Porsche 356 Owners Workshop Manual 1957-1965 E-Book

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• Herausgeber: M-Y Books ltd
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Seitenzahl: 420

Beschreibung

This do-it-yourself Workshop Manual has been specially written for the owner who wishes to maintain his vehicle in first class condition and to carry out the bulk of his own servicing and repairs. Considerable savings on garage charges can be made, and one can drive in safety and confidence knowing the work has been done properly. Comprehensive step-by-step instructions and illustrations are given on most dismantling, overhauling and assembling operations. Certain assemblies require the use of expensive special tools, the purchase of which would be unjustified. In these cases information is included but the reader is recommended to hand the unit to the agent for attention. Throughout the Manual hints and tips are included which will be found invaluable, and there is an easy to follow fault diagnosis at the end of each chapter. "Whilst every care has been taken to ensure correctness of information it is obviously not possible to guarantee complete freedom from errors or omissions or to accept liability arising from such errors or omissions. Instructions may refer to the righthand or lefthand sides of the vehicle or the components. These are the same as the righthand or lefthand of an observer standing behind the vehicle and looking forward.

Leseprobe

INTRODUCTION

This do-it-yourself Workshop Manual has been specially written for the owner who wishes to maintain his vehicle in first class condition and to carry out the bulk of his own servicing and repairs. Considerable savings on garage charges can be made, and one can drive in safety and confidence knowing the work has been done properly.

Comprehensive step-by-step instructions and illustrations are given on most dismantling, overhauling and assembling operations. Certain assemblies require the use of expensive special tools, the purchase of which would be unjustified. In these cases information is included but the reader is recommended to hand the unit to the agent for attention.

Throughout the Manual hints and tips are included which will be found invaluable, and there is an easy to follow fault diagnosis at the end of each chapter.

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure correctness of information it is obviously not possible to guarantee complete freedom from errors or omissions or to accept liability arising from such errors or omissions.

Instructions may refer to the righthand or lefthand sides of the vehicle or the components. These are the same as the righthand or lefthand of an observer standing behind the vehicle and looking forward.

OWM 827

ISBN 9781870642590

First Edition 1970

Reprinted 1972, 1976

Second Edition, fully revised 1979

Reprinted 1989

Brooklands Edition 1992

© Brooklands Books Ltd. 1992 and 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Brooklands Books Ltd.

Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this book, neither the author, nor the publisher can accept any liability for the loss, damage or injury caused by errors in, or omissions from the information given.

CONTENTS

Introduction

’Buying Used’

Chapter 1 The Engine

Chapter 2 The Fuel System

Chapter 3 The Ignition System

Chapter 4 The Cooling and Heating Systems

Chapter 5 The Clutch

Chapter 6 The Transmission

Chapter 7 The Rear Suspension

Chapter 8 The Front Suspension

Chapter 9 The Steering System

Chapter 10 The Braking System

Chapter 11 The Electrical System

Chapter 12 The Bodywork

Appendix

Technical Data

Wiring Diagrams

Hints on Maintenance and Overhaul

Glossary of Terms

Index

The number ’356’ is hardly memorable. It doesn’t roll off the tongue, it doesn’t sound poetic, it could be the most anonymous number you could think of between 1 and 1000. Yet to motoring enthusiasts generally, and Porscheophiles in particular, those three digits have a very special significance. They were applied to one of the greatest sports cars the world has ever seen.

Its origins are quite prosaic. It simply meant Porsche project Type 356, a design for a small, light tourer based on VW Beetle mechanics. But it was the culmination of the lifetime’s work of one man, a genius called Ferdinand Porsche, who would not live to see the 356 and its successors cover themselves with glory.

After the war the Porsche works at Gmünd had taken on any and every job they could, first under Ferdinand’s daughter, Louise Piëch, then under his son Ferry.

By 1947 however, the company had grown, and an idea that had been brooding at the back of Ferry’s mind became more concrete: Porsche would build their own car, bearing their own name. On June 11, 1947, project Type 356 was officially born.

Not unnaturally, proprietary parts had to be used – the company was too small to invest in tooling to manufacture such costly items as engines, transmissons and suspension. And, since the car they knew best (more than anyone else in fact, for had they not designed and developed it?) had miraculously, and against all predictions, gone into production, it was only natural that it would form the basis of the Porsche – it was, of course, the VW Beetle.

The first prototype was very much a one-off. It was a three (abreast) seater, open, with a space-frame chassis and – uniquely – a mid-engine configuration, with the power unit between cockpit and back axle. This was a modified VW air-cooled flat-four with bigger valves and ports and a daringly high (considering octane ratings of the day) compression ratio of 7.0:1 to give between 35 and 40bhp, a vast increase on the standard offering of 25bhp. VW independent suspension, by torsion bars all round, was fitted, as was a standard VW gearbox turned back to front. Covering all the mechanics was a very sleek aluminium body, with minimal ornamentation or excressences, designed by a name famous in Porsche folklore, Erwin Kommenda. Across the nose the name PORSCHE was spelt out in distinctive, square lettering of a form that is still with us.

Concurrent with the original prototype, another was being constructed which was in fact the definitive 356. It was a coupé, and it differed radically from the open car. For a start, the engine was in the normal VW position, overhung behind the rear axle. Then the chassis was constructed of sheet steel fabrications, not tubes. And it was, of course, a hard top, visually almost identical from the waist down to the open car. Kommenda’s shape was, once again, utterly smooth, full of wide radius curves, with nary a straight line in sight. Today such curves are accepted as the norm for good aerodynamics (cf the Audi 100/200 and the Ford Sierra): in the late forties opinions varied from ugly to sensational, but there was no doubting the shape’s effectiveness. In what must have been one of the first experiments in aerodynamics, wool tufts were attached to Porsche’s demonstrator to check airflow, with very satisfactory results.

