Barn Find

[snowyt 69]

The Saga Continues

Work on Snow White now comes down to the bits and pieces. The windshield washer pump is indeed seized, so I have ordered another one. This is the only part left to function that must in order for Snow White to pass an Ontario Safety Standards Certificate. I am still assuming the brakes will function and that she will drive down the road in basically a straight line. All of this is still in the future, as it continues to snow down here, and with the snow comes the salt on the roads. Only when the snow is gone and the salt has been washed away by the spring rains will Snow White come off her blocks and go for a drive. Then I will know for sure.
In the meantime, there is much to do. I took the hard top off and carted it into my basement. The underside is stained with neglect, having spent the last thirty years on a shelf in a garage. Not bad really, but needs attention. On My List.
I raised the convertible top, not because I wanted to look at the top itself, which I already knew was toast owing to a serious mouse hole. But I wanted to assess the frame. It seems of a piece and to function, though a little stiff after thirty years in the boot. Plus it is still a tad cold here, so I didn’t really want to do anything radical. But I straightened it out, the rubbers look pretty good, and it is neither bent nor rusty. The springs are all in place. I checked.
Next I took the seats out of the car. 4 10 mm bolts each. It is way easier to clean them inside where it is warm than in the car and besides, this allows me a look at the floors and what not.
The floors are hit them with a hammer solid. I know this because I hit them with a hammer. I was listening for a ring, and a ring is what I heard.
Everything was going so well I decided to drop the interior light out. This took ten seconds to figure out. The bulb was burned out.
Yet when I dropped the housing down, a shower of shells and crap fell out with it.
In this moment I was seized with a profound sadness. I have been dealing with shells and neglect since the day I bought the lovely Snow White, but this moment took me by surprise.
I sat staring at this pile of stuff for many moments. I was not sure what I was feeling.
Then it became clear. I was angry. I was mad. A silly light housing seemed to sum it all up.
Snow White is not a mouse nest. How could she have come to be a mouse nest? How could anyone have allowed this to happen?
“What were you thinking?” I asked aloud. “Don’t you get it? Cars like this don’t exactly grow on trees! You had something special in the palm of your hand, and this is what you did?”
I gathered myself up, and patted the lovely Snow White’s fender.
“This is a travesty my friend,” I told her. “This should never have happened. None of this should have happened. You should have been celebrated all along.”
I put a new bulb in the socket and it worked of course. Everything works. This is not a mouse nest. This is a car.
Bit by bit, I will undo all that has been done. Bring her back to life. This is not some rusted out bucket of bolts.
This is Snow White.
And eight weeks from now, she is going to sing again.

[Ulf]

You should seriously consider writing something - a novel, a movie, an article - just write something!
I really hope that spring comes to you soon, you must feel like a penniless kid outside a candy store

Keep the saga coming :-)

Ulf

[thelews]

Hi Snow,

Are you going to remove all of the underdash panels to check for more nest feathering?

Any pictures?  Especially of the blockage.

Thanks,
John

[Peter van Es]

You should seriously consider writing something - a novel, a movie, an article - just write something!

Pagoda World ? For all out benefits!

[snowyt 69]

