A4

Hey guys, I've been a Rennlist lurker for a while looking for a 911 for sometime. Well kids and cash have gotten in the way and I'm now looking for a 356 to restore. I'll be doing this with my recently retired father who till this day kicks himself for selling his speedster he had in the '60's(had to sell once kids came, poor bastard) I'm not looking for a total basket case or think I'll find a non-rusty speedster but instead half decent a '60-'65 coupe.

My question is around the engine and possible drop in replacements. I'm thinking if I find one with a blown engine or one that needs complete rebuild, is it worth dropping a high performance VW engine from one of many reputable shops out there and keep the original case for later repair? I'm thinking I can buy a turnkey engine package for about $2500 while the original can take the slow road to repair.

I've seen corvette owners do this with matching number cars with low mileage on the engine. If they have a split-back coupe or totally original stingray, some drop another small block engine to preserve the original.

Any thoughts to this?

Also, no offense to Rennlist or Pellican, but is there a more active 356 forum out there?

Thanks much.

Charles Navarro

You might want to join the 356 registry listserv, which has some great members and discussions. I think you're better off just doing the rebuild on the engine yourself if you're tight on funds. Don't go with a blown motor, as replacing parts is definately more than reconditioning them. Rarely will you find a car worth buying that doesn't have an equally decent engine. Engine numbers really matter to these guys, and putting in a vw drivetrain is a real taboo subject, although i'm all for the type 4 conversion, if that's what turns you on :-)

Steve Jensen

Using a "cheap" VW motor would definately be good, but you may need to change clutch/flywheel/pplate, etc. to make it work. You may also run into problems for proper voltage due to the generator, unless you convert to 12v.

A4

Thanks guys. I hadn't thought of thr electrics. I guess its just something to ponder during my search and worry about it when the time comes. I just saw a 63 on ebay with a 912 engine in it so I guess thats another route to take. Ultimatly I'd like a rally trype car set up.

See you around the boards.

Irishdriver

There is a relatively common engine swap which involves getting a type 4 VW motor (914 engine) fitting an upright fan like a 911 and bolting it in a 356. Cheaper than 356 engines and easy to work on.

It means 12v electrics but that is a good idea if you have a 356 that can move anyway fast.