talking of the oil pan skid plate, I remember when I was in high school and had two of the young women riding with me to a school outing, in then my dads 280SL. We were going through Beverly Hills on Beverly Drive and they had this BIG dip when you got to small Santa Monica Blvd. The SL went in the what I call this sink hole and totaled the radiator.
Since my dad was out of town on business I quickly brought his car to then Hollywood Mercedes-Benz for repair before he got home. Well it was not to much later that week he must of got the bill and was cussing up a storm that the work was not done right and Why was I driving his car and not my Fiat?
I don't think it was too much longer he added the skid plate and HD coil springs to the underside of the car, he too must of bottomed out some were along the way.
by the way the grommets for the skip plate are still availible I got a set from Tom Hanson.
Bob Geco