The Doctor's 356

[Matt Harwood]

This is the latest car to end up under my care, a 1964 Porsche 356C coupe. It was a 10th anniversary gift from my mother to my step-father about 25 years ago. Sadly, the Doctor is now fighting Parkinson's and doesn't drive any more. We sold his other two Porsches (a '72 911T and a '78 911SC Andial) last year, but I told him this one should stay in the family. I'm not really a Porsche guy even though I grew up with the Doctor's cars, but this little guy appeals to me because it's simple and feels like an old car. It exists solely for the joy of driving, something I can certainly appreciate. The Doctor and I have been close for decades and this is a part of him that I'd like to hold on to.

 

356 at the Stan Hywet Father's Day Car Show

last year in the special "Air Cooled" class.

 

  

356 today, in my shop.

 

It was restored in the early 1990s, right before my mother bought it. I think she paid $21,000 for it. It has an upgraded motor with about 95 horsepower instead of the original 75, and it's pretty gutsy. In the intervening years, the Doctor put more than 38,000 miles on it, which is probably a lot. He often drove it to work and used it as a real car. There are a few signs of age and use, a notable scrape from when the Doctor was parking by feel there towards the end, but nothing critical and nothing I want to fix--it isn't a show car, it's a driver. I have a few items on my wish list, but we'll see what the future brings.

 

The car has been in our shop for about four years, ever since the Doctor stopped driving, and I shamefully haven't driven it much and just let it sit. Mostly it was parked up front in the lobby where it was out of the way and safe. We took it out last June for the Father's Day car show at Stan Hywet hall where there was a special air-cooled class, and driving it to and from the show reminded me what a joyous little machine it is. But then I stashed it back in the lobby until earlier this week.

 

I recently joined the Porsche Club and today was their new member brunch, so I pulled the 356 out last Tuesday, had Roman (our mechanic) change the oil and air up the tires and install a new Optima 6V battery so it was ready to go this morning. Well, mostly. It was very grumpy, refusing to idle and backfiring quite a bit at idle and on the overrev when I was off the throttle. I figured it was just because it was 45 degrees and maybe some old gas, but it didn't get better as I drove even with fresh gas in the tank. We took it out on the highway for a while to let it stretch its legs a bit (this little guy doesn't mind 70+ MPH speeds) but that didn't seem to improve things. It just needs some TLC. We still drove it more than 60 miles and hit a milestone along the way:

 

 

So this is my next little project. We'll pull the carburetors and clean them, give the ignition system a full sorting, and put new tires on it (I think these are approaching their 30th birthday). It also needs a good deep cleaning everywhere. Parts are plentiful, although not particularly cheap, and the simplicity of the thing is kind of refreshing after dealing with the Lincoln for the past few years. We're not going to restore it, but we'll make it a first-rate driver like all my other cars and then have some fun with it. Melanie can drive this one, too, which she seems to enjoy.

 

I'm not really a Porsche person, but we'll see if I can fall in love with this little guy. 

 

 

Edited May 18 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Bill Boudway]

Thanks for the post. A similar model. was recently sent to auction from here.

Is it a normal, or "SC" designation?

It's the same year as the 356 Speedster that I sold in '64 and wish I had kept.

Edited April 13 by Bill Boudway (see edit history)

[alsancle]

That is cool Matt.  Family history is nice. I have always liked the 356, early and late.   I would own a Speedster which would have been bought when they were practically free. I was prohibited by my old school dad who called them VW's with bigger engines.   He felt a Packard convertible sedan was a better investment.

[Matt Harwood]

2 hours ago, Bill Boudway said:

Thanks for the post. A similar model. was recently sent to auction from here.

Is it a normal, or "SC" designation?

It's the same year as the 356 Speedster that I sold in '64 and wish I had kept.

 

This is a 356C, which I believe was the base model. The SC was more powerful, more expensive, definitely less common, and I'm sure it's worth a lot more today. This one has mechanical upgrades that put it on par with a "Super 90." I'm not an expert on Porsche models and vernacular (it can be bewildering) but as far as I can tell the C was the final iteration of the 356 before it was dropped and the 911 took over. Of note, the C was the first production Porsche to have 4-wheel disc brakes, which is a welcome upgrade.

 

I guess I'll have to become fluent in Porsche, something I've managed to avoid for 40 years. Meh, if I can learn to speak Packard, this shouldn't be any more difficult, right?

 

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

 

 

Edited April 13 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[John Bloom]

Matt, I’m happy for you.  I think making it yours and more time behind the wheel will just endear it more to you and I love the fact that it’s a family car for you guys for several decades.

 

i’m 59 and I have almost always had some smaller nimble sports car or two in my garage for the last 40 years. Now I don’t.  

i’ve had British Roadsters and alfas, and a Porsche but now nothing like that.    I’ve always been a fan of those 356s. That looks like a great car to grow old with and make some great memories and take care of and pass down to you son. 
 

for people that love prewar cars, I don’t think it’s difficult at all to make a case for having one car around like your family’s 356. It’s scratches a completely different itch.  Another wonderful thing Ive found through the years is that buying a car of a make that I’ve never had before always seems to introduced me to wonderful people that are passionate about that make.   I make some interesting new friends that I didn’t have before. In spite of all the Porsche stereotypes, I know several great people that are into them and I think you’ll find a new interesting friend or two through that car. 
 

