| Welcome to our 356 Technical Articles section. We've gathered a vast collection of useful articles to help you perform many repairs and upgrades on your Porsche 356. Save money by doing your own work and perform the repairs using the information we've provided here. Can't find what you're looking for? Try our Search Engine at the top of the page, or hop over to our Technical Bulletin Board. If you'd like to support the site and submit your own Technical Article, contact us here! |
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| Engine & Clutch |
Time To Rebuild? - Part I & II| Wayne Dempsey outlays the tests and evaluations that you should perform on your engine before deciding it's time for a rebuild. |
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356 Valve Adjustment Made Easy!| Here's our most requested article. Using some very simple techniques, you can adjust your valves in just over an hour. |
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Concours Corner: Cleaning Your Engine, Part I| Need some tips on this seemingly daunting task? Bev Frohm teaches the dos and don'ts of cleaning your engine in part one of this series. |
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Concours Corner: Cleaning Your Engine, Part II| Part II covers more of the procedure in getting your engine to shine. |
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Fan Belt and Pulley Replacement| Here's a short tech article about a very important element of the 911 and 356 motors, the fan belt. Improper installation can lead to failure and engine overheating. |
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Rendezvous with a Dropped Valve Seat| View the carnage from this disaster. Warning, the photos contained within are not for the faint of heart. |
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| Transmission, Shift Linkage, and Pedals |
Concours Corner: Polishing Alloy Wheels| Bev Frohm offers up some tips and tricks for polishing and maintaining your Fuchs alloy wheels to a mirror finish. |
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Shifter Rod Seal Replacement| Joe Wolfgang and Wayne team up to offer you an easy solution for replacing your transmission shift rod seal. |
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Transmission Final Drive Computer| Here is a little program John Rogers wrote to do some speed vs RPM calculations after he did a rally a couple of months ago. It's pretty fun to play around with. |
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| Brakes |
Painting your Calipers| Once you detail your calipers, no one will be able to tell the difference between your stock ones and the lobster claws of the big reds. |
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Bleeding Porsche Brakes| Another tricky process. Here's a couple of hints and tips gathered from some good and bad experiences in brake bleeding. |
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| Ignition Systems |
Ignition Troubleshooting Checklist| Mikko Kosonen has compiled a neat list for owners of all cars to check when they are experiencing problems with their ignition systems. |
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Starter System Troubleshooting| Here's a great guest article by James K. Thorusen that describes in detail the problems and solutions for troubleshooting your starter system problems. |
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Installing the MSD Ignition System| Pete Dubler offers up a review of the procedures needed to install the MSD system into your car. |
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| Exterior |
Detailing your Porsche| Bob Tindel has spent many hours detailing his 911SC and his new Boxster. Here he shares his hints and tips. |
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Concours Corner: All About Bras| Once again, Bev offers up some suggestions and tips learned from experience with her concours winning 911. |
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Concours Corner: Washing Your Car| Bev Frohm gives us some tips and tricks for washing your car in this article which is the first in a series. |
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Concours Corner: Rubber Strip Conditioning| Ever wonder what to use on your precious rubber stripping? Concours winner Bev Frohm gives us some suggestions for prolonging the life of your weatherstrip. |
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Fuchs Polishing 101| Jon Watkins gives some great pointers on polishing alloy wheels to a mirror finish. |
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Refinishing Fuchs Wheels| Demick Boyden offers up his own personal formula for polishing your Fuchs alloys. |
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| Interior |
Steering Wheel Removal and Installation| Removing the steering wheels off of older Porsches can prove to be a taxing manner. Here are some tips for easy removal. |
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Sound Padding and Carpet Installation| Sound pad missing or falling off? Need some carpet reglued? Not sure what to use? Here's what we recommend. |
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| Suspension |
Home Toe-in and Camber Adjustment| John Rogers offers a neat article with specs on adjusting your toe-in and camber with homemade tools. |
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| Body & Chassis |
Making Your Window Molding Look New| Here's a neat guest article detailing a really good procedure for improving the look of your weather-beaten aluminum window trim. |
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| Gauges, Headlamps, and Electrical |
VDO Gauge Repair and Refurbishment| This is a Pelican Technical Article covering the replacement of gauge faces, odometer repair, calibration checking, and module replacement. |
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VDO Clock Repair| Demick Boyden offers a neat little procedure for getting the tick back into your dashboard clock |
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VDO Clock Repair #2| If Demick's article on clock repair doesn't fix your clock, then you might want to try Mack Overman's tips and tricks... |
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Repairing the Fuel Tank Sending Unit| Fuel gauge stuck at half-empty? Maybe your sending unit needs some tender loving care. Terry Steer gives us some ideas. |
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| Miscellaneous |
Rekeying Porsche Locks| Have two or more keys on your key chain for your Porsche? Missing a key to one of your locks? Rekey your locks with our tech article, and carry a lighter load on your keychain. |
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Welding Primer & Review| Many thanks to Mike Cooley and John Dunkle for writing this primer on welding. Check it out if you're interested in learning more about 'the black art of welding. |
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Affordable Porsches| Originally published in GrassRoots MotorSports magazine, this article chronicles the affordable Porsche options available for you to acquire. |
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All About Gasoline| Here's a document that explains everything that you may have ever wanted to know about gasoline. This covers everything from formulations, to smog tests, to octane ratings. |
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All About Motor Oils| Ever wondered about the formulations of motor oils? This document explains the differences, and the formulations, and why which one is best for your car. |
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Street Dyno!| Recording the ignition spark pulses into a wave file and processing it using the software can give a pretty accurate HP/Torque rating for your engine. |
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Tire Size Calculator| Ever wondered what the exact dimensions of tires are for your car? Plug in the confusing tire size (ex. 215/60/16), and it will give you physical dimensions. |
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Porsche PrePurchase Inspection| Paul Lighthill offers a very comprehensive guide to the pre-purchase inspection of your new Porsche. |
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Making Sense of Synthetic Lubricants| Don Stevens offers some insight on the facts, myths, and trials of synthetic oil in automobiles. |
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The Physics of Racing Series| Brian Beckman offers one of the best explanations of the physics of racing and what you need to do to achieve better performance in this 12-part series. |
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Porsche Air Conditioning Frequently Asked Questions| Here is some expert advice and information on the early Air Conditioning systems installed in Porsches, as well as some history of the aftermarket units. |
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Building an In-Dash Air-Mixture Monitor| Gabriel Pennella offers a great article on building a monitor that you can use while driving to fine-tune your performance. |
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MIG Welder Maladies & Bodywork Book Review| Kyle Ehler offers some advice on MIG Welders, and some opinions on some bodywork books. |
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