Rad Blockage And Other Thoughts

Am I going to drop the dash panels and check for mouse evidence? I sort of hoped I wouldn’t have to, but the way things are going, I just might.
I have to take the driver’s door panel off, as the driver’s window will not go all the way down. Dan tells me there is some trim bit that has fallen off and is jamming things, so this procedure is on my list. If I find mouse shells in there, I just might go completely off the deep end.
I showed Dan the picture of the rad blockage. He went, “What is that?” Like me, he’d never seen such a sight before. I tried to post the picture, as I thought it would be of use to anyone who might, like I have, found a Pagoda that has been sitting for a considerable length of time. I tried re-naming the picture, re-sizing the picture, emailing it to myself and up-loading it, but my inability to make it post frustrated me so I simply gave up. I will simply post the whole lot on youtube in the spring. This process takes all of five seconds, and I can post all five hundred images at once.
I have been writing since I was twelve years old. Wrote my first of many novels at 19. Shopped it around to no takers. Re-read this act of genius when I was about 27 and was appalled by how bad it was. So I burned it in my fireplace.
Wrote so many words on my Smith/Corona (this is before the computer by the way), that the keys fell off! I could not help myself. I simply like to write.
I felt bad for the trees that died to produce the paper for my first manuscript. But along the way, I wrote some pretty interesting stuff. The best of it I still have. Would I like to share it? Of course. But in order to share it I still need what I always needed, and that was to get lucky. I have no clout in the publishing world. No contacts. No pedigree. An editor’s desk is snowed by a million submissions a day, most of which are garbage. They tend to be a tad jaded.
But, as the saying goes, I’m not dead yet.
I write to you the story of Snow White, and it is a true story by the way. What I have told you is what I have felt and done, from the beginning.
It is my belief that all I am doing is putting into words what many of you feel about your cars. I look around this sight, I glean information, and I get help from people I will never know. For all of this I am grateful.
I love machines, all machines, and have since I was a kid. I have been taking apart everything in my path since I was four years old. But most of all I love fine machines. Snow White is but the latest in my path.
I will put her back together. Rid her of neglect. Make her sing like she is supposed to.
And in singing, she will sing for all of you.
The song you feel, but simply do not know how to type.

[J. Huber]

While we are on the idea of removing your under dash panels. One thing you must check -- and if I have a captive audience because of this fine thread, all the better -- you must check the small drain hoses that run from the cowl vent at the base of the windshield, through the dash and out the firewall. These are often deteriorated and outside water will quickly become inside water. The result is usually rusted floorboards. Don't ask...

[Bonnyboy]

Hey Mister Snow White.  Love your comments and would love to purchase the story of your find when you put it all together.   I too have a Fairy Tale character which I have named Benita the Sleeping Beauty.    She is still sleeping, north of the 54th parallel, and has been for the past 15 years.  I expect a similar awakening process which will have to be done with the utmost care so as not to scare her.  I feel like the Beast from Beauty and the beast - what if she doesn't like me when she wakes up.  I know I don't deserve her but I hope she falls for me the way I have been smitten with her for the past 3 years. 

Now that she is paid for, the next step is to gingerly lay her on a trailer and bring her to her new home sometime this year.   

Best of luck,  I hope to be writing a similar story next spring.  In the meantime - let me know how much for a signed copy of your Snow White - it would look great sitting under my print from Guy Allen.

Ian in North Vancouver

[snowyt 69]

IAN

Many thanks for your offer to purchase the story of Snow White. Now all I have to decide is whether to hold out for a toonie, or simply flog the story for a buck.
With regards to Benita the Sleeping Beauty I can only wish you well. She can not help but return your affection, just so long as you prove yourself worthy by a shower of love and buckets of money. Especially buckets of money!
The saga of Snow White is a different one for me. Ordinarily, such a purchase I would not touch with a ten-foot pole. It is easier, and way more expedient, to simply buy another man’s pride and joy, which for whatever reason he can no longer support. You know. The Pagoda he has spent a hundred thousand dollars and ten years of his time on, only to find the market cratering, his wife complaining, and a divorce looming. After he tires of the time wasters on Ebay, you show up at his door with 30 grand in cash and walk away with a prize.
Normally, this is how I would go about such a purchase.
But Snow White was not a normal purchase.
Not only did I not have the slightest intention of buying her, I didn’t even know what she was till I showed up at the door. I knew she was white. A Mercedes convertible. 1969. Four flat tires. The whole thing was a lark.
It was only when I saw what I saw, what I felt what I felt, what I guessed at, that I was moved. Bob, June’s wife, was so honest and so obviously not a car guy that this added to the picture. He was not trying to lie to me. He was dismayed to see the mouse hole in the roof. Couldn’t imagine how it could have got there.
So when I bargained for Snow White, I bargained for a resurrection. This is way different than a restoration. I knew from the outset that Snow White didn’t need to be restored. She was basically of a piece. What she needed was love and attention.
I paid exactly one thousand dollars more than my ultimate cut off price for Snow White. The price I had said I wouldn’t exceed. And then I did anyway.
Hey, it was cold and I needed a coffee.
Every step of the way since, Snow White has helped me along the way. Outside of a fuel pump, a couple of fuses, a couple of bulbs, and about ten thousand hours of time and rubbing compound, she is really starting to rock.
I guessed right Ian. I hope you have guessed right with Benita. And by the way North Vancouver rocks. I lived there when I was a kid.
And should Snow White roar down the highway in the spring like she's supposed to, it may even cost you a fin for the story!
Laughing.
Mr. Snow White
(I think the moniker is cute).
 

