Mercedes 129 titivation

[r129sl]

Heated seats. The seat base had three elements, a sprung frame, a foam pad and a leather cover. The seat heating element is in the pad. It is very easy to remove the base, but very difficult to separate the three components: when my base heating element failed, I went to an upholsterer and had him install a new pad. The new pad is about £180.

Anyway, looks like I was pessimist about time: the plastics were done this morning.

[r129sl]

I suspect this will be another wonky picture. It shows the inside of the o/s/r wheel arch prepped and primed.

[r129sl]

Lots of r129 action today.

First off, when I visited the bodyshop, the car was being masked for spot priming. You can see how it is all prepared and ready. Apparently you don't prime the whole car in order to reduce the risk of the paint cracking later.









Just now the Man has texted me some pictures of car with the spot priming done. All fairly unremarkable but it is progress and rapid progress at that. My scepticism was unwarranted.







In the meantime I had a run up to the Furniture Clinic at Burnopfield to collect the seats, which you will remember I was having restored. I haven't had much chance to inspect them, but they look pretty good to me. Excuse the photos: on the hottest day of the year, it is pissing down in Newcastle so I didn't want to take them out of the boot. They still got a bit of rain on them. Anyway, I think I'm pleased with the Furniture Clinic.







Finally for today, the Man has again emailed to tell me the bumpers will be painted tonight. He did the other plastics last night.

[r129sl]

Bumpers done. The car itself is being painted tonight. Unfortunately, I've been laid low with the lurgy. Dodgy pastie.

[r129sl]

gregs656 said:

Lovely stuff. The shape has aged gracefully.

Did you request photo updates by the way? It's a nice thing to have for your records and peace of mind, good service I think.

The Man knows I'm nuts about it so sends updates if I can't go round there. He's just across the river (Tyne) from me, so most days I can stick my head around the door and take my own pictures. But not today due to aforementioned sickness. These threads are a good way of documenting the work, plus people seem to like them. i'm grateful for all the positives, it makes me feel much better about keeping these cars going and using them rather than succumbing to a lease on a 320d. In other news, my 124 is just a few miles shy of 500,000km...

[r129sl]

My arrangements with the Man are somewhat unconventional. I give him £500 every Monday morning. My bank manager probably thinks I've got some kind of "problem". But I find the drip of "good cold cash" (per the Boss in the appropriately named "Spare Parts", Tunnel of Love (Columbia, 1987) but we digress) doesn't half-incentivise performance. The discussion at the start went along the lines of this:

Me: Er, I was thinking I didn't want to spend more than 3.
The Man: Shouldn't be a problem.

Then the other day:

Me: Er, how are we doing for money? I think I've given you 15 so far.
The Man: You have. Well, you said no more than 3 but it'll turn out nearer 2, maybe 2 and a ½.

The seat resto was £324 inc VAT. There'll be about £300 of bitty parts on reassembly: the cost of broken clips and stuff soon mounts up. Those sill brackets are either 30 quid each or 60, I can't recall; and it may need a new high level brake light, which is another £60. It could do with a o/s wing mirror glass. It is of the self-dipping kind and it has gone cloudy, but they're something ridiculous like £300 each. I don't consider this a great technological advance. What is the point of inventing a self-dipping mirror if it goes bad after 8 years (as they all do) and costs £300 to replace?

Anyway, at this stage, I don't think I have spent any more than that and I can't really see much more to come. A new hood would be nice (this thought is occurring to me for the very first time as I write this reply, I curse you), I suppose, and with the strong pound, now might be the time to go to KHM. The hardtop will be extra but neither I nor the Man am/is looking forward to that.

[r129sl]

€812 including tax for a new soft top from KHM. €28 for the little rubber spoiler. Come on Greece, don't let me down now...

http://cabrio.de/khm/en/softtops-models-prices/mer...

[r129sl]

0a said:

I'm in the same situation with both my W124 and my 500SL - I have some money to spend, but fear paying someone to do a bad job.

R129 would "the man" be willing to take on other projects? I am very happy to travel and leave the car for an extended period.

Oh and welcome to the 1-5 thread, and Pistonheads BrightonIMD!

Yes: He's doing Harry's in September. He did Tianamu's earlier in the year. I'd be happy to call on him once a week, too. I don't identify him for, uh, obvious reasons. Don't want him to be swamped with other people's work, see?

