1979 Mercedes 450 SLC
Discussion
Today I bite the bullet. Grasp the nettle. Tickle the bulldogs bits.
I will step out, armed with 3 large bottles of water. Each filled with water dyed with a different food colouring. These will be gently emptied, in turn, over certain areas of the car to see where the footwell leak is coming from.
Roll up, roll up and place your bets.
Sunroof Drainage Channels: 3 to 1
Bulkhead via the top grill: Evens
Some other random area unbeknownst to anyone other than a Bavarian engineer called Horst: 7 to 1
If it is the bulkhead I will be disappointed but not despondent as I have been told it is in a good state, meaning there's a good chance it can be patched up somewhere rather than needing extensive work.
Wish me luck and speak later.
Pauly
I will step out, armed with 3 large bottles of water. Each filled with water dyed with a different food colouring. These will be gently emptied, in turn, over certain areas of the car to see where the footwell leak is coming from.
Roll up, roll up and place your bets.
Sunroof Drainage Channels: 3 to 1
Bulkhead via the top grill: Evens
Some other random area unbeknownst to anyone other than a Bavarian engineer called Horst: 7 to 1
If it is the bulkhead I will be disappointed but not despondent as I have been told it is in a good state, meaning there's a good chance it can be patched up somewhere rather than needing extensive work.
Wish me luck and speak later.
Pauly
CharlesdeGaulle said:
Are the results in yet?
So...carpets up. Already mysterious signs of rust in the corner and around the loud pedal. 
And the winner was:
Yellow. This was poured into the grill near the windscreen and immediately emerged from that far corner where the rust can be seen, which I believe means the bulkhead or thereabouts. Disappointing, but I am determined to find the silver lining. As mentioned when it went to Edward Hall he seemed to give it a very thorough look over and mentioned it looked like the car had already had some bulkhead work and after this the whole area had been covered in waterproofing materials. If no swathes of rust were discovered at that point six months ago (and a leak had been apparent when I bought the car but had not reoccurred), then I hope we have a relatively small hole somewhere through which the water immediately pours from above. Clearly it pools around the accelerator pedal too, which has rusted as it is softer metal.
Plan A is to fashion something which covers the grill on the driver's side and keeps much of the rainwater out. Then it'll be going to someone for an inspection. Under the bonnet I recall it looks like some bolts have been installed perhaps to allow easier access to the area in question.
Not the best of winters, and it's only just begun. Ah well, let's get it sorted out.
P.S. It was Yellow for driver's side grill, Blue for passenger's side grill and Red for sunroof channels in case the Gambling Commission are reading.
Edited by paulyv on Tuesday 18th December 20:55
It finally stopped raining today...a Christmas miracle.
Some fetching silver gaffer tape has been placed over the offending bonnet grill and closer inspection of the area suggests that this might not strictly speaking be a bulkhead-related issue. The inside of the drivers wheel well shows a little rust on the opposite side of the area where the interior leak is appearing so for the sake of Christmas sanity I am going to suspect a somewhat rotten drainage channel. It should be draining water from the top of the car straight down to the base of the wheel arch and rust appears to have made it rather more perforated than it should be. This being as opposed to the bulkhead which is much higher up.
With luck a journey to my local restorer will prove my assumptions to be correct in the New Year and if that's the case I doubt it is a very expensive fix. Someone will be happy to be near the heat of a welding machine in deep winter 2019.
So - in the New Year it'll be welding, repairing the scratched paint and finally the interior - new Dynamat acoustic lining, working heating, vacuum tubes and replacing the very old seat filling with new foam. I wonder if I can get that done in time for a quick final jaunt to France as a European as was my wish.
That's it for this year, so have yourselves a Merry Christmas.
Some fetching silver gaffer tape has been placed over the offending bonnet grill and closer inspection of the area suggests that this might not strictly speaking be a bulkhead-related issue. The inside of the drivers wheel well shows a little rust on the opposite side of the area where the interior leak is appearing so for the sake of Christmas sanity I am going to suspect a somewhat rotten drainage channel. It should be draining water from the top of the car straight down to the base of the wheel arch and rust appears to have made it rather more perforated than it should be. This being as opposed to the bulkhead which is much higher up.
With luck a journey to my local restorer will prove my assumptions to be correct in the New Year and if that's the case I doubt it is a very expensive fix. Someone will be happy to be near the heat of a welding machine in deep winter 2019.
So - in the New Year it'll be welding, repairing the scratched paint and finally the interior - new Dynamat acoustic lining, working heating, vacuum tubes and replacing the very old seat filling with new foam. I wonder if I can get that done in time for a quick final jaunt to France as a European as was my wish.
That's it for this year, so have yourselves a Merry Christmas.
Good day everyone.
Last week I declared winter well and truly over, just in time for the forthcoming cold snap. This positive outlook on life was accompanied by an equally foolish desire to get some more items on the SLC done ready for spring. The car is booked into SS Motors on April 1st (hmmm). They seem to know a thing or two about classic Mercedes and will be attending to the flaky pneumatic system (central locking, heating routing), and the somewhat excitable new fan motor as well as 'that' water leak into the footwell. Please keep your fingers crossed for the latter.