Don’t forget to give us some updates and action shots of you with your 356 like you have given us with your Lincoln. 

[Matt Harwood]

I had planned to rebuild the Porsche's Solex carburetors myself, figuring, "How hard can it be?" I've done the Strombergs on my Buick and my Lincoln and the Carter on Melanie's Chrysler; these should be no different. Then I saw this:

 

The Porsche Solex 40P11-4

 

Yeah, I took one look at that diagram and noped right out of that particular job--I don't feel like there's any shame in letting a pro handle this one. Instead of making a mistake, I took the car to my friend Andy, who runs Steinel's Autowerks where they have been servicing this car for the Doctor for the past 25 years. Andy bumped me to the front of the line (there are about 30 Porsches of all kinds waiting their turn in his shop) and got the carburetors rebuilt in record time. He also rebuilt the shifter mechanism, a portion of which had apparently disintegrated inside the transmission tunnel (he showed me a handful of shrapnel to prove it). I was driving it without any shifting issues other than terminal vagueness, but I figured it's a Volkswagen Beetle and that's how their crappy shifters feel, right? Andy's comment was simply, "How the heck did you even drive this thing here?" Regardless, it's fixed and it does indeed shift a LOT better. Not quite what I'd call precise, but certainly not the wooden-spoon-in-oatmeal feeling that it had before.

 

With the car in good health, we decided to attend another Porsche Club outing, this time a dinner meet-up at a local eatery after work Thursday. I drove the 356 home from work and took my traditional "car in front of the house" shot that I like to take each time I bring a car home.

 

A very dusty 356 at home base.

 

We left for dinner a little early so we could take the scenic route, then met up with the Porsche Club at the restaurant. We were by far the oldest car, which is OK with me, but everyone seemed to like the little guy. It seems like a good group of people who like to drive and they have a lot of events planned for this summer. We're going to try to attend a few of them.

 

Evolution in action...

 

After dinner, we took an even longer route home and let the car warm up, although according to the oil temperature gauge it runs ice cold. There's still a little flat spot in the throttle that just needs some fine-tuning, and I can handle that (I'm looking forward to it). It was getting dark and we discovered that the parking light position on the headlight switch does nothing. Fortunately, we did have headlights and taillights, as well as instrument lights, so I'm guessing that it's something in the switch itself. New switches are unobtainium so I'll have to get creative and see if I can come up with a fix. 

 

Other things to do soon: the aforementioned carburetor tuning, a deep clean and detail, some new spark plugs, a third brake light, new wiper blades, and maybe some new tires. Oh, and there's something rattling in the right front wheel--probably the badge on the hubcap. Longer term, I am thinking about changing the slightly incorrect black interior with houndstooth cloth inserts to a correct red leather one. I'm also in the process of tracking down some original documentation such as the Porsche Kardex (which is basically the build sheet for the car). 

 

But just in case you think I've gone over to the dark side, we have a CCCA judging seminar at our shop tomorrow (Saturday) and a day tour on Sunday where Melanie will be driving the Lincoln. Time to drive!

 

 

Edited May 18 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Aaron65]

I for one am envious of your "new" Porsche. Although I'm not big on Porsches in general and am vaguely turned off by all the enthusiast buzz they've always received, I've always had a thing for 356 coupes. Unfortunately, they'll always be out of my reach financially, but I'm glad you were able to keep this one in the family and on the road. 

[Ronnie]

Matt, I envy you having a 356. It's a beautiful car. When someone says, "sports car", a 356 is what comes to mind. It's small, simple, and fun to drive. Just what a sports car should be.

[Matt Harwood]

Had a CCCA event on Sunday but since the Lincoln hamstrung itself, we grabbed the 356 because I knew it would run and it was nearest the door. A nice drive to a local collection, then a picnic lunch. 

 

 

A few Full Classics and the 356.

 

Then a relaxing drive home. Melanie shot some video, but then fell asleep before the road got interesting so I'm sorry for the slightly dull footage of a slightly exciting car.

 

 

[Stude Light]

It's a cool looking car. I like it!

[Matt Harwood]

Got up early this morning for the weekly early morning cars-and-coffee in the Valley, which has been going on for a few years but I never quite managed to go. It's organized by Jalopnik.com writer Bradley Brownell and it's one of those low-key, casual events that just works. Decent variety (although nothing truly amazing) and a group of guys who just seem to love cars of all kinds and talking shop. That's OK by me. I think the fact that it is from 7 AM to 10 AM on a Friday morning keeps a lot of the riff-raff out, although there were a pair of Porsches owned by a husband and wife duo that did an ill-advised flyby on their way out. Meh, nobody was impressed, just embarrassed for them.

 

Anyway, I had a good conversation with a pair of young guys who were eager to hear about my pre-war cars because they had zero exposure to them. They said they "heard" they drive really well and I confirmed for them that a well-sorted pre-war car can be a joy to drive. I pointed out that they only real drawback to a pre-war car is speed, but one of them countered by pointing to his early '70s Datsun B210 wagon (a cool little car) and saying that by 65 MPH it feels like he's abusing it--I told him that's exactly how a pre-war car feels. Next week I'll take the '41 Buick and let them have an up close look at something that maybe they've never seen before. If for no other reason, that was a good reason to get up early this morning.

