What do you think of a 356 as an everyday car?

[TheBaron]

Hi

As you may know, I am in the process of having a 1957 Coupe totally restored from the ground up, by Roger Brey(Body) and Andy Prill(engine)

I am never going to sell this car ever, so it is being done to a very high specification and use ability.

The engine should pull around 130bhp, i am having all round c disc brakes, the fuel tank is a racing type with internal bladder, it always concerned me that the tank was sitting right over my lap and in an accident this could be fatal. Every single panel inside and out will be rust proofed so should be good for a very long time.

There are lots of other mods too, but they are the main ones, my question is, i have several different cars, 997, 1973 911, TVR Land rover Disco etc.

I am looking for something different to drive and am looking at the 356 as a good option, it should cruise all day long with modern traffic, it should stop properly, they were built to be driven everyday so what do you guys think?

I would be looking to get rid of at least 2 of my other cars, 997 and 911, i already have 9 points on my licence and need to slow my life down just a little and am thinking this could be a good way.(will be keeping the TVR for track days)

Do any of you use your 356 everyday and if so, what are they like to live with daily, will it be up to the job or will it frustrate the hell out of me.

Any comments would be good

Thanks in advance

Stephen

[58A - 71E]

My wife used the 58A as a daily for 3 years. Despite undersealing it the ravages of the English weather finally killed it off (it was rough underneath to start with though)
However, that said, it was a great daily and ran far better using it regularly than when it was only used for occasional drives. I reckon with the mods you are doing it would be a fantastic daily for the summer months , but you will really need to keep up to it in the winter i.e. protecting chromework, perhaps a Bra for the front? as well as blasting all the salt etc off. As you said, these things were built for driving, and I'm a great believer of that.

[cubist]

I used my '54 daily from '92 - '95 until it was treated to some serious origami by a black cab jumping the lights outside Kings Cross one night on my way home... It wasn't mint but it was original and rust free. I eventually removed the bumpers, chrome and badges to stop it being vandalized as it spent most of the week parked up in the West End. It was lowered and ran a 1720 on twin 40s and it was in primer for much of it's life which gave it some street appeal. I loved that car smothered as it was in the usual dings and scrapes. I bought it back from Lloyds rather than losing it to scrap and it's been in storage ever since

I'd say use and abuse. Everything's mendable especially if you have another car to back it up, tow it away etc!

[Helen]

with an Andy Prill engine it will be very very usable as a daily. in fact it will be all the better for being used rather than sitting in the garage and only coming out on special occassions.

[Ren]

This thread made me think how many times I have actually driven the thing since ownership. That includes driving to the garage for repairs. These cars are an enthusiasts toy and not to be relied upon as a means of reliable transport.

However.

I used mine as a daily driver and loved it. Best part of my day was going to work and going home (was being the operative word). That was even with a bad battery and regulator that constantly let me down.

My car gained a rep amongst friends and professionals as being a Push and not a Porsche. Once I fixed the electrical problem I had the rest of the car to go through and just as it got reliable, my old boss hit the side while parked and the gearbox broke and then the engine and then the engine again.

Well its been under its cover for nearly three years and I am itching to drive it again this year for as many days as a I can. But totally agree that when the bad weather comes it will be put away and the old 69 bug that I now use as a driver, got out again.

Fare weather daily drive oh yes but be prepared. Its an old car and will need more than just engine and body work to make it usable daily. Think regular brake adjustments, fluid changes, electrical fault finding and the odd idiot driver.

But most important - to drive it like its stolen. Cant wait......

[sjm]

I started using my 58A as a daily driver last week - well, it had stopped raining for a few hours! Anyway, now it's wet/ damp it's back in the garage.

Mine gets used every other day when the weather is dry/ sunny - so most of the spring/ summer. I had all the rubber boots etc replaced by PR Services last year, so that should help keep the worst of the wet weather/ salt out. I'd agree that they are better if used more often - mine always feels better/ starts quicker etc when it is being used 'daily'.