From these unlikely beginnings, a legend would grow. The 356 is not one but a multitude of models, some, such as the Speedster and Carrera, so different as to be regarded as unique in their own right, and requiring separate treatment. Throughout its 18-year lifespan the 356 underwent a continuous, constant, bewildering process of development, refinement and proliferation, recounted under ’Production history’.

There were concrete constants. The name, the basic configuration with an air-cooled flat four in the tail, independent torsion-bar suspension, efficient streamlined bodywork. Then there were the less concrete constants. The insistence on superb quality: a performance out of all proportion to engine capacity; cost – they were never cheap in the sense that the Austin Healey or Triumph TR2 were, particularly in the UK; Porsche’s determination to go its own way and not just follow fashion; but above all, perhaps, was the 356’s addictiveness. Speak to a 356 afficianado and he will brook no criticisms. Quirky handling? Never! All other cars are boring by comparison.

Few who have ever driven a 356 in anything like reasonable condition can come away unimpressed. For a fifties car it hides its age remarkably. The steering is light, direct, and so responsive. The ride is astonishing. The feeling of tautness, of rigidity, even in the open models, is outstanding. Here is a highly civilised, highly enjoyable, jewel of a machine, quite unlike anything else of its own period or any other.

If there is one facet of the car which creates more controversy than any other (looks apart) it is the handling in extremis. Primitive swing axles at the rear plus an engine in the tail add up to oversteer, no matter how you look at it (which is why, in later models, Porsche kept adding understeer to the chagrin of enthusiasts). There is even a phrase used by Porscheophiles to describe the handling of the early cars: ’wischen’, the German for wiping, a graphic description of the car’s cornering attitudes. It was counteracted by ‘ságerí, or sawing, which is what the driver had to do to stop ends swapping. If you did over-step the mark you performed what Denis Jenkinson, an arch-enthusiast if ever there was one, calls the ’ground-level flick-roll’, to the detriment of car and driver. The world, though, is divided into two species: those who revelled in such antics (flick-roll apart!) and those who were frightened by it. What the latter didn’t realise was that the speeds at which the 356 became ’uncontrollable’ were usually considerably higher than those at which more conventional machines would long since have exited stage left! Wischen then just hopin’ was not the way to conduct a 356.

It is said ’they don’t make them like that any more’. Offically the 356 disappeared in 1965 – but is not the 911 Turbo, one of the ultimate Supercars of today, a genealogical descendent of that little alloybodied coupé that first saw light of day in 1948?

Production history

Between 1948 and 1951 official records show that 51 Type 356s were sold from Gmünd, though more than this were actually made. They consisted of coupés and cabriolets, with VW engines of either the standard 1131cc capacity or with reduced bores to give 1086cc and thus allow the cars to enter the 1100cc capacity classes in competition. Distinguishing features include the all aluminium bodies, flat two-piece screens with curved quarter lights in the doors on the coupés and – from 1949 on – a special cylinder head. Cabriolets (convertibles) were made both at Gmünd and by Beutler in Switzerland. Of all the production road-going Porsches, these original Gmünd cars are the rarest and, like the alloy-bodied XK120s, have a mystique unto themselves. Few survive, and are worth a small fortune.

Gmünd though was an out-of-the-way place, and Porsche’s roots were in Stuttgart. A return was always envisaged, and became imperative in 1949 and 1950. However, the Americans were occupying the Zuffenhausen site, so a return there was temporarily out of the question. Then Porsche killed two birds with one stone: since the most time-consuming part of car construction was the bodywork, they contracted for an old-established German coachbuilder, Reutter, to make the bodies for them. And, to assemble the cars, they hired their floor space.

Easter 1950 saw the first German-built Porsche completed, a light grey coupé nicknamed ’Windhund’ or greyhound. With the move to Stuttgart, the opportunity was taken to refine the 356, a process that was to continue almost non-stop until it went out of production. The major change was the use of steel for the body, this being both cheaper and easier to manipulate. Styling was modified, too: the edges of the windscreen panes now wrapped around, thus doing away with the distinctive Gmünd quarter lights. Both nose and roof were slightly altered and there were minor trim revisions. The power unit was the standard 1086cc, 40bhp flat four, which would be an option until 1954.

Hydraulic brakes and tubular shock absorbers – and the 1300 (actually 1283cc) engine arrived in 1951. This was made possible by Mahle, the piston people, who had perfected a way of coating aluminium with chrome to give a hard wearing surface. This material was used for the 1300’s cylinders, thus not only allowing an increase in bore but also providing better cooling. Power went up to 44bhp, and refinement was improved.

By this time, of course, Porsches were beginning to be seen regularly in competition, both on road and track, usually taking their class. To prove the 1300, three were entered for a strange event in June 1951, the Baden-Baden Rally. This was nothing more than a high-speed blind between Munich and Stuttgart, and, running on Porsche’s experimental plates to overcome the American- imposed 50mph speed limit (sound familiar?) they averaged 75 mph for 30 hours, recording a fuel consumption of 24mpg. The best ’lap’ was covered at 85.4mph, and one car was timed at 96.3mph. And by August 1951 the 1000th Germanbuilt Porsche rolled off the line.

