Mercedes 129 titivation

[Zonergem]

Shall we get off-topic? Why ever not.

I keep making arrangements with my The Man which keep getting broken. First he had an accident. Then he was going to come down and do some cursory mending and that didn't happen. Then I was going to get it trailered up to him but it won't start now and I know he can't really deal effectively with too many dead cars (he has a limited amount of parking and is basically a one-man band).

I've been buying bits and pieces - I have new oil, air and fuel filters, rocker cover gaskets (someone has been in there with green silicone gasket maker ), coolant temp sensor, OE dizzy, rotor, sealing ring and new OE plugs. Also LCA ball joints.

So I have pressed on a bit myself. I bought a used Laser 4870 spring compressor and changed the broken front spring and the other side for OE replacements. Poking around underneath it really is nice and solid so I want to press on.

The wheels are at SEM having beauty treatment and new Contis. I've fitted a new OVP and I'm looking into testing the fuel pump relay.

But I suspect it will want a whole new fuel pump package including the accumulator, six new injectors, a cold start valve (£415+VAT!!) and so on. In fact you can see my shopping list here

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Cj6dFYEB7J...

It grows longer and more costly by the hour, and that's before garagisté or Paul get involved.

SL2 is booked into Baister next week for some subframe love but I might send him the C124 instead with a long list of works needed. That will have the effect of allowing me (and him) to forget all about it until next year sometime.

[r129sl]

Does it really need all that fuel system stuff?

[MJK 24]

For the love of God, do not sell this car. You’ll miss it terribly when it’s gone.

[Johnny Raydome]

r129sl said:

I really like JOB's 300 CE, smoke silver with anthracite velours, factory A/C. It's an early car, generally regarded as a good thing, but it is missing cruise control and heated seats and it has to make do with only 188bhp. Which is probably more than enough. Except one of the things I really like about my SL500 and E430 is the power. It is also £5k for the asking. Plus £230 for the tax. Plus £500 for the insurance. And I only have one garage but could rent another for £50 a month. Except I am spending far too much money on cars. Hmm.

Quite sure it won't have escaped your attention but the 300CE has been relisted at a lower price, so that'll be your road tax sorted

I wasn't in the car or under it last weekend but my (genuine) first thought was that the photos didn't do it justice.
It looked even better in the flesh than expected.

Edited to rephrase original sentence which inadvertently almost read as a criticism

Edited by Johnny Raydome on Wednesday 21st November 09:07

[sprouting]

r129sl said:

I really like JOB's 300 CE, smoke silver with anthracite velours, factory A/C. It's an early car, generally regarded as a good thing, but it is missing cruise control and heated seats and it has to make do with only 188bhp. Which is probably more than enough. Except one of the things I really like about my SL500 and E430 is the power. It is also £5k for the asking. Plus £230 for the tax. Plus £500 for the insurance. And I only have one garage but could rent another for £50 a month. Except I am spending far too much money on cars. Hmm.

Heated seats I've never had but assume could be retrofitted easily enough. Is cruise control something that can be done easily? It's not something I'd be happy to give up for long trips ( I use it for 30 + 40 zones aswell just incase )

[CharlesdeGaulle]

r129sl said:

I don't know whether to sell it and...

Others have already discouraged this madness, but in a more existential way, you sell your r129sl and 'you' don't exist.

Ha, you hadn't thought of that compelling little gem, had you?

Now, snap out of those foolish thoughts and spend a fortune on it.

[tobinen]

Agreed. r129sl is the 129

And the S124 for that matter

[alec.e]

The R129 is my favorite of all your cars

[Krikkit]

I don't like to be a sheep, but the 129 is the car of yours that is both definitive and highly lustable.

Let's face it, if you sold it we'd peer pressure you into another which you'd have to titivate again.

[mccrackenj]

If you sold it the market would be awash with R129s immediately after.

[r129sl]

I haven't updated this thread in a while and haven't much to say today. However, I finally got round to picking up the 129 today. It's had the rear quarter repaired, various little blebs removed and a full paint job. It also received a new genuine windscreen at no cost from Autoglass. Straight out of the Man's place in Dunston, I ran it over to Carlisle for an afternoon appointment, then left Carlisle at 5pm, destination Llanelli in South Wales. A total distance of 415 miles. I am getting too old for this st. But what a great car it is. The conditions out of Carlisle were pretty awful with much snow on the M6 in the Lune Valley, and I am running summer tyres and the soft top, but the car was a superb companion for a difficult journey. The chassis work last spring is showing its value. The car felt extremely tight and stable and the motor revealed its strength against the familiar E430. I ran down from Birmingham at about 100mph and upped the pace considerably on the M4. Here we are at Gloucester Services.




When I get a chance (which may be a while), I'll get it cleaned up and ready for spring. Current mileage is approximately 273,350.

[paulyv]

Well that looks smashing. Really pleased you are finding the time to enjoy the car again and despite the admirable mileage I have no doubt it turns heads.

I will hope to update my thread in March as all the classic garages are booked up with work over the winter so mine is languishing a little until a spot becomes free. As ever you are inspiring me to get out there again.

[Lowtimer]

I'm very glad that you're back in tune with the old gal. She's looking very well.

[tobinen]

Good news. Are you happy with the paint job? Dare I ask, was it expensive?

[Lowtimer]

Surely the question is not "whether" but "how"?

[r129sl]

The repair was £1250, which was picked up by the other side’s insurer. The extras were a further £1250.

Bad day yesterday. First I seem to have lost an indicator lense and bent the grille. This could have been vandalism in Llanelli or a bird strike or something. Second, while making very fast progress from Llanelli I ran into a road closure and was trapped for an hour. I shut the engine off. When the traffic started moving it wouldn’t restart. Dead battery. Three months standing in the body shop and some very cold nights obviously killed it. The AA sold me a new one at 1.30am.

[alabbasi]

r129sl said:

The repair was £1250, which was picked up by the other side’s insurer. The extras were a further £1250.

It always amazes me how cheap body work is in the UK. That's a great price. Indicator lights became unavailable new a couple of years ago. Hopefully they're back in production.

[Zonergem]

I have a clear Bosch O/S indicator with a small chip and an off-brand aftermarket N/S clear - either or both free if you like.

How bad is the grille? Seen some cheap ones on US eBay recently - maybe Alabassi could take delivery and then send on?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Mercedes-Grille-Front...f:0

[r129sl]

Grille is fine. I'm not quite sure how it happened. I noticed the indicator last night when I conked out and the grille this morning. I'm not aware of having struck anything but I think I would have clocked it in the daylight when I was in Wales. I'm too tired to care this evening. I'll let you know about the lamp. Thank you for the offer.

[alabbasi]

Careful with aftermarket grills, I had one that came with a parts car. It was pure plasticy junk.