Prior to that however I wanted to do something about the cracked veneer/lacquer on the gearbox surround. Something that had been bothering me since purchase. I don't have a 'before' picture handy, but it was cracked, with some of the lacquer missing and frankly looked terrible. I removed it over winter and it had been sat on the side for a few weeks before inspiration stuck.
I know a lot of these surrounds are cracked and as I have had reasonable success with my efforts over the past week thought I would write it all down in case anyone else was considering fixing their own wood trim lacquer. If I can do it I can assure you it is something you can do. May I point out that I am particularly 'half-arsed' when it comes to things like this...as you will see.
I had read all over the internet that I needed a heat gun to melt the lacquer on any wood needing attention...then once the lacquer is removed I would need to reapply a veneer (if damaged as mine appeared to be), and finally a lacquer costing. Sounded clear enough but I didn't have a heat gun. I do have an oven however, so, in it went. I also put some duck spring rolls in as no point wasting a hot oven. I should point out logic and foresight would dictate 2 things: 1) take off the plastic ring onto which the vinyl gear boot attaches - I thought I was going to break it when attempting this, so I left it on...no so wise. 2) Really you should place your spring rolls below the wooden trim so any crumbs or flakes drop onto the oven and not the melting lacquer.
I set the oven to 200 degrees centigrade. Soon things started to crisp up - nobody likes soggy spring rolls, and the lacquer on the trim also started to flex and lift from the wooden surface.
I kept taking the trim out to check it was not burning. Do use a tea towel as there is a bit of metal on the underside that gets very hot indeed. Keeping a close eye on the spring rolls I remembered I needed a 'blunt chisel' to lever up the warm lacquer. Clearly I don't have one of those, so I used a knife.
This was actually working. Keep downward pressure on the knife handle so the blade end is always pointing upward and not scraping the veneer under the lacquer. Steadily feed the knife under the surface and the lacquer will easily lift and break off in large sections. You'll need to pop it back in the oven from time to time to heat the lacquer back up. I am not sure if you need spring rolls in the oven at the same time. I suspect any food that requires reheating will do.
About half an hour later I had a clean plate, with some residue of plum sauce, and a bit of wood trim that was not only free of lacquer but also seemed to be free of any damage to the veneer. Bonus.
Can you see my error however? I really should have bitten the bullet and tried to take that plastic gear boot fixture off as by now it had suffered from the heat. I decided to cut my losses and removed it, and yes, it broke in the process. Such is the life of an artisan craftsman. I took some light sanding paper (about 600 grit) to the surface to give it a clean and a key for the lacquer stage. The sanding block proved to be important in this stage to try best I could to get a flat surface - we'll see why that is important later.
I felt rather pleased with myself, so I put 3 more spring rolls into the oven before it cooled down. I recommend plum sauce with these, but Hoisin seems equally popular. Your call on this.
The next day it was lacquer time - the bit I was least confident in. Nearly setting things alight in an oven I can do, jobs requiring finesse, not so much. I could have taken it to someone else for relacquering at this point and they would undoubtedly have done a better job than I but in for a penny in for a pound. Rustins two part plastic coating lacquer seems to be the most recommended for this so I wandered down to my local Leyland store and they had just what I needed as well as a high quality brush (2 inch) and thinners to clean everything afterwards.
Firstly I wiped the surface clean with thinners - looks good and ready to go.
Then the dreaded first coat. This must be done in single strokes across the surface of the wood. No going back and filling in gaps - you can get them next time. I chickened out and asked my girlfriend to do the first coat as she has a far steadier hand than I = she did a great job but had no wish to hang around and breathe the heady fumes which admittedly come off it.
Leave this to dry for 2 hours, then apply another cost. You can then add a coat every 90 minutes or so, and should you need to you can sand down the surface with 400 grit sandpaper between coats - just make sure you clean the surface with water and dry off when you do this.
5 coats in, and it's looking lovely if I do say so myself:
Some imperfections here and there, and when I saw runs or areas where the lacquer had pooled I sanded down, and relacquered. It seems to be recommended that for a deep finish you'll need at least 6 coats. I think I put on 8 in the end and let it dry overnight.
14 hours later - time to polish. Whilst the surface might look good with lacquer alone, for a Mercedes-like finish it's going to need polishing. This means sanding once again - I sanded with 600, 800 and then 1000 grit being careful not to take off too much of the lacquer. I was really looking for as flat a surface as possible. It's once you do this you can really see where there are dips in what you might have thought was a perfectly flat lacquered surface - those shiny bits are actually dips where my sanding is not touching the lacquer.
Still, I am an impatient amateur and was fancying some more Chinese food, so let's get on with it.
Now it's time for polish. Rustin's make a good polishing cream but Leyland only had Liberon in stock which seems to be the same stuff. Took me about 40 minute of machine polishing to get near where I wanted. Be careful here - any mistakes and you'll end up having to reapply lacquer and waiting to start the polishing process once again. Ha, I almost sound like I know what I am doing.
A quick buff with a cloth and I was frankly happy enough. It was miles better than the crazed and cracked tim that had sat in my car for the past 18 months and although it seemed a little darker, wasn't too different when I got it back in the car. Yes there are some imperfections and dips, but as I recall the original was not perfect and in the dim light of the car it really doesn't matter to me as the world is flashing by. I am rather proud of myself, have learned something and I am sure could do a slightly better job if I attempted it again in the future. 7 out of 10 for the results on this first effort. I'd certainly recommend you having a go if you have wood trim that isn't up to much. You can do it!
