Needed: Pagoda World Material

[rwmastel]

Hello Group!

It's that time again; I need to ask all of you for material for the next Pagoda World.  I'll have another piece from Klaus on interior colors, but that's only a start.  It would be great to have articles and pictures for:

- PUB 2007 (The MBCA article is a great starting point, but we have room for more text in Pagoda World.)
- UK Event at Brooklands
- Mid-Atlantic Gathering at Tom's
- Dan's 30th Anniv. Party (How many of our members attended?)

If anyone has any article ideas, even if you don't feel comfortable writing them yourself, please send me an e-mail through the forum (click on my username).

Here are some ideas, including what some past articles coverer:
 - cleaning (paint, chrome, etc)
 - maintenance (easy DIY, more advanced, best tools)
 - diagnostics (electrical troubleshooting, fuel problems)
 - repairs (things for new owners or the experienced shade tree mechanic)
 - restoration (components (horns!) or whole cars)
 - custom Pagoda modifications (modern items installed, mechanical upgrades, security items, etc.)
 - personal Pagoda experiences (Pagoda vacations, mechanical problems, buying/selling, etc.)

Also, what events are coming up?  There must be something important to announce or promote?

Remember, the magazine is all about sharing our Pagoda-related ideas, knowledge, and experiences.

Thanks!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Updated on 10 Jan. 2008  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the suggestions, I'll act on as many as I can.  Please keep them coming, more is always better!

Incentives for Material:
- Give a full (paying) member a membership extension.  Perhaps one month?
- Give extra copies of Pagoda World for published articles or cover art.

Regular or Reoccuring Articles:
- Member Biographies (interesting people)
- Pagoda Biographies (interesting cars)
- Pagoda Codes (in progress, by Klaus Drexl)
- Pagoda Drives (interesting roads and destinations)
- Highlight and enhance the best Forum threads
- Reprint John Olsen's Price Trends for Pagodas, as available
- DIY Repairs (rebuild or repair front/rear axle, brakes, exhaust, etc.)
- Professional Repairs (motor rebuild, inj. pump rebuild, etc.)

One Time Articles, This Issue (#10):
- Pagoda SL Group Event, UK (by ??)
- Pagoda SL Group Event, Blacklick (by Michael Salemi)
- Tire & wheel balancing, tools & terminology (by Michael Salemi)
- How to find a good mechanic or shop for your Pagoda (by Mathieu)

One Time Articles, Future Proposals:
- Best reprints from Mercedes Collector
- Reprint MBCA "Technical Reprint #1"
- Pagoda Safety, What was Originally Engineered and What We Can Improve
- Pagoda Engineering Mistakes
- Very High Milage Pagodas
- History of the 250 SL, "Middle Child Syndrome"
- Tools (home made, special purpose, etc.)
- Ladder type electrical diagram arranged by logic, circuit, and function  (by Glenn Fiscus)


Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL: arabian gray, natural leather, euro, auto, both  tops
2006 C230: alabaster white, 6-speed manual, no options

[rwmastel]

Nobody?

If we get no materials contributed, Pagoda World will not be published.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL: arabian gray, natural leather, euro, auto, both tops
1994 E420: pearl black, black leather, auto
2006 C230: alabaster white, 6-speed manual, no options

[hauser]

I'll look through my pic collection and email them to you.

1969 280sl 5 spd
Gainesville, Fl.

[Douglas]

quote:Originally posted by rwmastel

Nobody?

If we get no materials contributed, Pagoda World will not be published.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL: arabian gray, natural leather, euro, auto, both tops
1994 E420: pearl black, black leather, auto
2006 C230: alabaster white, 6-speed manual, no options

I predicted this would happen back when I was editor. In fact, it's one of the reasons I stepped down.

I'd like to make the same suggestion I made back then—you should offer people some token extension of a full membership (1 month?) for writing an article. Otherwise, you'll simply go begging every couple of months to that same small universe of individuals who are inclined to write. How many articles can you reasonably expect these same people to write?

