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My Custom 1980 300SD Project Part 2

Started by Squiggle Dog, 03 December 2017, 01:14 PM

Squiggle Dog

On August 1st, my dog Yogi drowned in the pool. I was looking around for him and couldn't find him but then noticed a dark spot at the bottom of the pool in the deep end.  I felt horror and said, "No, no, no!" and dove in and pulled him out. I tried pumping the water out of his lungs and gave him CPR, but there was so much blood coming out of his nose, and it didn't work. His lungs must have ruptured in his struggle to get out of the pool. I sat there in a daze and started sobbing. I had trained him to get himself out of the pool if he fell in, and in the past he had been able to find the shallow end.

I dropped him off at the veterinary clinic to be cremated and to have a plaster cast made of his paws. I cried for two hours. This is so difficult. He was 17 years old, but I thought he would live to at least 20--and at his age, I had expected him to pass away peacefully in his sleep; not like this! I feel sick when I think about him trying to get out with no one to help him. This is one of the hardest experiences I've gone through.

I had been wanting a dog for a while and was looking at Petfinder.com back in 2004 and saw Yogi's picture. I decided to go to the animal shelter in Ogden, Utah to look at him, but by the time I got there it was closed. So, I came back the next day and when I saw him, he was calm and rubbing up against the cage while the other dogs were barking. I got him out and took him for a walk.

The shelter said that he had aggression issues and was going to be put to sleep a couple weeks ago, but he was apparently showcased on Channel 5 News which bought him more time, but it was his last day--so if I didn't adopt him, he would have been euthanized the day after. I told them that I would foster him for a couple of weeks, and I ended up keeping him.

I got him home, made him comfortable in my room at my parents' house, and started him on vegan dog food (Natural Balance Vegetarian Formula). The neighbors across the street wanted to see him. He seemed to behave with their dogs and they told me to let him off the leash. I said that I hadn't trained him to come when called, and didn't feel comfortable with it. They said it would be fine, so I let him off the leash, and he ran away toward Main Street in Heber City, Utah. I ran after him and he ran out into the road and almost got ran over by a lifted truck. I chased him until I finally got him at the McDonald's.

I moved out of my parents' house and into a place in Ogden, Utah with a 1/4 acre fenced yard. He ran around the yard at full speed and was so happy, because all he knew before then was being on a leash. He would get hyper and run around the yard and then through one side of the house and out the other. His favorite thing in the world was to play fetch. He was obsessed with his ball and when people would walk past the house, he would grab his ball and run over to them and drop it over the fence.

I moved to Washington for better opportunities, and then eventually to Arizona after I got sick of the rain. I brought Yogi with me on trips and family reunions. He was a great passenger. He was so well-behaved that I could call his name in a barely audible tone and he'd come walking over. At the house in Washington he loved to eat blackberries off of the bushes and he'd have dark stains around his mouth. He'd also grab fruit off of trees and eat it. In Arizona he loved the dog park and the pool.

Yogi will be missed. He was special and probably as good as it gets when it comes to dogs. For the most part he was in extremely good health. Whenever I'd take him to the vet, they would comment on how fit and healthy he was, and when he had blood tests done, it was above average. I never fed him animal products the whole 15+ years he was with me. No meat, no eggs, no dairy. That's a testament to a plant-based diet, which even dogs can thrive on.

Bye, Yogi. I love you.





Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Squiggle Dog

Not long after Yogi's death and my struggle of leaving religion, my roommate's 1991 W126 350SDL broke down. The fan clutch bolt came loose and it cut a hole in the radiator, destroying it and the fan blades in the process. The engine overheated. I drove my car to where my roommate was, swapped cars with him and waited for the tow truck. He's been driving my car for about three months now while I fix his.




Why so long? After replacing the front crank seal, radiator, hoses, fan blades, shroud, water pump, and thermostat (that thread is here: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/351809-gregmns-1991-w126-350sdl-has-new-home-7.html#94 ), it turned out the head had cracked and needed to be replaced. Fortunately, Diseasel300 saved the day with a good replacement head and additional parts at an absolute bargain. I'm getting near finishing the 350SDL, though.

Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Squiggle Dog

#227
My 300SD has rolled over 350,000 miles and is due for an oil change. The weather started to cool down, and my roommate told me that the dashboard was making a loud shrieking noise. It's had this problem in the past and is related to cold weather and the speedometer cable. I've lubricated the speedometer cable, which kinda-sorta, but not really fixed it for a while. It's almost always hot here in Arizona, so it rarely poses a problem. But, this weekend while the car wasn't being used, I removed the instrument panel.

