Ready to Go Home

My complements to Bill and Mick at Hamilton Classics. Annie looks amazing and better than we expected. It's hard to tell that this is even the same car. Not only that, but the job was finished earlier than expected and within the budget that Bill had given to me. Good work, no surprises, great guys to work with. What more can I say? By the end of the day, I was convinced that sending the car to have the body finished was the right thing to do. Never in a million years could I have straightened the body as well as these guys did.

While at the shop today we installed the j-pipes, exhaust, battery, and gas tank. At first attempts, the starter would not turn over. All we heard was the click of the solenoid. We pulled it out only to find that I forgot to install the new starter shaft bushing. I must have removed it at some point during the earlier work with intentions of installing a new one.

After installing a new bushing and reinstalling the starter, we ran the starter for several minutes and never saw a drop of gas from the fuel pump. Once we cleared the plugged fuel line in the tunnel, she started up as soon as gas hit the carbs.

Time was spent balancing the carbs and adjusting the accelerator linkages. I also reset the valve clearances again due to excessive tapping nosies that we heard. We went on to adjust the clutch cable and shifter linkages. With everything in it's place, we started her up and ran through the gears. So far so good. If we would have had room to get out of the garage, we probably could have driven around the yard.

It was such a relief to get all of these little adjustments made with Bill's help. I would have been chasing some of these little things for days.

We were unable to bring her home since I waited too late to get a trailer reserved. And I refuse to rent from Uhaul again. I have arranged to rent an enclosed trailer for late next week and should have her in our own garage by the weekend.

New Coat of Paint

As you can see from the photos below, the paint job is complete. We plan to pick her up later this week. While still at the shop, we will have the windsheild installed, do an alignment, and start her up.

Headed to the Paint Shop

A couple weekends ago Theresa and I spent an afternoon with Bill and Mick as we painted the inside of the doors and hardtop with POR15 and helped them with adjusting the height of the front and rear suspension.

They now have the car primered and off to the paint shop. Here are some of the latest photos of Annie on the way to the painters.

In the meantime, I have been working with the aluminum trim and other fasteners cleaning them up for installation once we get Annie home.

Ready for Primer

Here are a few more photos from Bill and Mick's work. Sounds like we may be ready for paint by the end of the month. I still have a little more work to do on the hardtop but will have it back to them in time for priming and paint.

Porsche Windshield

We picked up a new windshield from Momentum Porsche in Houston today. When I was calling around to the usual 356 parts vendors for quotes, one of the them suggested I contact my local dealer for a quote. He went on to explain that if I wanted an original Sigla windshield, all of the dealers go through Porsche. The only problem is that once the vendor receives the windshield, I then have to worry about UPS shipping the glass to my doorstep in one piece. Of course it would be insured, but then I would have to deal with the damage claims. If I buy if from my local dealer, I can pick it up from the showroom and drive it home myself.

I was also surprised to find that Momentum had the best price around. Even though I paid local sales tax, this cost offset the cost of freight. It took about 3 weeks for the windshield to arrive.

Nose Job

Bill and Mick at Hamilton Classics have made good progress on Annie the past few weeks. We plan to go up and deliver parts tomorrow and will have a better understanding of the progress to report. Here are a few photos of their work.

So far, Mick found that when I installed the dash cowl, the forward edge at the hood was a little too far forward. Now that he has corrected this the hood fits better.

More exciting is that he was able to save the nose. Here are before and after photos of his work.















In the meantime I've been collecting parts for the reassembly process. My study is full of nice new shiny parts that are arriving daily. I'm afraid to take them to the garage. I don't know if it's because the garage is still dirty or if I'm afraid they will get lost. The gold scripts and license plate light came from NLA Limited on Friday and the Bursch exhaust came in from Zim's last week. Several other parts are coming in from other vendors and eBay in the next few days.

Gas Tank Sealing

We restored the gas tank using the Eastwood tank sealer kit a couple weekends back. The system was really easy to use and looks like it will be a good solution. My gas tank was in pretty bad shape and it looked like it had been sealed once before in the past. The layer of rust inside of the tank was thick and there was qute a bit of loose stuff. One the positive side, I filled the tank with water and found that it did not leak. I was skeptical that this seal kit would work with the old stuff still stuck to the walls inside the tank.

The overall process takes about 3 hours to complete and I recommend having someone help you. There are numerous steps of mixing, sloshing stuff around, and waiting. Overall, it is a simple process. The Metal Wash dissolves the dirt and fuel varnish, while OxiSolv etches the surface for good adhesion of the Sealer. You will also need 1/2 gallon each of Muratic Acid and Acetone that you can get at the local hardware store for less than $10. The final step is the Sealer which forms a tough, elastic barrier which resists all types of fuel additives and protects against rust. I used two bottles of the sealer and could probably have used a third for a better finish. Be sure that you wear good chemical gloves and long sleeves. Also have on hand plenty of baking soda to neutraize the chemicals after the flush. It will kill the grass and leave a nice orange spot.