Last week I declared winter well and truly over, just in time for the forthcoming cold snap. This positive outlook on life was accompanied by an equally foolish desire to get some more items on the SLC done ready for spring. The car is booked into SS Motors on April 1st (hmmm). They seem to know a thing or two about classic Mercedes and will be attending to the flaky pneumatic system (central locking, heating routing), and the somewhat excitable new fan motor as well as 'that' water leak into the footwell. Please keep your fingers crossed for the latter.
Prior to that however I wanted to do something about the cracked veneer/lacquer on the gearbox surround. Something that had been bothering me since purchase. I don't have a 'before' picture handy, but it was cracked, with some of the lacquer missing and frankly looked terrible. I removed it over winter and it had been sat on the side for a few weeks before inspiration stuck.
I know a lot of these surrounds are cracked and as I have had reasonable success with my efforts over the past week thought I would write it all down in case anyone else was considering fixing their own wood trim lacquer. If I can do it I can assure you it is something you can do. May I point out that I am particularly 'half-arsed' when it comes to things like this...as you will see.
I had read all over the internet that I needed a heat gun to melt the lacquer on any wood needing attention...then once the lacquer is removed I would need to reapply a veneer (if damaged as mine appeared to be), and finally a lacquer costing. Sounded clear enough but I didn't have a heat gun. I do have an oven however, so, in it went. I also put some duck spring rolls in as no point wasting a hot oven. I should point out logic and foresight would dictate 2 things: 1) take off the plastic ring onto which the vinyl gear boot attaches - I thought I was going to break it when attempting this, so I left it on...no so wise. 2) Really you should place your spring rolls below the wooden trim so any crumbs or flakes drop onto the oven and not the melting lacquer.
I set the oven to 200 degrees centigrade. Soon things started to crisp up - nobody likes soggy spring rolls, and the lacquer on the trim also started to flex and lift from the wooden surface.
I kept taking the trim out to check it was not burning. Do use a tea towel as there is a bit of metal on the underside that gets very hot indeed. Keeping a close eye on the spring rolls I remembered I needed a 'blunt chisel' to lever up the warm lacquer. Clearly I don't have one of those, so I used a knife.
This was actually working. Keep downward pressure on the knife handle so the blade end is always pointing upward and not scraping the veneer under the lacquer. Steadily feed the knife under the surface and the lacquer will easily lift and break off in large sections. You'll need to pop it back in the oven from time to time to heat the lacquer back up. I am not sure if you need spring rolls in the oven at the same time. I suspect any food that requires reheating will do.
About half an hour later I had a clean plate, with some residue of plum sauce, and a bit of wood trim that was not only free of lacquer but also seemed to be free of any damage to the veneer. Bonus.
Can you see my error however? I really should have bitten the bullet and tried to take that plastic gear boot fixture off as by now it had suffered from the heat. I decided to cut my losses and removed it, and yes, it broke in the process. Such is the life of an artisan craftsman. I took some light sanding paper (about 600 grit) to the surface to give it a clean and a key for the lacquer stage. The sanding block proved to be important in this stage to try best I could to get a flat surface - we'll see why that is important later.
I felt rather pleased with myself, so I put 3 more spring rolls into the oven before it cooled down. I recommend plum sauce with these, but Hoisin seems equally popular. Your call on this.
The next day it was lacquer time - the bit I was least confident in. Nearly setting things alight in an oven I can do, jobs requiring finesse, not so much. I could have taken it to someone else for relacquering at this point and they would undoubtedly have done a better job than I but in for a penny in for a pound. Rustins two part plastic coating lacquer seems to be the most recommended for this so I wandered down to my local Leyland store and they had just what I needed as well as a high quality brush (2 inch) and thinners to clean everything afterwards.
Firstly I wiped the surface clean with thinners - looks good and ready to go.
Then the dreaded first coat. This must be done in single strokes across the surface of the wood. No going back and filling in gaps - you can get them next time. I chickened out and asked my girlfriend to do the first coat as she has a far steadier hand than I = she did a great job but had no wish to hang around and breathe the heady fumes which admittedly come off it.
Leave this to dry for 2 hours, then apply another cost. You can then add a coat every 90 minutes or so, and should you need to you can sand down the surface with 400 grit sandpaper between coats - just make sure you clean the surface with water and dry off when you do this.
5 coats in, and it's looking lovely if I do say so myself:
Some imperfections here and there, and when I saw runs or areas where the lacquer had pooled I sanded down, and relacquered. It seems to be recommended that for a deep finish you'll need at least 6 coats. I think I put on 8 in the end and let it dry overnight.
14 hours later - time to polish. Whilst the surface might look good with lacquer alone, for a Mercedes-like finish it's going to need polishing. This means sanding once again - I sanded with 600, 800 and then 1000 grit being careful not to take off too much of the lacquer. I was really looking for as flat a surface as possible. It's once you do this you can really see where there are dips in what you might have thought was a perfectly flat lacquered surface - those shiny bits are actually dips where my sanding is not touching the lacquer.
Still, I am an impatient amateur and was fancying some more Chinese food, so let's get on with it.
Now it's time for polish. Rustin's make a good polishing cream but Leyland only had Liberon in stock which seems to be the same stuff. Took me about 40 minute of machine polishing to get near where I wanted. Be careful here - any mistakes and you'll end up having to reapply lacquer and waiting to start the polishing process once again. Ha, I almost sound like I know what I am doing.