This article first appeared in Classic and Sportscar December 1983 and has been reprinted with their permission. All prices referred to are those applicable to 1983.

That same year saw some more Porsche milestones. In October three cars, two coupés and a cabriolet, were displayed on Connaught Engineering’s stand at Earls Court, their first appearance in the UK. The general consensus was that they were good but pricey. It wouldn’t be until 1954 that AFN Ltd would import Porsches seriously. In America, too, sales began, prodded on by the entrepreneur par excellence, Max Hoffman, in spite of the fact that these tiny cars cost the same as a Cadillac convertible!

But probably the most significant event was the appearance of a singleton entry by the French importer, Auguste Veuillet, at Le Mans. It was a modified Gmünd coupé, with full wheel spats and increased tankage. It finished 20th overall and won its class, thus recording the first success at a race which, in the seventies and eighties, Porsche could almost call their own.

A roller-bearing crankshaft

However, as early as 1950 it had become obvious to the Porsche management that yet more performance was required, and an increase in engine capacity was the logical step. The use of Mahle aluminium cylinders allowed an increase in bore, but the proximity of the camshaft to the crankshaft, believe it or not, prevented an increase in stroke. The solution was the Hirth roller bearing crankshaft, an intricate piece of machining, which meant that a one-piece conrod, minus big end bolts, could be employed, thus giving the greater clearance between crank and camshaft that an increase in stroke required. The result was the 1500 engine, actually 1488cc, which was first offered for sale in autumn 1951. Producing initially 55 bhp, this soon rose to 60bhp then, with a special camshaft, to 70bhp. It quickly became the darling of the race tracks thanks to its ability to rev, and was joined by a 1300cc version. Roller bearing crank engines would remain a Porsche offering until 1957.

A momentous year for Porsche was 1952. For one thing, the Reutter assembly plant was bursting at the seams, so a new one, still in Zuffenhausen, was built. One-piece windscreens were phased in and – the most dramatic visual change – the bumpers were moved away from the body. The interior was updated too.

And there was yet another 1500cc engine, this time with plain bearings: this was arrived at by modifications to the big ends and the position and size of the camshafts. The power output was 55bhp, but the engine itself was much more refined and less of a racing unit. The poky roller bearing engined cars became the 1500 Super, ’The first of many legendary road machines from Zuffenhausen’ as the historian Karl Ludvigsen put it, while the plain bearing engine cars were named ’die Dame’ (the lady) because of their softer, more civilised behaviour.

Another important event that year was the introduction of a new gearbox with synchromesh. This worked extremely well, and the ’Porsche system’ synchro would eventually appear on all sorts of cars, earning Porsche a tidy sum in royalties over the years. Finally, to cope with the extra speeds of which the new Porsches were capable (maximum of the 1500 Super was now well over 100mph) bigger, more powerful brakes were introduced.

With all these changes, 1953 became a year of consolidation with relatively few mods but 1954 saw another burst of activity. First there was the introduction of the Speedster, a model that was initially intended as a ’cheap’ Porsche, instigated by Hoffman who wanted something to compete with the Austin Healey and Triumph TR2. It was stripped of inessentials in the interest of cost – but that also lightened it considerably. It was fitted with a miniscule windscreen and a top which, when up, destroyed visibility in almost every direction. Hood up it was as ugly a machine as was ever made – but it went like the proverbial scalded cat, thanks to its lightness, and acceleration-oriented gearing, and soon became the Porsche for the tracks. The Speedster is a very special car, however, and we will deal with it more fully at a future date.

The same year the 1100cc engine was dropped, and a switch was made from two-piece magnesium (ie VW) crankcases to three-piece aluminium ones. And in March the 5000th 356 rolled off the lines.

Jim Clark was one of many to cut his teeth on Porsches

Fifties frolics – or spot the non-356s at the somewhat hectic start of a sports car race at the Nurburgring

September 1955 saw a whole host of changes introduced – so many in fact, that the models were given a new name: the 356A. The most important of these modifications was an increase in bore of the aluminium block to give 1600cc and thus two new models: the 1600 and 1600S. There was also a new star in the firmament: the Carrera, which combined the 356 running gear with the 550 Spyder’s four-cam engine. This was, and is, such a different car, however, that, like the Speedster, it will have to be treated separately. Other significant mods were made to the suspension, such as an anti-roll bar and wider, smaller diameter wheels. Visually there wasn’t much change, however, the identification pointer being the constant radius curve of the windscreen, thus removing the distinctive vee of the earlier cars.

Another relatively quiet year on the alteration front was 1956, though Porsche being Porsche they couldn’t leave well enough alone and mods were introduced almost continuously, if not publicly announced. However, the Frankfurt Show in 1957 saw yet another round of technical changes revealed: the Hirth roller bearing crank was dropped, and in the interests of cost and quietness the aluminium cylinders were replaced by cast iron in the 1600 Normal engine, though they were retained for the Super. One change for the worse was the routing of the exhausts through the rear over-riders: this gave better ramp clearance but was not otherwise popular. Clutch and gearchange also came in for attention.

Another new model joining the line in 1957 was the Hardtop which, as its name implies, was a removeable glass-fibre affair for the Cabriolet, while 1958 saw the ’ugly duckling’ Speedster replaced by a more attractive Speedster D (from Drauz, the body builder), with a bigger windscreen and more headroom. Die-hard Speedster enthusiasts promptly scorned it: a change in name to the Convertible D allowed the Speedster purists their one-upmanship.

