another 6.9 changed her owner

[szyki]

Hi,
I've been watching this forum for a while and finally decided to present my 6.9.

A 1978 US model but manufactured in Oct 1977. Bought in January in California and brought back to Europe.

/szyki/8d43_3.JPG/]











first impression: great
she's not perfect, but will be so in some time.
the biggest problem is the paint. she was resprayed last year by someone who had no idea how do do it. you can see the result better at one of the above pictures.
but I saw lots of pictures before she was painted, and really didn't look bad.

simon

[szyki]

it seems that I still don't know, how to post images, help.
sorry for that.

[Mforcer]

Car looks great!

What was the reason for you importing a car from the US and not finding one closer to home?

[alabbasi]

I just sold one of mine to a fellow in Dubai. I guess the dollar is cheap enough to make US cars a bargain.

[szyki]

thanks Mforcer for help with the pics.

alabbasi is right. Dollar used to be cheap here last year when I started planning to buy a 6.9.
That's the main reason for importing youngtimers from the US to europe. Second is that there are more cars like 6.9 or 6.3 on American market, so it makes them a bit cheaper than here.
When I was planning to buy a 6.9 Dollar was cheap, but its price suddenly started to increase in January :-/
It was too late for me, I already fell in love with a beautiful 6.9 from Florida but that one had a major problem with suspension so I found this one in the meantime.

Looks much better at the pictures.
She has some minor problems, like cruise control doesn't work, some minor scratches on the wood coverings, leather is also not in perfect condition, etc. But the general condition seems to be good. She passed smog last year and the California registration is valid till Sept.
We will see, how she performs on the road...
I also have to inspect her in case of some rusty surprises.
and that paint... I still don't understand how it's possible that people try to spray such cars themselves... all the pain looks like an orange zest :-)

Was MB putting MB-tex interiors instead of leather to 6.9s?
I'm curious

[alabbasi]

MB Tex was never an option on a 6.9 but a common option on the regular w116. As it wears better then leather in hot climates, I suspect that someone swapped out the interior from another car. I've replaced the seats with mb tex seats in one of my 6.9's for that reason.

The hot summers in the south are great for keeping rust at bay, but they trash interiors.

You're paint job was probably done at a budget paint place like Maaco where you can get a paint job for as little as $299. With production paint shops like those, the painters go through your car as quickly as possible. There is very little prep and finishing. You can probably make it look a lot better if you wet sand it at 2000 grit and machine buff it.

[oscar]

Congratulations szyki. 

Regarding leather v MB Tex, the coverings in the photos are leather aren't they? 

[TJ 450]

Those seats are definitely leather, as MB Tex doesn't crease like leather.

I retrofitted a full set of MB Tex seats into my 6.9 and I much prefer it. You don't have to worry about preservation so much and all you have to do is keep it clean. However, it is not original to the car and that is the only issue.

Tim

[alabbasi]

This is the leather interior of my Canada spec 6.9 (my only 6.9 at the moment).



This is the paint job that it had when i bought it.



This is what it looks like now with MB-Tex and paint job (done in my hobby shop over a long weekend)

[another sad 280s]

i've had a quick look at changing the covers in my car, namely the headrests, due to them having collapsed internally. after an initial look i'm none the wiser as to how these covers can be removed and replacewd without breaking or ripping anything. could somebody please offer me their assistance.

[Big_Richard]

i've had a quick look at changing the covers in my car, namely the headrests, due to them having collapsed internally. after an initial look i'm none the wiser as to how these covers can be removed and replacewd without breaking or ripping anything. could somebody please offer me their assistance.

remove the headrrest and turn it upside down.

notice the zip.

the ends of the zip is pushed inside the head rest.

Fish the ends out. undo the clamping peices on each end, and you can undo the zip, this allows easy removal.

Note, you cant redo the zips without a zipper, so find one before proceeding

[szyki]

It's leather, isn't it?
I wasn't sure at the beginning. leather in my W114 is much more softer that's why I wasn't sure about that.

Apart from some minor problems, I guess I found a bigger one.
The car travelled in a container for hardly two months. After that she was started only to see if she workes and drove only couple of meters. Then she stayed unstarted for another hardly two months becuse I had some problems at customs.
When she stayed for longer time, she lost some pressure in suspension and lowered herself, but hopefully it took her some time to get low.

When I started her now, I noticed that she goes high when you pull the knob on dashboard but doesn't want to go lower when you push the knob back. Which valve or what should I check first?

[koan]

It's leather, isn't it?

Yes.

When she stayed for longer time, she lost some pressure in suspension and lowered herself, but hopefully it took her some time to get low.

There are some simple tests in the online manual to determine the degree of leakage in various components.

When I started her now, I noticed that she goes high when you pull the knob on dashboard but doesn't want to go lower when you push the knob back. Which valve or what should I check first?

Check the vale disc on top of the tank is rotating to the stop when the knob is pushed in.

koan

[szyki]

There are some simple tests in the online manual to determine the degree of leakage in various components.

Thanks for the info but
hmm, where are those tests?
the online manual includes models 280-450. I can't see 6.9 in there.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks :-)

Another technical inquiry.
The driver's seat is lower on the right side.
Looks like this:


I removed the seat and had a quick look at it.
It didn't seem to be lower on the right side.
Could it be the floor?
This is what it looks like:

[koan]

Thanks for the info but
hmm, where are those tests?

450SEL Chassis Manual 32 Chassis suspension systems Job 515 and job 560.

All 32-5xx jobs are for hydro suspension.

the online manual includes models 280-450. I can't see 6.9 in there.

No, you are correct, use 450 SEL for all chassis and body related, unfortunately there is no 6.9 engine manual online.

koan