Spezziality Tools

[al_lieffring]

In another thread about stuck wiper arms I mentioned that I had made up a set of tools that I used to free up Pagoda wipers when they came into my shop.
Instead of thread-jacking someone elses post I'll post the photos here.


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Here is the lever for working loose the shaft if it wasnt too stuck.
the acorn nut is a valve cover nut from a twin cam M110 engine. This would allow some mild tapping with a hammer to help loosten things up a bit
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This is the tube that I would fill with penetrating oil and then use air pressure to force it into the bushings of realy stuck wipers.
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When the shaft was free I would use this to pump grease into the shaft and bushings.
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The split seam on the greaser tube shows just how much pressure a hand held grease gun can generate. My father calculated that putting 75 lbs of force on the handle of a grease gun can generate a pressure of 1,200 psi. (80 bar)
The nut on the shaft is to prevent the shaft from being pushed completly through the dash.

Al  :O)

113-042-10-014715
built 11 Jan 66
904/396 blue, Ivory Tex
condition- rust bucket

[Raymond]

Very clever, Al. Thanks for the photos.

Ray
'68 280SL 4-spd Coupe

[Bob G ✝︎]

Al:
I am in ah!!! you are like my dad used to be when he was around Brillant!!!!

Bob Geco

[hauser]

Al would this have been one of those specialty tools that MB techs would have to make back in the day?  An old MB mechanic once told me that they had to fabricate their own tools for certain jobs.  

Even today I have witnessed one mechanic fabricate his own tools using a flow-jet machine.  He had fabed certain wrenches from flat stock that were thin enough to fit in tight spots.  Don't know if any of you guys watch America Chopper on TLC but the guy I'm talking about is Vinny.  Vinny is no longer employed by the company.  He really made Paul Jr's job much easier.

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

[jeffc280sl]

Al,

Started to weld together a fitting to make a tool to grease the wiper shaft only to discover the nut is brass.  As I look closely at yours I can see you brazed the pieces together.  I'm now going to try and use copper pieces and solder them together.

Definitely a cool tool!

Jeff C.
1970 280SL 4-speed

[TheEngineer]

Of course we make our own tools!

[mdsalemi]

Al,

Years ago, in the 1970's, my dad worked for GTE Laboratories in Waltham, Massachusetts.  They were a pure research and development arm of the GTE telephone system, and the old Sylvania Electric.  They had a full complement of labs to design and build whatever they were working on--including a machine shop run by a steadfast meticulous German.

In December 1978 I was about to change the oil on my 1970 Datsun 510 Coupe with Offenhauser dual-port intake manifold and found the car wouldn't move.  It needed a clutch job just like that.  Well, the parts were easy to find but the books kept talking about a clutch alignment and installation tool that we didn't have nor could we find for sale.  I called the local Datsun dealer and asked if they had them, and they said yes.  Would they rent it out?  No.  Well, could I come and see it?  Sure, knock yourself out.

Armed with graph paper, L.S. Starrett calipers and a micrometer and pencil, I paid a visit to the dealer.  A mechanic brought the tool out.  I whipped out my "tools" and sketched the tool and took measurements.  I thanked them kindly for their time.

The paper was delivered to the machine shop at GTE (which we had dubbed GTE Special Tuning after all the work they did for us) and the machinists custom made the tool for my Dad.  They even fabricated some additional parts that they thought we'd need--headless bolts to allow the tranny to align but slide back and forth on the back of the engine.

With the tool we were able to do the clutch job.  After doing it we realized we'd never have been able to do it without the custom made tool.

Some years earlier, we had removed the flywheel of a 1966 Austin Cooper S and there was a threaded hole in the center that had the threads damaged.  We needed to "chase" the threads.  Problem was we didn't have the tap.  When we measured it, it was some bizarre thread size and we couldn't find the tap either.  Off to GTE Special Tuning again.  The machinists confirmed the bizarre thread size, and proceeded to manufacture a tap for us out of HSS tool steel.  Threads were chased and cleaned up, and the car put back together.  It turned 13 second quarters with forged rockers, a SCCR gearbox, and 1.5" SU's ex-MGB.  All that out of a 1275cc 4-banger.  Of course the car weighed nothing.  We could spin those 165/70-SR10's until the cows came home.