Mind you, this is not payment; it's a token of appreciation. Nobody is going to do it for the monetary value. I would even go so far as to say it would show some respect for the writer's time and help.


Douglas Kim
New York
USA

[J. Huber]

Another angle that might encourage some responses... Member Bio & accompanying photo(s) of cars. Not so much one's life story but maybe a little insight into:

why the Pagoda?
what's unique about it?
how long have you had it?
An interesting story or two.
A favorite or informational pic

It could be structured in the sense that we agree to the questions & format (so they stay fairly similar in length, content, etc.) It could be an ongoing section?

James
63 230SL

[rwmastel]

Hauser,
Thanks, I can always use pictures.  I'm sure you have some from Joe's "PUB" event.

Douglas,
Hi.  I also knew it would get more difficult over time, but since Pagoda World is now only every 6 months, I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad.  At one time I offered an extra copy to people who submitted a front or back cover photo.  Extending the membership is another good incentive.  I'm sure people with more creative minds than I could create a better method.

James,
Yes, membership biographies have been mentioned before and I think they're a good idea.  So, are you volunteering to perform the interviews?  At lease maybe the interview format?  


Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL: arabian gray, natural leather, euro, auto, both tops
1994 E420: pearl black, black leather, auto (FOR SALE)
2006 C230: alabaster white, 6-speed manual, no options

[Kemal]

Hi Rodd
I would be more then happy to send the pictures I have from the UK Event !
However, I'm sure you have them already from Peter & Cees Co drivers ! [ As on this site ]

I would love to help with the articles, unfortunately at present I am still learning. (' :| ')

[ I feel I have to say the above as I am using this site virtually everyday and feel guilty not being able to contribute, as yet ! ] (' ')

Kemal (' ')
280 SL Manual 69

[paulr]

I would be happy to contribute a readers profile if it was in a questionnaire form. I have been reluctant in the past because of the lack of "information boundaries" , ie. where do stop before becoming boring.

paulr
lovely 1970 280 SL

[JamesL]

How about we start a regular section/page "favourite drives"... that way, anyone can participate, with pictures and perhaps a map....

[France]

Hi Guys,

Don't get me wrong...while I like the idea of getting to know all of you better, we need to remember that the Internet is a "lurky" place--you never know who's listening and for what purpose.  James' idea is probably the way to go; keep it general and on point.  Douglas and Rodd, as someone who produced a quarterly newsletter, a yearly scholarly journal, and a pre-wiki Licensing Manual, I know how much work it takes to produce the World: a lot.  Again, you can send anything to me for editing now that I have fast Internet in all locations!

Trice
1968 280SL US, signal red/bl leather, auto, kinder seat
Sarasota FL; Alsace France; Switzerland
Think of your Pagoda as a woman with a past...

[Douglas]

quote:Originally posted by rwmastel


Douglas,
Hi.  I also knew it would get more difficult over time, but since Pagoda World is now only every 6 months, I was hoping it wouldn't be too bad.  At one time I offered an extra copy to people who submitted a front or back cover photo.  Extending the membership is another good incentive.  I'm sure people with more creative minds than I could create a better method.


Rodd

Rodd,

Here's a thought: you could create 10 years of articles entirely from all of Bob Possel's projects over the past couple years.... :-)

Seriously though, getting good material to publish is a problem that will never go away. It's part of the job. Nonetheless, there are a couple of things the group can do:


1. As the editor, you should personally solicit articles on specific topics from people who have shown some interest in a particular area. I think you already do this to some degree, but it's really the only way to get anything decent so you should really rely on this method.

2. Re-print valuable articles from previous publications that most people have never seen. Frank Mallory's Mercedes Collector had a lot of jewels of information and we have permission from his widow to reprint those articles. An article on wood restoration Frank did comes to mind.

