words, I'm going to take some more pics as soon as there is some paint on/in the beast.
James, the last car I owned that had an umbrella hand brake was a sit up and beg Ford Pop. It did have a 4.7 litre V8 in it but I did'nt want the reminder. Actually reasons are I am fitting bucket seats so there will be plenty of room, I am running different rear hubs and brakes so there will be one off handbrake cables anyway and I do hope to be able to indulge in a little motorsport when the car's done, just club stuff which hopefully will include some autotests and sprints so a fly off handbrake will be a neccessity.
Cheers all.

another 356 is cool with us I am going for the worlds slowest 356 resto 10 years

Oh God I feel really guilty, I hav'nt touched the ole girl for over a week now, mainly because I've been painting the front of the house. In this weather, yeah it's OK, put a few layers on and plenty of coffee stops and you can do it. Actually it is really to get some brownie points cos I'm off to LA again, on my own, to get a weeks training in the sun, and maybe a bit of surfing too. Upon my return the maching on the front hubs to fit 944 brakes should be complete. This will be fun fitting these on but I suspect there will still be a few compliance glitches. Still got to get a master cylinder and I reckon a twin circuit beetle one should fit the bill.
Back soon, fit and tanned. Now get back in the garage you lot.
Ignatzzzz

Excellent work, keep it up fella sounds like its gonna be a bit of an outlaw project? can't wait to see it progress.

Hi Graham... great to meet you yesterday and I really appreciate you digging out your old handbrake mech for me... keep up the good work on the 356 - it looked superb! Cheers, Marc.

Hi peeps, back from my travels and back into a slightly warmer garage, all the heaters have been stashed up on the top shelves. I finally have the front panels on the old bird. I gas welded them instead of using the TIG because in a few places I had to fill gaps and this is just so much easier with gas. I got a little distortion on the nearside wing, I was running a bead that was going so neat I shoulda stopped and swapped over to t'other side but I kept at it and oops a small depression but it's no big deal. The other problem was where the two front panels come together and they have risen ever so slightly during welding. I should have arranged them so they would have been held down by a suitable method, but again no problemo really, I can grind the panels and grind the bonnet a little and if that does'nt bring the gaps back I'll just hammer f@%k out of them. Well now me an T5 and 993 owning buddy JMB are off to Hershey PA for the big right coast swap meet next weekend. I'm hoping to get all the door trim rubber, interior heater ducting and a wiper motor and a 12v starter. I really need a T6 front screen but I don't think Virgin would let me have that as a carry on even in upper. Should be a good weekend with the swap on Saturday, sprint cars Saturday night then Porsche auto cross on the Sunday. Yup boys weekend. I'll post some pics when I get back. [IMG]

Just before I nipped off to the States for the 356 registry East coast swap meet I got all the welding done on the front end. Back and forth, back and forth trying not to get any distortion. There is a bit of grinding to be done and some heating and spot hammering of the welds but it's all done so soon I'm onto the hanicals, at last. And I got the engine bay sprayed up too.

looking good were the panel expensive owen nw

Sorta yes and no, the front two panels from KK were about 800 which seemed fair. The L/H wing was 450 ish from Brays which I thought was pricey for what it was and the work involved to fit it. Its got a new battery tray and K member underneath which was about 60 quid, so that was fair enough. I need all the door rubbers inc quarter light stuff and this will be about 250 a side but I have been measuring up other vehicles and I think I can severely reduce this figure by a little adapting. If you or anyone has a T6 front screen, do let me know.

I got a front screen for mine from one of the suppliers in yellow pages - let me know if you want to know who and I'll dig out the reciept

Steve