[Bertroex]

Hello TheBaron,

A courageous choice... Once they are going, they should be as realiable as the proverbial beetle.

But the difficulty - and this is with all old cars- is: which cowboy got his/her greasy mits on the car and undid a lot of what porsche intended and thus compromised reliability.

Considering that your car is at Roger Bray for a rebuild, I imagine there wouldnt be a screw left unturned. With a PRS/Andy Prill mechanical overhaul, you might have a package that is ready to be enjoyed.

Mark put a sticky here regarding the service schedule: retorque these nuts every 3000 miles, check that suspension component, grease of that shaft and such balljoints etc.

With the lower speed limit being introduced, it might give you a fabulous feedback at 50mph and familiar B roads suddenly become a bit of the nuerburgring bombing your 356 in 3rd.

But the challenge is to follow a meticulous service schedule as Porsche intended. If you got used to enjoying your 4 weekends a month, I guess that you'll have to sacrifice at least one a month for checking things/chasing parts/checking fora/call with specialists/meet up with like minded souls/go round with a torque wrench and grease gun.

You'll need to become a walking encyclopedia to counter bulllshit, fend off misinformed mechanics, diplomatically steer away well meaning people who can do a lot of harm to your car. You'll need a stash of "difficult to find parts" and carry a set of service items in the car just in case. What was it again, no blue coils etc to be trusted?

The comparison with a brand new Morgan wouldn't go amiss as your 356 would be as new but:
would you run it daily?
Can you find someone who can service it at your timescales?
Parts? Where from? Out of stock? Remanufacturered or NOS
Who can set the suspension?
Check the brakes?
Where to obtain these semi soft compound tyres every 20 000 miles etc etc.
Which local mechanic to trust for routine maintenance
Where in the UK can you go for non-routine servicing?
Who are the movers and shackers for the 356?
How many weeks a year would you need your back-up older Saab/Volvo/Merc/BMW just in case, and what would it cost you to get that up to parr/serviced/insured/taxed?

I mean, you have 58A/71E in your vicinity: a force to be reckoned with but it is one heck of a challenge.

Best of luck and I applaud your choice!


Bert

[TheBaron]

Wow, a real mixed bag.

I forgot to mention that i used to have a 1959 A coupe, right hand drive.

I used this every day and was my only means of transport for about 2yrs.

It was a real rust bucket, but with lots of character, it didnt stop very well, didnt even go that well as i didnt have a lot of money at the time to get it sorted, the main thing was that it was warm and the stereo worked.

As Ren states above it did let me down an awful lot but that was because it hadnt really been maintained properly for the last 40yrs.

With my new project every last nut and bolt will be serviced/replaced renewed. All the electrical system, wiring etc will be new. the engine and gearbox will be like new after Andy has worked his magic.

I am hoping for a 50 yr old car that is actually brand new, i know that regular servicing with be necessary as will a good supply of parts, but most everything is available now anyway.

I have a TVR that needs regular fettling and serving every 6000miles, what i have found is that if used everyday, everything works better, it is when it is left for any period, niggles and breakdowns occur.

I also had a beautiful 1956 speedster that i was just to scarred to drive so it lived in an air conditioned bubble, I really dont want that experience again as i felt it was just to good to drive, plus it really wasnt that practical mainly because of the roof.

I appreciate everyones comments so far, it has not deterred me on my mission of an everyday 365 days a year car, this after all is what Mr Porsche designed them for.

Regards

Stephen

[BD55]

just a thought but maybe the heating/ventilation would cause a problem in shitty weather, maybe an auxillary heater of some sort would help.

