About Ron Roland
Ron Roland is considered to be one of the first "gurus" of Porsche 356 restoration. He was one of the original members of the Registry. He began the local 356 Motor Cities Gruppe in the Detroit area in early 1980, and published his "Three Five Six" newsletter. Ron was the chairman of the 356 Registry East Coast Holiday at Ann Arbor in 1982, Meadow Brook in 1988, and Concours Chairman in 1998, again at Meadow Brook. From 1979 to 1988 he wrote the "Nuts and Bolts" hands-on restoration column in the magazine directing it to do-it-yourselfers who wanted to restore their own cars.
Ron had a widely varied career. The jacket he's wearing in the photo is a memento of 31 years in the Air Force National Guard where he flew a variety of planes including the F-4 Phantom and F-16. In 1999 Ron gave up his restoration business and enrolled in Concordia Theological Seminary to become a Lutheran minister.
Ron was inducted into the Registry Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2010 Ron released his book, Restored by Hand, which is based on his columns in the Registry. A review of this book can be found at Book Reviews.
Ron was a prolific contributor to the Registry's magazine and his columns can be found within the preserved articles available for download. A full list of his Nuts & Bolts columns is below in chronological order.