4/23/01 Pulled connecting rods off the crank. Not surprisingly, there was debris in the bearings, and the crank journals were lightly scored. The rod bearings are marked "Std" so the crank should be useable with a little work. The crank has numbers stamped on it in various locations, but I can't find any reference as to what they mean.

5/13/01 Work on the 356 engine has been delayed. I decided to spend time getting the car back on the road with it's stock engine so I can drive it while I'm building the 356 engine. After a few minor tweaks, it started up today for the first time this year. Now it's a matter of getting the paperwork taken care of to put it back on the road, though I'm not sure if I've cured the mysterious stalling problem it's been plagued with for the last five years or so... runs fine on 10 mile trips, stalls on 25 mile trips.

5/19/01 Third piece of case torn down. The dreaded Thermostatic Oil Control Valve (TOCV) is already missing. This means that there is a big empty cavity that the engine has to fill with oil each time it starts. I'll have to think about either replacing the parts or even replacing the entire third piece with a later part, which would eliminate the valve and utilize the larger oil pump. (See below, eBay comes to the rescue again!)

The 4th main bearing was a little worse for wear after being installed by the previous rebuilder. See the pics for a display of what happens when the bolt that holds it in place is inserted too far while the bearing is being installed. Also see what happens when you punch the bearing in by pounding on it with a screwdriver. No worries, there's also a photo of how to fix the damage. NOT.

Now it's about time to head off to the machine shop. Sadly, the toy fund has taken quite a hit lately, so unless I can sell some of the spare parts I have around here, it may be a while before there are any more engine updates. Work will now concentrate on the Ghia and perhaps a few days will be spent justifying the purchase of a certain Italian Superbike, if ya catch my drift...

7/15/01 Decision time. I haven't been spending much time on the Ghia lately due to other commitments (like my real job), but this weekend I finally got it back on the road. Driving it the little bit I did has made me realize the chassis is in worse shape than I remembered. It doesn't steer right. The brakes are worse than I thought (I'm suspecting the new rear drum STILL isn't right), and it just plain isn't ready to accept an upgraded engine. SO... instead of getting back to work on the engine (which was my plan before the weekend) I'm now going to devote the time and money to getting the chassis right. The interior can wait. The top can wait. The body can wait. The chassis can't. First up: the decision to rebuild the front spindles, etc. or simply replace the entire beam assembly? I'm leaning towards the replacement idea.

7/20/01 The front beam is getting replaced. See the Suspension link for details. (Due to the shift in priorities, this engine section will probably not be updated anytime soon.)

09/10/01 I've enrolled in a "Classic Auto Restoration" program at the local community college. Part of the program is a course in rebuilding vintage engines, so I'm thinking the engine work will wait until I'm in that class. Maybe this winter?

10/08/01 During a recent class I put the 356's dizzy on a distributor machine and took a look at it's advance curve. Hmm... it seemed to be sticking, which of course was all the reason I needed to tear into it. As soon as I find a source for parts (A Stoddard's catalog has been ordered) I'll do a rebuild and test it again.

With access to decent parts cleaners and media blasters, I'll put some more work into cleaning up the engine and various accessories over the next few weeks. If you have a project going it might be worth your while to check out the colleges and Vocational Centers in your area. Depending on the school, access to their shops may be worth the tuition cost of a class. And you might even learn a thing or two along the way.

10/25/01 My problems with the missing TOCV parts seem to be solved. I found a 3rd piece on eBay and got it for $25, including the oil pump gears and cover! Of course auctions are always something of a crapshoot, but after a little clean up it looks like a very lightly used part, so it should work just fine. Along with deleting the cavity left by the TOCV parts, I'll also be upgrading to the larger oil pump.

02/03/02 The 356 engine is being worked on again, but it's not my main project. I enrolled in a "vintage engine rebuilding" course, but decided to rebuild my 914 engine instead of the 356. Main reason is cost: I can't afford all the parts I need for the 356 right now. So, I'm rebuilding the 1.7L Type IV in the class, and bringing in the 356 parts for cleaning and inspecting on the side to get a better idea on what all I will need.

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