My father had a policy at work and in life (still does, at aged 85) and that is to never say no.  You never know when and how a favor can be returned so never turn down the opportunity to help someone.  That's why he could walk into the machine shop at work for a "government job" and they'd be happy to help him.  I don't know what he did for people at work but I know he never said no.  I long for the days when there was a custom tool maker at my beck and call!

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red 568G w/Black Leather (Restored)
President, International Stars Section
Mercedes-Benz Club of America

[Bob G ✝︎]

These post confirms the hobbie is full of brillant minded people unwilling to give up in their task to restore and put back on the road 40 year old cars.
My Dad was an Aero space engineer who had his own business and was the problem solver for many big companies during the 1960 and into the late 1990s before his passing. I remember him give me boring jobs of filling orders and packing lip seals. I remember the shelfs unupon shelfs of odd lubrication devices used to lubricate the machines that made things for these companies or worked with aircraft.He worked with companies that designed refueling in air for the fighter jets we had and other air craft.
He had a very good staff of well trained people.
When I was 10 years old he had a full scale model of a Side-winder missle with launcher that a company named Benerius had something to do with. I got to take it to show and tell at school. I really wish I had a picture of it because I know you all would of liked to of seen it.
It hung in the center from the garage celling at my parents home  and got a lot of (What The looks) when people came over.  When my father and mother separated the missle some how stayed in the garage and when I took it down and tried to donate it to the air museum in Santa Monica,  they did not want it. I put it in storage and walked right pass the reseptionist who did not even notice it, mine you, you needed two people to lift this thing.
Some of the metal fines had broked off and when I found an apartment I decided to dump it in their trash bin out side the storage facality. (Gee I wish I did not do that).
A few months passed and low and behold I got a call from the FBI no kidding  this was in the early 1980s and I think we were having problems with Iran and Ford was president
Well this guy was not happy and was tracing down everyone who rented out space  until they got to me. Apparantely the lady almost had a heart attack and called the police and fire department
"thinking this was the real thing".
I did not think to say anything since the missle was made out of wood but because I could not figure how to disassemble it from the launcher that goes to the wing of the aircraft. "it must of looked like the real Mccoy".
Anyway I replied to the FBI agent "Oh you found my dummy missle" he replied in a mono serious voice if I wanted it back he was not happy" and proof of were it came from of which I gave my father's office number.
no charges were filled, but, what a story to this day I wish I had the forsite to keep it.
At lease I have my dad's 280SL and I still cannot figure out some of the stuff he did too it.
Well there are a lot of cleaver people on this forum who I wish I lived near. The geans  to a lot of what my father had a nack for I did not get. I enjoy the stories and the post because it gives me hope to continue on with the 280SL.
that is the spirit I think all of use have join this group for.
Happy and safe New Year
Bob Geco

[al_lieffring]

I was surprised to see this thread up at the top again, People actually do dig these threads up when they are looking for ways to get their pagodas running. I'm glad to see that my posts are helping in that process.

Michael
It might be of interest to you that my father was a pioneer in the coin-op car wash industry. after several yeasr of erecting the Teepee shaped steel Kwiki Wash buildings, He became the head of the engineering division of Robo Wash back in the 60's. A group of salesmen came up with an idea of a robot that circled around a car spraying soap and water on it, they sold the first unit with nothing more on paper than a doodle on a cocktail napkin, and sent my father off to Idaho Falls, Idaho to build it. He traveled all over the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan putting up these car washes. On one of these trips (1970) to Leverkusen to install a wash at the Bayer factory, he found out that Mercedes models made before 31 Dec. 67 could be imported to the USA with only a minimum of modifications, he brought over about 30 of these cars mostly 67 model 250s and SE models. A pagoda or two, and a few coupes and 300 models.
The term Grey Market Car hadn't been invented yet.