3. Offer some kind of token incentive out of respect for the writers' time. Cees refused to back this because he felt any submissions should be entirely a "labor of love." Well, it's pretty clear the current system is not working & I suspect it's not from a lack of "love."

4. Keep a thread active in the forums about topics people would like to see fully fleshed out in a PW article. As editor, you would have to make an ongoing effort to keep this thread alive, so it's not as simple as creating a folder. You'd have to add to it all the time & spark some conversation. Here are a couple of topics I could envision: a safety article would be terrific. That photo that someone posted of a front-end collision was really interesting.  I could see a whole article with pix of various rollovers, etc. As the editor, you'd then privately solicit that particular article from someone who's inclined to write it.  Other possible topics: Profiles of High-Mileage SLs, The History of the 250 SL ("The Middle Child Syndrome"), Pagoda Engineering Mistakes ("20/20 Hindsight")....

5. John Olson's Price Trends Report was valuable info. Why not continue that column?

6. Publish at least part of PW online. It'll help attract writers out there, be a little ego boost to existing writers who'll enjoy seeing their articles widely distributed, and help boost membership.


I hope that's helpful. I really do want PW to work out and I admire anyone who's willing to take on such a formidable task.

Douglas Kim
New York
USA

[merrill]

Rodd,
I think douglas has a good idea... I was just thinking about submitting a thought about articles for restoring these cars as a DIY.


there are a lot of members that do many repairs / restoration themselves.  (recalling a thread about replacint the bearing on the rear axles).

if many of us do our own work then maybe a series over time about different tasks an individual can take on leaving certain items for the pros?  some of these probably exist here or in other forums.

DIY  for example
rebuilding rear axle
rebuilding front axle
r/r motor, tranny, etc..
rebuilding heater controlls
maintenance stuff like r/r thermostat, points etc?
replacing front hood spring (always pops up now and then)

maybe a home made tool column,  we all have come up with something now and then....

Things for the pro's
Motor rebuild (at least machinining)
auto trany rebuild
inj pump rebuild
distro rebuild

I will shoot you an e mail with one Idea I can submit.

thanks



Matt
Austin Tx
66 230 sl - "white"
78 300 D - Blue
98 C230

[JamesL]

Tell you what I'd like to see

Tools....

For some basic/intermediate jobs - like servicing, dismantling bits like getting to the wiper motor - what tools should be in your toolkit.

Nothing worse than starting a job than  getting into it and finding you don't have that vital 12.7mm ring spanner. So, anyone have a definitive list of what is needed in a real toolkit (rather than the expensive ebay versions)

[Peter van Es]

quote:Originally posted by France

...while I like the idea of getting to know all of you better, we need to remember that the Internet is a "lurky" place--you never know who's listening and for what purpose.

That should not be a problem... Pagoda World is an old-fashioned, paper only publication. Nothing to keep lurking and haunting you forever on the great internet!

Peter

Also known as 'admin@sl113.org' and organiser of the Technical Manual. Check out http://bali.esweb.nl for photographs of classic car events and my 1970 280SL.

[glennard]

Rodd, Been working this week on the 'Electrical Diagram'.  11" x 17", ladder type arranged by logic, circuit and function.  Hopefully easier to follow- and show that circuit that keeps the engine running!  I'll send you one in snail mail.

[DB280]

I receive the MB club magazine and also buy Mercedes Enthusiast.Although both fine publications they sometimes struggle to have new interesting articles despite having 100 years of Mercedes to choose from and every new model to test.The job of producing an interesting magazine on one model must be quite daunting.
Being new to this I have never seen a pagoda world magazine but would pay good money for a publication with technical articles and restoration guides as well as articles on specialists and suppliers.
I know there is a non commercial policy but these specialists are the life line for less technical people and parts people like Mervyn at MB of Poole are heaven sent but how many UK members have met him let alone know what he looks like.
I would willingly submit an article about a specialist in an unbiased way as I am unable to contribute anything on the technical side.  
Also maybe some general articles such as one about Mercedes world in the UK or the Mercedes museum in Germany would be of interest.