 

 

 

 

The Valley has some great roads, twisting with elevation changes, so the Porsche was in its element. A joyous drive. I was really flying and passed a police cruiser sitting in a speed trap. He didn't budge. I looked down at the speedometer and saw that I was only going like 42 MPH. It felt like so much more! That's exactly what makes this little car so awesome: you can really work it without endangering the rest of the cars on the road.

 

 

Edited May 24 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Tph479]

On 5/20/2024 at 8:20 PM, Matt Harwood said:

Had a CCCA event on Sunday but since the Lincoln hamstrung itself, we grabbed the 356 because I knew it would run and it was nearest the door. A nice drive to a local collection, then a picnic lunch. 

 

 

A few Full Classics and the 356.

 

Then a relaxing drive home. Melanie shot some video, but then fell asleep before the road got interesting so I'm sorry for the slightly dull footage of a slightly exciting car.

 

 

I recognize the Packard 900 that you listed before. I’m glad to see someone out enjoying it. With all the prewar cars that went through your hands, what is your opinion on that model in how it drove?

[Matt Harwood]

On 5/24/2024 at 8:51 PM, Tph479 said:

I recognize the Packard 900 that you listed before. I’m glad to see someone out enjoying it. With all the prewar cars that went through your hands, what is your opinion on that model in how it drove?

 

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. This car was actually a very good driver and a proven tour car. Smooth, torquey, comfortable at about 50 MPH. Good brakes and steering. A good Packard and an honest original, untouched car with good ownership history (formerly owned by the CCCA's long-time head judge). It's not as fast or sophisticated as my Lincoln, but a bit more polished than my '29 Cadillac, which tracks--they made great strides in the 1930s and every year the cars got tangibly better.

 

I have an even nicer all-original 1934 Packard 1100 sedan right now. The '34 is arguably more desirable, but they're otherwise the same car. The '34 is actually in better shape than the '32 and has a known history back to day one. Lovely car, drives superbly. Very impressive.

 

[Matt Harwood]

Today we took the 356 to the Stoddard Porsche Parts open house and swap meet. A lot of air-cooled cars, Porsche in particular, and some pretty interesting non-Porsche stuff. Bruce Schwartz, the owner of Stoddard (actually, he just sold the company), has been a friend for 25 years so we wanted to support his event. And it was pretty impressive. Lots of cars, people, and swap meet booths selling all kinds of stuff. I was very tempted by a lovely wood Moto-Lita steering wheel for $900, but given the needs on our other cars, that's pretty low on the priority list. Here's some of what we saw:

 

  

 

 

356s of all varieties. 

 

  

Lots of cars and people. Hard to find a parking spot.

 

One of these things is not like the others...

 

I had to admit I liked this.

 

 

Some wonderful non-Porsches. That Mercedes panel

van was SPECTACULAR.

 

  

Swap meet was full of people and stuff, including an outfit selling

BRAND NEW steel 356 Speedster shells. No idea how much they

cost, but it can't be cheap.

 

I had a myriad of thoughts run though my head while at this event. This is a bit verbose, but I wanted to put down my thoughts before they floated away:

 

One, the hobby isn't dying. This group basically just represents one marque in northeast Ohio. It isn't Hershey, but it wasn't some sad little group with two vendors and a few cars. There were HUNDREDS of people and probably more than 50 vendors with what seemed like good stuff (admittedly, I am not a Porsche expert). The cars were a an interesting cross-section of old and new, restored and modified. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, lots of conversations over open engine hatches and across parts tables. I don't know why Porsche enthusiasm is so much stronger than other marques, but this is the hobby and it looks pretty familiar. 

 

Two, I realized while walking through the swap meet that I don't know very much about these cars. I wouldn't recognize parts for my car if I saw them and I don't know how to grade them in terms of quality/usability. I'm sure this will come in time, but it felt odd being a little bit of an outsider. It made me realize that there are probably a lot of people who try to dip their toes in the waters if this hobby and get overwhelmed pretty quickly and maybe eject at that point. I'm not an outgoing person and I have a hard time meeting and talking to strangers. If I wasn't already a car guy, this would be a lot to absorb and could potentially be enough to turn me away. It's like when you start a new video game and you don't know the controls or how the game mechanics work, so it's really difficult and frustrating. But if you stay with it, it becomes fun as you learn more and become more proficient. So this was a great opportunity for me to feel a bit like a noob for a change. It gave me a different perspective, anyway.