After two weeks of curing I flushed the gas tank with water for about four hours today. I filled the tank once with water and flushed though the fuel cock and a filter with a bilge pump sending water back into the tank. I did not have the fuel screen in the tank as I wanted any loose stuff to flush out of the tank. Every 15 minutes or so I would lightly knock on the outside of the tank with a rubber mallet to make sure that there was nothing loose on the tank walls.

No big surprise, I found that the fuel cock that I rebuilt leaked considerably from the valve area. Rather than build it again, I'll just replace it with a new one. This had been recommended to me before but I didn't listen.

Shop Delivery

Yesterday we delivered Annie to Hamilton Classics and she is now in the vary capable hands of Mick and Bill. It should be a 3-4 month process to straighten out doors, deck lids, and various other panel fits including the recreation of the dreaded nose section. Once they have the car all straightened out they will paint and we should received a nice painted shell ready for reassembly.

Bill pointed out a couple small mechanical details that I will need to fix. As you may have noticed, the rear sits a little too high. I'll need to pull the trailing arms again and rotate the torsion bars a notch or two. The front is a little too high as well but that is an easy adjustment. We have left it sitting this high to load onto trailers.

I picked up my 2nd hard top from Bill as well. I'll spend the next couple weeks cleaning this up and making sure I have what I need between the two tops.

Body by Hamilton Classics

Weekend before last we met with Bill and Mick of Hamilton Classics in Martindale, TX - about 200 miles from us in Pearland and half way between Austin and San Antonio. As you may have read before, Bill Hamilton has been a big help and assisted me in breaking in and tuning the engine several months back.

After speaking to Bill and feedback from others, we have decided to not use the Gas Tank Renu process and instead use Eastwood gas tank repair kit. The cost of the Renu process is about $350 vs the Eastwood kit at $50. The Renu process is a thick coating on both the outside and the inside of the tank and does not allow for an original look. It's probably overkill for what I need as well. My tank will hold water and does not leak. The only concern is that the rust is thick. Several of you have assured me that the Eastwood kit would take care of this.

We have also committed to sending the body to Bill and Mick to finish it out. I know, some of you are screaming and really want me to do more on my own. I'm at a point of burn-out and am willing to pay someone to get it done right. I've seen Bill's work and trust that he will do a good job. I think the hardest part will be letting someone else work on Annie. So far, Theresa and I have done all of the work.

The big bonus in working with Bill and Mick is that they can repair the front nose of the car without buying a replacement front clip. They currently have a 356A Cabriolet in their shop that can be used as a template.

Our primary reason for visiting Bill last week was to check out a used hard top that he has. We bought it but as luck would have it we could not get it home in Theresa's SUV. Once we deliver the Annie this next weekend we will bring home the hardtop to clean up and prep for paint.

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

One of these things is not like the others...., originally uploaded by HolmesBartonHolmes.

This is just cool. This could be mistaken for the field that we found Annie in.

Tribute to the Original Bubba Dog

A few weeks back we lost our friend Ricky to unexpected cancer. Ricky first appeared on our doorstep as a stray in October of 1999 and has been our trusted loyal friend since that time. Ricky was also known as "Bubba" and was the namesake for our website.

A Tribute to PORSCHE

Found a pretty cool tribute to Porsche on Youtube. In honor of Ferry Porsche's birthday I thought it would be appropriate to post. Ferry's birthday is Sept 19 and is also known as "Drive Your 356 Day." The weekend before or following this date is generally celebrated by 356 and PCA clubs with a drive or a concourse. The Lone Star Region PCA and 356 Club will be celebrating with a concourse on Sat Sept 24.

356A Front Clip or Nose Needed

I am getting to the point where this is really going to slow me down. I am looking for either a complete front clip or just the nose section of a 356A. All I really need is the skin between the headlights but I am willing to buy a complete front clip.

This is my last request before I spend the big coin for a new replacement panel. If you know where I can find one, please tell me. If I don't find one soon I'll have to spend the big $$ with Trevor's Hammer Works.

Body Work and Little Things

I get burned out easily on the body work. Everyone keeps telling me to keep at it and I'll get the hang of it. All I can tell so far is that I have gone through a bunch of filler and sand paper and have little to show for it.

In the mean time I keep busy on little things. I had to fabricate backing plates for the front bumper brackets and made repairs to the heater boxes and heat exchangers. I have a good pile of parts now that have been sand blasted and need to be primed and painted such as bumper brackets, deck lid hinges, and the like.

Now that the engine is in, I am finding the little pieces that are missing. All the little connectors and cables for heaters, accelerators, clutch line, etc.

New exhaust has been ordered from Zim's, I've installed a new Optima battery, and should get the gas tank back in a week or so. After that, we might make some noise and smoke for the neighbors.

Vacation in Maui

Just thought I would rub it in!

Now the Leaks Are Really Fixed

Just when I thought I had all of the transmission leaks fixed....

So I removed the left rear brake drum and out came a pretty good stream of transmission fluid. I found that when I installed the wheel seal the last time, the spring on the inside of the seal got pinched and prevented a good seal. I made a trip to Bap Geon and bought a cheap VW seal and used the spring as a replacement.