A quick buff with a cloth and I was frankly happy enough. It was miles better than the crazed and cracked tim that had sat in my car for the past 18 months and although it seemed a little darker, wasn't too different when I got it back in the car. Yes there are some imperfections and dips, but as I recall the original was not perfect and in the dim light of the car it really doesn't matter to me as the world is flashing by. I am rather proud of myself, have learned something and I am sure could do a slightly better job if I attempted it again in the future. 7 out of 10 for the results on this first effort. I'd certainly recommend you having a go if you have wood trim that isn't up to much. You can do it!
Edited by paulyv on Monday 11th March 21:12
alabbasi said:
paulyv said:
That's useful to know - with a spray you mean?
The trim easily comes in and out of the car so I can do this at any time.
Yes , automotive clear is best as it hardens chemically and has lots of UV protection The trim easily comes in and out of the car so I can do this at any time.
Something else that was letting the interior down was the headrests. The horsehair within them must have been the original filling and it had started to degrade meaning small fibres were falling out whenever the headrest was moved.
German Ebay came to the rescue with 2 foam replacements which seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
I ordered and they arrived within the week. Taking the headrests apart required unpicking the stitching and taking out what was frankly a rotten mop of hair from some mighty steed who fell on hard times over 40 years ago. I didn't take pictures and binned the mass of hair as quickly as possible...it wasn't pleasant.
Getting the new foam in was something of a squeeze but after 20 minutes of swearing I got them in.
They look, and more importantly smell, really good, and completely fill out the leather. They are currently off being restitched but will be yet another step towards making the interior a pleasant place to spend the summer.
I'd like to get rid of the horsehair in the seats at some point in the coming year, but one thing at once. Next purchase will be new door card covers. My car currently seems to have plain black vinyl cards, with no pattern at all, which clearly isn't original spec. Ebay in the States has revealed some great replacements which will be ordered in a week or two.
German Ebay came to the rescue with 2 foam replacements which seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
I ordered and they arrived within the week. Taking the headrests apart required unpicking the stitching and taking out what was frankly a rotten mop of hair from some mighty steed who fell on hard times over 40 years ago. I didn't take pictures and binned the mass of hair as quickly as possible...it wasn't pleasant.
Getting the new foam in was something of a squeeze but after 20 minutes of swearing I got them in.
They look, and more importantly smell, really good, and completely fill out the leather. They are currently off being restitched but will be yet another step towards making the interior a pleasant place to spend the summer.
I'd like to get rid of the horsehair in the seats at some point in the coming year, but one thing at once. Next purchase will be new door card covers. My car currently seems to have plain black vinyl cards, with no pattern at all, which clearly isn't original spec. Ebay in the States has revealed some great replacements which will be ordered in a week or two.
Krikkit said:
I love the comparative sauce debate whilst fixing veneers. My father's MGB has exactly the same issue, I might borrow this technique at some point to sort it.
You can definitely do it, that was all I really wanted to impart from my post, and you can likely do it a little better than I did. Perhaps try a baked potato in the oven but remember to pop it in 35 minutes before the trim. The 450 is back at the garage, as planned I should add.
Even considering the amount of work it had done at Edward Hall last year there were still things outstanding that had to be done, so at Christmas I booked it into SS Motors at Addlestone in Surrey, just around the corner from Brooklands. First availability even back then was 1st April so there it resides for the moment.
Footwell leak, pneumatic system, blower motor and heating system as well as possibly air-con are all being looked at. Got a call from Joe over there today, who I might add seems to be a very nice chap who really knows these cars.
No bad news thus far. The bulkhead appears fine and has previously had a lot of work done (which tallies with what Edward Hall said), but there is an area which appears to be leaking a little. This is being attended to, then the area is being completely sealed which should ensure we are good for a few years. I'll then be fitting brand new sound insulation matting and carpets myself.
The air system which covers the central locking and heating is being systematically checked through with some new hoses arriving in a day or two. No news yet but so far things look promising and he appears confident we should be okay. As the heating controls are partly powered by the pneumatic pipes he will move on to this later in the week.
The new blower motor I got from SL Shop is installed and working perfectly and he'll also throw a belt on the air-con compressor on the off-chance that it'll work without too much extra investment. He did point out something blindingly obvious - that the air-con condenser fan at the front of the car is completely missing...no idea what the story there is.
If I learn anything of value from this trip I'll be sure to post it here.
Progress ahoy so let's see what the end of the week brings. Sadly it likely won't be ready for the Goodwood Members Meeting on Sunday, but I can take the Puma which I only today fixed with my own fair hands (was stalling at roundabouts so fitted a new Idle Control Vale and Mass Airflow Sensor - easily done with 2 screwdrivers and half an hour if anyone has the same problem).
As an aside isn't Brooklands Museum quite the place? I had forgotten they had a Concorde which looked out through the trees as I arrived. I spent a great 3 hours there taking it all in. The VC-10 must have been a lovely aircraft to fly in and they have two - one of which is kitted out for the Sultan of Oman in true 80's fashion. If you haven't been yet I'd thoroughly recommend it (Brooklands I mean, I can't tell you about Oman so you'll have to make your own judgement there).