[gwuisman]

Hi Mr. Snowyt,

I have read your story with much interest. Very nice written too!

I have been through a same procedure some six years ago with which would become the ‘new’ daily driver of my wife. A BMW E21 315 dating 1982 which was garaged and neglected during 12 years.

After all those years the gas was not gummed - thanks to Dutch quality? - but smelled awful and after changing all fluids, battery, sparkplugs and spraying during 2 weeks the pistons, the engine fired up in a split of a second and spins nicely up until today. I was advised to execute the first run using a can of engine cleaner in stead of gas. If it helped, I don't know but up until now no damage from using it has appeared. And after cleaning the interior, the exterior and changing the original also flat tires, my wife started to drive in a like brand new car which only had driven 40.000 km.

The owner had used the car only in nice weather. If not he took the bus. After he died the seven heirs could not agree on who would get the car. So they registered it on the name of their mother who did not have a driving license and lived in an elderly home for mental ill people. They forgot about the car until the garage had to be sold after 12 years. Then they decided to sell the car outside the family in order to end their family fights. I paid 500 Euros for it.

Geard Wuisman 1971 280sl

[snowyt 69]

The First Real Fester

Rang up Dave my tire guy last week only to find he was on holiday. It is no wonder. Once the snow goes for good down here you can’t even get Dave on the phone. The line up of people changing their snow tires for summer ones goes literally round the block. You can wait for hours at such times.
There is a hint of snow in the forecast, but this nightmare of changing tires is probably two weeks away at best.  I am not worried. Snow White isn’t going in for tires, only her rims are. They will go in the back of the Bus, and this whole process will take under an hour. I will bolt them on when I get home.
Someone asked me about the make of tire Dave recommended. They are Toyo Extensa’s. 195/75/R14’s. I thought they were 195/70’s until I looked at the figures he’d written on the back of his card. $109.00 each, installed and balanced, taxes extra, plus some Toyo rebate. I never second-guess Dave about tires. I can’t even count how many I’ve bought over the years. For myself. My friends. Clients. I trust Dave, and well I should. I have never had a bad tire in 20 years.
But seeing as I need tires, well I need brakes. You know, to stop the tires. So I grabbed my 320-grit emery cloth and buffed off the surface rust on the disks. This took all of two minutes a disk, as really they are quite fine despite the length of time they’ve spent as mouse nest disks. Got to the driver’s front disk last of all (luck of the draw), and found it seized. As in SEIZED! I couldn’t move it a bit.
Hmm. I broke out a serious screwdriver and put it across the bolts of the rotor. When this didn’t work, I resorted to my breaker bar. Nothing. Hmm.
It wasn’t seized when I bought the car. None of the brakes were. But now here we are, 4 months later, and it is seized.
I finally loosened the bleeder bolt, a dribble of fluid came out, and now I could move the pads away from the disk and remove them.
Tried to bleed the calliper to no avail. Tried the other front one to no avail. The backs both work. Looked at the rusted out hulk of a master cylinder and went okay.
So I have simply ordered a new master cylinder. Flex lines all round. Will bench bleed my new master cylinder when it arrives (I have done this before), install the new lines, bleed everything, and hope I get brakes.
I kind of need them.
I’ll keep you posted.
Mr. Snow White