 

Three, I am really trying to fall in love with Porsches, but it's not coming easy. People are insanely passionate about them, but most of these lovely cars do nothing for me. I'm a little frustrated by that. Our little 356 is charming in its own way, but I went back to the shop and got into my 1941 Buick and felt happier behind that particular wheel. What does this suggest? I don't know. Maybe what you like is more than just what you're exposed to. Maybe it's something more innate, they way you might prefer blondes to brunettes. Not quite a choice or decision, but not purely instinctive, either. Talking with Melanie at lunch, we watched people wander over to the 356 in the parking lot and look it over. All kinds of people, even families. Why does that car talk to people on a level that many others do not? My theory is that maybe since Porsche is a quantifiable thing--everyone KNOWS what a Porsche is and what it represents--that it's easier for people to find them appealing. A 1941 Buick? WTF is that, never mind the orphan and dead makes. There's a modern analogue for Porsches so that even the layperson can at least appreciate what that old 356 represents. Its commonality and ubiquity makes it more accessible in a way that many other old cars just aren't. Perhaps that slams the door on the hobby before it even opens for many people because there's so little frame of reference. Everyone knows a Porsche is a cool car. That seems to be enough. Nobody understands that a Studebaker can also be cool because they simply don't have any frame of reference, modern or otherwise.

 

Four, it's still awesome to drive a slow car fast. Melanie drove us home in the 356 and we took a few winding country roads. She was running it harder than the video suggests, spending most of her time in 3rd gear and above 3500 RPM. She knew what she was doing and was MUCH harder on the brakes than I am. She was actually using that little car as intended.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 8 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[kar3516]

1 hour ago, Matt Harwood said:

My theory is that maybe since Porsche is a quantifiable thing--everyone KNOWS what a Porsche is and what it represents--that it's easier for people to find them appealing. A 1941 Buick? WTF is that, never mind the orphan and dead makes. There's a modern analogue for Porsches so that even the layperson can at least appreciate what that old 356 represents. Its commonality and ubiquity makes it more accessible in a way that many other old cars just aren't. Perhaps that slams the door on the hobby before it even opens for many people because there's so little frame of reference. Everyone knows a Porsche is a cool car. That seems to be enough. Nobody understands that a Studebaker can also be cool because they simply don't have any frame of reference, modern or otherwise.

@Matt Harwood you make a very interesting observation.  My earliest automotive interests over 40 years ago were TriFive Chevys and 67-72 muscle cars; mostly early Camaros and Chevelles.  Later I drove MkIV 6 speed Supra Turbos in the One Lap of America for four years and owned several.  My dad no longer drives but has been an early Ford V8 guy from the beginning.  I can speak the car hobby language and I’m fluent in early Camaros and other GM muscle cars of the same era.  I knew nothing about the big prewar classics when I became interested four years ago.  It’s a brand new language, data set, and pecking order.  I sometimes feel exactly as you describe but I’m learning quickly and making progress.  I have to remind myself that while the contributions and expertise put forth on the AACA forum are a fantastic source of knowledge not available elsewhere on the internet, the pre war big classics portion of the hobby is much larger than the limited amount of participation represented on this forum.

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

I restored and drove a 1966 Porsche 912 way back in the 90’s. That car drew more universal attention than any other older vehicle I have ever owned. There must be an aura that surrounds those 356s and early 911/912s.

[Angelfish]

About five years ago I made the decision that I was no longer going to try to like something that I didn’t actually like.  It was actually a more significant decision than I anticipated.  I don’t like meatloaf and I’m no longer going to try to matter how much someone tells me that I’d like this meatloaf.  I don’t like the movie Gran Torino.  I don’t like Subarus.  It freed me up to move on to other things, 

 

A year ago I bought 1982 Mercedes-Benz 380SL.  It left me sitting in traffic three times in the first month I owned it.  The window seals leak when it rains.  The interior is tiny but the steering wheel is comically large,  And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  So I’m not going to waste energy trying to like a different car when I’ve found the one that works for me.

 

As an aside, I watch a lot of the gentlemen’s vintage endurance rallies, one day hoping to participate in them.  And I can’t help but notice that at the end of the day the Porsches are always up on jacks with the driver working through the night to replace a  clutch or a rear axle or a transmission seal or some other expensive sounding part.

[m-mman]

On 6/8/2024 at 3:19 PM, kar3516 said:

the pre war big classics portion of the hobby is much larger than the limited amount of participation represented on this forum.

My CCCA experience is that the “group” is moving away from cars as mechanical things that need tinkering and will make your hands dirty to “rolling art”. 

Try to talk valve adjustments or sorting out a stubborn carburetor will be met with blank stares. 
 

Talk about how “beautiful” a swoopy French body with skirted fenders is and people will offer a similar opinion. Ask what kind of engine is in that Delage or Delahye and again blank stares. 

I find few if any below the sheet metal articles in current CCCA Publications as there were 30+ years ago. Now it is all about what you see on the outside. Less car, more “style”. 

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

@m-mman Checkbooks seem to rule at all levels of our hobby. The home restorers are indeed a rare breed…..but they are still out there. That is why this is my favorite forum….many serious and skilled restorers post here. I learn much from them.

Edited June 16 by Jeff Perkins / Mn (see edit history)

[carbking]

Matt - if you plan to drive the car, I would suggest speaking to someone about rust prevention.

 

Maybe it just occurs in Missouri, but I had a 356 about 1970 or so, and the floors resembled Fred Flintstone's car.

 

A good friend at the time had a 912 with the same issue, an it was only a couple of years old!

 

Enjoy your Porsche!

