From our house to yours- Merry Christmas!
Winter is here in full swing. Enjoy the season, and be safe- not like the guy below! Enjoy it more like the video that is below the still shot!
Do you appreciate originality when it comes to a 356? If so, you just have to read the story of Blue Nelson.
Read it here! There were very very few cars that left the PORSCHE factory with seat belts installed. I should probably say a "very" several more times. Even less than that, if you find someone showing off their factory issued TEKA seatbelts, chances are very good they found them somewhere and subsequently installed them in their car. It is beyond rare to see seat belts noted on a Kardex.
Given the above and that most 356's were sent to the United States, most of our cars that ended up with seatbelts were put in by the dealership. Dealers could easily find US sources for the belts, and installed what the customer wanted. One such type of dealer installed belt was made by Rupert Parachute Company of Illinois. These were engraved with the name PORSCHE on them. That is what is installed in Miss April. Below is a shot of a vintage ad for the belts, and a photo of the buckle from my car. Later when I install the interior, I will include better photos of the belt and the fasteners. Ok, your 356 is all beautiful, running fantastic, and it's a great day for a drive. Your wife agrees to take a spin for the day and have some fun. You are both dressed for the daytime date. Then it happens, 30 miles from home.... flat tire. Darn big screw in the road! No big deal, just bought new tires a while ago and that includes the spare tire. But, what are you going to use to put the car up in the air? That wonderful floor jack you have is back at home. How about using the original jack and the original jack spurs? Not on your life (literally)! Don't trust that jack, no matter how beautiful. Don't trust that jack spur, old or new. Not safe practice. My advice, get one of the jacks shown below. Mine is a jack made by PORSCHE for the 944 as shown on the tag. It is aluminum, and lightweight. Fits behind the spare tire up front. The little hockey puck is available through one of our 356 Registry members for very little. It spreads the load evenly, no using unsafe areas, no denting the floor. They don't cost much, and are on Auction websites frequently. Get one and be safe! ps- you might also decide to carry a spare generator/fan belt. I made some that look quite original. See the Tool Kit Section |
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April 2021
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