When we needed to make repairs on these cars the local Benz dealer was very uncooperative, and would not sell us any manuals or special tools, so we got most of our information from third party repair manuals, Motors and Mitchell, but the special tools we had to make our own, At the time even metric hand tools were hard to come by, Sears and Snap On could get them but they had to be ordered from the catalog.

Oh did I mention that my dad also designed and manufactured the Wunderbug kits for making a VW beetle look like a 37 Ford.



If you could zoom in on the grille badge you'd see the Lieffring name is on there.



Al Lieffring
66 230SL

[jeffc280sl]

Here is my version of Al's wiper greasing tool.  The challenge for anyone making a tool is to find the nut that secures the wiper spindle to the body.  I think it is M16x1 and I found one on an old MB in the junk yard.  Its brass btw.  I filed the corners of the nut down and then reamed the threaded copper fitting shown in the attached pic.  Once I got a pretty good fit I soldered the nut to the copper fitting.  I bought a couple of M6 zerk fittings and then drilled a hole in the copper cap.  Under the cap there is a 10mm nut that secures the zerk.

My thanks to Al for the great idea.  I just had to have one.

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Jeff C.
1970 280SL 4-speed

[pagoden]

Long ago & far away I trained on Robos under the man who brought them to feasibility, Gordon Lieffring. As a liason to owners/field support tech,I was exposed to the tender art of trouble-shooting the intricate circuitry of control panels with the human hand --no need for a meter with cumbersome leads, oh no-- by his brother, newly retired from air force fighter maintenance.  There were lots of multi-contact time-delay relays, a camshaft with as many as a dozen adjustable-profile lobes running microswitches, and circuits carrying juice from 24VDC to 240/440 3-phase in there, & we were in the machine room of a car wash -- read 'pervasive moisture'! (Honestly, the trouble-shooting nearly always took place in the first of the 24-72 hours of initial shakedown/setupgrand opening -- much drier.)  Ah, those were the days. Sigh. (We did pretty seriously avoid the 3-phase.) Today,all that complexity still exists but in non-moving gizmos encased in epoxy blocks about the size of a book. Sigh again.        But I digress:
   Gordon Lieffring was widely known and admired, relied upon to figure it out and provide a way to get it done. I was priveledged to benefit from exposure to the man and some of his work.

[al_lieffring]

quote:Originally posted by 3-point roadster

Long ago & far away I trained on Robos under the man who brought them to feasibility, Gordon Lieffring. As a liason to owners/field support tech,I was exposed to the tender art of trouble-shooting the intricate circuitry of control panels with the human hand --no need for a meter with cumbersome leads, oh no-- by his brother, newly retired from air force fighter maintenance.  There were lots of multi-contact time-delay relays, a camshaft with as many as a dozen adjustable-profile lobes running microswitches, and circuits carrying juice from 24VDC to 240/440 3-phase in there, & we were in the machine room of a car wash -- read 'pervasive moisture'! (Honestly, the trouble-shooting nearly always took place in the first of the 24-72 hours of initial shakedown/setupgrand opening -- much drier.)  Ah, those were the days. Sigh. (We did pretty seriously avoid the 3-phase.) Today,all that complexity still exists but in non-moving gizmos encased in epoxy blocks about the size of a book. Sigh again.        But I digress:
   Gordon Lieffring was widely known and admired, relied upon to figure it out and provide a way to get it done. I was priveledged to benefit from exposure to the man and some of his work.

Wow its a small world, (wiping a small tear from corner of my eye)

I can rember when I would go into the equipment room of a car wash no matter where in the USA it was, written in marker on the wall next to the telephone was "Gordon" and our home phone number.
Sadly my father passed away in 2000 and his brother Arnold about 2 years later.