[snowyt 69]

APRIL 11

Was a lovely day here in southern Ontario. 22 degrees. Warm breeze from the south. A perfect day for lowering one’s mouse nest off her blocks and taking her for her inaugural drive.
After watching Canada Post do its best imitation of stasis, my master cylinder, flex lines, and yet another seal (this one for the convertible top cover) finally arrived. It took me all of forty minutes to put the four flex lines in place. Took a lot longer to get them out by the way, but nothing terrible.
If you should ever need to replace your master cylinder, by all means bench-bleed it first. This you do on the ground or on your workbench. You simply fill the master cylinder through the two rubber fill grommets where the reservoir is going to go. When the brake fluid stops draining in, you simply pump the piston by hand, adding fluid as you go, until it happily spurts out the three outlets. Takes a surprising amount of fluid. Makes a mess too.
Bolted the master in place last night, and connected the three lines.
“Tomorrow is the day Hank,” I said to my brother on the phone.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied.
So with the sun shining and the wind howling we went round the car, bleeding the brakes. Right rear, left rear, right front, left front. Then again. Then again. And finally, with the car running and the brake booster working, again.
“How’s the pedal Hank?”
“Firm as a dog turd in February!”
“I love dog turds in February! Let’s bolt on the tires and go for a run!”
The tires we bolted on were Toyo Extensas, 195/70/R14’s. Dave apologised for the lack of 190/75/R14’s. They were perhaps on or not on a boat from Sendai, Japan. As in tsunami Japan. He didn’t know when they might arrive. So I simply bought what he had in stock. I will deal with speedometer error as it might be. Besides, Snow White will probably handle better on such rubber.
Bolted on the tires, put the plates from the Sewing Machine on her, and we were off.
Top down, no insurance, fake plates, and we had transmission psychosis. Hunting up and down despite the fact we were only going around the block.
Back in the driveway, only to find the transmission short of fluid. I put back in what came out, but it was not enough. Put in another litre, and off to the races.
Now we’re talking! Smooth snap shifts, no hunting, no smoke from the tail pipe, nothing.
Grinning like idiots, my brother and I took turns at the wheel. Neither of us has ever owned a Mercedes before. I have driven one, my brother never. So it was fun. And we only went around the block!
We brought her home, topped up her fluids, and had a celebratory beer.
“She might well be the finest mouse nest on the planet,” says my brother.
You have to laugh.
Cheers.

[thelews]

How could you limit it to around the block?  Get that baby out and take her for a real spin...you know she wants it!  And she looks nice too.

Got mine out on Sat., cranked and started like I never turned it off in Dec.  Off I went, 25 miles, up to 85 mph and she ran like a pro!

[Louis]

Congratulations on reaching the inaugural first ride milestone....From your description , it was worth the cost of admission.

[Ulf]

Good to hear that your hard work finally paid off - I admire your patience, I would have had a hard time holding myself back until everything was ready :-)

Ulf

[Peter van Es]

Lovely looking for a(n) (ex) mouse nest!

[thelews]

I'd imagine Snow White just like this...

[thelews]

And this...

[snowyt 69]

Wow!
Can I buy it?
Oh wait a minute...I own it.
Thanks John.
Mr. Snow White

[Iconic]

What ? THAT is the ex-mouse nest?
Mr. Snow White, you scored big !!
That car looks nice. Real nice.
But, why did you have John (thelews) post the pictures? Because he loves to post pictures ?  

Let's see, a '69 280 with rear disk brakes, headrests, factory shoulder harnesses, Euro headlights and no side marker and no bumper guards ....
That might be the best combination yet.

Congratulations on your first of many drives.

[thelews]

But, why did you have John (thelews) post the pictures? Because he loves to post pictures ?  

Let's see, a '69 280 with rear disk brakes, headrests, factory shoulder harnesses, Euro headlights and no side marker and no bumper guards ....
That might be the best combination yet.

1st question, because Michael was having difficulty with posting multiple pictures.

