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280" Concourse; Diary of a layman

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

s class

Stan, when are we going to see pictures of a stripped bodyshell, or engine?


[color=blue]'76 6.9 Euro[/color], [color=red]'78 6.9 AMG[/color], '80 280SE, [color=brown]'74 350SE[/color], [color=black]'82 500SEL euro full hydro, '83 500SEL euro full hydro [/color], '81 500SL

floyd111

Indeed! Question of the decade. If I don't see at least one sand-blasted chassis soon, I am gonna lose it.
I am next up, in the work
shop, that much I know. A BMW 2002 has been the main topic there for a long time, but I am next. Maybe a week or 2?

floyd111

Quote from: UTn_boy on 20 April 2016, 06:26 AM
Stan, a few pages back you had commented about how expensive new hub caps were and something about re-chroming them.....you can't do that.  They're polished stainless steel.  Only W108 and W109 in model year 1968 and 1969 had chrome plated hub caps in 14 inch.  Just FYI.

Can't do that? Watch me, haha!

Still, a good bit of data. I had no idea.
I will investigate how one re-polishes these caps..
Is it easy?

floyd111

Quote from: s class on 20 April 2016, 06:59 AM
Stan, when are we going to see pictures of a stripped bodyshell, or engine?

My engine.. If you read back on my thread, to the early days where this dick mechanic Ed Osborn was still here, you'll find what happened to my engine. Taken apart to the last piece, and spread out over different tables, different rooms, even different floors.
Then he left.
My new guys have been wading through the parts storage rooms, trying to piece the puzzles back.

UTn_boy

If you have access to a hand held rotary buffing wheel and the correct rouge it's not a bad job.  The key is t start with one that's not only scuff free, but also one that is free if deep scratches.  You would be surprised what people use to clean then with.  Scotch brites, Ajax, steel wool, etc.  Things like that ruin the mirror like finish, and very quickly.  However, being stainless steel that is highly polished, a lot of the light hazing can be polished out. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

floyd111

Condidering this is not a coating, but stainless through and through, logic dictates that whatever finish it had back in the day, should be redoable, no?

UTn_boy

In theory, yes.  However, there was no finish on them.  They were just polished stainless steel. The only finish on them would have been the parts that are painted. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

UTn_boy

Well, Stan, I found this last night going through some old boxes of parts I had.  As you can see, it's an aftermarket brand that is made in France.  I think there was some skepticism regarding whether or not these were original or not.  So here's the irrefutable proof that they weren't.....in addition to the factory pictures, of course.  I know you still like them, and that you want to put them on your cars.  Have you had any luck finding any yet? 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

floyd111

No, I never found a second one. I accepted mine was not original.
Yours, however is French, haha!

Wonder where that cap used to sit, in a former life..

UTn_boy

Well, the car that this one came off of was a European 600 that I had parted out.  So I suppose it was on a 600 in Europe in years past. 
1966 250se coupe`,black/dark green leather
1970 600 midnight blue/parchment leather
1971 300sel 6.3,papyrus white/dark red leather
1975 450se, pine green metallic/green leather
1973 300sel 4.5,silver blue metallic/blue leather
1979 450sel 516 red/bamboo

floyd111

It's been quiet these weeks.. very quiet.
Where normally I have a pile of goodies arriving everyday, very little to report on that front, for now.
It feels as if I am personally responsable for the W116 NOS drought that is now so apparently the case. Ha, who knows? If so, I am sure Ptashek is guilty as well! :P
But, there will be some interesting things arriving here soon. Got my hands on some long-sought-after W116 dealer accessories that I had almost given up on, but then, suddenly, there they were, hidden in open sight for those that know how to recognize them.
Stand by for updates. Once they are high up in the air, on their way here, I will post photos and divulge details.

My daily driver, the 280S is still in queue for the body shop, and once more, another car kicked me backwards one spot. It is becoming predictable.
I am not the only one with worries. My best mechanic from the UK is considering his alternative options as well. The chaos that is standard in Taiwan, is surely not the custom in Europe. For skilled, organized mechanics, it's quite a challenge to adapt to such mayhen.
I am trying to solve all issues as they arise, but it's not my workshop, and there is a limit to what I can do.
My mechanic has offered a Plan B and plan C, if things don't change rapidly.
Plan B.. he goes back to the UK
Plan C.. We start our own restoration company together.

It seems a scary jump, to go independent, but he assures me it won't take that much to get there.
Having all the skills in one house helps. That includes mechanics, bodywork and basic upholstery. Spray cabins can be rented and since we were planning for non-metallic cellulose spray jobs, he is very confident to produce a quality job there as well.. 40 years of experience should be sufficient, one would think, and the W116 is in no way more complicated than a 12cyl Jaguar E-type.

On the parts-supply side, I am already in charge of that, so that doesn't change. There's also no hope of finding anyone more skilled in this country. Guess I am it.
He tells me that besides some rudementary hand tools and a welder, the investments should not be that high.
Guess I'll have to believe him.
If he returns home, that may as well be IT for me and my projects. I don't have mechanics in queue at foreign airports. Far from.
So, I will try and save the day for plan A but if that fails, it's straight to plan C. I am prepared.
We will know within 2-3 weeks.

I may have found the 280SEL I have been looking for, as my museum car. First owner, original, all papers and in OK condition. But, it is parked in a remote mountain area far away from any place where any of my friends worldwide can go and help me inspect it on site.
At least partially, it would be a blind buy. Scary, but again, there seems little choice in the matter.
Been scouting Taiwan for a 280SEL for quite some time now, but all I found was a car that had only engine and license plates left, with a transparent chassis.
Found another one by accident, first owner as well, but it seems they are not willing to sell, and surely not at an acceptable price.
I am still going to try though. It's a manual transmission, exactly what I was looking for. The one abroad is an automatic.
This week I am going to visit them. Thumbs crossed!



floyd111

While we await the arrival of more spectacular W116 parts, this is the harvest from the last 2 weeks..

ptashek

That's a crankshaft position sensor, not an RPM sensor :)
RPM sensing is done in the ignition box, where it's used for over-rev protection, and also fed via the TD pin to the instrument cluster.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

ptashek

Quote from: floyd111 on 18 May 2016, 03:26 AM
It feels as if I am personally responsable for the W116 NOS drought that is now so apparently the case. Ha, who knows? If so, I am sure Ptashek is guilty as well! :P

Nope. That's all your own doing Stan, and very well executed too. Let's face it, we will all blame you for eternity :P (just kidding!)
I went the über-lazy route, mostly buying new from the dealership or local re-sellers as I simply have no time to deal with extensive parts searches, and ocean freight. The little stock of NOS parts I got was mostly out of necessity, as MB hasn't had those anymore, or had them at exorbitant prices.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

floyd111

It must be sweet to be rich and politically correct at the same time..