1987 Mercedes-Benz W126 560 SEC - project
Discussion
Bumpers, wing, bootlid, couple of bits of trim back from my cheap paint man in "929 Nautikblau". The work isn't perfect but I didn't pay perfect prices. Really the car could do with a full glass out trim off respray but i'm not in the mood to spend £3k on that. The bits I had done cost me £400 and I did all the dismantling and will do all the re-assembly.
I've put the wing and bootlid on, bolted up the panels underneath where the bonnet closes. Am waiting on some bits of chrome for the bumpers before I reassemble those and put them back on. Not sure I have got the alignment on the front wing 100% yet.
I then broke out my machine polisher and went over the whole car twice with some Sonax compound stuff followed up by a going over with the Sonax polish and a buffing pad. The car has come up well but when you spend time doing a job like this you do also uncover all of the deficiencies in the paint, such as the rear passenger wing on this car which has been poorly painted in the wrong colour previously. Hey ho, never set out to make the car perfect, just want it on the road and presentable.
Oh, and I scrubbed and wet vac'd some of the carpets.... going to do the main interior carpet once I have the driver's seat out;
And here is a gratuitous pic of one of the Lorinser wheels, see what I mean about the colour of the centre caps being off? I am going to get them redone to match but with the raised lettering in silver to match the diamond cut. I painted the heads of the wheel bolts satin black with a rattle can.
I've put the wing and bootlid on, bolted up the panels underneath where the bonnet closes. Am waiting on some bits of chrome for the bumpers before I reassemble those and put them back on. Not sure I have got the alignment on the front wing 100% yet.
I then broke out my machine polisher and went over the whole car twice with some Sonax compound stuff followed up by a going over with the Sonax polish and a buffing pad. The car has come up well but when you spend time doing a job like this you do also uncover all of the deficiencies in the paint, such as the rear passenger wing on this car which has been poorly painted in the wrong colour previously. Hey ho, never set out to make the car perfect, just want it on the road and presentable.
Oh, and I scrubbed and wet vac'd some of the carpets.... going to do the main interior carpet once I have the driver's seat out;
And here is a gratuitous pic of one of the Lorinser wheels, see what I mean about the colour of the centre caps being off? I am going to get them redone to match but with the raised lettering in silver to match the diamond cut. I painted the heads of the wheel bolts satin black with a rattle can.
r129sl said:
bmthnick1981 said:
I have a genuine 560 SEC badge I want to apply to the bootlid, any idea of working out exactly where it should be placed?
Ta-da. 35mm from the left edge and 29mm from the bottom edge of the boot lid.
It's difficult to get it on straight. I bought two badges...
You can try using masking tape on the boot. Or you can cut a 'L' shaped template out of cardboard. Either way, I would peel up the backing from the bottom of the model designation and fold it back laterally, exposing maybe 2 or 3mm of the adhesive, giving you a fighting chance of re-positioning the designation. You can also get a special pencil for writing on paint and make marks with that.
No matter how perfect it is, if you're anything like me, you will always, always look at it and ask yourself, "Is that straight? or is it just me?"
You can try using masking tape on the boot. Or you can cut a 'L' shaped template out of cardboard. Either way, I would peel up the backing from the bottom of the model designation and fold it back laterally, exposing maybe 2 or 3mm of the adhesive, giving you a fighting chance of re-positioning the designation. You can also get a special pencil for writing on paint and make marks with that.
No matter how perfect it is, if you're anything like me, you will always, always look at it and ask yourself, "Is that straight? or is it just me?"
bmthnick - I'm looking at one of these, and wonder if I might pick your brains please?
The service history of the 560 I'm considering shows no evidence of new timing chain and tensioners. It's done around 160,000 miles. The vendor tells me that his local garage don't see it as an issue, but I'd value your thoughts? Anything to worry about? Big, expensive job to factor in?
The service history of the 560 I'm considering shows no evidence of new timing chain and tensioners. It's done around 160,000 miles. The vendor tells me that his local garage don't see it as an issue, but I'd value your thoughts? Anything to worry about? Big, expensive job to factor in?
It's not that big a job—certainly you should get change out of £750—and you do usually get some warning before a chain lets go. If there is no slap on cold start up (sounds like a chain banging the hell out of the inside of the timing case, which is exactly what it is) then it shouldn't be a pressing concern. But you'd be well-advised to deal with it by, say, 200k. You can get an idea of chain wear by having a good look through the oil filler cap or, if you're keen, popping one of the rocker covers off.
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