Porsche 356 Guide to Do-It-Yourself Restoration

Book excerpt: Jim Kellogg, the owner of 356RESTORE, bought his first 356 in 1978. It was a $750 1957 1500GS Carrera right hand drive sunroof coupe. It did not have the Carrera engine and was in poor shape. He made some fiberglass repairs, installed a fuzzy carpet and got it running. Knowing he did not have the skills for a proper restoration, he traded it for a 1963 sunroof coupe that also needed restoration. The owner of the 1963 had a restoration shop and would restore the 356 letting Jim assist in the process. For a year Jim visited the shop weekly and learned some restoration techniques. The 1963 was completed and is still Jim's daily driver. Through his contacts at the restoration shop, Jim learned of a 1962 Roadster for sale. With his newly gained, but limited knowledge, Jim bought the Roadster for a future project. This was delayed until Jim was transferred to the Denver area and had some time available. He found a body man who said he could do the restoration, but things turned ugly when the body man defaulted on a loan to buy equipment. Jim made an appointment to discuss the situation, but the body man never showed. Since he had been given a key to the shop, Jim entered and borrowed the shop MIG welder and plasma cutter. He left a note saying he had borrowed these tools. There was no response and then came word that the shop was being shop down. With the help of friends, the Roadster chassis and parts were rescued. The body man ended up in jail. So now Jim had the Roadster back and the tools to do the metal work, but no welding skills. Jim enlisted the help of a local welder to show him how to use the tools. With this assistance on evenings and weekends Jim taught himself how to weld and he finished the restoration of the 1962 twin grille roadster S/N 89621. It made its debut at the 1991 Registry Holiday in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It is now the daily driver of his wife, Barbara. The family phrase, "She sure looks good in that car." was overheard from a participant at the 1992 West Coast Holiday in Squaw Valley California. In 1992, Jim took an early retirement from his managerial position in the computer industry. Driving his sunroof coupe to the vintage races at Steamboat Springs, he pondered his future. His career decision was to do what he had enjoyed the most -- restore the Porsche 356. He established 356RESTORE expecting to work on one or two 356s a year. In the first 12 years over eighty 356s have been repaired or restored. In 1998, Jim was joined in the business by his son, B.J. Book jacket.