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280" Concourse; Diary of a layman

Started by floyd111, 09 March 2015, 04:44 AM

floyd111

I think I must have supressed my obsessions for a long time. I never collected anything in my teens or thereafter. I think I may have caught up now.

Got the floor done today. Next it's going to be a 100 odd jobs, paint touch-ups, and finishing the customer desk's 2-tone paint coat, a thing I have been trying 5 times now, with poor results. Might have to send the 3-piece desk to a car body shop to get her done. By now I might personally have caused a hole in the ozon over Taiwan with all them spray cans I wasted.

The many leaflets and brochures I collected, belonging to the various accessories and options were finally joined in place today, which was very satisfying :D
Still waiting for them workers, though. Until now, it was just me ploughing on.
Might consider doing the decorative panelling myself now. Can't be as hard as a piano finish on a customer desk?

rumb

Stan, awesome work!  I hope to visit one day and see myself.
'68 250S
'77 6.9 Euro
'91 300SE,
'98 SL500
'14 CLS550,
'16 AMG GTS
'21 E450 Cabrio

90077merc

What is it about the W116 that attracts you?
1974 450 SEL

floyd111

#813
 ;D If I had all the choice of the world, maybe it wouldn't have become a W116.
In Taiwan there are no classics worth mentioning. Not if you want a license plate.
It was either a gorgeous but totally dodgy Citroen CX, a really common w123, a 35000 euro R107 wreck or a 8000 euro wreck of a W116.
Thus a very short list. Everything else (still very little) would be 80's
For me, when I was a kid, the w116 6.9 was a supercar, and with it, its looks.
I am still in love with both it's nose and its ass. :-*
That feeling remains today, be it that I can do without the massive 6.9 engine.
I tend to live in countries where such big engines are illegal(Taiwan), or in places where you will get crippled by fuel and taxes.

The lack of a classic support structure here was another factor.
Even a regular Volvo of any sort can cause crazy problems if there's an issue.
Only a handful of garages for newish volvos, all of them standing ready with scalpels to remove essential organs. I have a 10.000 euro V70 here that's been standing for nearly 3 years, coz I can't get an affordable gear box fix that costs less than the car.
Thus, MB's are the safest choice, and with "safe" I mean it takes a lifetime to restore one, but at least it is mathematically possible.

Jed

stan,

Wow!

amazing, truly.

well done
1979 Mercedes 6.9 #5206 - restored
1979 Mercedes 6.9 #6424 - ongoing restoration
1976 Mercedes 6.9 #484 - restoration?

floyd111

#815
This one came out very nice. The mechanic's reception desk at the front gate.

Fergus

Stan

What a wonderful collection.

I love the wellies!

Fergus

floyd111

#817
 :D Finally, the rarest of MB dealership items from the 70's: The disk-shaped slide price list.
I wasn't sure to ever be able to find one, but there it is!

floyd111

#818
Things are moving along swiftly now! Floors scrubbed and cleaned, which took 4 days. The countless window panes were painted blue, and with that, the color spectrum that dominated the MB showrooms at the time is now correct. Light blue from the early and mid 70's, as well as the late 70's introduction of the dark blue with white.
All that repeated rebuilding and decorating, moving stuff in and out, as well as the irritating water leaks i had to fix have caused  a lot of damage to the freshly painted walls, so I'll have to re-do a couple of sections. That's a job for this week.
I keep underestimating the scale of things. It's not even such a big garage, but even a quick floor mopping takes several hours!
I am already having visions of weekly cleaning ladies ;D

I also found a car spray guy in the town nearby that was willing to professionally spray the 3-piece customer desk, since i had failed at doing that myself. Would be epic if I could indeed achieve that piano finish that way.
He charged 300usd for the 3-unit job, with a dozen shelves and drawers for free.
I think that's a great deal, considering a similar desk would set me back at least 3000usd if bought new. I only paid 100usd for the lot to start off with.
He WOULD take his time for that price, he said, so no desk or photos for at least another month.
Still, it sure is something to look forward to, and it gives me the time to go look for a company that can produce a 100CM long transparent MB logo sticker, to fit into the lit display on the front of the desk.

floyd111

Meticulously restored, a Leifheit mechanical hoover from around '75.

floyd111

#820
2 original Mercedes boot fridges, made by Engel for MB early 1980, including the MB manual.
One flown in from Brazil, the other from Germany or Australia. I forgot.
I got 2 of them, in case I need a donor some day.
The 1980  "A" edition is the rarest of the Engel fridges, so I am not counting on ever finding a spare anywhere.

Indeed, not a Becker/Frenzel, and a few months too young for a 1979 showroom, but I have to forgive myself for that one sin.
The Frenzels remain unubtanium, unless I am ready to shell out 3500-5000 euros, which I categorically refuse to do.
Technically, the Engels were available for the last of the W116's, so it's still a fit, I think.

floyd111

Oh, joy of joys. I finally found one and bought one. the original Gradulux w116 Venetian blinds. :D

ptashek

Quote from: floyd111 on 03 April 2021, 07:49 PM
Oh, joy of joys. I finally found one and bought one. the original Gradulux w116 Venetian blinds. :D

Am I the only one to think that these blinds instantly turn a perfectly nice car into a pimp mobile?  ;D
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

ptashek

Stan, here's the antenna I've mentioned earlier
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

floyd111

Interesting! I already tracked one. let's see . thanks a lot for the tip!