[r129sl]

The Greeks having voted no, I have just fired off an email to KHM (www.cabrio.de) for a new soft top. I don't quite know who to get to fit it. I suspect the Man will be able to handle it.

[r129sl]

Paint's on:

[r129sl]

Pics were the right way up when I posted them!

[r129sl]

Hi Harry, it had new wings under warranty in 2008. They seem to have held up well. The o/s wing was damaged and replaced in 2003 but the n/s wing was original. They have held up well since 2008 and when replaced then were hardly rotten.

[r129sl]

I go away for 24 hours and the job is pretty much finished. Re-assembly is underway. What these pictures show is the re-assembly in progress, with fresh anti-corrosion gunk on all sensitive parts. Dynax S50 sprayed into the cavities, Dynax UB brushed on under the Saccos and wherever something like a clip penetrates the structure.










This picture shows the removal of corrosion in the wheel arch and a new stud welded into place to take the wheel arch liner.




And this final picture shows an area in the offside rear wheel arch having been stripped of most corrosion, the remainder being treated with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80.

[r129sl]

leglessAlex said:

This is going to look glorious when it's done. What condition are the wheels in? Did you get them refurbished while you're doing this or was it not necessary?

I bought some new wheels about six months ago, so they're in good shape. I have kept my old ones for winter, albeit in future I am thinking about taking the car off the road during the winter months.

Edit: you beat me to it!

hoppo4.2 said:

This will look lovely when it's done.

Interesting that you have had so many problem and so much rust.

My dad has had a 99 320 facelift for 10 years and in that time it has only had a belt tensioner and a ignition switch.

I've just picked up a 90 500 project and there isn't a spot of rust on it anywhere.
Is there some truth to the rumours that merc dropped there build quality on some mid /late 90s cars

I can't say I have had any problems with it, really. In 12 years and 220,000miles it has never let me down. A couple of secondary components have failed, but nothing has left me stranded and nothing has failed which I think is inexcusable. Only an idiot thinks the component parts of a mechanical object will last forever: I hope your dad has replaced more components than a belt tensioner and an ignition switch! As for paintwork, again, I'm fairly astonished at how good it is given its age, mileage, the use I have made of it and the fact it lives 150yards from the north sea. I was expecting a lot worse.

The 129 has fairly consistent build quality throughout. From 1988 to 2001, fundamentally the same design was built using the same materials which were subjected to the same processes on the same production line (actually, it was production circle with robot-assembled bodies coming to be built up into finished cars largely by hand in an 8 station ring). Build quality tends to change more from model to model (sometimes major facelift to major facelift), than from year to year. A good example would be the change from 201 to 202: there is a build quality plunge point. Another would be the facelift late in the w211's life: there you see build quality being resuscitated. But when the youngest of these cars is 14 years old and the eldest now 26, the use that has been made of any individual car together with the care afforded to it are much more important than the date on which it left the factory.

The major change in the 129's life was in 1998 when the 104 inline sixes were replaced with the M112 V6 and when the M119 V8 was replaced with the M113 V8. Now, the M119 is preferred by many: it is a purist's engine, with DOHCs on each bank and four valves per cylinder. But the M113 replacement has proved more reliable, is lighter and more efficient and is more flexible. Similar points can be made about the M112. The quality of the interior appointments actually increased at that point, with the most beautiful (and quite hard-wearing) nappa leather upholstery replacing the somewhat stiff earlier stuff. The cars do not seem to have suffered the rusty fate of many Mercs of the late-1990s, presumably because they were built on a different line (in Bremen).

Edited by r129sl on Tuesday 7th July 21:18

[r129sl]

Don't worry, I didn't take it that way.

I've taken a year of my ownership at random: 2009. This is a summary of the work I had done that year. There is nothing atypical about 2009, just regular servicing. I think most people have unrealistic expectations about how much maintenance an older car requires if it is to be kept safe and efficient. You can let things slide, but pretty soon the niggling wants of repair spoil the pleasure of ownership. I have always tried to think of maintenance as part of the pleasure of ownership: taking time and expending money keeping something good is a worthwhile and enjoyable pastime.

Your 1990 car sounds good. I love the purity of line of the original, pre-facelift design. AndI should imagine orthopaedic seats make a big difference to long distance comfort.

