First photo below highlights my real, not reproduction Carrera 2 VDM segmented wood steering wheel. I bought this to add to the car and restored it myself. The original steering wheel for Miss April was the stock plastic one, but I could not resist this original. The reproductions made are very nice, and this old jewel has flaws I could not repair myself, but I think it shows well in the car.
There are pictures of my restoration of the steering wheel in my blogs.
I show how I restored the wheel, and also how to determine a real Carrera 2 wood wheel from the nice replications that are being made. Click on the small photo to the left for the info.
I show how I restored the wheel, and also how to determine a real Carrera 2 wood wheel from the nice replications that are being made. Click on the small photo to the left for the info.
Miss April has original, FACTORY installed seatbelts. This has been verified by Jim Breazeale at EASY and several others. These are easy to identify by the two parallel indents on each buckle and ALUMINUM hooks. Most of the 356 cars with seatbelts were either dealer installed, or installed even later.
Dealer installed seatbelts and seatbelts added later do not have this unique buckle. The original manufacturer of the seatbelts that were installed at the factory was Teka Automaten Gmbh. If you Google this manufacturer, you'll see they later invented the seatbelt reel mechanism. The 3 point version of these belts are extremely rare in a 356.
Dealer installed seatbelts and seatbelts added later do not have this unique buckle. The original manufacturer of the seatbelts that were installed at the factory was Teka Automaten Gmbh. If you Google this manufacturer, you'll see they later invented the seatbelt reel mechanism. The 3 point version of these belts are extremely rare in a 356.
How far does a nutcase like me go for originality? Check out this string of posts on the 356 Registry about the brake and clutch pedal pads shown above.
The shot above and below show the original PORSCHE factory interior luggage straps. This pair is super rare being brown and textured leather. Most were black and smooth. For a full story on these straps, check out the story here.
Video below shows my work on installing the headliner. Lots of clips!
Here is a question for you. How many cars have original/restored coat hooks? Miss April does! See this link for details.
Here is a question for you. How many cars have original/restored coat hooks? Miss April does! See this link for details.
Took all the chrome components apart, new chrome, then re-assembled. There are a lot of pieces to the wind wing! Rear window frames and latches were also done.
How about these seat hinges. Lots of $$$$ and time in them. Check out this post for details.
Showing my original TEKA 3-point seat belts. TEKA was the OEM to PORSCHE during the 356 years. The hooks are aluminum and the buckles are freshly re-chromed. Showing a photo below of one aluminum hook polished up next to one that had not been polished yet.
Fresh chrome on my seat hinges and screws! Note: The cross bar between the hinges is not chrome, it is unrestored. I just cleaned it up. I believe it is either zinc or clear cadmium plating.
I took all my gauges apart and cleaned the glass and faces. They were all filthy, but cleaned up great. Below photo shows one of the dirty glass fronts and below that photo you can see the restored faces, including the newly installed chrome bezels.
Fun shots of the glove box and contents.
More info on the contents can be found in the Documents Section
I actually restored my own glovebox. For details on how I did it, look here.
More info on the contents can be found in the Documents Section
I actually restored my own glovebox. For details on how I did it, look here.
Hard to see how nice some of the other parts are when photographing something like the dash. Below are some close up shots of the parts before I put them back in their places.
Original speaker cloth was- well- worn a bit to say the least. Replaced it with incredibly rare original material.
The antenna is a correct Bosch blue tip antenna, with racetrack shaped base. The white collar is still on the mast to keep it above where the key is used to lift it up. Correct speaker wires and connector block was also used.
There are plenty of chrome bits to get right on a 356. All the chrome on Miss April was sent to a high end shop for restoration. All door window frames, door handles, chrome bases for reflectors, etc. Below is a couple of shots of some of the chrome you see in the interior- quarter window frames, hinges and latches, rear view mirror mount, and vent window frame and latches.
For those who like videos, here is a quick one on the interior.