[Winston Teague]

Bought my '61 B last easter and immediately sorned my mondeo. Used as my daily driver/reliable modern until the salt hit the roads in oct. Fab, short commuting, longer with and without motorways, very long (worcestershire to east sussex and back in a day) sometimes, all fun, makes you wonder how far cars have really come in 50 years. Can get a bit deafening on the motorway on a long run above 75mph but still worth it. This is what i bought it for and you have to accept wear and tear but its well worth it, Try it......whats the worst that can happen????
W

[Winston Teague]

Oh yes and the heater works quite well as long as you go fast and the engine is warm, only snag is rear window fog.W

[Dakota]

Hi Mr Baron
I have had a few 356's and used them a lot, my old pre A on its beetle derived two peice case motor was used as a workshop runabout and covered around twenty two thousand miles in the six or so years I owned it , serviced it on a regular basis and didn't rag it although it did cover the distance between Venice and Calaise in around sixteen hours I think thats around twelve hundred miles, my '58 was used everyday for a while as I had off street parking for it and again common sense and regular servicing meant it never came home on a truck, my '57 ratty racer was trust worthy enough to lend out for some time to my little sister because she needed a car , she later casually remarked it didn't like going under eighty.... they can be very reliable ,spares are not an issue though deep pockets help, the things that I think may be an issue are other people spotting its tail lamps ,I stuck a stop lamp in the '53's rear window , wipers and washers though electric washers are an easy thing, and dynamo electrics though I guess your going twelve volt and an alternator aren't you. I would maybe suggest that you consider the merits of torque over outright horse power because a one thirty bhp motor is probably going to be a bit peaky , its easy to be seduced by big numbers, maybe a compromise that gives a bit of bottom end grunt too . Are you going for the C type disc brake or an aftermarket set that will use the original large pcd wheels ? yours Bill.

[TheBaron]

Hi Bill

Not sure about the discs yet, I will be speaking to Roger so will put that question to him.

The engine although fast with high bhp is being geared especially to give lots of low down torque through to 3rd which should take me upto about 70, then 4th will acting almost like an overdrive for motor way cruising etc, (this is Andy Prill's department and suggestion)

Stephen

[roy mawbey]

Interesting comments and views. I have been driving my 59 "A" for 40 years now and its still driven every week though not every day now. I honestly! have never taken my car into a garage for any work in 40 years except for MOT's and that says a lot for it being reliable. Sure, I do all the work thats needed myself right or wrong, and learn by my mistakes etc, and it still keeps going.!!

But.... every day, rain or shine, busy clogged up roads, ice and snow, people in supermarkets just allowing their trolleys to go anywhere, leaving cars in busy towns where everyone parks up your a--e, the list goes on and on, makes me think with a perfect body and 130 hp not a gentle damen you might well be better to keep the 911 for daily use.

Oh.. you might all say, but I have been down the road of daily driving other 356's for years and they are great!!! but they were all rusty worn examples that it didn't really matter then if wear and tear or a odd knock happened.

If I had just spent the sort of money involved on a 356 you might have done its a brave bloke that will drive no doubt a super looking car every day. I guess, it also depends on "means" and I agree though, on my travels in the "A" usually not that far from home something can always happen to make you realise the safest area probably is in the garage!!! and that's not a good idea!!!

A good 356 needs to be run often. Leave them and the seals, brakes, etc are a proplem waiting to happen. But sorry, I have to say if its pouring down with rain I use my old 3 series. ( If I can help it my car seldom gets wet as I still remember the pain and frustration of welding the underneath over 30 years ago to make me remember why that's the case.)

I really look forward to seeng some photo's of your car Stephen. and if you do use it everyday remember its age as no doubt not every single item has been restored on your car.

Cheers,
Roy. ( he who would never make a racing driver as he would be crying if he dented the car)

[louis356]

Drove my 356 speedster rep for 14 years as daily driver and only car. It being low was the only problem.

Used my 912 as my 120 mile daily transport for 3 years and only swapped it because it had no rear belts for the kids!!!

Get it serviced and you should have no problems. Using cars keeps them working. Sitting in a garage like my 356b ain't that good for 'em.

Drive it!