Even considering the amount of work it had done at Edward Hall last year there were still things outstanding that had to be done, so at Christmas I booked it into SS Motors at Addlestone in Surrey, just around the corner from Brooklands. First availability even back then was 1st April so there it resides for the moment.
Footwell leak, pneumatic system, blower motor and heating system as well as possibly air-con are all being looked at. Got a call from Joe over there today, who I might add seems to be a very nice chap who really knows these cars.
No bad news thus far. The bulkhead appears fine and has previously had a lot of work done (which tallies with what Edward Hall said), but there is an area which appears to be leaking a little. This is being attended to, then the area is being completely sealed which should ensure we are good for a few years. I'll then be fitting brand new sound insulation matting and carpets myself.
The air system which covers the central locking and heating is being systematically checked through with some new hoses arriving in a day or two. No news yet but so far things look promising and he appears confident we should be okay. As the heating controls are partly powered by the pneumatic pipes he will move on to this later in the week.
The new blower motor I got from SL Shop is installed and working perfectly and he'll also throw a belt on the air-con compressor on the off-chance that it'll work without too much extra investment. He did point out something blindingly obvious - that the air-con condenser fan at the front of the car is completely missing...no idea what the story there is.
If I learn anything of value from this trip I'll be sure to post it here.
Progress ahoy so let's see what the end of the week brings. Sadly it likely won't be ready for the Goodwood Members Meeting on Sunday, but I can take the Puma which I only today fixed with my own fair hands (was stalling at roundabouts so fitted a new Idle Control Vale and Mass Airflow Sensor - easily done with 2 screwdrivers and half an hour if anyone has the same problem).
As an aside isn't Brooklands Museum quite the place? I had forgotten they had a Concorde which looked out through the trees as I arrived. I spent a great 3 hours there taking it all in. The VC-10 must have been a lovely aircraft to fly in and they have two - one of which is kitted out for the Sultan of Oman in true 80's fashion. If you haven't been yet I'd thoroughly recommend it (Brooklands I mean, I can't tell you about Oman so you'll have to make your own judgement there).
Edited by paulyv on Tuesday 2nd April 21:29
The SLC is ready to collect. I shall be making my way over to SS Motors on Thursday.
Yet to see their work, but their communication and attention to detail has been top drawer and I look forward to taking the car up the A1 to Woodhall Spa this weekend to stay at the excellent, and rather historic, Petwood Hotel.
The below has been done over the past fortnight, as listed in my not unreasonable bill. Please excuse the capitalisation as I am not typing it all out again. In short I have a working blower fan, working heating controls, working central locking, working seat lock mechanisms, locking petrol flap, even working air-powered headlight levels. I should also have working air-con once the old illegal gas has been removed and replaced. Most important of all no leaks into the footwell - a poor weld from previous bulkhead work was found to be the culprit, so I think I got off lightly there.
Next up is a respray to cover those scratches.
REMOVE BLOWER MOTOR COVER, INSPECT MOTOR & SPEED SENSOR
CONDITION & WIRING. TRACE FAULT TO SPEED SENSOR WIRING MISSING
& DIRTY CONTACTS ON SPEED SENSOR. REMOVE SPEED SENSOR, CLEAN
UP & RESET CONTACTS. MAKE-UP & FIT NEW WIRING. CONNECT UP &
TEST SPEED FUNCTIONS, REFIT COVER & SEAL UP JOINT
REMOVE REAR SEATS, CLEAN UP BACK SECTION TOP LIP & REFIT MATERIAL
BACK INTO PLACE, REGLUE JOINT. REFIT BOTH SEATS
CONNECT UP ALL VARIOUS VACUUM SYSTEMS PIPES & FIT NEW VACUUM
CONTROL VALVES & JOINTS. TEST ALL SYSTEM OPERATIONS
CONNECT TESTING GAUGES ON SEAT LOCKING SYSTEMS. TRACE FAULT
TO SWITCH NOT CONNECTED ON 'A' FRAMES & BROKEN N/S DOOR SWITCH
RECONNECT BOTH SWITCHES VACUUM LINES INSIDE 'A' PILLARS & RECHECK
FUNCTIONS ON SEATS, FIT SWITCH ON N/S
CONNECT TESTING GAUGES ON CENTRAL LOCKING SYSTEM, TRACE FAULT
TO TANK FILLER FLAP ELEMENT MISSING & JOINTS. SUPPLY & FIT NEW
TANK ELEMENT UNIT & RETURN SPRING, RECONNECT SYSTEM ON UNIT
RECHECK CONTROL VACUUM LOCKING SYSTEM ON BOOT
AND N/S DOOR AND FLAP
