Well the day finally arrived. Some eleven months and change since ‘drop off day,’ it was finally time to get a trailer and go fetch the body.
I very grateful for my bodyshop guy Dean that has put in countless hours of work. The wobbly goblin has been transformed into a smooth er… blue whale? In a very good way! I couldn’t be happier with how the car has turned out so far. Dropped the headlights into the body as soon as I got home. I think the look is going to work.
Now the fun starts. Time to put this puzzle together!
After months of patiently waiting for the rather bumpy shell to get adequately smoothed out, the day finally came. I am overjoyed at the result.
I almost changed my mind a few times during the arduous wait. I am very glad I stuck to the original plan. To me it looks even better than what I hoped for! Herewith the almost mercedes blaugrau/ almost vw dove/ almost aetna blau colour coat. Next up is peeling the tape to reveal the roundels and then the final clearcoat!
My custom fuel tank was supplied by Universal Products, where I got my body from. It had a nice looking 110mm cap, but was flush with the tank, much like original speedsters.
I’m not crazy about the idea of opening the frunk for refueling. Refuelling your own car is illegal in this country, which means a stranger will be manoeuvering a fuel nozzle around the inside of my car. Also center filler necks look bad ass and are all the rage! So I got my welding guy to lengthen the neck.
Some careful measuring and voila!
The hole in the hood leaves an obvious problem. Water and spilled fuel will end up in places it shouldn’t be. Enter the dog bowl. Literally. Flipped upside it works perfectly! Added a drain, a clamp and some rubber and I’m done.
If you are building a vintage aircooled ‘Porsche’ inspired car, be it 356 or 550 or whatever based, instruments are not a problem. There is no need to skimp on the dials. Beck produces a beautiful set, complete with GPS receiver so that even the speedometer cable becomes unnecessary. They cost a fair amount but it really completes the package.
Despite originally planning on using Beck dials, I had at my disposal a complete set of original 1969 911E dials. Not period correct per se but still very cool. Still very ‘Resin Racer!’ To me there is nothing cooler than an oversized red-needled centre-mounted tachometer. The odometer was busted, so I had it overhauled and reset to zero for the new application. My only real reservation was that they lacked a bit of chrome. Many of the aftermarket metal bezels are a bit fat for my taste. I managed to find quite slim ones in the UK that seat on the inside without enlarging the overall diameter of the gauge. They are applied in the most careful and reversible manner I could manage.
The other obvious issue is the fact that I’m merging a 6 cylinder tacho to a 4 cylinder engine. It is an obstacle that is fairly simple to overcome with an electronic adapter.
Lastly the redline is naturally way too optimistic. I’m not changing the faces of rare original VDOs in good condition, so perhaps a tiny red decal on the glass will suffice later. I’ll still think about that a bit.
Many replica 356s have 914 gauges. I think these will stand out a bit to the anorak (homebuilt car anoraks?! Doubt it!)… okay these will stand out to me because the oil pressure and temperature gauges are horizontally opposed, in contrast to vertical in the 914. Makes it a little different.
Using 50 year old genuine 911 VDOs in a fibreglass car is bonkers. But fear not, the set remains complete. I will tuck the smaller fuel gauge and clock away safely.
The only missing items were the small incandescent bulb holders at the back. They are still available from the specialist VW shops, but I figured I would try make my own LED type ones.
I used 9.5mm soft copper tubing cut with a pipe cutter, 12v LEDs and some spade connectors. Finished off with some dental acrylic in the back, they slotted right in with a satisfying click! Herewith some steps in the process –
I think they came out alright! Now if I could only get the body back so I can fit them!
It has certainly been some long months. I have now been fretting about the details and execution of this project for what feels like forever. It seems that maybe, barring any further apocalyptic world events, the body shop may just possibly be getting ready for final paint. I.. cannot.. wait..
Except of course I do. But it hasn’t been all waiting at least . For such a project, it turns out most fortuitously, I have the most excellent neighbour. Rino retired from his Italian family business of fine automotive upholstery fourteen years ago. I managed to coax him out of retirement for the last two weeks in exchange for some espressos. I am pretty amazed with how it turned it.
Without further ado, here we go..
Seeing that I have never attempted this, I had no idea how many skinned red cows to buy. Turns out one was more than enough. I bought two. In light of this, I may add a few more pieces. Time will tell. I suppose there is a fine line between tasteful and gaudy. In the mean time, I decided a Resin Racer needs a leather toolkit to be strapped to the front hood/frunk area. I managed to copy an old vinyl 911 one. An actual 356 version isn’t that far off. It basically slopes slightly differently and has a different flap. But hey, Resin Racer! I don’t care!
I managed this without stitching my fingers together or any espresso bribes, so I think I’m slowly improving the skill set. I guess that is part of the reason to build a car.