 

Jon

[Matt Harwood]

So the Lincoln crapped its pants again, leaving me discouraged. But instead of letting it beat me and get me down, Melanie and I got up early this morning and headed down to Canton (about an hours' drive) for a cars and coffee that the organizer specifically invited us to attend with the 356. Easy drive and once again, I'm reminded how easy to live with this little car really is. It just works like a real car, cruising down the highway at 70 MPH without any hiccups at all. Very liberating. 

 

A good turn out at the event but nothing especially interesting. A nice Nomad, a Ferrari FF that I secretly want (who wouldn't want an all-wheel-drive Ferrari station wagon?), and about a zillion late model Challengers, Chargers, and Mustangs. Porsche was the featured marque so they made a spot for us even though we arrived a little late.

 

 

A plethora of Porsches.

 

 

The only two cars I really liked, '30s Bentley and a Nomad.

 

356 similar to ours with a few modifications and 

a gorgeous color combination.

 

Afterwards, we stopped for brunch then I let Mel take the wheel and drive us home on surface streets. A little over an hour of nice side roads made for a great drive home. And that little car never hiccupped, never missed a beat, never gave me pause. It's easy to relax behind the wheel and even easier to relax in the passenger's seat.

 

Maybe I do like this better...

 

 

Edited July 6 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Hans1965]

You know I am living in Germany and here owning a Porsche means for quite a few people 'I made it in life and I want you to see it.' I had never any interest in that or maybe I never had the feeling I made it in life... Here are so many Porsches and they do not mean anything to me. The only exception is the 356. A guy at my Sunday morning meet has even two. He bought them when they were still reasonably priced. One is in black with red leather.  Just a wonderful design. Really exceptional is an unrestored Porsche Speedster that shows up from time to time. Even the carpet seems to be from the 50s. It screems patina....

Edited July 10 by Hans1965 (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

Melanie and I got up early this morning to go to a cars & coffee event about 50 miles away in Canton. We plotted a nice drive on country roads and it took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. She drove her Mustang while I took the Audi Ute, which is always popular at these events. We stuck around for about an hour, had lunch at a local diner, then took a different scenic route home.

 

Little Audi ute is always popular at these events.

 

The drive home.

 

Since we started early, the day was still young so I went to the shop to do some tweaking on the carburetors on the 356. Even though it's vastly better now that they're rebuilt, there was still a bit of a flat spot just off idle, as if the car was a bit congested. It was great at large throttle openings, but a little sputtery when you first tip into it and at very small throttle openings--like cruising in 4th gear at 45 MPH. Anyway, it was annoying and I knew it was just a matter of tuning and all that would take is a little time.

 

First, however, I changed the spark plugs. Andy (the Porsche mechanic who rebuilt the carbs) suggested that the plugs in the car were prone to fouling and I should use some platinum plugs to eliminate this possibility. So I changed to a set of NGK plugs that were recommended by the guys over at 356Registry.com. I gapped them at .028" and installed them. It was easier said than done, particularly the rear plugs (closer to the front of the car) which were behind the intake manifolds. But with a U-joint on my wrench, a bit of extension, and the right 13/16 deep socket, I was able to pull the old plugs and install the new ones. The hardest part of the job was removing the spark plug boots, which are a three-piece affair with a grommet, a plastic cover, and the electrode, which is threaded to match the spark plug terminal (plugs are installed without the terminal nuts). But eventually I prevailed and had four new spark plugs in the car.

 

Proper technique for accessing rear spark plugs.

 

These spark plug boots were VERY hard to remove

without damage.

 

Then I took it for a brief drive to warm things up for carburetor adjustments. Just changing the plugs made a bit of a difference, so they must have been fouling as Andy warned me they would. I came back to the shop and let the car idle. The adjustment screws on the Solex carbs are on the outboard sides, so adjusting them is blind, just like the spark plugs. But it's exactly like adjusting the carbs on the 41 Buick. Two throats, two adjustment screws. Clockwise for leaner, counter-clockwise to enrich the mixture. I disconnected the throttle linkage so that one carburetor wouldn't interfere with the other. Turning the screws a quarter turn in each direction and listening to the idle was as precise as I could get. All four screws were out by a little bit but not much, but it seemed to run better. 

 

Once I had the mixture dialed in, I used my Uni-Syn tool to balance the carburetors using the idle screws. Once they were pulling the same amount of vacuum, I adjusted the idle to about 900 RPM, then reconnected the throttle linkage and adjusted it so that neither carburetor was pulling on the other.

 

Don't do this without a Uni-Syn tool.

 

A test drive revealed that 95% of the flat spot was gone. Success! There was still a bit of a hiccup if I really lugged it (like less than 2000 RPM in 4th gear) but the off-throttle congestion was gone and it pulled cleanly from almost any RPM in any gear. I suppose I could tweak it a bit more and perfect it, which is usually what I try to do. And what usually happens is that I ultimately make things worse. So I decided to call it good enough and went for a 40-mile drive to enjoy the new crisp throttle response. The car is just a joy to drive now. I might go through the ignition system (points, condenser, coil, plug wires) but we'll see how it drives over the next few weeks before we try to screw it up again.

