1960 356B Restoration

[DustyM]

Trial fit of larger panel



Modifications needed



B-Post and rear inner wing removed





Repairs to edge of window frame



Trial fit of new panels





New inner wing trial fitted



Welded in place





Trial piece to check door gaps, a little more needs to be shaved off.



Repairs to the ends of the scuttle as the new front wings don't extend this far.



Inner sections treated with Zinc Paint



Progress



Inner wing removed from other side



These two are meant to fit together!





Thats better, as if by magic!



Trial fit show some reshaping required



Somewhat better now





Repair piece for the other side of the scuttle tacked in place



With both sides like this we are almost ready for the front end

[HenrikL]

Amazing work.....

[sladey]

Awesome stuff Jon. Bits of that look like they would fill most people with despair but you keep on making it look eas... actually no, none of it looks easy.

Fascinating stuff - thanks for sharing and keep it coming

[DustyM]

Some of it has been entertaining alright! No choice but to just get stuck in though when you have someone else's pride and joy cut into pieces.

[DustyM]

Repair sections welded into rear wing to replace thin pinholed metal.



Repairs around rear screen







Repairs to shock absorber mounts







Poorly done patch in rear seat pan removed and done properly





Repairs to rear quarter window surrounds



Trial fitting the seats to fit the mounts







Trial fit of the pedals to locate the mounts





Trial fit of quarter windows after repairs to B-posts





Repairs to the roof skin next, the old repair removed







Repairing the gutter rail first





Followed by a seamless repair to the outer skin





Next a new B-pillar is made from scratch











Trial fitted



And welded in place

[Gary71]

Some lovely work Jon, still making look easy as usual!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[72911E]

Nice work Jon!

The car was my fathers 356's that he used to race and hill climb back in the 80's. The family tracked it down a couple of years ago. It will be going back to its original Aetna Blue and because of its racing history to GT spec. Will dig out some period shots later and load them up.

Here is a post when I was trying to track it down and my first introduction to Chris Turner. Chris worked on this car and rebuilt several motors for my dad. Pls show Chris this thread if he is logging in at all.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36793&p=287868#p287868

Still looking for his RHD Cab, I have since found out, the Cab was a C. The owner after my father sold it back into the UK around 1998 to Roger Bray. I spoke to Roger Bray, he believes he remembers the car but can't find any details to hand.

[tea boy]

Some nice work going on but for goodness sake get yer man to pull his trousers up.

[DustyM]

So back to the front end.



Protected and sealed whilst accessible



Final check of bonnet gaps before welding on the nose cone









Getting ready to fit the front wings











Rear edge has to be folded around the inner wing.









Tacked in place ready for tig welding



Nice gaps









Starting to look like a car again

[911hillclimber]

Brilliant stuff, really enjoying this project.

Some of those long welds in sensitive places would be a real challenge to me!
Very impressed with that roof repair.

That spot welder brings back memories when I did my 911 in '88. Used to hire it with a box of long shaped arms. So much nicer to use that mig and grind!

[sladey]

Awesome work Jon - fascinating to see how the construction of the 356 differs from the 911 - e.g. Non removable wings etc

[defianty]

Fantastic work, really inspiring.

[210bhp]

Very nice work indeed.

Regards
Mike

[DustyM]

Rear of car had suffered from poor repairs after accident damage so a new rear skin was ordered.





Before it can be fitted the new engine lid has to be put together, an aluminum GT skin is fitted to an original frame.









Rear is cut away and the inner panel cleaned up and treated





Engine lid used as a guide for fitting the new panel and setting gaps





Looks like we've got some work to do getting a good fit!







Some hours later and a good fit has been achieved and the panel is tacked in place







New section made for the lower corner







And finally off the jig



Back on the rotessairy for some final welding to the underside in areas impossible to reach on the jig.





A complete shell once again..

[911hillclimber]

So interesting!
Never seen that back panel before, must make such a difference to the quality/time spent.
Great thread, thanks for all the detail.