CONNECT TOWING GAUGES ON H/LAMP DIPPING VACUUM SYSTEMS
TRACE FAULT TO O/S/F H/LAMP SECTIONS MISSING
REMOVE LAMP AND FIT GOOD LAMP ASSEMBLY
RECHECK SYSTEM OPERATION AND FUNCTIONS
CHECK HEATER CONTROL SYSTEMS AND A/C SYSTEM
TRACE TO CONTROL VACUUM SYSTEM NOT WORKING CORRECTLY
BEHIND CENTRAL CONSOLE HOUSING, REMOVE CENTRAL FACIAS
AND CONTROLS, REMOVE CENTRAL CONSOLE HOUSING
CHECK LEVERS AND SWITCHES OPERATION, RECONNECT PIPES
ON SWITCHES CORRECTLY AND REFIT PIPES ON A/C CONTROL SWITCH
S/F NEW A/C SWITCH RETAINER, REASSEMBLE FULLY CENTRAL
CONSOLE HOUSING AND BOTH DASH UNDERTRAYS
RECHECK HEATER FUNCTIONS
S/F NEW A/C COMPRESSOR FANBELT AND REPLACE SEIZED ADJUSTER
JOCKEY WHEEL, TEST SYSTEM OPERATIONS (SEE REPORT)
REMOVE O/S/F TOP SCREEN GRILLE AND COVERS
CARRY OUT TESTS ON BULKHEAD SECTIONS
TRACE TO NEW WELDING SEAMS LEAKING WATER
INTO VEHICLE, RESEAL WELD JOINTS AND SURFACE AREAS WITH
SEALANT AND WAX OIL ALL BULKHEAD SURFACES ON O/S/F
MAKE UP MISSING TOP COVER SECTION AND FIT INTO PLACE
TO PROTECT AIR FLAP OPENING FROM WATER INGRESS
RECHECK VEHICLE ON O/S FOR LEAKS
REPORT:
A/CON NEEDS UPGRADING TO R132A TYPE GAS
NEEDS NEW CONNECTORS, CORRECT A/CON DRIER UNIT
SPECIAL SEALING PIPE, OIL FILLED IN UNIT,
SYSTEM FILLED WITH NEW GAS, VEHICLE TESTED
WE RECOMMEND YOU TAKE VEHICLE TO A/CON SPECIALIST
PARTS:
RUBBER JOINTS (4 WAY)
FUEL FILLER DOOR ELEMENT
RETURN SPRING
VALVES
RUBBER JOINTS (3 WAY)
H/LAMP UNIT
A/C TENSIONER WHEEL
A/C FANBELT
WAX OIL
SEALER
DOOR LIGHT SWITCH
TRIM RING
SNAP RING
SUNDRIES
Yet to see their work, but their communication and attention to detail has been top drawer and I look forward to taking the car up the A1 to Woodhall Spa this weekend to stay at the excellent, and rather historic, Petwood Hotel.
The below has been done over the past fortnight, as listed in my not unreasonable bill. Please excuse the capitalisation as I am not typing it all out again. In short I have a working blower fan, working heating controls, working central locking, working seat lock mechanisms, locking petrol flap, even working air-powered headlight levels. I should also have working air-con once the old illegal gas has been removed and replaced. Most important of all no leaks into the footwell - a poor weld from previous bulkhead work was found to be the culprit, so I think I got off lightly there.
Next up is a respray to cover those scratches.
REMOVE BLOWER MOTOR COVER, INSPECT MOTOR & SPEED SENSOR
CONDITION & WIRING. TRACE FAULT TO SPEED SENSOR WIRING MISSING
& DIRTY CONTACTS ON SPEED SENSOR. REMOVE SPEED SENSOR, CLEAN
UP & RESET CONTACTS. MAKE-UP & FIT NEW WIRING. CONNECT UP &
TEST SPEED FUNCTIONS, REFIT COVER & SEAL UP JOINT
REMOVE REAR SEATS, CLEAN UP BACK SECTION TOP LIP & REFIT MATERIAL
BACK INTO PLACE, REGLUE JOINT. REFIT BOTH SEATS
CONNECT UP ALL VARIOUS VACUUM SYSTEMS PIPES & FIT NEW VACUUM
CONTROL VALVES & JOINTS. TEST ALL SYSTEM OPERATIONS
CONNECT TESTING GAUGES ON SEAT LOCKING SYSTEMS. TRACE FAULT
TO SWITCH NOT CONNECTED ON 'A' FRAMES & BROKEN N/S DOOR SWITCH
RECONNECT BOTH SWITCHES VACUUM LINES INSIDE 'A' PILLARS & RECHECK
FUNCTIONS ON SEATS, FIT SWITCH ON N/S
CONNECT TESTING GAUGES ON CENTRAL LOCKING SYSTEM, TRACE FAULT
TO TANK FILLER FLAP ELEMENT MISSING & JOINTS. SUPPLY & FIT NEW
TANK ELEMENT UNIT & RETURN SPRING, RECONNECT SYSTEM ON UNIT
RECHECK CONTROL VACUUM LOCKING SYSTEM ON BOOT
AND N/S DOOR AND FLAP
CONNECT TOWING GAUGES ON H/LAMP DIPPING VACUUM SYSTEMS
TRACE FAULT TO O/S/F H/LAMP SECTIONS MISSING
REMOVE LAMP AND FIT GOOD LAMP ASSEMBLY
RECHECK SYSTEM OPERATION AND FUNCTIONS
CHECK HEATER CONTROL SYSTEMS AND A/C SYSTEM
TRACE TO CONTROL VACUUM SYSTEM NOT WORKING CORRECTLY
BEHIND CENTRAL CONSOLE HOUSING, REMOVE CENTRAL FACIAS
AND CONTROLS, REMOVE CENTRAL CONSOLE HOUSING
CHECK LEVERS AND SWITCHES OPERATION, RECONNECT PIPES
ON SWITCHES CORRECTLY AND REFIT PIPES ON A/C CONTROL SWITCH
S/F NEW A/C SWITCH RETAINER, REASSEMBLE FULLY CENTRAL
CONSOLE HOUSING AND BOTH DASH UNDERTRAYS
RECHECK HEATER FUNCTIONS
S/F NEW A/C COMPRESSOR FANBELT AND REPLACE SEIZED ADJUSTER
JOCKEY WHEEL, TEST SYSTEM OPERATIONS (SEE REPORT)
REMOVE O/S/F TOP SCREEN GRILLE AND COVERS
CARRY OUT TESTS ON BULKHEAD SECTIONS
TRACE TO NEW WELDING SEAMS LEAKING WATER
INTO VEHICLE, RESEAL WELD JOINTS AND SURFACE AREAS WITH
SEALANT AND WAX OIL ALL BULKHEAD SURFACES ON O/S/F
MAKE UP MISSING TOP COVER SECTION AND FIT INTO PLACE
TO PROTECT AIR FLAP OPENING FROM WATER INGRESS
RECHECK VEHICLE ON O/S FOR LEAKS
REPORT:
A/CON NEEDS UPGRADING TO R132A TYPE GAS
NEEDS NEW CONNECTORS, CORRECT A/CON DRIER UNIT