 

Looks the same, runs a lot better!

 

Tomorrow there's another show that we're thinking of attending, but I don't like the venue and don't want to give them my money, so we'll decide in the morning whether we want to get up or sleep in...

[Matt Harwood]

This morning Melanie and I tried to make a drive to Geneva-on-the-Lake, which is in the northeast corner of the state. About a 1.5-hour drive. There was a show going on called the "Bug Infestation" for air-cooled cars, so it seemed ideal. We headed out even though skies looked ugly and drove for about 45 minutes before the Porsche started to get a little fussy. Some bucking and stuttering, worse than it was before. Uh oh. Reluctantly, we turned around and headed for home. The car made it without incident but something was [literally] amiss. 

 

Fortunately, earlier in the week I had ordered all the tune-up parts I needed--plug wires, points, condenser, rotor, although the distributor cap I needed was temporarily out of stock. I let the car cool off for a while, then tore into the ignition system. First thing was pulling the plugs to have a look, and sure enough, cylinder #2 was fouled. I suspected that one was running a little rich, but more on that later. 

 

   

Plugs 1-4, respectively. #2 is pretty sooty. That explains

the misfire and bucking on our drive this morning. This

is after about 120 miles of driving.

 

I cleaned the plugs and re-gapped them to .026" instead of the .028" I was using before. Maybe that would help prevent fouling in the future, since these cars seem especially prone to fouled plugs. I screwed them back into place then turned to the distributor. I removed the plug wires, which were pretty crispy, then popped off the cap, removed the rotor, and had a look inside. Everything was in decent condition, but you could see some wear on the rotor and the points were starting to get pitted. It was time to replace everything. 

 

Cap is serviceable, but I'll order a new

replacement from a different supplier.

 

Old rotor was OK but for $10, why not replace it?

 

First I replaced the condenser, which is screwed to the side of the distributor using a bracket. Not terribly easy to get a screwdriver on it, but not impossible.  The old one popped out and looked a little worn, so I'm glad I had a fresh one (in fact I ordered two, just in case).

 

 

Old condenser looked a little tired, no?

 

I changed the points at the same time, since the same bolt that holds the condenser wire also holds the point arm. Drop it into place, put a wipe of grease on the cam, and lightly screw the other half of the point set into place. I gapped the points at .016" like the manual says, then buttoned everything up.

 

Condenser is attached to

the outside of the distributor.

 

Points were very easy to replace and adjust.

 

Then I installed the new plug wires, snapped them into place, and that was it.

 

Or was it?

 

I went to crank it over and it didn't start. Then the smell of fuel. What the...?

 

After a little looking around and some choice words, I eventually discovered that I had reversed the #1 and #2 plug wires--with just four cylinders, this can have a much bigger impact than the same problem on, say, a Lincoln V12. Firing order is 1, 4, 3, 2 but I mistakenly thought that the four terminals on the distributor cap corresponded with the four cylinders. Nope, #1 and #2 are opposite on the distributor. A little frustrating until I discovered my error, but no harm done.

 

Once I corrected the plug wires, it fired right up and ran great. Throttle response was crisp and it settled into a 1300 RPM idle. But since I had all-new ignition, I figured I should take another pass at the carburetors, just to make sure everything was right. The fact that plug #2 was so sooty suggests that cylinder #2 was a bit too rich, so I started there. I removed the air cleaners, which oddly made the idle go up about 300 RPM, then disconnected the throttle linkage. I dialed the idle down to about 950 RPM and balanced the carburetors using my Uni-Syn tool. Once they were balanced, I tweaked the fuel mixture and pulled some fuel out of cylinder #2 in particular. Once it was running smoothly, I braced the throttle pedal so it would hold about 3500 RPM and re-balanced the carburetors. Once they were both pulling the same amount of air, I adjusted the throttle linkage so it would have zero drag and reattached everything.

 

Then I reinstalled the air filters and idle dropped to like 500 RPM. Not good. The air cleaners weren't clogged (I could see light through them) but they were definitely a restriction. I reset the idle with the air cleaners in place and it was still running well, so I'm not going to sweat it (for now, at least).

 

Here's the result:

 

 

And then I took it for a nice, long drive home and pushed it a bit to see how it felt. Wow, what an improvement!

 

 

 

I'll order a new distributor cap from one of the other suppliers, so that'll be the last part of the ignition system that needs to be replaced. I may have Melanie help me set the dwell, because it's a two-person job, but I don't think it's critical. I can't crank the engine and watch the dwell meter--they're just too far apart and the starter is unreachable so i can't install one of those remote buttons. I also want to check the timing, but I'm not sure how to do it yet. I need to do some research.

 

Anyway, it seems to be much better and hopefully the plugs won't foul as easily in the future. If they continue to foul themselves, I'm not sure what else to do. A lot of guys convert these cars to 12 volts, but I'm not sure that will make a hotter spark. Volts are volts and it only draws as much energy as it needs to bridge the spark plug gap--12V is no hotter than 6V. Maybe some hotter plugs? Meh, we'll see what happens. And I still want to figure out if there are better air filters I can use.