I did a lot of reading up on the subject, and it seems the true culprit is a bronze bushing pressed into the back of the speedometer, into which a shaft spins. I had already lubricated the speedometer gears a few years ago, but might not have oiled the shaft. I was warned to only use an oil suitable for bronze bushings--other oils or greases would clog the pores, while the proper "spout oil" would be soaked up by the metal for prolonged lubrication. I used a synthetic oil suitable for the purpose.


I inserted a square bit into the shaft so I could rotate it counterclockwise while oiling to let the oil work its way down. I could feel it free up the gunk inside and spin easier.


I also poured automatic transmission fluid down into the cable and made sure the cable wasn't bent. I put a little grease around the outside of the bronze bushing where the speedometer cable interfaces.
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Squiggle Dog

Of course, as I was putting the instrument panel back in, the bulb holder for the glow plug indicator light fell off of the wire harness.


I intended to solder it, but feared the heat would melt the plastic bulb holder. I wasn't able to get the tab pressed in so I could remove the metal prong from the plastic, so I decided to grind off the solder and then crimp on a connector.


Filed down and the hole punched out.


A new connector crimped and heat shrunk into place.


It was also a busy day of cleaning oil-fouled spark plugs in a 1965 W111 220S and checking the fluids, as well as airing up tires in all the Mercedes out front.
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Squiggle Dog

#229
I have a confession to make. I've been hiding something from you all for  several years now and have to come clean. I know I've said in the past  that I love my USA version bumpers and have defended them against people  saying horrible things about them. So, I decided to modify my bumpers  so they are closer to the way Mercedes intended for them to look.


Maybe now you guys actually have something to complain about!

As Mercedes intended.
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Squiggle Dog

#230
Using  my 300SD as a truck again and transporting home a sunroof top for a  W110/W111 fintail. My roommate has a truck, but it doesn't have air  conditioning, it's over 100F/40C already, and it was 1.5 hour drive each  way. The air conditioning in the 300SD still works great.

Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

avantbenz

Aw, man...I haven't browsed the forums in awhile and decided to check out the last page of your thread to see how everything was coming along and I saw the post about Yogi.

I'm so, so sorry.

My dog and I are sending you support (picture here): https://imgur.com/CWcm7x8
Daily Driving 'Patience' ~ 1980 300SD

floyd111

Yeah, I'm sorry too. Hope you manage to bounce back well.

Arizona.. Are you near Bisbee at all? World-famous stand-up comedian Doug Stanhope resides there. If you have personal struggles, anything belief-system-related, he's the go-to-medicine man to help people rid themselves from a long list of "-isms". There's at least 5 special on Youtube.. Enjoy!
He's on my list of people to visit when this virus stuff has finally blown over. (purposely lists private address!)
Wouldn't mind dropping by YOUR place neither and see how you're living there! Must be a blast!
All of this already spins around in my head thinking about all of that. Sounds like a surreal road movie!
Anyways, hope you'll feel better soon! Keep it up!

Squiggle Dog

Quote from: avantbenz on 21 June 2020, 03:19 AM
Aw, man...I haven't browsed the forums in awhile and decided to check out the last page of your thread to see how everything was coming along and I saw the post about Yogi.

I'm so, so sorry.

My dog and I are sending you support (picture here): https://imgur.com/CWcm7x8

Awww, that's wonderful. Thank you!
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Squiggle Dog

Quote from: floyd111 on 21 June 2020, 04:46 PM
Yeah, I'm sorry too. Hope you manage to bounce back well.

Arizona.. Are you near Bisbee at all? World-famous stand-up comedian Doug Stanhope resides there. If you have personal struggles, anything belief-system-related, he's the go-to-medicine man to help people rid themselves from a long list of "-isms". There's at least 5 special on Youtube.. Enjoy!
He's on my list of people to visit when this virus stuff has finally blown over. (purposely lists private address!)
Wouldn't mind dropping by YOUR place neither and see how you're living there! Must be a blast!
All of this already spins around in my head thinking about all of that. Sounds like a surreal road movie!
Anyways, hope you'll feel better soon! Keep it up!

I am several hours away from Bisbee, though I used to deliver Amazon packages to there from the fulfilment centers in Phoenix. I hadn't before heard of Doug Stanhope. If you were to visit, I'd pick a winter month.
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Squiggle Dog

#235
I was driving when it was 120 degrees Fahrenheit out, and when I got home I noticed a puddle under the car. It was coolant. My brass expansion tank was leaking at the soldered seam. I have no income right now other than car parts I happen to sell. I drained some coolant into a pan and removed the tank. I thought that I might J-B Weld it, but it was apparent that the solder was pulling away from the brass the entire length of the tank.