The Frankfurt Show in 1959 saw what was, perhaps, the most startling visual change to the 356. The whole nose was raised and was fronted by a massive bumper – a genuine ’facelift’. The rear bumper was raised as well. Enter the 356B. Along with it, of course, came the invariable multitude of smaller mods, most hidden, like the improved synchromesh, others, like the styling, more obvious – more rear seat room, for example.

The 1600 and 1600S engines remained, but yet another new one was added: the 1600S-90. With typical Teutonic logic, it was so named because it gave near enough 90bhp which was sufficient to propel the Coupé to a top speed of 115mph and the Roadster, as the Convertible D had been renamed yet again, to 110mph. Cornering with the Super 90 was improved by the use of a compensating spring at the rear which acted in the opposite way to an anti-roll bar and thus forced that end to do more work, and the adoption of radial-ply tyres for the first time on a Porsche as standard.

In 1961 the basic 356 bodyshell was given its last major modifications. The windscreen and rear window were enlarged, more space was found under the front ’bonnet’ which featured a squared-off lower edge. September of the same year also saw the 2 litre version of the Carrera, called – wait for it – the Carrera 2...

By 1962 Porsche were heavily involved with the 356B’s replacement, the 901, and the days of the 356 were coming to an end. But not before one final fling: in 1964 the 356C was announced. To look at there was little difference, for the 356B body was carried over, but a clue was given by the wheels hiding disc brakes which Porsche had finally adopted. The range too was simplified, with just three engine options. The 1600 ’Normal’ engine was dropped, leaving the 1600S or Super 75, the 1600SC (replacing the Super 90) and the Carrera 2.

The 356’s pressed-steel chassis was strong yet light and could take open or closed bodywork with ease

The last 356, a white cabriolet, rolled off the Zuffenhausen assembly line in September 1965, the 76,303rd of the model. Well, not quite: ten more were built ’to special order’. Some people just couldn’t bear to see it go... Of this figure, there were 7,627 356s, 21,045 356As and 30,963Bs.

Buyer’s Spot Check

The good news for prospective 356 purchasers is that the mechanics of the car are remarkably long lived. The engine requires the usual checks – look for steady oil pressure, and make sure there are no visible oil leaks. Areas that can leak (and frequently do) are the rocker box gaskets, the oil cooler, and the seal on the gearlever shaft. Rectification is simple, however, and the leaks are niggling rather than serious. Engine parts are relatively easy to find if you are contemplating renovation.

The only area of worry with regard to the rest of the running gear is that the link pins in the front suspension can seize; this is checked by jacking the car up and rocking the wheels. Similarly, ball joints can be checked in this way. Steering is by worm and peg, and there’s an inspection hatch in the front ’boot’ compartment, once uncovered it’s easy to check for play in the steering assembly. Again, parts are easily obtainable, either from the States or through Stuttgart, although they don’t come cheap.

The major troubles with the car are usually structural and bodywork; it pays to check just about everything meticulously, as to replace panels and chassis parts is costly, simply because nearly everything has to be made. If there is one fault with the cars, it’s that they’re prone to rust, and that can mean MOT failure.

On the chassis front, the vital areas are the suspension mounting points, the area around the front and rear of the floorplan, and the longitudinal chassis members. The mounting points are easily checked. Effectively, you can see these in the area immediately behind the wheels, forming, for want of a better example, the inner wheel arches. On really rotten examples, it is possible to flake the rust away by hand, but judicious use of a sharp object (if the vendor doesn’t mind) will pinpoint just how good or bad these areas are. If they are far gone, then bear in mind that it’ll be expensive to repair.

The bump-stop and trailing arm mounts are rust points

A late 356A cabrio with exhausts in bumper over-riders

The dramatic new nose of the 356B, introduced in 1959

Spot the difference – the hub caps – tell you this is a 356C

A 1961 running change to the 356B was a squared-off ‘bonnet’ as seen on the right

Sauerwien on his way to second overall, Alpine, 1953

Famous name, famous car – Wim Poll in his Carrera

The area at the front of the floorpan often goes; a warning is sodden carpets, a sure sign that water has been trapped in the footwells. Similarly, the rear floorpan joint rusts badly; a quick look underneath will tell you if all is in order. Cabriolets are worse than coupés for this problem.

The longitudinal members also rot badly; as they form the sills, you can’t really prod them, but if the jacking point can be moved, then they need replacing. Use of a magnet will detect if there is a lot of filler patching this part up. All these disorders are going to be expensive to repair properly; it’s no use just patching up, you’ll need whole areas replaced, and they have to be made.

One other vulnerable spot is the rear suspension bump stop; brute force is the only check here, so grab hold of the stop and waggle it around to ensure its security.

Bodywise, the car suffers from the demon rust badly, too. Look at the wings, the door bottoms, boot, and, on cabriolets especially, the inner doors and door pillar rears.

Where the wing is turned over onto the chassis, there is a water trap; check for rust here. The door bottoms and inners are prone to go, and it can be difficult to check these if filler has been used in quantity. The same applies to the front boot . . . make sure you look everywhere!

To ensure that the door pillar rears are sound, take a look at the trim behind the doors; if it’s out of shape that’s a sure sign that water has got in. And that invariably means rust and a general weakening of the body’s strength. One other place to check is the area between the grille apertures at the front – again it’s expensive to refutbish. Take a careful look at the spare wheel compartment, which is where the battery lives, for corrosion.