 

Tomorrow I plan to change the engine and transmission oil and maybe tighten the front suspension link pins (there's a faint clunk from the right front on big bumps). But even as-is, the little guy is ready to rock. Just wish we could have made the show.  

 

Edited August 31 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

Matt, you might need to replace the coil also. Mike

[Matt Harwood]

Got up early this morning and went to the shop to do some additional maintenance on the 356. I put it up on the lift and drained both the engine oil and the transaxle. While they were draining, I tightened the emergency brake a little bit since it wasn't grabbing very well, and greased the front suspension to hopefully cure the clunk. After that, I cleaned and replaced the transmission drain plug (which has a built-in magnet from the factory and yes, there were some shavings on it) and then pumped 3.5 quarts of Royal Purple 75W90 gear oil into it. The manual calls for 90 weight and I've had great success with the Royal Purple stuff in the past--the Audi Ute shifts better than any vehicle I've ever driven with that stuff in it. Since the Porsche gearbox is clunky as hell anyway, anything I can do to improve it is welcome.

Once the transmission was full, I put the car back on the ground and replaced the oil filter, which is a canister type like my 1941 Buick. I pumped out the oil remaining in the canister with my hand pump, then dropped the oil filter into place. Replaced the gasket and the copper crush washer on top, and it was good to go. Then I filled the crankcase with 4.5 quarts of Valvoline VR1 20W50 oil, which the Porsche guys recommend (I don't really have a preference for motor oils so that's as good as anything). 

 

All buttoned up, I fired it up and all was good. Taking the long way home, it felt really strong. Shifting might have been improved, but it may have also been the placebo effect. Who knows? But the car drives extremely well. The clunk in the front suspension was gone so the car now feels rock solid with no squeaks or rattles, and the engine is flexible and smooth at any speed. I'm very pleased with the results.

 

When I got home, I gave Melanie the keys and we took a very long drive just because. She was very impressed by how different the car feels, so I guess I did something right for a change, although she, too, was unsure whether the shifting was improved. The open country roads we were using were empty, which allowed us to stretch it out a bit. We ran at 60-70 MPH for about 45 minutes, which was just effortless. No signs of the plugs fouling again, even after about 180 miles of driving since the tune-up yesterday. Nice!

 

Now that the car is running properly, I am starting to really like it. I guess that's good?

[prewarnut]

I've used Royal Purple on a German Getrag 420g for a good 80K miles without problems. I can't say the shifting changed much but some say they do.

[EmTee]

I like Redline's transmission oil.  I have 'MTL' in my GP's T-10 and I definitely noticed a difference.

 

https://www.redlineoil.com/mt-90-75w90-gl-4-gear-oil

 

[Lahti35]

1 hour ago, EmTee said:

I like Redline's transmission oil.  I have 'MTL' in my GP's T-10 and I definitely noticed a difference.

 

https://www.redlineoil.com/mt-90-75w90-gl-4-gear-oil

 

I've used Redline in stuff also, good product! I used it in a military truck transmission at it did improve the shifting. The only bad thing I've heard about it is if your synchros are wearing out redline will make it worse, but then you'd need to rebuild them anyway... 

[EmTee]

1 minute ago, Lahti35 said:

The only bad thing I've heard about it is if your synchros are wearing out redline will make it worse, but then you'd need to rebuild them anyway...

I had the opposite experience.  2nd gear in the GP would protest from time to time, but the frequency decreased after the change to MTL and shifts in general felt smoother.  I don't know what was in the transmission before, but I'm assuming it was a typical 90W GL-4.

[Lahti35]

1 hour ago, EmTee said:

I had the opposite experience.  2nd gear in the GP would protest from time to time, but the frequency decreased after the change to MTL and shifts in general felt smoother.  I don't know what was in the transmission before, but I'm assuming it was a typical 90W GL-4.

Interesting! I never had an issue in my tranny, just something I picked up on researching when I was contemplating new fluids. Maybe that tidbit was worth what it cost me.... nothing, lol. 

[Matt Harwood]

For what it's worth, this morning on my drive to work the Porsche shifted REALLY well. Better than ever. Of course, it was 55 degrees, leading me to think that perhaps it prefers thicker oil like my Buick does. Even the usually balky 1st gear was smooth and easy. Is this anecdotal or real? I don't know.

[West Peterson]

Matt

When my 356 was fouling plugs every 200 miles or less, I finally discovered that the proper voltage was not reaching the coil/distributor/plugs. The fix was actually quite easy. There is an extra ground strap from the frame to the engine, and it needed replacing. Perhaps you've got a similar problem, or check to make sure that it's clean. I think voltage went from 5.8 to high 6s, perhaps as high as 7??? It's been many many years, so I don't remember exactly, but I do know that I stopped replacing plugs, and it ran absolutely great.

[West Peterson]

Perhaps since your car was upgraded to "Super 90" specs (SC specs), that extra ground may gotten lost, discarded???? Or, perhaps the non Super 90 / SC models didn't have the extra ground??? and you need to add it??

 

My car was a Super 90, and it just wanted to fly. Every time I looked down at the speedometer, I was going 90 mph!!