We all loved to hear Arnold, "Unkl Slim" tell of his adventures in the S.A.C. stationed in the unending night of Tulei Greenland, or working on Skunk Works spy planes in Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico.

I suddenly miss them both very much.
Happy New year to all Ya'll

Al Lieffring
66 230SL

[graphic66]

Heres one I have posted before, http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/bleeder.htm
 Fun to make and very helpful. I have also fashioned a tire filling valve and hoses attached to my heater core to bench test it for leaks. Pump it up to 15 psi with my bicycle pump and let it sit overnight. You can also check the radiator using a mountain bike inner tube cut in half clamped to the radiator openings to pressure test the radiator on the bench. Well I guess it's off to the shop to make my wiper grease fitting tool.

[Michel Richard]

Great thread !

In the process of putting my 230 back on the road for the new season, I discovered that my wipers did'nt work anymore.  I traced the problem to the driver side wiper shaft.  I spent the weekend squirting loose nut on it and got it moving.  The wiper motor is now able to move it, but it's still a little sluggish.
Then I found this thread and the pictures of the tools made and thought . . . "Bet I can make one of those"  I found a nut on a wiper assembly from something else and found it was the same thread (but it takes a 22 mm wrench, instead of 19 on the Mercedes).  I had a short piece of steel tubing, a couple of small pieces of plate, a bit of silver solder and voilà !
 
Quite happy with the way it turned out.  I'll try to post a picture of the fitting on the car, tomorow and will report how it works.

Cheers

Michel Richard

[Michel Richard]

And another.  First time I post pictures, will have to figure out how to attach more than one ! 

[66andBlue]

Since I do not have one of these ingenious greasing tools I tried to get the wire snap ring off the shaft to take the shaft out and clean it but had no success.  
I could not get behind the ring to pry it off and trying to push on both sides to slide it across didn't work either. Any ideas out there how to get the ring off?  What next?

[66andBlue]

Success - and now I can answer my own questions.  
I had tried to use snap ring pliers before but after looking a bit more closely at my photo I decided to file down the tips just a bit so they would fit into the groove and not slip away. It worked!
After clamping the assembly into a vice, I inserted the tips, pressed down on the pliers and spread the ring apart. After a few trials the ring would not snap back but stayed open  a little and could be removed.
Here are photos showing the shaft and the parts.  Now I need to find the right grease.

[thelews]

Anybody know for sure what this is?  It came with a tool kit I got a while ago.  Wheel aligning tool?

The black sheath slides off.  Has a clip like you'd hang it on a pocket.

[mbzse]

Anybody know for sure what this is?

This is the wheel mounting pin for a W108 M-B sedan. The plastic clip is for hanging the pin in the luggage compartment,
on the rear vertical wall.  Part No was 110 899 00 10 for clip and 110 581 02 74 for the pin

We have an identical pin in our W113's; however, it is fitted in a "pocket" in the flap of the vinyl spare wheel cover.

If you order such a part today, the pin is aluminium and longer
/Hans in Sweden

.

[thelews]

Thank you.  That's what I guessed it was, but for the life of me, couldn't figure out why someone would carry it in their pocket!  I'll have to go double check that the tool is in my 113 spare tire cover.

BTW, it cleaned up really nicely, I'll have to post a picture.

[280SE Guy]

John,

Here is a picture of mine mounted in trunk of my W108:



Regards,

280SE Guy

[thelews]

Yep, found it right with the lug wrench in the spare tire cover of the 113.  Never noticed it before!

This one cleaned up nicely.  Must be worth $500, right?

[114015]

This one cleaned up nicely.  Must be worth $500, right?

Yes, John...,

That part is _well worth_  $$ 5 - 10 in good condition, maybe a bit more. 

I had none for my cars and got them from bargain bins on classic car flea markets.
The one who pays more for it is stu..... well..., may has to much $$

 
Best,
Achim