It’s worth remembering that many of these cars have suffered crash damage in the past, so it’s well wothwhile checking all the above points very carefully; when the cars were worth a lot less, fastidious repair might not have been thought cost effective. And if the car needs structural repair, it will not come cheap.

Rivals when new

The 356 was one of those difficult cars that, for various reasons, didn’t really have any ’rivals’ (in the sense that, say, the TR2 and Austin Healey 100 were rivals) when it was new.

A meeting of the German Porsche Club at the Nurburgring Oldtimer Festival in 1982 with cabrios to the fore

Porsches raced world-wide – Luigi Musso in a works 2-litre Maserati passes two in an Argentinian race

Take, for example, 1955. The standard 1500 cost £1786 (all prices include purchase tax, by the way), the Super £1956. By comparison, the MG TF cost £780, the Austin Healey 100 £1063, the Triumph TR2 £886, and the Jaguar XK140 fixed-head £1616. On the other hand, such exotica as the Aston Martin DB2-4 sold for £2728, the HRG 1500 (were any actually sold in 1955?) for £1269, the Keift 1100 (a real rarity) for £1559, and the Swallow Doretti for £1101.

Thus, for a 1½-litre, the Porsche’s only competition came from the likes of HRG and Keift, while bigger, faster machinery (Jaguar, Healey et al) cost less. And there was no British rear-engined sports cars during this era.

By 1963 the 1600 was up to £1900, the 1600 Super 90 to £2277, and the competition had increased, though again, much of it was bigger engined. The AC Ace Bristol went for £1873, the Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sprint for £1597, the Healey 3000 for £1045, the E-type for an incredible £1828 in open form, the Lotus Elan for £1317 and the Elite for £1662 (the latter with Special Equipment rose close to the Porsche for £1862), the MGB for £834, the TR4 Hardtop for £949, and the TVR with MGA engine for £1040.

None of these, however, had all the Porsche’s unique qualities, and you had to look for 2-litres or above to come near to its performance, particularly in Super form.

Clubs, specialists and books

There is no club per se for 356 owners – they come under the umbrella of Porsche Club Great Britain (64 Raisins Hill, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 2BT, tel: [phone]) and the 356 Registrar is enthusiast Ray Wright.

When it comes to specialists, most Porsche dealers shy away from 356s, preferring to concentrate on later models. Fortunately 356 owners are a tight-knit group, and if you go through the Club you can get most jobs done. The Club has picked out two experts, however: for bodywork only Ernie Gregory in Farnham (0276 32490) is your man, while for ground-up rebuilds – not servicing or panel repairs – contact Nick Mayman (08242 3986) in Wales. In addition, the Club has a list of engine and servicing specialists: Tony Standen (01-828 9501) and David Edelstein (01-723 5626) will point you in the right direction.

The good news, though, is that Porsche are themselves becoming involved, having just bought out Stoddards (the 356 specialists) in the USA, so ’new’ spares should soon be available via Reading, while one member of the Club has a franchise from PB Tweeks in California, another source of parts.

Book-wise, the Porsche owner is almost inundated, but those dealing specifically with the 356 tend to be a little rarer. The bible on all matters Porsche has to be Karl Ludvigsen’s Porsche – Excellence Was Expected (£39.95), probably one of the most detailed one-marque books ever, followed closely by Lothar Boschen’s and Jurgen Barth’s The Porsche Book (£22.50), recently reprinted, while Denis Jenkinson’s Porsche 356 (£6.95) is required and joyful reading for any enthusiast, not just Porsche buffs. Other books which concentrate purely on the 356 and its history and technicalities are Harry Pellow’s The ABC’s Of Porsche Engines (356/912) (£6.95) which covers the 356/912 (1500cc and 1600cc) engine family, Porsche Brochures And Sales Literature 1946-65 (£15.95), two reprints of German road tests, Porsche 1948-1958 Tests and Porsche 1959-1965 Tests (both at £5.50), three in the Brooklands Books magazine article reprint series (Porsche Cars 1952-1956, Porsche Cars 1957-1960 and Porsche Cars 1960-1964, at £3.95, £3.95 and £4.95 respectively) and Henry Elfink’s Porsche 356 Technical Manual (£6.95), all of which are on Albion Scott’s list. And then, of course, there’s a splendid all-purpose coffee table book, The Classic Porsche (Bison Books,£7.95) by, ahem, Mike McCarthy.

Prices

Had we profiled the 356 a year or so ago, the chances are that we could have said you could pick one up relatively cheaply. Not so now, though: our price guide has shown some dramatic increases in asking prices (13 per cent in October, 15 per cent in November) and an indication of how the 356 has become a cult car came at a recent Christie’s auction when a Super 90 Cabriolet was sold for £7000. Mind you, the purchaser was none other than the Porsche company itself.

However, being more down to earth, ’basket cases’ can be picked up for a few hundred pounds as with most cars. In order of desirability and therefore asking price, the normal coupés with the ’Damen’ engine are the most available, and our ’Price guide’ shows that the average asking price is rising from £2500 towards £3000. Cabriolets fetch more, and Super 90s more than – but not much more than – Cabriolets, fully restored examples of the latter fetching £6000 to £7000. However, when it comes to Carreras and Speedsters, the sky seems to be the limit. Even assuming you can find one, start looking at £10,000 and go on up.

The original steel streamlined body appears to be somewhat dumpy-looking these days.

BUYING USED

The Porsche 356

TONY LEWIN discovered that you can become a Porsche owner for only three figures.

