Yea for PUB@2011

[69280sl]

This PUB was the best ever. Bigger and better. Thanks and gratitude are due Joe and Mary, Alfred Esser, all the presenters and the many volunteers that helped in so many ways. The only way it could have been better for me would have been to have my Pagoda there.

Gus

[71Beige280SL]

I second that! I learned a lot. It was great meeting the people behind the avatars.

[Iconic]

I agree !!
Meeting all of you, checking out the plethora of Pagodas, an 800 mile round trip in mine, all of the conversations on the details of it all, was an unbelievably good time. Frankly, I'm not sure how I can wait two years.  :'(
Thank you to all for making it a great event.

[mdsalemi]

It was terrific to see old friends again, and meet new ones.

It was great to see the cars starting to run better as more and more people were helping each other on areas of expertise!

[al_lieffring]

I realy enjoyed meeting up with all you guys at Blacklick. Even if it's on a trailer, I promice to have a Pagoda at the next PUB.
Waquas was putting the pressure on me to put something in writing for Pagoda World. I so I will be starting on that too.
It was great fun thanks to Joe and Mary, great hosts for a great event.

[Jordan]

This was my first PUB and I have to say I was blown away.  It was absolutely fantastic, not only the opportunity to meet new people and put some faces to the names, but the opportunity to peruse other Pagodas.  I know I am not the only one to find out my dash drain holes are plugged.  A special thanks to Joe and Mary for hosting and putting on such a great event, as well as the presenters, volunteers and those that helped out in the tent bays yesterday sorting out our various problems.  Here is a taste of the event.  I think Richard is trying to organize to have someone look at his car.   Hope you all had a safe trip home.

[steves sl]

I second that thanks to Joe and Mary, and to all that helped. Great Job!

[Richard Madison]

Pub 2011 was a smashing event (as attendee Naj would say.)  "Smashing" meaning great. There was no smashing of cars at this "Worship the Pagoda" gathering.

I thought I had a near perfect running car when I drove to PUB from New York...boy was I wrong: running very rich, no vacuum to the distributor, worn bushing on the accelerator shaft, spark wire number 4 not working, and more.

Here's a public thank you to some of those who worked on Ole Beige. After their assistance, the ride back to New York was much better:

Joe Alexander for having just about every tool ever invented and for being so generous in letting a complete amateur use some of them; for taking the time and applying superb skills in tweeking my engine to make it smooth running allowing it to idle at a decent speed; and for re-tightening the head bolts.

Al Leifring for poking and pushing to help lean out my rich condition.

Brad of Buds Benz for a lot of help on the engine including clearing up the blocked vacuum hole.

Michael Salemi for his enthusiasm and encouragement and for having a complete set of spark plugs available when I needed them.

Jessie Meneses for finding and fixing the dead plug wire

Chuck Taylor for bringing and sharing his CO2 Sniffer.

Alfred Esser for his good humor, his work in helping organize the PUB event, and for having a much needed bushing, linkage rod, and #4 plug wire; and for allowing me to break up his wire set to allow #4 to grace my car.

Tom Colitt for his infectious enthusiasm about even the smallest detail of these cars and for adjusting my hood strap to finally allow my hood to open to the correct angle.

And to all the attendees for the many stories and anecdotes about the cars and about themselves.

Thanks again Joe and Mary for making PUB possible.

Richard M, NYC

[glenn]

Ditto of all of the above........

[3MB-Ed]

I  cannot  begin  to  express  my  gratitude  to  all  of  you,  especially Joe  and  Mary  Alexander  for hosting this  event.  This  weekend  will  always  be  remembered , not  just  for the  learning experience  and  willingness  of  everyone  to  help  each  other,  but  for the  longest  drive  I  have ever taken  in My  Scarlett (red 230 Sl).  I  especially  like  to  thank  Chuck  for his  assistance  in  adjusting  my  car's  fuel  flow,  which  gave  me  a  surprising 17.3 mpg  on the return  trip.  I am  looking  forward  to  seeing  everyone  again  in the  near  future.

Thanks Again
Ed

[badali]

I had a great time also.  Hope to see everyone again.

For any that had some rain water in their car see the posting I just started.  I took the air intake appart and found it full of mouse stuff and fluff...

[rmmchl]

Badali---------was it the first time you looked in the air cleaner compartment since you have had the vehicle?-how did the belt change work out?

[badali]

That was the first time I took that area apart.  The belt change went OK thanks to Kieth's help and the tools.  I ordered extra belts also.

[Benz Dr.]

I wanted to go but couldn't make it.

 Five yeas ago we had an event at my place and we also celebrated my fathers 80th birthday that same weekend - some of you may remember this. This past weekend we gathered for his 85th. There will be more PUBs but there may not be many more birthdays.......

 I was considering driving down on Sat morning but the birthday party was on Sat so that idea was out. It would of meant a lot of driving in one day in some pretty hot weather so it was best I stayed here.
Besides, with all the wrecks that showed up, maybe it really was a good thing I stayed home.

[rmmchl]

I hope the great Dr. Benz can attend the next one--------------I was asking around to see if you came

[bogeyman]

My second PUB - it was great to see everyone.

Needless to say - a big thank you to Joe and Mary.

My car got "tuned" by the "Pagoda Whisperer".  What a treat!  I got 17mpg coming in and 22 mpg going home. The proof is in the MPG!

Oh, and Marcus, I did notice your car still in the lot when I left......