27 Feb, 163,981 miles
'A' service
Front ARB bushes
Fuel purge pipe seal
£312.88

2 April, 171,164 miles
Front anti-roll bar
Front ARB bushes
roll-bar switch
some other unspecified console switch
steering damper
number plates
£559.13

29 May, 171,570 miles
'A' service
Front discs and pads
Rear discs and pads
£672.70

23 July
4 x Michelin PS2 tyres
£721.05

11 August
Front indicator
£67.91

24 Sept
1 x Michelin PS2 tyre
£180

30 Sept, 179,073
'A' service
Front control arms
Front strut mounts
Rear lower rose joints
Alternator
ATF pipes to radiator
o/s/f fog lamp
£2,104.42

21 Nov, 186,100 miles
Gearbox diagnostic plug
£67.47

17 Dec, 187,392 miles
'B' service
Battery
Pollen filter
Brake fluid
Spark plugs
Track rods
£777.72

[r129sl]

Yes, a lot of the expense is down to mileage.

Anyway, more progress. I haven't had a chance to go over there today but the Man sent me these photos of the bumper mount. This was a bit rotten (though not a patch on the 124 experience) and he has repaired it.

[r129sl]

Almost finished! Bit of reassembly still outstanding then a lot of polishing.

New sill brackets, with lots of Dynax wherever there are fixings and edges.






Coming together nicely:






New badge. Fascinating.




New numberplate lamps and fixtures. These were assembled together with the plastic trim through a mess of Dynax anti-corrosion gunk.




Ready on Monday? Tomorrow I am going to reinstall the seat cushions and the new seat back before going to work.

[r129sl]

marky911 said:

Did you not have a look up Corbridge last Sunday? Some nice things up there. Gridlocked though. The police had to come and sort it out.

I was going to take the bairns up there but what with one thing and another we ended up doing something infinitely less enjoyable. Although the thought of being trapped in a gridlocked field on the outskirts of Corbridge is not an enticing prospect. There is some kind of motoring jamboree in the Toon this weekend. The entire length of Grey Street from the Monument down to Mosley Street is given over to fancy cars and classic cars. Figured we'd have a wander round on Saturday afternoon while my wife plays tennis. We'll be parking in the spiral car park or on top of Bainbridges, though. See here: http://www.getintonewcastle.co.uk/motor-show/ It has the potential to be ste, bien sûr, like everything that receives the council's touch, but you never know.

[r129sl]

marky911 said:

The benefits far outweigh the negatives though eh.

What? You mean this sort of thing? Don't tell everyone!

[r129sl]

BrightonIMD said:

This is awesome and you've now made me decide to get my SL sorted in the next 6 months.

Did you have to specify the level of work that was required? I assume you provided the anti corrosion products, as I imagine most body shops wouldn't worry about this.

Also, do most shops fill with metal as with yours in places, or just use a skim of filler? I do worry that if I took it to a shop, they would end up sanding bits down, skimming with filler, re spraying and charging me the earth.

How would I know? Maybe I should head up North!

Ian

Thanks! The Man was recommended to me by my mechanic. He seems to do it almost for pleasure. He does it all himself: the rest of his business is concerned with other vehicle-body related activity. But this is the third car he has done for me and he knows what I'm like.

I think bits of what he does are old-school but most places will weld in and dress new steel, surely? And he does use filler. I'm not sure there is anything fundamentally wrong with filler, so long as it is used sparingly, after all corrosion has been removed and to provide a smooth surface for painting rather than to fill great big holes or dents. Filler goes wrong when great gobs of it are used or when it is put on top of corrosion. Anyway, to answer your question, I just discussed the job with him beforehand and during the work. I pop in most days if I'm not mega-busy. I specified and supplied the Bilt Hamber stuff but he's a convert to it now. He's a super nice guy, very easy to talk to, although he's been through the wringer in his time and sometimes this gets him down. And I like to think I don't take the piss when it comes to payment. He doesn't much like people who do.

There's a lot to recommend heading up north. At least one other habitué of this and the barge thread is leaving his car here from a distance. The saving on labour is massive: well worth a train ride or two. I have a friend with a r107 who used to bring it up from London on a Friday in the early spring, leave it with my mechanic, have a weekend with us, then head back on the train. He'd do the reverse operation six weeks later. The North is also an amazingly pleasant place with an amazingly pleasant people. Tack on a motoring holiday to the end and you could have a very special time.

TonyF55 said:

Great resto there, but could I recommend you get a plate showing a more prominent S rather than a back to front cheap looking Z




Rather than;

Thanks, too. I see the difference and I want some plates like that. Do you have a link to a plate maker? I hate the '5' as well.