Dash cluster for a 55 speedster

Yup, I found that one as well. from what I can see it seems to be C and F for the oil temp gauge. I was half hoping that it was oil and maybe fuel level. 

I need those three and a fuel gauge the same size as the temp ... anyone know where I can find a cluster like that?

Its actually a pretty generic size. 100mm for the sides and 50mm for the top. 

Smiths can make me up a set and all I'll have to do is to make the faces myself. 

They didn't use a wooden dipstick for fuel did they?

Wait for Carl to chime in; he may know. You could try looking here-

http://www.mejor.com/356/356picar.htm

Gary:

A local friend has an original '55 Speedster so here's a shot of the dash:

Let me know if you need more photos or additional info - he's only 5 minutes away.

I have a comparison of a '55 to a '57 (pre-A to A) if you need it, too, but a lot of it is hidden (suspension) stuff, except that the hood handle on an "A" is often off-set to the right about 1/4" and no one knows why.

If you email me at speedstahguy at gmail dot com I'll forward the comparison to you - it's an excel spreadsheet.

Oh Gordon, you are now officially my new best friend. Attention all, Gordon is now a made man, don't mess with him. 

Email sent. 

Any info that you can provide would be awesome. 

I do however flat refuse to pay $147 for the 3 idiot lights in the middle,so I'm thinking that if I can't can't get something that's very similar, then I'll make my own. 

Cheers ALB, looking as we speak. 

Gary: chart sent.

I attended a "Tech Session" with the local club a few years back where we did the comparison of the Pre-A to an A.  Even had both of them up on side-by-side lifts so we could all see what's going on underneath.  Turns out there were a LOT of VW parts used on the Pre-A (had "VW" stamped all over them) and many of those migrated to very slightly different Porsche parts when they went to the "A" version.  Quite a few trim pieces (like the outer door handles) changed between model, too.  The whole session was pretty interesting, especially comparing either of them to their corresponding replica versions.  LOTS of differences there!

If anyone can tell me how to decently present an Excel spreadsheet on here I'll be happy to post it.  I have two versions - with and without photos.  The Photo version is 37MB and too big to email.  Theron - Can you help with this??  Quite a few people might be interested in the cosmetic differences between models and our replicas.

We've got a few interesting Tech Sessions coming up, including a visit to Paul Russell Restorations in Ipswich, MA - that's the shop that does the restorations for the Ralph Lauren collection, among many others.

Cheers Gordon, I'm going through it now. 

Damn I really have my work cut out for me. 

BTW:  One of the local TYP356 NE members won the "Best Overall" car award at the recent Porsche Concours at one of the old mansions in Newport, RI with his beautifully restored 1955 Speedster.  It even has a matching set of luggage.  The owners have had it almost forever (it was her uncle's car, so they're the second owners).  They drive it all over New England and as far away as the East Coast Porsche Holiday.  They drove it to our gathering in Saratoga, NY, early in the summer.  

A few photos from this Summer, including the "Elms" mansion at Newport:

aaaaaaaaah, that's just gorgeous. So 55 was a changover year from what I can tell with regards to the dash layout?

Gordon

Any more info that you can post on the Pre-A would be good for me, too.

Beautiful setting, cars, and photos.

Bob

Gary:  The Pre-A lasted until about 3/4's of the way through the 1956 year, when the "A" parts were phased in.  "Phased In" is key, here, as a lot of new stuff was added in a bunch, but there were more than several things that got added as the parts bins were used up and new stuff appeared.

Here's an early photo of Pearl sitting next to that Pre-A shown above.  We were at a German Car Day at the transportation museum in Boston about ten years back.  Kind of interesting to showcase a 100-point Speedster next to a not-even-close-to-original replica on the cover of the PCA's magazine.

Gordon- In the group of pictures, what's the 2nd pic of?

Gordon

Interesting that the white speedster above had beehives with an A dash?

Valve stem saver?

Yup.

T

OK, let's see - YES!  That little springy thing on the valve stem is to keep it from spinning off the wheel at the high centrifugal force levels that an original Speedster might see when it approaches "Ludicrous Speed".  

Good catch there, Bob.  Your point made me go back and look up the "TYP540" car and it is, in fact, one of the cross-over cars built in 1956 when they were going from the Pre-A to the A.

From my notes, there were four types of 356 Speedsters:

So the first white car way up above is a T-1 built in 1955, while the TYP540 car is a middle-of-the-year, probably very rare, mix/mash of the two models.

That might be said of Marty's IM with the Beehives and 3-gauge dash - it could be called a mid-year 1956?  Once the beehives ran out in the parts bin, then the tear-drops (as far as I've ever heard) were only seen with the 3-gauge dash.

Hope this clears it up a bit.

Bob - If you email me at speedstahguy at gmail dot com I'll send the list to you.

gn

Gordon,

When is the Tech Session at Paul Russells?  I used to go there for work years ago when it was Gullwing Motors in Essex Ma. and used to bring my camera. Loved that appointment.  Would like to go whenever it occurs.

Frank

Hey Gordon, wow, that's damn interesting. 

Quick question, I'm looking at replicating a early 55 (US spec), (old dash layout, beehives). One thing that I've noticed is that the over-riders only came in in '57, is that right?

I can see why people choose the '57 to replicate........it seems the easiest. 

Cheers man, once I start gutting the car down and filling holes I may call on some info.............will mainly be measurements if possible?

Sorry....I know nothing about over-riders, other than most that I've seen are set almost precisely to obscure the front directional and rear tail lights.  You might think that the installer would notice this and get a set that sat higher or lower to be out of the way of what are quite small lights in the first place.

Yeha I know that they're not functional (at all). 

Very badly thought out that one.