[Jordan]

Yes, my plan was to leave at 5 but I didn't head out until 6.  Made it home by 12:30pm with one stop for gas and something to eat.  Only 4 cars in front of me at the border.    Watching Joe and Al as they move around the engine is like watching a surgeon at the operating table.

Drove a total of 806 miles (taking into account my 3.5% error on the speedo), which was my longest trip ever, consumed 35.87 gallons of gas and zero oil.  The whole weekend was a real treat.

[mdsalemi]

I wanted to go but couldn't make it.

 Five yeas ago we had an event at my place and we also celebrated my fathers 80th birthday that same weekend - some of you may remember this. This past weekend we gathered for his 85th. There will be more PUBs but there may not be many more birthdays.......

 I was considering driving down on Sat morning but the birthday party was on Sat so that idea was out. It would of meant a lot of driving in one day in some pretty hot weather so it was best I stayed here.
Besides, with all the wrecks that showed up, maybe it really was a good thing I stayed home.

Dan and Shelley really put on a great event at that "Meeting of the Clans".  Very diverse group and very cool cars.

Dan, there were only a few cars rough--most were pretty good.  Unlike previous PUBs of years ago where people were triaged to go home, most cars could come and go on their own and what was done to them was simply making them better.

[Raymond]

It was another great PUB.  Thanks, is to meager a word to express our debt to Joe.  It was great to see him, Naj, Al, and Tom gathered in the group.  The combined expertise there surely exceeded what Mercedes ever knew about the cars.

We left Joe's at 5:00 PM on Monday after Joe helped me put a couple of flange gasket shims in the rear springs to correct a camber problem.  We headed to Douglasville, Georgia to meet David Latham at Buds Benz, so we took to the Interstate.  Tuesday, averaging close to 80 mph through Kentucky and Tennessee in 95 degree heat with the A/C on we were quite comfortable and the car temperature held steady at a needle width above 180.  We averaged 23mpg.

When we arrived at Buds, a look under the hood revealed that the leak under valve ball stud adjuster above the #6 spark plug has gotten worse.  Brad voluntarily degreased the engine and washed the undercarriage.  We spent the evening with friends and had a great dinner at Gumbeaux's in Douglasville.  

Today started south on I-75 for a while again at speed.  South of Macon we left the Interstate and headed diagonally across Georgia.  The Waycross radio station reported 100 degrees as we held our own, averaging 70.  The stopping at traffic lights in small towns caused the water temperature to rise a bit, but once we regained our speed, it dropped right back.  When I turned the A/C off for a few minutes, the brutality of the heat off the asphalt was almost immediately apparent.  

2396 miles in all.  It was a great adventure.  Thanks to all the members of this club for enriching our lives.

[JamesL]

OK, getting really jealous now - if only over teh improved gas mileage!

Don't forget, 2013 is an anniversary

[Matt Bowen]

I'm new here so must ask; What is a PUB? 

Clearly a gathering of owners and cars, but sounds like a wrenchfest too. 

[thelews]

I thought I had a near perfect running car when I drove to PUB from New York...boy was I wrong: running very rich, no vacuum to the distributor, worn bushing on the accelerator shaft, spark wire number 4 not working, and more.

Here's a public thank you to some of those who worked on Ole Beige. After their assistance, the ride back to New York was much better:

Joe Alexander for having just about every tool ever invented and for being so generous in letting a complete amateur use some of them; for taking the time and applying superb skills in tweeking my engine to make it smooth running allowing it to idle at a decent speed; and for re-tightening the head bolts.

Al Leifring for poking and pushing to help lean out my rich condition.

Brad of Buds Benz for a lot of help on the engine including clearing up the blocked vacuum hole.

Michael Salemi for his enthusiasm and encouragement and for having a complete set of spark plugs available when I needed them.

Jessie Meneses for finding and fixing the dead plug wire

Chuck Taylor for bringing and sharing his CO2 Sniffer.

Alfred Esser for his good humor, his work in helping organize the PUB event, and for having a much needed bushing, linkage rod, and #4 plug wire; and for allowing me to break up his wire set to allow #4 to grace my car.

Tom Colitt for his infectious enthusiasm about even the smallest detail of these cars and for adjusting my hood strap to finally allow my hood to open to the correct angle.

And to all the attendees for the many stories and anecdotes about the cars and about themselves.

Thanks again Joe and Mary for making PUB possible.

Richard M, NYC

Since you were running on less than 6 cylinders for a long period of time, did anyone suggest an oil change?  It's most likely got a lot of gas in it.

[mdsalemi]

Since you were running on less than 6 cylinders for a long period of time, did anyone suggest an oil change?  It's most likely got a lot of gas in it.

Well, sadly--he checked the oil in Washington PA a few hours away from Blacklick, and was down 3 quarts by the time he arrived.  So, the oil was "changed" by "exchange".  Couldn't figure out where it was going (no black smoke and no visible leaks) but I'm sure we'll find out!!

[mdsalemi]

PUB=Pagoda University Blacklick.  Yes an event social and wrenching.  Held every 2 years on odd years, last weekend of July, in Blacklick Ohio.  Keep up on the events forum...

[badali]

I'm new here so must ask; What is a PUB? 

Clearly a gathering of owners and cars, but sounds like a wrenchfest too. 

Pagoda University at Blacklick Oh.  This was my second one.  Joe Alexander has all of us to his home and technical presenters and show us how to maintain our Pagodas.  It has been every 2 years for a weekend in July.  Great fun and meeting allot of the people on the forum.