DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Hello.
I wonder if anyone can help me date the following parts I have with my car - 356A T2 '59
I just want to know if they are correct for my car or earlier / later as I'd like to sell any of this that is wrong & try & get the right stuff.

Thanks in advance for an help : )

(edit: I've removed my images so they aren't repeated as John M reposted them)

Just adjusted the code for you but you got there before me!

3ftDeep wrote:Hello.
I wonder if anyone can help me date the following parts I have with my car - 356A T2 '59
I just want to know if they are correct for my car or earlier / later as I'd like to sell any of this that is wrong & try & get the right stuff.

Thanks in advance for an help : )

Rear seats



Front seat 1



Front seat 2



Front seat 3



Door panel 1



Door panel 2



Radio 1



Radio 2



Radio 3



Speedo 1 - MPH



Speedo 1 back - MPH



Tacho 1



Tacho 1 back



Fuel Gauge 1



Fuel Gauge 1 back



Speedo 2 - KPH



Speedo 2 side - KPH



Speedo 2 back - KPH

Thanks John. Yes. Minor idiot moment on my part. Thanks for your efforts all the same.

Door panel 1 is from a C if the door pull is original to that door card. Some aren't.

You can date seat parts by taking off a seat hinge, and looking for the date stamps inside. I remember seeing an article, probably on the registry website about dating seat hinges, its probaby possible to date them to the model year, even if you don't have a date stamping on the inside of the hinge.

https://porsche356registry.org/article/235

Here's the info on seat hinges.

Hi

I've got a '59 T2................

Your rear seat sections look exactly as mine, which I'm fairly sure are correct. Although excuse me from stating the obvious - they're not matching colours. Pretty easy to recover which I did with pieces from Roger Bray, who in turn gets them from Autos International I think. The base has a formed horsehair shaped cushion which folds over the transmission hump. Mine was pretty intact so I reused it.

The front seat looks right as well. My recliners were in the same state as yours and were rechromed at London Chroming in The Old Kent Road - at a price. Recovered using Roger Bray kit with lots of horsehair inside as well. The crease in the seat probably needs to be reinstated by rethreading a nylon rope under the seat cushion and tying back to the seat frame base.

The Ron Rowlands book was really useful here.

And the door card with the pull / armrest is wrong I believe.

Hope that helps. Have pictures of the innards if that would be of interest.

Aircool

OK, here goes...

On the seat back, does it have some metal tabs on the back side edges? If so it is early A and not for your car.
Also does it have a metal hook on the back? If so that is later and correct for a '59.

Seats 1 and 2 look later. The seat bases and backs on A seats are much thinner than later seats and that's what they look like. Photos can be deceiving though.

The door cards look like they could be later, as stated before A cards don't have the the arm rest.

Radio 1 is wrong if it doesn't fit.
The other blaupunkt radios could be right if they fit.

Speedo 1 is dated 12/62 on the back.
The other three instruments should also have dates on the back but I can't see them. The combi gauge looks right for an A.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry for my delay in replying.

Kneeslider - Thanks for that. Now you mention it, I recall Mike from PRS mentioning the date on the hinges. I'll check that. I'm amazed that my car has such a mish mash of parts: an early A 1500 engine, early Horn ring but seemingly later seats with one later door card (to name a few)
I'd love to know where it all came from.

Aircool - thanks too. Yes, I know the seats are mis-matched : ) I did mention it in my post but removed it due to the duplication of the photos. Mine didn't come with rear seats. I bought these off Richie King years ago. I'd be looking to swap for similar red ones as I'd rather have original than recovered. I'll pursue this in due course. As above, I'll check out any possible dates on the hinges. When I get down to it, I would be grateful of some refs I'm sure. Cheers.

Hendrik - Thanks again for your input.

On the seat back, does it have some metal tabs on the back side edges? If so it is early A and not for your car.
Also does it have a metal hook on the back? If so that is later and correct for a '59. On the seat back, does it have some metal tabs on the back side edges? If so it is early A and not for your car.

Can you see what you mention on this image? I'm not sure what / where you mean? http://3ftdeep.com/356/parts2/IMG_5613.JPG

Seats 1 and 2 look later. The seat bases and backs on A seats are much thinner than later seats and that's what they look like. Photos can be deceiving though.

The 3 photos are all of the same seat but I do have a pair. I'm pretty sure the hinge is original to the seat so will check that out.

Radio 1 is wrong if it doesn't fit.
The other blaupunkt radios could be right if they fit.

Once again, the photos are all of the same radio. It might be an old VW one. I'm not sure where it came from but might have been mine before the 356? I'll do more research. (edit: I did do more research. Seems it's a 1967 radio. I'm thinking from one of the old VWs I used to own. I'll check it works then sell it on I think)

Speedo 1 is dated 12/62 on the back.

I did see that but wanted to make sure it was a date.

The other three instruments should also have dates on the back but I can't see them. The combi gauge looks right for an A.

As with the above, I did look for dates but can't see anything through the dirt / rust either. I just wondered if there was a visual way of identifying the year?

Thanks again for all the replies though. Good stuff : )

With regards to the seat back, I mean the rear bench seat back not the front seat(s).

Ahh, I see. You see how the photos can be deceiving. That is definitely a later seat then.

The radio is definitely wrong if it's VW.

The tacho is for a 60hp normal engine and can be A to BT6.

Brilliant. Thanks again, Hendrik

Many years ago I used to own a 63 T6 B and it had the exact same radio installed when I purchased the car......have just checked an old photo to confirm this !!
However I've no idea whether it was original to the car when new!!

Thanks very much, Bob. I wonder if the later 356 radio holes were further apart then. It's only by about 5mm or so but is too wide apart for my A.

Cheers

gary

Hello. I'm back again : )

I wonder if anyone can help again.

Here are photos of one of the two engine grills I have. I just wanted to know if this is for a Cab lid or a Coupe. I'm sure it was mentioned that the Cab would be flat & the Coupe curved.
Does this constitute a curve? It's not much.





Thanks in advance if you can help.

Are they the same?
Look like coupe to me, the curve is not much but is obvious when put next to a cab grill.

Hi Hendrik.

Both photos are different views of the same grill, if that's what you mean.
Are the Cab ones totally flat? Is just that this 'curve' is so slight, I wondered if it would be more than this for the coupe.

Thanks very much for you input though : )