TJ's 6.9... Update

[TJ 450]

There's been a lot happening over the last few weeks...

The heater pipe is a brand new, genuine unit. So yes, the components did originally have that amount of "bling". You can see it just next to where the throttle body normally resides.

Images are clickable for higher res versions.

Partial intake manifold reinstallation:










Prop shaft... new front centreing sleeve and centre support/bearing...









Rear end...





Transmission seal kit...



My bellhousing and stator shaft are being investigated by an MB transmission guru.

Tim

[WGB]

Great stuff TJ

[Big_Richard]

someones been a busy boy.

Any idea when that subframes going to be mounted ?

[TJ 450]

The plan is Sunday for the subframe... I'm otherwise occupied tomorrow, unfortunately.

Tim

[TJ 450]

I assembled the subframe today, but I still need to renew the Nyloc nuts on the diff housing studs. It can then be mounted, when I locate two more jacks.







...Tim

[s class]

Well done TJ, its looking awesome. 

How did you install the new centering sleeve?  I'm trying to do the same job on a W124 (looks to be basically the same arrangement) and I am truly struggling to get the new sleeve in. 

[TJ 450]

Thanks s class.

With the centering sleeve, have you removed the old part yet?

I found it quite difficult, but got there in the end. I actually used interlinked ring spanners hooked onto a screwdriver that was fed through the holes drilled in the old sleeve. It was then a case of experimenting with different packing for improved leverage, so that the force was applied along same plane as the tailshaft's axis.

Installing the new sleeve requires a hydraulic press, as it is quite an interferance fit. When you press it in, a fair amount of material is shaved off.

Tim

[s class]

TJ, yes I have removed the old sleeve.  I also used the method of drilling a cross-hole and inserting a bar.  Then various levering. 

Thanks for confirming that a press is necessary.  I think its time I go by one.  For jobs like this, does one need any specific capacity in the press - I guess it must be high enough that the prop shaft can be held vertically and still clear the ground.

[koan]

I also used the method of drilling a cross-hole and inserting a bar.

Me too

Thanks for confirming that a press is necessary.

Not really required, sleeves can be tapped in with a block of wood and hammer as I did.

koan

[s class]

koan, I gave a half-hearted attempt at tapping yesterday andit was clear that there was absolutely no chance of it working. 

[Big_Richard]

the press TJ uses for all his jobs is my press at my place, its 20 metric tons and proudly made in china - good luck getting one made anywhere else

Pressing the centring sleeve in to the fat end of the tail shaft is quite a debacle, requiring the press to be lifted up onto bricks, or in our case, onto a rotting retaining wall so as to allow the length of the shaft to fit in there, luckily no one was seriously injured 

[TJ 450]

Yes, and when you want to remove the sleeve from the long/fat end, it may be a matter of mounting a vice somewhere you hadn't thought was practical for such a thing. 

Tim

[Big_Richard]

Yes, and when you want to remove the sleeve from the long/fat end, it may be a matter of mounting a vice somewhere you hadn't thought was practical for such a thing. 

Tim

such as 8 feet off the ground bolted to the roof of a orchid house

Once the vice is in such a ridiculous position, one can easily pull the centering sleeves out..

In all seriousness, this was the only place at my place to mount a vice, there were no other rock solid surfaces.

Speaking of which, the vice is still mounted up there, and its been raining since  Sorry about the Sontax vice champ

[nathan]

on a serious note,
is that TJs mattress under the rear end of the 6.9? um, what are you sleeping on now?

[TJ 450]

Yes, it was quite a bizarre place to mount a vice, but it worked. It was only a Sontax vice, so I'm not too fussed. I'm surprised it lasted that long.

That's PB's mattress, although mine is already surrounded by MB parts.

Anyway, I had a set of front exhaust pipes made up by Autoline, in Bentley.

I said I wanted front exhaust pipes for a 450SEL 6.9, W116. They looked it up in their database and in two days they were ready. A perfect match and there is no provision for a balance section, just like the original versions.



Tim