If any of the articles happened to feature the 'best' of internet submissions from the previouse 6 months that would be fine with me.I would much rather have a proper publication than a PC screen to look at.

[JamesL]

I am not sure if this is re-hashing old ground but...

if we are struggling for articles, why are we putting perfectly good material in Pagoda Notes?

Much as I like to hear from everyone, there's a duplication of sorts... Not sure what purpose it serves

The last two notes have had excellent tech tours, which I'll bet will end up in the manual thanks to Peter et al. The PUB write-up would surely have been a good piece for PW but there's now likely to be some duplication.

Hate to be a stick in the mud

[rwmastel]

You're not being a stick in the mud, it's a fair question.  I would have to dig up old conversations for details, but basically....

Pagoda Notes is supposed to be:
- A small publication.  That would allow it be easily produced on a frequent basis. Small stories or boiled down information from Forum threads.
- A basic publication.  That is minimal printing & processing costs.
- A timely publication.  This keeps the members more engaged with the Group.  Also, if anything needed to get to all members quickly (official club business or something), this would help in that function.

And Pagoda World is supposed to be:
- A large publication.  That would allow it to cover large stories or have lots of pictures and detailed information in the articles.
- A robust publication.  All pages will be in full color from now on.  I will continue to look for advertisers to help provide owners more options for parts & service suppliers, as well as off-set the publishing expenses.
- A less frequent publication.  The extended time provided to the editor (me) is supposed to help in gathering better quality material and allow for more production time (fancy layout, etc...).

I'm sure I've left out some of the reasoning, this was just off the top of my head.

Rodd
Pagoda Technical Manual: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php
1966 230SL: arabian gray, natural leather, euro, auto, both tops
2006 C230: alabaster white, ash interior.  Without: automatic transmission, sunroof, heated seats, full leather interior, full power memory seats, CD changer, Logic 7, Command, rain-sensing windshield wipers, rear window sun shade, headlight washers, electrically adjusted steering wheel, ....

[rwmastel]

quote:Originally posted by Douglas

Keep a thread active in the forums about topics people would like to see fully fleshed out in a PW article. As editor, you would have to make an ongoing effort to keep this thread alive, so it's not as simple as creating a folder.

Keeping it alive!  See updates on my original post.

Rodd
Pagoda Technical Manual
please contibute: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php
1966 230SL
2006 C230 Sport Sedan

[rwmastel]

Here's the latest:

- I got a good amount of material for issue #10 so I already have a little to start with for #11.  Thanks!

- I'm trying to get an outline of questions and topics to use in Membership Profile interviews.  I plan on using this to perform the interviews so most write-ups will be similar in content or structure.  Of course, various topics will be discussed with different members, so these are not cookie cutter Q&A articles but instead unique and interesting stories about the members.

- I would like to start a series of articles where members submit an article about a vendor they respect and do repeated business with.  We had a lot of negativity last month, so I want to start high lighting positive experiences that will help other people who are trying to repair or restore their Pagoda.

- I'm hoping Glenn Fiscus will have his electrical diagram ready for issue #11.  If not, then we'll catch that next time around.

- I've been "off-line" a lot in the last 6 weeks, so I'm going to start reading the forums daily again and try to recruit articles from members who I find to have a particularly strong skill or passion regarding some specific thing.  Maybe this will yield some detailed reference articles.

- I'm going to ask the Board about some ideas for rewarding people for material used in Pagoda World.

- I'm going to try to come up with a good way to do a running contest for Pagoda World front/back cover art.

I hope this all helps make Pagoda World better, and more timely!

Thanks,

Rodd
Pagoda Technical Manual
please contibute: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php
1966 230SL
2006 C230 Sport Sedan