Author Topic: Pagoda 5.6L manual trans project (Read 254223 times)

GGR · « **Reply #125 on:** May 01, 2013, 14:03:06 »

Update:

Dimitri had started on the bodywork by improving the situation with the front left fender which was poorely repaired after a fender bender (before my ownership). I've been recommended a local bodyshop by a Group Member and I've seen two cars, including a Pagoda, on which this bodyshop has worked. I think it is offering a reasonable quality for the money so I went ahead, detrimmed my Pagoda and drove it yesterday to the bodyshop. I'm supposed to get it back in two to three weeks from now, which will allow me to put it back together before my trip to Colorado with it in July. And the car will also be ready for the 50th anniversary events !

I've already sold the long block, transmission, injection pump, injectors, 3 bumper guards and a few other items left over from my conversion, to help me pay for the body and paint work. I still have quite a number of items for sale, so in case someone needs anything, go and have a look in the "Items for Sale" section, here : http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=18357.0

GGR · « **Reply #126 on:** May 25, 2013, 10:51:51 »

Update:

The body shop has been delaying a bit, and then found that the work involved to do a good job was more than they initially thought. but they are taking this project seriously and are determined to reach a satisfactory result. They were supposed to paint it yesterday but they weren't happy with the right door and the hood. So they reworked on them, pushing painting back to next week. They were still at it yesterday evening past 9 pm. A few pictures :

GGR · « **Reply #127 on:** May 25, 2013, 11:01:03 »

In the meantime, I've been reproducing the bumper brackets in aluminum. I took the idea from what MB did on the 450 SLC 5.0. The resistance to impact will surely be less, but the weight gain is quite impressive, about 8lb, ot 1 kg at each corner where weight saving is most effective. Next element I will be looking into for weight saving are the seats. BTW, I never took the seats out. Does someone know how much they weigh? Usually MB seats are very heavy, but is that also true on Pagodas?

Here are pictures of the brackets:

dseretakis · « **Reply #128 on:** May 25, 2013, 17:02:14 »

Those brackets look great! Did you make them yourself?

GGR · « **Reply #129 on:** May 25, 2013, 18:42:56 »

I was initially planning to do them myself. But while I was looking for the adequate pieces of aluminum, I ended up in a workshop all equipped to reproduce these kind of things. So I went with them. They have the jigs ready so they now can reproduce them easily. I may have them produce a little series if some people are interested.

GGR · « **Reply #130 on:** June 03, 2013, 20:04:07 »

I got the car back from the paint shop and put it back together. I'm quite happy with the result. I am still missing the euro headlights and the hood ornament. They will come in due time. Below are some pictures:

Peter van Es · « **Reply #131 on:** June 04, 2013, 07:06:46 »

Looking good, I like the colour....

Peter

stickandrudderman · « **Reply #132 on:** June 04, 2013, 07:19:04 »

Looking good! A proper wolf in sheep's clothing now!

What grade of Aluminium (Aloominum!) are those brackets made from?

Flyair · « **Reply #133 on:** June 04, 2013, 08:25:22 »

Fantastic result. The final touch (headlights and emblem) will in my humble opinion enhance her beauty, but will also efficiently drain your pocket, from whatever was left $:-\$

However, as they say: love doesn't count...

GGR · « **Reply #134 on:** June 06, 2013, 02:37:42 »

Thanks!

I don't know what aluminum grade it is. I should call the shop who did it and ask. It is quite strong and springy, I was surprised. I would have expecred aluminum to be weaker.

I have serviced the car, new engine oil and filter, checked other fluid levels and brake pads and greased all the fittings. Good thing i don't have to worry about ignition and valve clearance adjustment anymore. So now the car is ready for the trip to Colorado in July.