SPECIAL SEALING PIPE, OIL FILLED IN UNIT,
SYSTEM FILLED WITH NEW GAS, VEHICLE TESTED
WE RECOMMEND YOU TAKE VEHICLE TO A/CON SPECIALIST
PARTS:
RUBBER JOINTS (4 WAY)
FUEL FILLER DOOR ELEMENT
RETURN SPRING
VALVES
RUBBER JOINTS (3 WAY)
H/LAMP UNIT
A/C TENSIONER WHEEL
A/C FANBELT
WAX OIL
SEALER
DOOR LIGHT SWITCH
TRIM RING
SNAP RING
SUNDRIES
Edited by paulyv on Tuesday 16th April 23:00
alabbasi said:
I think that they meant R134a vs 132a, If you're going to do this, they should flush the system of all the old mineral oil and replace with PAG oil. The hoses also need to be changed out to barrier hoses, otherwise you'll have a slow leak as R134a molecules are smaller and will get past the rubber.
R134a does not function worth a damn in Texas in a W107 body car, but it might be good enough for England.
Brilliant, thank you very much. As I understand it from stuff I read ages ago the current gas, what little of it remains, is illegal to supply now hence has to be removed and replaced with something that won't tear a hole in space-time.R134a does not function worth a damn in Texas in a W107 body car, but it might be good enough for England.
alabbasi said:
R134a does not function worth a damn in Texas in a W107 body car, but it might be good enough for England.
You were right, R134a.
Thank you - that's really useful and I will keep it in mind.
The fan/blower system of the 107 seems to me to be the weak spot in an otherwise well-designed car, although to be fair the design work dates to the late-sixties. There never seems to be much power behind the blower and the routing of the air behind the dash seems to sap any energy it has, and this in a car with a brand new blower. God knows how it all would have coped in the 'long hot summer of 1976'.
Still - the car is working, and working well. A pleasure to drive today, although choosing the very day of climate protests to drive a 4.5 litre car with the number plate BRX 541T into central London seemed as if I should be smoking a cigar and throwing fifty-quid notes out of the window to the commoners. Still, next year it is exempt from road tax, MOT's, congestion charge and the new ULZ charge. I 'think' I am being green by not buying a new car and keeping this on the road.
The fan/blower system of the 107 seems to me to be the weak spot in an otherwise well-designed car, although to be fair the design work dates to the late-sixties. There never seems to be much power behind the blower and the routing of the air behind the dash seems to sap any energy it has, and this in a car with a brand new blower. God knows how it all would have coped in the 'long hot summer of 1976'.
Still - the car is working, and working well. A pleasure to drive today, although choosing the very day of climate protests to drive a 4.5 litre car with the number plate BRX 541T into central London seemed as if I should be smoking a cigar and throwing fifty-quid notes out of the window to the commoners. Still, next year it is exempt from road tax, MOT's, congestion charge and the new ULZ charge. I 'think' I am being green by not buying a new car and keeping this on the road.
alabbasi said:
If you ever get the dash removed, you'll be able to seal up the HVAC box which can develop leaks over time and cause wear air at the vent due to air escaping at the box inside the dash. It's also critical to check all the vacuum lines and pods under the bonnet to make sure that they function properly, otherwise they will partially leave flaps partially closed and you'll again have weak air flow.
The vacuum system is exactly what the car was in for, so it is entirely sorted now - can even adjust the headlamp level. Not had the whole dash out yet though so will keep that in mind.TR4man said:
Don't forget that we appreciate photos...
It's going to be a big weekend for photos but I will take this opportunity to take a couple from SS Motors in Addlestone. Can't speak highly enough about these people who really know their stuff and have any number of classic Mercs in their garage at any point in time. Was greeted by these two bruisers when I arrived...
Lovely condition. Just look at them. Was enjoying peering into their windows when I heard a familiar rumble and reacquainted myself with my own SLC, now in far finer fettle than it has been for 15 years I reckon. Joe at SS thinks that despite it having not been loved so much for the past few years, with a few heath robinson fixes here and there which his team have put right, it's a very solid car underneath with little to be concerned about. Finally, we got there!