Two weeks later now and not a drip. Do I have them all? Time will only tell. If nothing else, the transmission has received one good flushing.

Engine Installed

Last weekend we installed the engine into the car. It was not nearly the job that I had expected it to be. It's been a few years since I installed a Bug engine but it all came back to me pretty fast. It was not nearly as difficult as installing the engine into my '72 VW Bus.

As you can see, I used an ATV jack that I bought from Harbor Freight. This was much easier than using the old jack and worth the money spent. In all, it took about 3 hours from the time we jacked up the car to the time we let it down and called it good.

We only had to go in and back out once when we found that the outer transmission hoop bolts we in backwards. I had the nut sides facing in and the bolt was too long. As a result it was making contact with the flywheel. Once we turned those around, the engine slid right in.

At one point we got a ratchet stuck on the starter bolt that cost us about 1/2 hour. Later we found that the ratchet broke while we were working behind the fan shroud.

I installed a temporary starter stitch but mistakenly shorted it out after the engine was installed. I'll need to replace it and install a fuse in the line for this to work right. I installed this to assist with starting the engine before we connect the entire wiring harness. I'll need to install all the switches and lights for that and don't plan this task until after paint.

Shocks

I've been shopping shocks lately and have decided to go with KYB rather than the original Boge or Bilstein which are much more expensive. For those searching, the rear shocks are KYB pn 343147 and the front are KYB pn 343144. You can find them at most import parts stores as well as Zims.

Transmission Leak Again

We had to pull the transmission again today to fix another nagging leak. This one was between the fulcrum plate and the transmission housing on the left side. I'm getting good at pulling transmissions. We had it out, repaired, and back in within 5 hours. I think I may have cut one of the o-rings on the left wheel bearing in the process. We'll see if it leaks too. If so, it shouldn't be too difficult to repair.

Body Work Continues

I now have all of the exterior stripped down to the bare metal and I am working the low spots with filler. So far I have been using both Evercoat Metal Glaze and Evercoat lightweight filler directly on the metal. The Metal Glaze sets up harder and is good for areas that will not see any flex while the lightweight filler offers a little give and can be used around the fenders. The biggest trick has been learning the tools and the paper. Which sanding block do I use and which grit of paper? 80 grit can take off too much sometimes while 120 grit may not be enough. I just bought a dual action pneumatic sander and will give it a try this next weekend. I hope that it is easier on the arms.

Britney's Speedster

How is this for insult. While I was searching the web for vintage race seats, I came across another blog with this photo. It is Britney Spears in her 1956 Speedster - so the blog claims. My guess is that it is a replica as opposed to a $100,000 beauty (hard to tell from this angle). The guy next to her? That is her driving instructor teaching her how to drive a stick shft.

Annie Gets Naked

Spent today making a mess again - way fun! I stripped the back end and the deck lid down to the bare metal and then coated it with Ospho. No real suprises under the paint only I found more dings than I had expected. I used 80 grit on my sander to get 90% of the paint stripped and then a veriety of other buffing wheels and wire wheels to get down in the dings and corners.

Bumper Work

This weekend I cleaned up the bumpers. I bought these bumpers about a year ago from Parker Tyler in Maine. They are straight for the most part with only a few dings and dents - that's to be expect with 40 year bumpers, right? I removed the old deco strips and rubber inserts carfull not to damage the old aluminum strips. They should be in good shape and only need minimal polishing when we are ready to reinstall them. The rubber of course will need to be replaced.

I sprayed the bumpers down with aircaft stripper only to find that the stripper only lifted the top coat of paint. It appears that these bumper have had a couple coats of paint over the years. I then had to buff them down by hand to the bare metal.

Once cleaned, I spent a couple hours with a hammer and dolley trying to straighten out the dents. For the most part, they looked pretty good.

I've spent hours on the website Auto Body Store which has a great teaching area and discussion threads. After hours online, I had the confidence to move forward with filler. I chose to use Evercoat's Metal Glaze. This material spread smoothly and was easy to sand down. None of my filled in areas were more than a few mil deep and an inch in diameter. I used 80 grit paper before I applied the first layer to make sure it adheared strongly to the bare metal and then used 80 grit again to finish it. Once I start priming, I will use a high build primer on the bumers to get the final later.

After I was satisfied with the work, I spread onto the bumper Ospho to prevent further rusting. It may be several weeks before I start to prime everything and with the humid salt air where we live I risk rust forming quickly.


 

Links Updated

Work has finally let up and I'm getting rolling again on the car - focused on body work now. In the meantime, I have updated the links page. I had a couple dead links and added a few new ones. Thanks for letting me know that you like it. The links page by far has the most hits.

I'm Still Here

I've received a couple of emails asking where I have been. I'm still here and no, I haven't sold the car. Since October, business has been good and has not allowed much spare time. On top of that, I started a small project at the house to build a deck. Needless to say, I went over budget and past schedule.