“What’s in a name?” a famous literary figure once made one of his tragic characters ask. Sure as anything, the bard’s immortal words are just as relevant today, and can even be persuaded to apply to buying certain sports cars on the second hand market.

For Porsche enjoy a position among a select band of makes such as Mercedes Benz, Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin which apart from their double barrelled titles also have in common another quality; they are what an advertising man might describe as ’aspirational’ cars—in everyday language, makes of cars that people feel they want to own.

The ambition to own a Rolls-Royce — irrespective of model or year — is a common, if less often realised one. So it is with Porsche, too. Just to be a Porsche owner is to be elevated several rungs on the social ladder, and to be able to point nonchalantly at the best bitter pump in the saloon bar with a bunch of Porsche keys is more impressive still.

But who’s to know you only paid a three-figure sum for your example of one of the world’s most desired motor cars?

They’re around for that sort of money in the form of the original and long-running 356 series, predecessor to the current 911 model which is only now beginning to be threatened with extinction.

Any Porsche for under a thousand is clearly a status bargain, but is the 356 really such a financially painless route into the Porsche club as it seems?

True to its Volkswagen ancestry, the first Porsche changed very little externally in its seventeen year production run but, again like Volkswagen, a 1948 car and the final 1965 model placed alongside one another would amply illustrate the development that had taken place over the years.

The air-cooled flat four Volkswagen engine of 1948 (which even then produced the directly un-VW like output of 40bhp) grew steadily from 1100cc to the full 1600 of the final versions tuned to give around 95 ultra-reliable horsepower.

If the rules are stretched somewhat and we consider the VW engine simply as an air-cooled flat four, then the ultimate development of the 356 can be regarded as the two-litre Carrera with its four bevel-driven overhead camshafts and full 130 hp output.

Variety of engines

Once again, the external similarity of the cars is deceptive. Under the then-streamlined but now rather dumpy-looking steel bodywork (only the earliest cars featured aluminium) lurks a bewildering variety of engine types and sizes.

Early cars had one single-choke carburettor per bank, later ones twin-barrelled instruments. As the engine gradually increased in capacity, various states of tune continued to be offered. In general, the ’S’ or Super versions developed their greater power thanks to different camshafts and larger valves, though Porsche were always playing tunes on cylinder barrels, pistons and crankshafts, too.

The Super 90 is perhaps the best known in this country, but a Super 75 and a ’standard’ were also offered at the same time, and the version, coinciding with the introduction of the mildly revised ’C’ series body, was the 1600SC with yet more power — 95 bhp.

At the peak of its glory in 1963-64 the 356C was an exclusive car indeed, but as with present examples of the marque, it was far from cheap and had in consequence a rather elite following. It cost some £1,000 more than the E-type Jaguar of the day, and was only able to offer a maximum speed of around 110mph, as opposed to the big Jaguar’s easy 150 plus.

By modern standards its acceleration performance was unimpressive, too, with 60mph taking a full 13.2 seconds according to contemporary road tests, but it is often forgotten how much standards have improved. Fuel economy was the 356’s strong suit — 35mpg being the rule on long runs.

Current Porches carry a six-year non-rusting warranty, but if the 356 car had had the same cover it is unlikely that the firm would be with us today, so great would the warranty claims have been.

In the words of Acton-based Chris Turner, who services Porsches for a living, the 356 is a “rust bucket pure and simple”.

The sad truth is that most 356s proudly displaying the Porsche badge are very tatty indeed, and this tattiness is hardly ever superficial. Surface rusting is in general cosmetic, but replacement body panels are very hard indeed to obtain — Chris claims he has the largest stock of original new body panels in the UK — three or four wings, a couple of bonnets and the occasional underbumper section! Rust appears in all the classic places — and more. Look around the headlamps, horn grilles, tail lights, wing edges and particularly the door latch panels. In short, look everywhere.

More important structural rust affects the battery box floor (below the spare wheel in the front), the front suspension A-bracket ends, the inner sills where they meet the floor panels and the footwells behind the pedals. Other trouble spots are the torsion bar carrier box section at the rear, the front torsion bar tube pick up points and the anti-roll bar chassis mounting points.

It’s a gory list of corrosion problems, and it means that there are relatively few sound examples still in existence.

Rare spares

Replacement floor panels are available from the US and cost only £100-£120, but putting them in might run up a bill ten times as great.

Perhaps the greatest problem is spare parts availability—or non-availability in the case of the 356. Components such as brake slave cylinders, brake drums and cylinder barrels are like gold dust, as are certain body panels.

The factory no longer produce or distribute spare parts for the model, but there is a thriving and enthusiastic owners’ club as well as a network of specialised suppliers — provided the owner is willing to pay freight from Germany or the United States.

In conclusion, the 356 may be an interesting car in its own right and it certainly is a convenient back door to Porsche ownership. But its rusting propensities will rule it out for many, and the scarcity of spares is a real worry. It is most definitely not the car for the non-enthusiast, but then cars with true class and character rarely are. ■

Only a couple of these very rare Speedsters remain in this country.

The rare and fast Carrera engine (4 ohc, 130 mph).

This article first appeared in Autosport 24th April 1980 and has been reprinted with their permission. All prices referred to are those applicable to 1980.