Next items on the list are: Air-con pipe and regas as mentioned in my previous post. Replace a single missing cable to make the cruise control work. 4 new shock absorbers. New insulation and carpet set (in the post). 5 new tyres. Partial respray to sort that vandalism. Replacement windscreen (current one is a little chipped). A few bits of trim here and there which are missing. The list of 'to do' is now far shorter than the list of 'done'.
I still can't believe I own it. This weekend it's a long jaunt to Lincolnshire where I grew up, to take my girlfriends parents out for a treat or two. Time to fill the tank and to really bond with it. Have a good weekend everyone.
jamesson said:
Just read the whole thread from start to date. What a beautiful car and well done for lavishing some love and attention on it. I wish you many, many happy miles in it.
That's very kind of you, thank you. Love, attention and money have been lavished on it, the latter being the more effective. That said at this point in time I would very confidently hop in it and drive down to the far tip of Italy without a care in the world. Only one outstanding annoyance revealed in my road trip this weekend of which details are to follow.3 days on the road and not one concerning mechanical issue, which is how it ought to be.
The Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa really is a terrific place. Having grown up in Lincolnshire it took many years of being away from it to truly appreciate some of the area's finer points, this being one of them. Set in some beautiful grounds the hotel was the wartime base of 617 squadron and is full of memorabilia and stories, as well as more than one splendid bar, a fine restaurant, and a full-size snooker table. I'd really recommend a visit if you are vaguely in the area. There's always a few interesting vehicles in the car park. This time it was a beautiful Sunbeam and a Ferrari 430 convertible (California's are they called?). Last year our trip coincided with a visit from several classic Bentley owners. Woodhall Spa is also the home of the charming 'Kinema in the Woods', which still has a bloke pop out and play tunes on his Compton organ before some showings. Going inside there is like falling into a time warp although I see it still has it's tin roof, which makes a brilliant racket if you are watching a film during a rainstorm.
My drive up from London to the hotel via Peterborough wasn't quite up there with the Dambusters more grueling missions, thanks to the cars enormously comfortable seats, but given this was its first run out of the year I did have my fingers crossed. No need in the end - a full tank of fuel was all I needed to ensure we got where we were headed, then a little further on to Louth, and most of the way back to London Bridge.
Getting to know the car now - it's strength being the ability to push on and accelerate quite relentlessly above 30 mph up to and way beyond anything vaguely legal. The very straight roads of Lincolnshire resulted in my finding out the car stayed vibration-free at high speed and at no point did it inspire anything other than confidence, even in the twisty bits outside of Cadwell Park who had a big motorbike meeting on today. Only fair to point out the one thing that is going to need a return trip to SS Motors in a week or two. The blower fan still has something of a mind of its own, jumping up to full speed occasionally even when not engaged. I think it electrical as it doesn't seem to have anything to do with engine temperature and on more than one occasion it cancelled it's shenanigans when I used the indicator. Your guesses are welcome, be they informed (you reading this R129SL???) or otherwise. VERY thankfully, as my 'heater flaps of mystery' now work, it didn't blast me with roasting hot air when it did engage.
Some pictures below and if I find out anything about the electrical issue I will be sure to update.
The Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa really is a terrific place. Having grown up in Lincolnshire it took many years of being away from it to truly appreciate some of the area's finer points, this being one of them. Set in some beautiful grounds the hotel was the wartime base of 617 squadron and is full of memorabilia and stories, as well as more than one splendid bar, a fine restaurant, and a full-size snooker table. I'd really recommend a visit if you are vaguely in the area. There's always a few interesting vehicles in the car park. This time it was a beautiful Sunbeam and a Ferrari 430 convertible (California's are they called?). Last year our trip coincided with a visit from several classic Bentley owners. Woodhall Spa is also the home of the charming 'Kinema in the Woods', which still has a bloke pop out and play tunes on his Compton organ before some showings. Going inside there is like falling into a time warp although I see it still has it's tin roof, which makes a brilliant racket if you are watching a film during a rainstorm.
My drive up from London to the hotel via Peterborough wasn't quite up there with the Dambusters more grueling missions, thanks to the cars enormously comfortable seats, but given this was its first run out of the year I did have my fingers crossed. No need in the end - a full tank of fuel was all I needed to ensure we got where we were headed, then a little further on to Louth, and most of the way back to London Bridge.
Getting to know the car now - it's strength being the ability to push on and accelerate quite relentlessly above 30 mph up to and way beyond anything vaguely legal. The very straight roads of Lincolnshire resulted in my finding out the car stayed vibration-free at high speed and at no point did it inspire anything other than confidence, even in the twisty bits outside of Cadwell Park who had a big motorbike meeting on today. Only fair to point out the one thing that is going to need a return trip to SS Motors in a week or two. The blower fan still has something of a mind of its own, jumping up to full speed occasionally even when not engaged. I think it electrical as it doesn't seem to have anything to do with engine temperature and on more than one occasion it cancelled it's shenanigans when I used the indicator. Your guesses are welcome, be they informed (you reading this R129SL???) or otherwise. VERY thankfully, as my 'heater flaps of mystery' now work, it didn't blast me with roasting hot air when it did engage.
Some pictures below and if I find out anything about the electrical issue I will be sure to update.
Edited by paulyv on Wednesday 5th August 00:17
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