Spring Projects 2011

[J. Huber]

It seems like every year somebody starts one of these threads -- always fun to see what people have in the queue.
So I'll go first.

On the maintenance front, quite a bit of basic stuff.
1. Oil, Oil Filter  & Fuel Filter Change. (home)
2. Replace Plugs/ adjust points & check timing (home)

3. Change trans fluid
4. Coolant Flush
5. Bleed and renew brake fluid

Question: I am inclined to farm these three (above) out since I have never done them at home. Does anyone here want to convince me that I could handle them at home?

6. Door Panel replacement
7. Steering Shock replacement (a few years ago I replaced the 4 shocks & sway bar bushings but skipped this -- car handles great but thought it was something I could do this year to catch up)

again, with the steering shock? something I could do? or would we need a lift?

So thats mine for now -- who's next?

 

[49er]

Very timely topic. I will be bringIng my car down to my Mechanic this week or next (weather depending) for the following,

Replace shock absorbers (bilstein)
Replace tie rod ends - Alignment
Replace Motor Mounts
Replace Sub Frame mounts front
Replace Sub Frame Bushing rear
Replace Trailing Arm rubber Bushings
Exhaust rubber hangers
Lube Chassis
Oil/Filter change
Fuel filter change
trans fluid change
and few other miscellaneous items including some tweaking of the FI.

So James, have you had your fill of snow?? We had a "dusting" here Saturday morning.

John

[badali]

230 SL
Grease all fittings.
Maybe attempt subframe mounts and motor mounts.
Transmission fluid.

280 SE 4.5
Fuel injection hoses
Antifreeze
Clutch fan
Thermo time sensor
Spark plugs
Grease all fittings

[thelews]

It seems like every year somebody starts one of these threads -- always fun to see what people have in the queue.
So I'll go first.

On the maintenance front, quite a bit of basic stuff.
1. Oil, Oil Filter  & Fuel Filter Change. (home)
2. Replace Plugs/ adjust points & check timing (home)

3. Change trans fluid
4. Coolant Flush
5. Bleed and renew brake fluid

Question: I am inclined to farm these three (above) out since I have never done them at home. Does anyone here want to convince me that I could handle them at home?

6. Door Panel replacement
7. Steering Shock replacement (a few years ago I replaced the 4 shocks & sway bar bushings but skipped this -- car handles great but thought it was something I could do this year to catch up)

again, with the steering shock? something I could do? or would we need a lift?

So thats mine for now -- who's next?

 

1-5 , should do them BEFORE putting the car away for winter so that all the crap in the fluids is not sitting and coagulating over the winter.

My list.  Check the weather, start the car, enjoy!

[J. Huber]

Hey John from CA. Yes its pretty when it first shows up but gets old after a day or so... We got a foot or so, but its on the way out. The kids really loved having snow days. Me and Mommy? well...

Hey John from WI. I agree that fluids shouldn't sit for long. I am lucky enough to live in a place that only has a few mini-winters. And no salt on the roads. The rest of the time is good driving weather. So my car rarely sits for long (2 weeks would be a stretch). I did do the oil Fall before last but am a little tardy this season. Fuel filter/brakes and coolant have been a few years. But I'm with you on the enjoy the car part!

[Rolf]

Get my car back from the restorer's.
Get my bike out of the garage to make room for the car.
Take the hard top off and go for a cruise. But I may have to wait for a while. We still have snow on the ground from the 60 or inches we received this winter.
It doesn't get any better than this

[thelews]

Hey John from WI. I agree that fluids shouldn't sit for long. I am lucky enough to live in a place that only has a few mini-winters. And no salt on the roads. The rest of the time is good driving weather. So my car rarely sits for long (2 weeks would be a stretch). I did do the oil Fall before last but am a little tardy this season. Fuel filter/brakes and coolant have been a few years. But I'm with you on the enjoy the car part!

In that case, nevermind.

[J. Huber]

No, hey John, I appreciate the tip -- and good advice for all. I would imagine you got a bit of snow too, ya? And, looks like a few "snowbirds" have left Madison lately as well 

[joes]

Put fuel stabilizer and fog the cylinders in the snowmobiles.  Hope that driving weather comes sooner than later for the Pagoda!!!!

[thelews]

No, hey John, I appreciate the tip -- and good advice for all. I would imagine you got a bit of snow too, ya? And, looks like a few "snowbirds" have left Madison lately as well  

You know, I didn't notice where you live before posting.  Being in the upper right corner, I tend to miss it on this site because, er, nevermind.  

Yes, you CA folks have it good weatherwise, most of the time.  We were good here, nice warm weather, melted almost all of the snow and then BAM!  Last three days we've had about 13" of snow.  I'm sick of it.  Won't be long now until it's gone, I hope.  Good luck with your spring projects, although, why wait until spring with your weather?

As far as the other snowbirds leaving Madison...well, they'll be returning to a decidedly chillier reception.  Just about no one supports their actions.

[dseretakis]

1. Replace worn down to rotor right rear brake pads, right rear rotor, RR flexible and rigid lines and possibly caliper if stuck.
2. Oil and filter change.
3. Check manual transmission fluid level- hopefully low fluid vs worn clutch contributing to my shifting problems.
4. Coolant flush- maybe.
5. Start to tackle some of the much needed rust repairs-maybe.   