2nd point, Euro 280, hard inside door pockets too.

[snowyt 69]

THE MOUSE NEST LIVES

I bought Snow White on a seriously cold day in late November.
On a seriously rainy day in May (that would be today), I had her flat decked to Rob my man the mechanic at Autobahn Motors. Snow White was going for her Ontario Safety Standards Certificate check. She had to pass in order for me to license her, insure her, and drive her on the road.
Rob rang me up a couple of hours later.
“She’s ready to go. The clunking in the rear you told me about is the shock absorbers. They really should be replaced. Other than that, she looks to be one fine car. The front end is perfect. Brakes are perfect. Exhaust, lights, hard top. Even the radio works. Not that it matters, only I was curious.”
Armed with this simple piece of paper, I went and bought plates, had the ownership changed to indicate Snow White was a fit vehicle, and then I went for a ride. A proper ride.
The sun came out, the gods were smiling, and I topped up the rather large tank at 6 bucks the American gallon. $1.52 a litre for those inclined. The people at Visa love me.
I headed straight for the highway, and once there I did not stomp the pedal and see how fast Snow White could go. That will wait for another day. I simply cruised her up to speed, 110, 120 kilometres per hour. No drama. Tracked straight and true. Didn’t wander, didn’t shake. Great visibility, even with the hard top in place. Nice noise from the engine. No smoke, no drama, and I was grinning like an idiot.
I turned around as the hour was getting late enough that traffic was soon to become a problem. In Toronto traffic is spelt TRAFFIC. As in get out and walk it’s faster.
I get maybe two kilometres headed home and Snow White starts to sputter. Vroom, stutter, vroom, stutter. I am no longer grinning like an idiot. I’m going “Uh oh”.
The further I go, the worse she runs. I finally get off the highway at the exit maybe five kilometres from my house. I roll up to the stoplight and Snow White proceeds to die. And when I say die, I mean DIE.
I have nothing. No starter. No lights. Not even the four way flashers.
I prop up the hood and wave the irate drivers behind me on. Grab my toolbox from behind the seats and get to work.
It takes me ten seconds to find that the positive lead to the battery has come adrift. It’s the most obvious place to look. Shove it back into place, crank on the four-way flashers, and then bolt it down tight. The whole process takes all of three minutes.
Nothing like a decent electrical connection. Snow White fires instantly to life, and I drive her home the secondary roads as I am rattled. She never misses a beat.
I will take her out again tomorrow, wake her up bit by bit. No need to hurry.
And thus the saga of Snow White comes to an end. When I started telling you the story, it was to get to this moment in time. Could I make her function again as she is supposed to? Could I bring my lovely mouse nest back to life? The answer is yes.
My time I give freely. I did not count the hours, but let us just say lots. I have stared at her, talked to her, and asked her what to do next. I have yelled at her, cursed her, and apologised for my stupidity. I have rubbed her flanks down with rubbing compound and vacuumed shells till I thought I’d go mad.
But in the end I am here today. My car runs. She lives. She is stunning and beautiful to look at and drive.
And this is what is all about. It is about the car. It is about Snow White. Back from the dead. Another Pagoda among the living.
And should my friends say to me on some future date, “We found this picture in a garage. It hasn’t been looked at in ten years. It’s covered in mouse shells. We can’t make out the name but we think it is Rembrunt. What’s it worth?”
“I’ll bring cash,” is all I’ll say.
Art is art.

[Louis]

Beautiful car tale . I got a little shaken at the sputtering part but quickly recovered once you indicated the cause.  I'm glad it has turned out so pleasantly......

[thelews]

A Pagoda fairy tale so appropriately named.

[Iconic]

Fantastic.
Congratulations.
Enjoy the ride !!!

[71Beige280SL]

Fabulous story! I had my inaugural drive in my 280SL last weekend in Ohio. I can completely relate to your "grinning like an idiot" description. I couldn't stay out of the garage (it rained Saturday morning) or the car (when the sun came out and the roads dried). Darn near slept in the car. Enjoy Snow White!