I have not ordered the Kardex for the car yet, but this is the history of the car as I know it. This is a 1965 356C Coupe (Chassis 130832). The wheels were all date stamped April 1964 and the chassis matches Dr. Bret Johnson's "The 356 Porsche" for being built in 1964.
My father purchased the car in October 1966 and it has been in the family ever since. This car was purchased and used as a daily driver. In the late 70's my father quit driving it to work and my two brothers and I drove it to school. The car then sat for a while and that is when it really began to deteriorate. The rubber seals around the windshield and back window began to leak, which in turn saturated the carpet and rusted through the floor.
While in college, I drove the car just enough to keep it limber. During this time, the floor looked like it belonged in Fred Flintstone's car. I could see as much pavement between my legs as I could see out the windshield. A college buddy of mine helped me put some fiberglass in the floor just as a temporary fix until I could begin restoration.
In 1988, I drove the car to North Carolina and began the restoration process. The disassembly process occurred fairly quickly. On several recommendations, I was led to Coach Craft in Mooresville, NC to do the body restoration. I visited their shop and was impressed with their collection of metal shaping tools and the end result of their work.
I got married in October of 92 to Libby. She had seen the car sitting in the garage stripped down to the shell and suspension ever since we met. I don't think she really knew what it was. This meant additional income that could be used to bankroll the project. After about three more years of saving money, I talked with Ralph and had him put me on the list.
About ten months later, Ralph called me and said he was ready to take the car. I delivered it to him on the trailer on our 4th wedding anniversary (October 96). The body restoration including painting took about 13 months. I will begin detailing each of the sections of this site to provide insight to those considering this type of restoration.
Keep the faith!