GGR · « **Reply #135 on:** July 08, 2013, 05:30:43 »

So, we have been on the road since 1st of July and the car is really a pleasure to drive. Below are two pictures taken earlier today is South Dakota:

dseretakis · « **Reply #136 on:** July 10, 2013, 03:25:19 »

Your car is looking good! Good to see that it's holding up so far!

GGR · « **Reply #137 on:** July 20, 2013, 13:34:07 »

Thanks,

We are now back home from quite a long trip that took us from DC to Yellowstone and back. We spent two weeks of enjoyment with friends who came to visit from Europe. We visited many beautiful places and parks. What a beautiful part of the world this is. The car worked flawlessly and never missed a beat. Driving it for such a long period in one go revealed its personality fully which will help me do some little improvements to optimize its grand tourer aptitudes and homogeneity. Below are some pictures of the car taken along the way:

GGR · « **Reply #138 on:** July 20, 2013, 13:39:56 »

More pictures:

kampala · « **Reply #139 on:** July 20, 2013, 21:07:18 »

Very nice. Really good to have read the history of your impressive modifications that have lead to this multi-thousands of miles trip.

Love seeing a Pagoda dirty from real use! Please continue to advise on your future mods.

GGR · « **Reply #140 on:** July 21, 2013, 01:29:36 »

Thanks. I'm curious about your user name. I happen to have lived in Kampala a few years ago. Do you have any relation with Uganda?

kampala · « **Reply #141 on:** July 21, 2013, 06:34:47 »

I rarely meet anyone who has lived in Uganda, let alone find it on a map. I am from Uganda ... will PM you some details since they are sooooo non-pagoda related.

GGR · « **Reply #142 on:** July 29, 2013, 21:48:49 »

Quote from: kampala on July 21, 2013, 06:34:47

I rarely meet anyone who has lived in Uganda, let alone find it on a map. I am from Uganda ... will PM you some details since they are sooooo non-pagoda related.

I know there is a red W111 220 SE RHD cabriolet somewhere in Uganda as I saw it several years in a row at the Nairobi "Concours d'Elegance" and it was driving from Uganda. I nearly purchased a light blue W111 220SE RHD Cabriolet while I was living in Nairobi. I'm now kicking myself for not having done so. I also had a neighbor who had a blue RHD Pagoda in Lakeview.

Below is an additional picture from my trip in July. Note the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the background:

GGR · « **Reply #143 on:** August 06, 2013, 14:25:31 »

Update:

I did some servicing to the Pagoda last Saturday after this long trip across the US. Checked the brake pads which are still good to go for a while, did all the greasing, checked oil level in the transmission and rear end. I replaced some shims on top of the right bank valves by slightly thicker ones as this engine always had a bit of ticking since I fitted the euro camshafts. The engine is now quiet as it should.

While I was there, I also replaced the front suspension spring top rubber shims by thicker ones and I feel the car is now sitting as it should in the front.

I have also decided to replace the mechanical fan by an electric one, the reason being that I couldn't reuse the Pagoda shroud after my transplant. As a result the engine temperature had a tendency to increase a bit in slow traffic during the heat wave. In addition the visco coupler I have seems not to disengage properly at higher rpm inducing a lot of propeller noise as long as the coupler is engaged. So I ordered a 16" electric fan as well as a variable control unit which will engage the fan at 60% above a certain temperature threshold and increase up to 100% depending on coolant temperature. It will also keep the fan running for 30 seconds after the engine is shut off. I will install it as soon as I receive it and see if it solves my issue. If not, I will have the radiator recored with an upgraded core (which I did on my Coupe with great results).

I have also ordered a Retrosound radio, two 4" single voice speakers that will replace the stock ones in the black plastic casings in the foot wells, and an oval dual voice speaker (that accommodates stereo) to put on top of the dash under the wooden grill. I could have had my original radio rebuilt, but I did this on my Coupe and it didn't last very long. So this car not being original anymore, I thought that upgrading to modern technology with RDS and ipod input for a very reasonable price was the way to go.

