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My first W116 here at last

Started by gavin116, 10 April 2011, 01:54 PM

gavin116

#195
Where's my smile?

I have had an update from the restoration shop.  All the body work that was previously stripped has now been epoxy primed.  The sills have been stripped back, investigated and repaired as needed.  The rear arches have been cut  :'(  to expose the inner arches.  Rust repairs will be carried as needed, and the stone-chip removed in its entirety, replaced with a more modern-day equivalent.


Work on the front end continues well.  The new fenders fit really well!  The new/old aluminium bonnet/hood is good to go.  The front end has been stripped out, making access to the inner front fenders and engine bay much easier.  We are doing a very limited amount of work in the engine bay, I just can't quite get there to do an engine/gearbox out restoration.  It's difficult as it is trying to keep on budget...


More pictures and updates to follow as I get them.  I'll be visiting the car in person when its primed and ready for colour in about two weeks time.  Quite excited to see how the ol' gal's getting on.


Keep on 116ing  ;)


Gavin
1979 450SE "Mrs White"
2022 Touareg-R 3.0TSi Hybrid
[url="http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/"]http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/[/url]
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slfan

Thank you for the update. Extremely helpful post.

Please maintain us informed of the progress.  Despite eventual frustrations, your restoration must Be extremely satisfying..

Regards,
Slfan
1978 - 450SEL 6.9 - 3170
1978 - 450SEL 6.9 "Parts Car" - 2973

floyd111

I am always quietly observing your thread, and I am sure you'll end up cheering in the end. Impressive!
If you get stuck for certain parts, feel free to drop me a line. I do about 2 hours of global hunting every day of the year, in 6 languages.
I bump into stuff all the time, so you'll never know. It's no sweat.

gavin116

#198
That's better!

(from 20 August 2015)


I went down to see the car today. This will be the last that I see the car before the colour coat is applied as I have other commitments on the go. The car wears its second base coat as it stands. All the wheel tubs, sills and inner aspect of the front fenders have been stone guarded. At the moment they are still flattening the second base coat. Once this is done, then the door shuts will be painted, all the panels refitted and checked for final alignment.

It's then my understanding that 2 layers of base coat Classic White 737 shade 1 will be applied. The car then receives a further 4 layers of clear coat. This gets flattened and mopped, followed by clear waxoil in the wheel tubs, chassis legs etc where there is body colour finish, and the underside will get the traditional brown coloured wax oil.


We are in the process of fabricating a few more air dams in the front slam panel to allow more cold air to enter the engine bay. I would have done it before marrying the panel to the front end, but I think there was an issue regarding distortion if it were done the other way.
After seeing Squggle Dogs recent project, I will see if I can do the W126 auxiliary fan upgrade only. Speaking of upgrades, I got my steering wheel back from being leather covered, and I'm loving it. Pity it took the "S-Class coupe" shop two and a half years and double the original quote to get it done. I'll vote with my feet  >:( .


I am also in a dilemma about some new rims. I want to upgrade to R129 rims, which are 8" and offset 34 compared with my current Bunts that are 6 ½" offset 25. I know I will need to use at least a 3mm spacer in order that the inside of the rims clear the steering knuckles. The big question is do I go with 3, 5, 10, 12 or 15mm spacers. I'll have them tacked in 5 places to the rims using a TIG welder. And will this thicker rim still fit in my wheel well in the boot?


I already bought a rear centre section for my bumper, but today I learned I need to get a new stiffener, as the whole ensemble is rusted beyond what is feasible to repair. Lucky this time I dodged a bullet, as its quite an economic swap to get new parts from M-B rather than attempt repair.


More updates in a month's time, till then keep on 116ing ;) ,


Gavin
1979 450SE "Mrs White"
2022 Touareg-R 3.0TSi Hybrid
[url="http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/"]http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/[/url]
[url="http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613"]http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613[/url]

Squiggle Dog

Mrs. White looked great before, but now she will be perfect. That's unfortunate that the alloy trunk lid didn't fit. I just got a replacement for my 300SD because the one on my car has lots of thick black paint running down the inside of it (and I shudder to think of the cost to have the old one stripped to bare metal and E-coated).

I will, however, have to have the radiator core support replaced as you did. I shudder to think of the cost! My car was hit hard on the right front corner and it buckled the core support to where it pushed both front fenders over a few millimeters.
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+

ptashek

1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE

littlefin

Looking good Gavin. Keep on smiling  :)
110011 1967 230
108057 1972 280SE3.5
116024 1979 280SE
126037 1983 500SEL
124030 1989 300E

gavin116


A breath of fresh air

Thanks to all for the words of encouragement.  The car is coming along nicely, it should be in base coat about now, just awaiting an update from the body-shop.  In the meanwhile however, I just received pictures from the body shop showing the upgraded air dams in the front slam panel. This will greatly improve the cold air intake system I want to implement.