Of course, the radiator shops are about an hour's drive from my house. I called the one that rodded out my radiator and tested my heater core to see if it was reasonable for me to  come in early one morning on a slow day so I could wait a few hours for them to repair it, so I wouldn't have to make two trips since I would have to borrow a car and it's a long drive. They asked if it was from a Chevy or a Dodge. I told them it's from a Mercedes, and they said they never heard of such a thing, and asked if it was a drop-in or a roll-in seam. I said I thought it was a drop-in seam, and asked if I could text them pictures of it.

I texted them pictures, telling them I'd bring it in with the paint stripped off and cleaned in oxalic acid so it was less work for them, and didn't hear back that day. So, I called the next day and asked if they got the pictures. They said that they hadn't had time to look a them. They looked at them and said it looked like roll-in seam, which would be difficult to do. They said that if I wanted to bring it in at 10:30 the next day, they'd try to do it while I waited. I told them that I need to come up with some money first, and asked how much they estimate it would cost. They said that their minimum charge is $60, they'd go from there.

I sold some things on eBay and got some money. I called the shop back, and asked if I could bring it in early one morning so they could do the repair while I waited. They said,  "You're the guy who wants to bring it on still on the car? It's going to have to come off the car first." I said, "That's fine." They said, "No, because we can't do it while it's on the car." I said, "I know. I never said I wanted it repaired on the car. I already took it off and that's why I have to borrow a car." I asked again what morning would work for them to do it while I waited, and they said, "Maybe December?" I said, "Never mind. I'll just make two trips, then. I'll be over."

I removed the plastic overflow tube fitting so it wouldn't melt, stripped the paint off the expansion tank, and blew off the solder with a torch and compressed air in an attempt to separate the top and bottom so I could remove dents. But, I still couldn't get it apart. I borrowed my roommate's 1991 W126 350SDL (after spending a lot of time getting the  auxiliary fans working properly) and dropped off the expansion tank. I got a call the next day that it was done. I picked it up, and they had replaced the plastic fitting with a brass one, which was nice. The total was $65, which I found reasonable.

I had actually lost the radiator cap in the trunk of my roommate's car, and even after pulling out everything and scouring it, I could not find the cap. But, when I went to pick up the expansion tank, the cap was inside of a plastic bag. Fortunately, the shop didn't need it. When I got it home, I applied little bits of J-B Weld to make the solder look perfect, scuffed the tank with sandpaper, and then painted it with semi gloss black engine paint. Due to the hot weather, it came out a bit powdery, so I used rubbing and polishing compound on it to smoothen the finish.

I put the coolant I drained out back into it, and filtered it through a piece of fabric.


I cut away a section of the small hose because the end of it was cracking. I should buy new hose at some point. I seem to recall it being very expensive from Mercedes, but I want the star logo pressed into it.


I'm glad that it didn't cost a fortune to repair, and I already had the paint.
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

daantjie

Nice one!  Here in Vancouver I have the same issue, most shops won't touch an old Benz with a 10 foot barge pole :o
Daniel
1977 450 SEL 6.9 - Astralsilber

Squiggle Dog

At some point prior to my ownership, the driveshaft heat shield had disappeared. It keeps the driveshaft center bushing from getting cooked by the exhaust heat. Since I replaced that bushing recently, I felt pressure to replace the heat shield.

I removed one from the 280SE parts car I had, but it didn't fit because the bolt pattern is different. I'm not in a good financial position, but ROLLGUY from PeachParts shipped one to me for free off of a 300SD he was getting rid of. I really appreciate his generosity.

You can see the difference in the bolt pattern when they are side by side. The one from the 280SE also has an extra add-on piece which the 300SD didn't have. I could have installed it, but didn't feel like putting an additional screw hole in the body.


The washers were deformed from being overtightened.


I hammered them flat again.


I had bought new rubber washers (116-987-02-41) that go between the shield and body about a year ago. The red silicone ones that go on the outside weren't available, but fortunately they last longer than the rubber ones.
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

Squiggle Dog

The heat shield needed to be initiated before installation by baptising in biodiesel followed by anointing with Blue Magic metal polish so it would be pure enough to be worthy of becoming part of the dark underbelly of my car, which is actually the cleanest part. I removed rust from the bolts and steel washers, then painted them silver.


The hardware goes bolt, fender washer, silicone washer, heat shield, rubber washer, then small steel washer.


It's so nice to have it in place.


Every part counts, even if it's not seen.


I was pleased to see that the other parts of the undercarriage are still tidy.
Stop paying for animal cruelty and slaughter. Go vegan! [url="https://challenge22.com/"]https://challenge22.com/[/url]

1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Heated Seats, 350,000+

floyd111