I'm also waiting for a case of 20w50 Bad Penn oil which is said to have the required amount of zddp for the camshafts.

I checked all the rest on the car and all is good. This car is quite easy to maintain including washing it. It is so small that washing it takes about half the time it takes me to wash my Coupe!

GGR · « **Reply #144 on:** August 06, 2013, 14:31:27 »

At one point I will also need to do some work on the exhaust line as it could sit better than it does now. This will involve some cutting and welding which I am not currently equipped for.

GGR · « **Reply #145 on:** August 09, 2013, 00:35:26 »

Yesterday I received the electric fan and the management device so I installed them in the evening in lieu and place of the mechanical fan. The results were very disappointing as the 16" 2800 cfm fan was unable to keep the engine at acceptable temperatures in slow traffic. 2800 cfm is supposed to be sufficient for my engine as a main fan. I couldn't go bigger for clearance reasons. So I put the mechanical fan back in place and all is back as it was. I left the wiring in place though as I will try to install the electric fan as a pusher in front of the radiator as an additional cooling capacity, next time I have the hood off.

I also got an aluminum 500SL air cleaner housing which is much lighter than the steel 450 one I had up to now. Got the Brad Penn oil and made the oil change.

While I was stopped by the side of the road fiddling with ignition timing adjustment a modern BMW stopped and the guy asked me if I needed some help. I didn't and the guy then made me notice while laughing that this was a BMW guy stopping to help out a Mercedes guy. I should have told him I also own a '72 BMW 3.0 csi, but it didn't come to my mind then. Otherwise a lot of thumbs up, people asking if I want to sell the car etc. The Pagoda is definitely drawing much more attention than the Coupe.

dseretakis · « **Reply #146 on:** August 16, 2013, 02:09:57 »

It's drawing more attention than the coupe because it is freshly painted!

GGR · « **Reply #147 on:** August 16, 2013, 03:01:30 »

Yassou Dimitri!

Yes. new paint makes a big difference. But I had several people tell me the Pagoda is their preferred car, or dream car.

I finally installed the Retrosound radio. Not bad, though an original Becker with speakers all in good shape certainly does as well. I still need to see on the long run if I like the Retrosound setup or if I have my original radio checked by the guys in NJ. Problem is I had the radio of my coupe checked. It worked well for a while and then it started having problems again. I don't know how durable having these old radios checked is.

GGR · « **Reply #148 on:** August 26, 2013, 22:55:48 »

I received the 75 degrees thermostat and the 9 blades plastic fan propeller and installed both. The car runs a bit cooler on the highway and temp doesn't go up as much as before in stop and go traffic. But the best of it is that the terrible fan noise is also gone. The design of the blades on the new propeller must be different. This makes a great difference and driving it is much more enjoyable now.

GGR · « **Reply #149 on:** September 13, 2013, 00:18:56 »

Took the car for a drive to make sure all was OK before heading to Williamsburg P-50. Increased richness just a bit and car is running smoother.

I also tried the fit some all red tail light lenses I have as I think I like them better. But I realized the bulb holders are different so I need to procure some before swapping the tail lights.

I also got a speedo gear drive out of a spare Getrag 265 I have, and I will fit it in my car as soon as I order the trans rear seal and sealing paste for the flange. I also need to order a 2.5mm shim that goes between the gear on the shaft and the rear bearing in the trans as the one I got out of the spare trans is only 10mm. I should be able to fit all that in my car just by disconnecting the drive shaft and popping the trans flange and seal out. This will get the speedo working though I will then need to have it re-calibered or get a system of some sort between the cable and the speedo so that it reads the correct speed.

Trunk is full of stuff, including a set of rare 14x6 pressed aluminum wheels in case someone at the gathering is interested. I posted them for sale to help finance a pair of euro lights, here: http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=19156.0

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Author Topic: Pagoda 5.6L manual trans project (Read 254223 times)

dseretakis

dseretakis

dseretakis