[Matt Harwood]

Went on a driving tour and dinner with the local Porsche club this afternoon. Meet up was a little wonky since they moved the meeting place without notifying everyone, but we eventually found them. The drive was about 50 miles through the valley and park system here around Cleveland, which are some really good roads. Unfortunately, the tour leader made the mistake of mentioning that there might be photo radar being employed along the route, so there was a long line of high-performance Porsches trundling along at 5 under. That was almost 1.5 hours of frustration. I never got out of 3rd gear and spent a lot of time in 2nd.

 

Staging area.

 

We were right behind the secondary leader, who was in the middle of the pack in an attempt to keep everyone on the route. Unfortunately, his idea of keeping everyone together was going EVEN SLOWER and then stopping randomly to let everyone catch up. At one point, we stopped at a stop sign and he disappeared around a corner. I gave the throttle a little goose and zipped around the corner at 6/10ths and suddenly, there he was, stopped dead in the middle of the road! I will say that the 356 will lock up all four brakes without any trouble. There were more than a few times when he rode his brakes all the way down a hill (no big deal with modern Porsche brakes, a little scary with 60-year-old Porsche brakes) and would randomly speed up and slow down on uphill sections, often killing my momentum--at one point, I had to violently jam it into 1st gear just to keep moving up the hill. I gave the guy some grief when we arrived at dinner but he seemed to not understand why I was upset.

 

Some of the cars on the tour. Ours was the oldest

 by about five decades. Problem guy was the

white Cayman in the second spot. He dishonored

his car tonight.

 

The #1 thing I taught my kids when teaching them to drive is BE PREDICTABLE. Accidents happen when someone acts odd or does something unexpected. This guy was unpredictable for most of the drive. Even when I tried to slow down and give him some space, he slowed down to let me catch up. I get it, you're trying to be helpful, but we have directions, a GPS, and we're adults. We'll make it, I promise. It made a lovely drive into one that was alternately frustrating and terrifying.

 

Anyway, dinner was really good, we talked to some friendly car guys, and got home in time to hang out a bit with the kids. I hope that future Porsche outings are better geared for the cars that we're using. I could have driven the 1935 Lincoln tonight and still felt like I was being held back...

 

 

Edited September 8 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

Sorry it worked out like that Matt. I have been riding motorcycles for over 50 years now. A few years ago the husband of my wifes best friend bought his first HD. They were riding every minute they could. His circle of friends all seemed to get new bikes at the same time (monkey see monkey do). They 'organized' a couple of what they called long distant rides to the typical 'bike week' type of events. Being coerced by my wife wanting to spend time with her friend, I rode along on exactly one of them. Nothing quite as dangerous as riding in a group of motorcycles, where as half dont know how to ride to begin with! All bikes would go through an intersection even after the light had changed so they could all stay together. Typical stuff like that.  I dropped back about half way through the trip. We eventually caught up and I made my own way home. I 'ride my own ride' whether or not in a car or  a bike. That way I know how to handle the situation, not worry about what the other guys are going to do. 

[West Peterson]

Unless there's a police escort, I tend to avoid even three-car caravans. WAAAY too frustrating to try and follow and keep even a small pack together. I would have passed your secondary leader when he stopped to let people catch up.

[Matt Harwood]

1 hour ago, West Peterson said:

I would have passed your secondary leader when he stopped to let people catch up.

 

 

Melanie and I were sitting there stopped and waiting, discussing doing exactly that. However, Melanie pointed out that it would probably be what is commonly referred to as "a dick move." Since we're new to the club and still had to have dinner with the folks along with us, we decided not to do it. But believe me, the thought crossed my mind every time he stopped: "Drop to 2nd, I can zip around him..."

[TerryB]

2 hours ago, TAKerry said:

Sorry it worked out like that Matt. I have been riding motorcycles for over 50 years now. A few years ago the husband of my wifes best friend bought his first HD. They were riding every minute they could. His circle of friends all seemed to get new bikes at the same time (monkey see monkey do). They 'organized' a couple of what they called long distant rides to the typical 'bike week' type of events. Being coerced by my wife wanting to spend time with her friend, I rode along on exactly one of them. Nothing quite as dangerous as riding in a group of motorcycles, where as half dont know how to ride to begin with! All bikes would go through an intersection even after the light had changed so they could all stay together. Typical stuff like that.  I dropped back about half way through the trip. We eventually caught up and I made my own way home. I 'ride my own ride' whether or not in a car or  a bike. That way I know how to handle the situation, not worry about what the other guys are going to do. 

You beat me to this.  Spot on your observation of how it goes in those new rider cycle groups.  You could probably expand on how turns in the road were handled too. The group rides in the hilly back roads of PA were nerve wracking for me.  If you personally know the riders / drivers in your group it can typically go a lot better.

[prewarnut]

Matt, keep in mind one other problem with such a mixed lot of Porsches (from your photo) is that 2016 and earlier versus post 2016 are two different animals. The later cars through the present time are all twin turbo. The torque curves are amazing at 1700 rpm.  They don't need to stay in low gear long and can be lugged a bit (I know, an antithetical Porsche driving experience). My '13 versus '17 C4S were night and day. So I'm not sure what he was driving but potentially he was having an easier time at being an arse as the Brits would say.