| I have a 65 356C, VIN 131924, with an electronic tach.
The tach has stopped working. Where would you suggest I begin the process of
identifying the problem and correcting it?
Hi there. We rebuild tachometers. Before
sending a unit to us, I'd check the voltage going into the back of the unit to make sure
it’s 6V (or 12V if you've converted), then I would manually run a wire from the tach
to the coil. (more details on this in our technical article about upgrading to an electric
tach, just do a search at our site to find it). If you’re getting 6V (or 12V), and
the signal wire is definitely good, then your tach needs rebuilding. Another quick test
would be to ground the signal wire to the tach (underneath the dash) while the car is
running. If the car dies, then the signal wire is good, and your tach is at fault. I
wouldn’t really recommend attempting to repair the tach yourself, it’s
non-mechanical and difficult to diagnose (we have an expert speedometer repair place
around the corner).
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| How
do I know whether or not I need carb kits with accelerator pumps? The symptoms I hope to
cure by rebuilding the carbs is poor power above 4,000 or so rpm, a tendency of the cabs
to drain if the car isn’t run every week (the longer I leave it, the more I have to
pump the throttle and crank the engine to get it to start), and the fact they haven’t
been rebuilt since I bought the car 10 years ago.
The accelerator pumps provide extra raw
fuel every time you pump the gas pedal. If you have hesitation under acceleration, that
may be the problem. It also might be that the short linkage that operates the pump is out
of adjustment or broken.
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The question is pretty basic.
What’s the best way to deal with rust on the old 356. I have a 61 coupe that’s
BAD rusty, and a 57 A pre-T2 that has the famous "surface rust" on the ORIGINAL
pans, etc. Are there good products? Shortcuts? The best way to deal with this
problem?
Rust is a tough subject. Being here in California, we really
don’t need to deal with it on a large scale. Depending on what your final
results want to be, and your budget, there are a couple of ideas;
The 61 coupe probably would
cost a lot more to fix than it would ever be worth, depending on how bad it is. Coupes
just don’t seem to have the resale value that the sunroof or Cabs have. Get a good
shop to give you a thorough estimate on it before spending money on it.
On the 57, I would try to save as much
of the original metal as possible. If you need replacement panels, make sure you buy them
from a good source that provides quality pieces (we would be glad to help you out with
these). There are shortcuts, but you have to ask yourself: what do you want the final
result to be. And if you are keeping the car for ten years, are you going to be
disappointed by not doing it correctly now. I hope that helps a little.
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I have a 356 that pulls to the
right under braking. I suspect that one or both wheel cylinders have a leak. What is your
price for the upper and lower front wheel cylinders? What about shipping and
handling? My car is a 356B-T6 coupe, bodymaker Karmann, 1962 SN 210177 purchased new
in 1962 by me. I have 225K miles on it. Engine is -90 version now on 4th
rebuild. Original engine lasted 120K miles, the subsequent 2 rebuilds were done by
klutzes. At 222K miles, the crank broke as a result of improper regrind (no root radiuses)
and it was rebuilt by Harry Pellow, a.k.a. "the Maestro" Here’s
my 356 brake story (60 B coupe #114135, owned for 23 years): I replaced the front brake
shoes when I noticed they were almost gone. I then drove it about 3 or 4000 miles, and I
started getting a pull to the right under braking. This problem got worse and worse until
it was almost undriveable. I adjusted the brakes, bled the brake system; same problem. I
removed the front drums, rebuilt the front wheel cylinders, turned the front drums; same
problem. I replaced all four brake hoses; same problem. I replaced the rear wheel
cylinders (new) and the rear brake shoes and turned the rear drums; same problem. I
replaced the master cylinder; same problem. (I’ve now flushed about 2 gallons of new
brake fluid through the system!). I replaced all four front wheel cylinders; same problem.
What was left? I replaced the front brake shoes - the ones that looked almost new because
they only had 4K miles on them. Problem solved! Go figure....Well, at least the brake
system is now entirely new! And it stops as good as any disc brake car (except on long
downhill runs where they overheat faster than discs would).
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Great Web site guys. On my
1963 356B (T-6) Cabriolet the bulkhead between the trunk and the wheelwell or inner left
front fender (drivers side) has a round hole 4mm Dia. that should have some kind of plug.
To further identify, if I lift the trunk lid, remove the spare tire, and look at the left
front quarter of the trunk, directly across from the battery the sheet metal is not flat
as on the right or battery side, but bulges out. In the center of the bulge is the 4mm
hole. the hole is not smooth but has a slight lip on the outside. What goes in the hole
and can you get it for me?
I think your talking about the hole that
provides emergency access to the front hood release. If the front release cable were to
break, you can stick a stiff wire (with a bend at the end) through the hole and operate
the release lever. There is a rubber plug, but I’m at a loss of where to get it. I
don’t think it was ever listed as a spare part in the parts manuals. I remember
finding one for my 60 B coupe, but that was 20 years ago......
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