[jacovdw]

...
2. Replace Plugs/ adjust points & check timing (home)
...

Now James, if you move over to the Pertronix side of things, then you can strike this chore permanently off your list... 

If you can adjust your own valve clearances and set the dwell on points, then points 3 - 5 on your list would be a walk in the park.

[J. Huber]

Now James, if you move over to the Pertronix side of things, then you can strike this chore permanently off your list... 

If you can adjust your own valve clearances and set the dwell on points, then points 3 - 5 on your list would be a walk in the park.

Be careful what you ask for Jaco... If I switch to Pertronix, I'll be banging down your door for help.

And as far as whether I can do 3-5: I have been successful on the dwell/points front (thanks to a long and winding thread here) but have never touched the valves. Afraid to death of messing up the marvels under that cover. So 3-5 might be more like "a walk in the park after dark..."

However, I am thinking of starting a how-to thread here, similar to Adjusting Points 101. That helped me immensely and I bet it was useful to others. If you had to choose one task between Coolant Flush and Brake Fluid Change to teach which would you choose? Anyone else like to see a thread for one or the other?

[jacovdw]

I'll be more than happy to assist you with the Pertronix James, as I have taken lots of pictures during my conversion.

I reckon you should start with the coolant flush and then move on to the brakes.
If you have or have access to the right crows foot spanner (14mm for 230SL's), then adjusting the valves is not that difficult.
I find setting the dwell more tedious...

[peterm]

I need to address


annual oil and filter
tach noise
the growing puddle under the rear end of some sort of slow leaking fluids (thoughts?)

[Raymond]

Remove & replace carpet underlayment with dynamat
Find a way to modify driver's seat position to allo BK to drive without a pillow
Replace antenna
Remove and adjust clock
Replace heater/vent control levers
Replace dash speaker
Replace A/C blower
Replace O-ring in heater valve
Replace dash wood
Get a new back and knees because mine are gonna be shot after all that.

[J. Huber]

Well, add "shovel out driveway" to the list...

Raymond, interesting set of tasks ahead of you. I feel your back pain already...

Peter, tach noise could be the cable or else it might be time for a rebuild. We all have or will have to do it sometime. Palo Alto Speedometer is a good choice.

Jaco, you are on. If I get to the Pertronix, you're hired. And yes, I like the thought of doing the Coolant Flush first. Stay tuned!

[ted280sl]

It was time to take my car in for it's annual vehicle inspection. It seems that one of my rear calipers were leaking. My mechanic did both of my rear calipers, rotors and brakes. I also had him do the oil change. I have noticed I am leaking some hydaulic fluid from the clutch slave cyclindfer. I ordered a replacement but, it was the wrong part. The rebuild kit should arrive today and I will install that. I will do the points, plugs and rotor sometime in the Spring.
Ted
1969 280SL manual

[66andBlue]

High on my list was a thorough clean, wash and polish exercise. Here is the result after 2 days of 'spit and shine'.
Now it is time for a few excursions before the top comes down for the rest of the year.

[JamesL]

Already adjusted the windows and replaced windscreen to door window seals and the whispers on both sides

Must do
Service - plugs, fluids etc

Nice to do
123 - but already have a Crane that works well enough
Thicker sway bar

Saving to do
bodywork....

will do today
pool noodle in passenger seat
drive it,
then the 66andblue treatment

[Garry]

Hello Tosh,

Can you take some photos of what you are doing and put them on the forum.  I bought a noodle for just that job last weekend as one side of my passenger seat does not hold up well and am just waiting for  time to do the job.

cheers
Garry

[JamesL]

ayahhhh

Just finished the job....

10mm ratchet spanner/wrench is a must have - a regular ring would be painfully slow and there's no room for a socket.  Slide the seat all the way forwards, undo the back bolts. Slide it all the way back and do the front. Lift the seat out - it's heavy!

I created an "n" shape which I put along the front edge of the seat spring with the arms going down either side of the seat, about 1/3 - 1/2 way back. This is inside the springs  and the runners rather than between the leather and the frame. Then I cut (saw) a second piece of noodle and put that along the front edge behind/under? the top of my "n". This is at a narrower part of the spring mechanism so to stop it popping out, I used 4 cable ties to secure it.

Seat on the mounts, faff around a bit getting the bolts in place and off you go with the 10mm spanner. Fronts, then backs.

It does make a difference to the seat - I am a little higher up in the car which some may not like/need (and I am 188cm) but the support under the thighs is so much better than previously. My seats were restored in the 1990s so are not in bad shape but as a chap of some mass, find the extra support useful!

I thought about the Mechatronik seats (I sat in Tom Sargents car in Alsace) but they are higher again which put me off a bit.... and a pool noodle was a couple of quid (each) on Amazon

Sorry, must take pics next time

[don p]

I did this job over the winter also. Like tosh I used the noddle but I also slid a piece of carpet between the spring and the horse hair pad it was not easy sliding the carpet in but with pliers  I was able to pull it into place and covered  the whole bottom.
 My springs and hog nose clamps were still good but with 180k miles on the seats they were real soft and the carpet really firmed up the center of the seat.

[Larry & Norma]

I used a rubber backed carpet tile, almost the exact fit if i remember correctly together with a new pad.

[Garry]

James,

Did the noodle as you described and it is excellent. Wife now happy.  About to do drivers seat as well. Then I am happy

Garry