Throttle Thoughts: My Journey with the 6.9

[Neil4speed]

After 20 years of sitting in a garage (and barely any miles in the decade before that), my mighty 6.9 is back on the road. That's right—she lives! And she's not just creeping around like an old lady at a Sunday market; she's roaring back to life with a vengeance - trying to make up for lost time. I thought I'd share some thoughts as I continue the great adventure of 'buttoning her up'—a posh way of saying fixing everything that fell apart while she slumbered.

This saga began with the 6.9 spending nearly three years hibernating in my heated garage after my purchase from the widow of the purchaser in 1984. Why? Because, frankly, the idea of resurrecting a beast like this was terrifying—especially with two kids suddenly running around. But last year, I had an epiphany. Life is short, and garage queens are just furniture with wheels. So, I decided to take the plunge. The mission: get this 45-year-old muscle back on the tarmac without declaring bankruptcy. The kids can pay for their own college.

Cue the mechanic hunt: 15 different shops, each an interview process more grueling than any job I've ever applied for. A few said, "No way." Some pretended to be interested, then ghosted faster than an tinder date. Enter Doug at Continental Auto in Calgary—a 40+ year shrine to Mercedes glory (take a look on Google Streetview for some of the vintage fun its in front) . Doug wasn't just interested; he was engaged like I was. Now that's what I needed—someone as mad about this as I am.

Continental has this impressive lineup of cars—exotics, classics (in addition to their everyday runners) - the whole shebang. Yet, they treated my 6.9 with reverence. Gary, a 30-year Mercedes veteran and vintage car lover, handled the greasy bits with care. In addition, most appreciated was solutions were pragmatic, not just calling classic center and handing a bill or a NLA. In hindsight, I should've known Continental was the right choice from the get-go. Of course, I had to spend weeks "exploring my options," just to think I did the due diligence. It's like choosing a pub—you know where you want to go, but you still have to pretend to look at all the options.

The car's been back home for a month now, and after a slightly arthritic first drive, both of us—me and the 6.9—have gotten acquainted. It's like we're old friends finding our rhythm again. And let me tell you, every time I take her out, she drives better than before. I think she misses me.

I'll keep you lot updated with my ramblings and thoughts on the 6.9, W116's, my life and times with this car. I reckon this might be the only place where someone might actually listen!

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Bouncing to Glory

Now, onto the juicy bits: the suspension.  As part of the restoration, I swapped out all the accumulators, replaced the fluids, filters, and got the strut seals  (thank you W116 member Rumb!) sorted. The system wasn't in shambles, but it did leak like an over-enthusiastic pub-goer. Every few weeks, the rear end would sag like a sad puppy and take 20 seconds to lift itself back up. And the ride? Bouncy enough to make a pogo stick jealous.

Since then, the suspension's been quite pleased with itself. And I can't get over how smooth and comfortable it is. My benchmark for comparison is my trusty 958 Cayenne with air suspension—a car I also love and will probably never part with. But I'm not joking when I say I wish it was as good as the 6.9's suspension. There's something magical about how it gulps down road imperfections without turning into a floaty mess.

I'll never forget that first test drive with Doug after the work was done. He gave me a call: "The suspension work is done... wow... it's like you're on a magic carpet locomotive." And he was right. When this thing is sorted, it's truly sublime. Sure, there's body roll in the corners, but it's not the wild, uncontrollable kind—it's more of a dignified lean.

Remarkable stuff for tech that's older than me. Hats off to Citroën, the mad geniuses who dreamed up this hydropneumatic wizardry back in the '50s. They were fresh off the war, dealing with bombed-out roads, and thought, "Why not make a car that feels like a hovercraft?" And here we are, reaping the benefits of that lunacy nearly 70 years later.

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(Photo from the first legal drive on public roads, rigorous out of province inspection completed and plated)

Until next time.

[revilla]

Such a wonderful summary.
Success after impressive efforts.
Stories like this is what keep us going with this hobby. I relate to your feeling.
Bravo!

[rumb]

So great to hear another beast is on the road.  How about some glamour shots of your ride?

[Eyeman]

Congrats!  Sounds like your process went well.

I've owned my weirdly modded 6.9 for 30 years.  I used it regularly the first few years, since it's sat in all sorts of shops and garages.  My car was even filed as stolen (I still haven't fixed that) when someone who was helping me strip all the paint went to drug rehab.  The car turned up parked in someone's lot that happened to be beside a known "drug" house.

I've also had my suspension fully redone.  Unfortunately it didn't work perfectly for long and that mechanic retired.  Just a couple of days ago I got stuck trying to get one of my rear door panels off without damaging it so I can finish up my prep work for repaint.

Hopefully I'll also have my car back fully operational next year.

[Randys01]

What a great yarn. Bringing this back from the dead is real 'Phoenix rising from the ashes' story.

[daantjie]

Nice one!  Now the real road trip test would be through the Rockies to Vancouver and back