CHAPTER 1THE ENGINE

1:1 General description

1:2 Routine maintenance

1:3 Overhauling methods

1:4 Removing and installing engine

1:5 Dismantling engine

1:6 Servicing crankcase, crankshaft and flywheel

1:7 Camshaft, tappets and timing gear

1:8 Connecting rods, pistons, cylinders

1:9 Cylinder heads and valve gear

1:10 Lubricating system and timing cover

1:11 Distributor drive shaft

1:12 Reassembling and testing engine

1:13 Fault diagnosis

1:1 General description

Dr. Ferdinand Porsche designed both the Volkswagen ’Beetle’ engine and the engine fitted to Porsche sports cars, so that it is not surprising that they closely resemble each other. Basically they are air-cooled flat-four engines with overhead valves operated by pushrods and a single gear-driven camshaft.

This manual starts with cars made after September 1957 because that date saw the abandonment of the roller-bearing crankshaft from the ’S’ range of engines. From then on, the engine has remained virtually unchanged apart from refinement in design and a steady increase in power output. For dimensions, compression ratios and other technical information, refer to Technical Data at the end of this manual.

Two sectioned views of a typical engine are given in FIGS 1:1 and 1:2. The crankcase is split vertically on the centre line (see 37 in FIG 1:1) and bolted to the rear face is a timing cover 32 which carries the oil pump 34 and No. 4 crankshaft bearing 38 (see FIG 1:2).

On each side of the crankcase are a pair of finned cylinders 11 carrying a common aluminium head for each pair (see FIG 1:1). Valve seats, guides and sparking plug bosses are pressed or screwed into the heads. A single camshaft 33 operates tappets 30, pushrods 26 and rockers 21.

The light-alloy pistons 27 carry compression rings, an oil control ring and a fully-floating gudgeon pin 28. The connecting rods 29 have bushed small-ends and renewable liners in the big-ends. The hardened crankshaft 31 runs in four main bearings which may be bushes or renewable liners according to their position and the engine type. The arrangement can be seen in FIG 1:2. Also in this view is the flywheel 2 which is retained on the front end of the crankshaft by hollow bolt 1. The rear end of the shaft carries the drive gear 36 for the camshaft, drive gear 37 for the distributor and pulley 17 for the belt drive to generator 12.

Fan 7 is mounted at the front end of the generator shaft and provides cooling air for the engine and also heated air for the car interior if required.

A gear-type oil pump 34 is driven by the camshaft. When the lubricating oil is cold it bypasses oil cooler 7 (see FIG 1:1). As the oil heats up, a valve opens to allow the oil to pass through the cooler before it reaches the bearings. The cooler is in the path of cold air from the fan and effectively reduces the temperature of the hot oil.

FIG 1:1 Transverse section of 1600 engine. All other models are basically similar

Key to Fig 1:1

1 Throttle lever

2 Air filter

3 Dual throat downdraught carburetter

4 Inlet manifold

5 Side coverplate, vertical

6 Fan housing

7 Oil cooler

8 Passage from oil cooler to crankcase

9 Blower impeller

10 Generator shaft

11 Cylinder

12 Cylinder coverplate

13 Sparkplug

14 Throttle linkage

15 Fuel line

16 Throttle connecting link

17 Spark plug terminal

18 Exhaust rocker arm spindle

19 Coverplate

20 Rocker box cover

21 Inlet valve rocker

22 Valve adjusting screw

23 Inlet rocker arm spindle

24 Valve spring

25 Inlet valve

26 Pushrod

27 Piston

28 Gudgeon pin

29 Connecting rod

30 Tappet

31 Crankshaft

32 Magnetic oil filter

33 Camshaft

34 Oil strainer

35 Oil suction pipe

36 Oil sump

37 Crankcase

38 Pushrod tube

39 Lower air guide (heat exchanger)

40 Exhaust pipe

41 Exhaust port

42 Heater junction box

1:2 Routine maintenance

Refer to the respective chapters for maintenance instructions on the fuel pump, the distributor, the starter and generator, and the carburetters.

Oil changes:

During the running-in period of an engine which has been rebuilt, change the lubricating oil at 500, 1500 and 3000 miles. Normal engine oil changes are made at 3000 mile intervals unless the car is used in extremely arduous conditions. Use HD oil of SAE.30 grade in summer and SAE.20 grade in winter (see appended note). FIG 1:3 shows the sump strainer and magnetic filter which should be cleaned when the oil is changed. Remove cover 5 (ten nuts). Clean strainer 3 with a brush and some fuel. Remove old gasket material from all flanges and wipe steel particles from the magnetic filter attached to the coverplate. Check that the cover flange is flat.

Reassemble with new gaskets, taking care that the oil suction pipe is correctly located in the strainer. Do not overtighten the nuts or the cover flange may be distorted. The drain plug is part 1.

Note that the 1600 S.90 coverplate is fitted with a centrifugal valve to ensure an adequate supply of oil to the pump when cornering at high speeds (see FIG 1:23).

Oil filter:

Every 6000 miles, change the oil filter element. The old element cannot be cleaned. Change more frequently if the engine is worn or road conditions are very dusty. Filter location can be seen in FIG 1:4. When refitting the cover make sure the gasket is sound and not trapped in any way. After changing a filter element, check for leaks by running the engine. Then check the oil level and top-up, running the engine again and making a final check on the level.