You will notice that the original air dams are enlarged downwards as much as possible. A rolled edge is applied to strengthen the ensemble. Similarly a second new air dam is created in the same way. In effect, I get 300% more air to enter each side.  When you look past the slam panel, it's possible to notice that the engine bay area is in the process of being tidied.
1979 450SE "Mrs White"
2022 Touareg-R 3.0TSi Hybrid
[url="http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/"]http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/[/url]
[url="http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613"]http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613[/url]

s class

I used to use those early R129 rims on my 280SE, and they worked well.  To ensure correct handling and steering response, you want to stay close to an offset of 30 (which is what the original bundts were).  I would definately not go lower than 25.  I used 3mm spacers which gave an effective offset of 31.  3mm was the thickest I could go without running into problems with the hubcentricity mounting arrangement.  You are correct, 3mm is the bare minimum required to clear the front tie rods.  Additionally, you will not be able to use traditional knock-on balancing weights, you will have to use modern stick-ons. 


[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

slfan


Thanks for the update.  Your posts are always educational for me.

Regards,

Slfan
1978 - 450SEL 6.9 - 3170
1978 - 450SEL 6.9 "Parts Car" - 2973

gavin116

Hi S-Class


Greetings from Peru! Sadly only seen one W123, no W116's or Paddington Bear  :( . Nice to get the feedback about the rims.  I'll go with the 3 mm rim spacers.  I do however have three questions:

       
  • Do I need longer wheel bolts than the standard 41 mm, or must I get special 44/45 mm bolts? (I'll use the non-trunkated type, less risk of the bolt sheering if over-tightened or anti-sieze paste isn't applied.  M-B doesn't actually sell the originals anymore (but the SL-shop does sell a custom version).
  • Do these rims adversely upset the longevity of the wheel bearings?
  • Does this rim still fit in the wheel well, or will I need to use a smaller 15" 15 hole rim (slightly different design to the 16")?
Many thanks,


Gavin
1979 450SE "Mrs White"
2022 Touareg-R 3.0TSi Hybrid
[url="http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/"]http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/[/url]
[url="http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613"]http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613[/url]

s class

- Not sure if longer bolts are really necessary.  I still used the standard ones.  You could put one of the bolts through the rim and measure how far it protrudes, (less of course 3mm), and compare this to how bundt bolts protrude through bundt rims, and then make a decision.

- I don't think you will have wheel bearing issues because you are keeping the offset very close to the original ET30.

- I never tried fitting the 8Jx16 wheel into the spare wheel well.  Diameter should be OK if you use 225/50R16, maybe a little tight with 225/55R16.  I would think that the width of the wheel will prevent the well lid closing properly though.  I always just carried a bundt with 205/70R14 as a spare. 


[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

gavin116

The empress has new clothes
     I went down to the body shop today to see the car for the first time in five weeks.  It was a really awesome sight.  The paintwork is truly lustrous, a wonderful depth and shine.  It still has two weeks to go in the paint shop before it's ready to be sent back to the main workshop where reassembly can begin.

In the meanwhile, I dropped off my W126 fan for the fan upgrade, should go well on my re-cored radiator; looks the bee's knees.  I also dropped off my new R129 rims and 4 by 3 mm spacers, which will be tacked on when the wheels are chemically stripped and refinished.

I also dropped off my leather-covered steering wheel so it can be fitted.

Hopefully there is very little left to replace and do for the time being, but I'm not holding my breath – I'm already 100% over budget.

My steering box has sprung a leak, but luckily it only needs a new gasket.  (Confirmed last service when the box was adjusted, that it is still well within specs).

Once its all back together, she's booked in for a service, and this time round, replacement of the steering damper and engine mounts.  Next year it's suspension time...

More later, keep 116ing, ;)

Gavin
1979 450SE "Mrs White"
2022 Touareg-R 3.0TSi Hybrid
[url="http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/"]http://forum.w116.org/test-drive/my-first-w116-here-at-last/[/url]
[url="http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613"]http://forum.w116.org/the-org/british-near-london-meet/msg97613/#msg97613[/url]

s class



[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

ptashek

Nearly there! How long has it been since you last drove the car?
You scare me with the "already 100% over budget" thing... I still have a long way to go before Goldie's done.
1993 "Pearl Blue" W124 280TE
1988 "Arctic White" W124 200T
1979 "Icon Gold" W116 450SE