FIG 1:2 Longitudinal section of 1600 engine. All other models are basically similar

Key to Fig 1:2

1 Gland nut

2 Flywheel

3 Oil seal

4 Air guide plate

5 Cooling air inlet

6 Engine compartment heater thermostat

7 Blower impeller

8 Fan housing

9 Air filter

10 Engine compartment heater control linkage

11 Oil filler cap

12 Generator

13 Generator bracket

14 Small V-belt pulley

15 V-belt tension adjusting spacers

16 V-belt

17 Large V-belt pulley

18 Air guide duct for engine compartment heating

19 Engine compartment heater control lever

20 Heater junction box (heat exchanger)

21 Main bearing journal No. 1

22 Camshaft end plug

23 Piston and cylinder

24 Main bearing journal No. 2

25 Camshaft

26 Connecting rod bearing cap

27 Magnetic oil filter

28 Main bearing journal No. 3

29 Oil strainer

30 Oil suction pipe

31 Camshaft timing gear

32 Timing case cover

33 Lower air guide (heat exchanger)

34 Gear oil pump

35 Tachometer drive pinion

36 Timing pinion

37 Distributor drive pinion

38 Main bearing No. 4

39 Silencer

Note that the oil recommendations are different for the 1600S and 1 600S.90 engines. In these, use HD oil as for diesel engines. This is also recommended for 1 600 engines which are used for competition work

Fan belt tension:

Every 3000 miles, check the belt tension. When correctly adjusted the belt can be deflected about ⅝ inch midway between the pulleys, using light thumb pressure. Renew the belt if it is oily or beginning to break up. Adjustment is made by altering the number of spacers between the generator pulley flanges.

To adjust belt tension, refer to FIG 1:2 and remove the nut from pulley 14. Hold the pulley by inserting a screwdriver in the slot in the inner flange and using a generator bolt as an abutment. Take off spacers and outer flange. Note spacers between flanges. Remove to tighten belt and add to pack to loosen. Any which are removed must be transferred to the outside of the outer flange. Refit parts, tighten nut to 72 lb ft and check belt tension. The belt must not ride on the spacers, nor reach the top of the flanges but must be about halfway up the flange faces.

If a new belt is fitted it will probably stretch after a short run, so check the tension again. Never try to lever a belt over the pulley flanges.

Valve clearance:

Adjusting the valve clearance is covered in Section 1:9.

FIG 1:3 Components of oil strainer in base of crankcase. Oil pump suction pipe picks up oil from inside strainer. All models except S.90

Key to Fig 1:3

1 Crankcase drain plug

2 Gasket

3 Oil strainer

4 Gasket

5 Coverplate with magnetic filter

6 Flat washer

7 Lockwasher

8 Nut

1:3 Overhauling methods

To ensure that operations are tackled in the best way, we suggest that a few minutes spent in reading ’Hints on Maintenance and Overhaul’ at the end of this manual will be time well spent. It will also be useful to repeat what has been pointed out in the ’Introduction’ to this manual, in case it has been missed. This is to the effect that locations of parts which are called ’righthand’ or ’lefthand’ are as if viewed from behind the car and looking forward.

For technical information, refer to the Appendix at the end of the manual. This also includes a ’Glossary of of Terms’ which may be useful in explaining the meaning of possibly unfamiliar expressions.

Most of the external parts of the engine will be reasonably accessible whilst it is in the car. It must be stressed however, that many operations are greatly facilitated with the engine removed. This is not a difficult job for two people, and even one person can manage it using a trolley jack and some care. There is, of course, no chance of working on the crankshaft and associated parts without removal of the engine, as there is no sump in the normal sense of the word. The following instructions are for working on the engine when it is on the bench. It will be obvious which of them can be tackled without removing the engine from the car, but the point will be made when it seems advisable.

Due to many variations in design it is essential to check all spare parts to ensure that they are of the correct type. Special tuning by a previous owner may have led to the installation of non-standard parts and due allowance must be made for this. As an example, light alloy pushrods require different valve clearances than those for steel pushrods.

1:4 Removing and installing engine

The engine is relatively light and removal is comfortably within the powers of two people. The rear end of the car must be raised about two feet and it is essential that firm supports are fitted so that any force which may be needed will not lead to collapse of the car and possible injury.

Removing:

1 Disconnect battery. Close fuel tap. Slacken clamp on long inclined heater rod on righthand side and disconnect linkage. Remove the rear coverplate.

2 Disconnect leads from ignition coil, oil temperature sender unit, the green one from the oil pressure sender unit and the three generator leads, which are black (DF), red (D+) and yellow-white (D—) respectively.

3 Disconnect the ball joint in the throttle linkage at the fan housing. Raise the rear end of the car and support it firmly. Remove both heater flap cables. Disconnect heater linkage and loosen flexible heater pipes from engine.

4 Loosen exhaust pipe clamps and remove elbow pipes from silencer.

5 Disconnect fuel hose. Disconnect tachometer drive cable from oil pump cover. Working under car, remove both nuts from flange joining engine to transmission. Take the weight of the engine on a trolley jack but do not lift. With an assistant holding the upper bolts, release the engine from the transmission by removing the remaining two nuts.

6 Rock the engine slightly to break the joint and pull the engine to the rear until the mainshaft clears the clutch plate. Do this with care, keeping the engine centrally aligned with the transmission all the time.

Removing later engines:

When the latest B/T.6 heating system was introduced on the 356B, some changes in the removal sequence became necessary. Extra operations are to disconnect the heater air hose, and also the connecting duct from the fan housing. Remove the fuel pump shield and then proceed as before.

Installing engine:

Reverse the order of removal, taking note of the following:

1 Clutch release bearing must be 1inch from the transmission flange and parallel to it. Put between 2 and 3cc of graphite grease in the bearing inside the flywheel securing bolt. Apply a thin film of graphite grease to the starter gear teeth, to the mainshaft splines and into the starter shaft bush.