What have you done to your Pagoda today?

[peterm]

tach being replaced- while its out dash lights tuned up- the underside is getting addressed with attention to leaks, the body is getting a wetsand.  Otherwise Im just waiting to get it back almost 70 here!

[ctm14]

My wife bought me a new chrome locking fuel cap for my birthday. I put it on and wow what a difference over the Mercedes non-chrome twist on. Yes I coached her a bit on the gift this year

[franjo_66]

Well just had the converter rebuilt, new 82 liter fuel tank installed, new plugs and final tuning done with the 123 distributor. Not a bad week's work!

[mbz.280sl]

I gave my mechanic a list of work to be done on my car in December and just got the car back last week.
He changed the oil and installed new plugs but that wasn't what took so long.
He removed the the speedometer and tachometer and sent them to Palo Alto Speedometer for repair.
When he got them back he installed them but while the tach was fine the speedometer was erratic.
I looked in the Technical Manual and found the write up on 'erratic speedo'.
I gave it to my mechanic and he said yes that may be the problem. But he didn't have the special spanner
socket needed so he borrowed 2 from other mechanics but they were the wrong size so he made one similar
to the one pictured in the Technical Manual. He tightened everything and took it for test drive and the
speedometer worked perfectly.
Thanks to Joe A. for the writeup in the Technical Manual.   
I also removed my clock and sent it out for repair. I got it back and reinstalled it and it works fine.
So now I have working speedometer, tachometer and clock and I'm ready for some top down driving.

[49er]

I took my GAHH floor mats in to a local auto upholster shop to have the missing "snaps" put in and the missing notch cut into the passenger side mat. Good excuse for another ride too:-)

John

[J. Huber]

I am still grounded as I wait (semi) patiently for my parts to arrive. So to kill time, I went and bought a new Interstate MT 24F battery today. My old battery is a Diehard from Sears -- about 5 years old. It works but may be loosing some of its punch. The new one has a more accurate set-up, with the posts on the correct side, although I am not crazy about the bright green top. Clashes with my white & blue car...

[49er]

Picked up my mats today and they are now snapped in securely  and then out for a drive. Weather has been nice so this is the third day in row we have had our friend out for a drive. Also filled up the tank, a little under 11 gallons @$4.349 =$47.80.  Small price to pay for so much fun.

James. Hope you get your drivers seat back in soon and before I put in my "World" battery, which is correct in size and pole locations,  I went through many K-Mart batteries (had a lifetime warranties on those and K-Mart lost money on that sale for sure

[69280sl]

I didn't do it but I wrote the check when I picked up Scarlett today.
Valve adjustment, new starter, new shock absorbers- front and rear, new steering damper, new rotors- all around, new brake pads - all around and new motor mounts.

Only the starter was pre-existing problematic but I wanted a baseline since I didn't know the condition of the above components. Turns out, the steering damper was shot, everything else except the starter was serviceable and the rotors surprisingly good. They had a nice smooth finish. The starter has been a problem since it was installed when I first bought the car six years ago. Based on information here, I told the mechanic I wanted a starter rebuilt by Bosch. "Sure, sure, no problem". When I picked the car up he gave me the old starter in a generic, not Bosch box. When I asked, I got the story " I've been using these starters for 30 years, never a problem" Well mine was a problem from the get go, so I have a new mechanic.

I'm happy that I now know exactly what was done and when.

Gus

[Jordan]

Well, after waiting 8 weeks to get my windshield chrome back (A pillar etc) and reinstalling it last weekend I finally today had a new windshield installed.  It has been a long wait, especially reading everyones tales of going out for a spring drive.  I tried the windshield install myself but after spending an hour wrestling with the rubber seal I gave up and decided to let the experts do it.  I am happy to report that Speedy did the installation.  They assured me they had done many older cars and were quite familiar with the rope "trick" and had not long ago put in a windshield on a 111 Cabriolet.  So I dropped off the car this morning and they called me two hours later to tell it was all done.  I should also mention that they were able to install it without removing the dash wood.  So this afternoon I went for a drive and did it feel good.    That's on more thing off my to do list.

[J. Huber]

Nice Jordan! That is a biggie. I'd love to say that was my Pagoda deed for the day. Instead, I just went out and said hi. Wash and wax and some other detailing on the horizon though..

[49er]

 Got my SL back from a 2 day stay down at Ernies. Not much to do this year (valve adjustment, rubber donuts for the exhaust system, Lube, oil change and few other cosmetic items). Going down to the tire store tomorrow and get a matching spare. Summer has arrived early so the Hard Top will soon be stowed away until winter. Looking forward to those sunset drives:-)

Ernie also had a 250SL (That has had bumper over riders and side reflectors added) in for service and a 280SL that was on it's way to it's new owner in Germany.  

Here are a couple of pictures. The first shows my  car (on the right) next to 250SL. The second is of the 280SL destined for Germany

John

[J. Huber]

Hey John, good to see your car passed its annual check-up with flying colors. Figured it would. Where is Ernie's shop exactly?

I finally got my seat back in today. The new cover is a close match to the old one but not exactly. It will have to do. Anyway, took me a while but I got it all together. I added a nice baby blue pool noodle, though, which I have to say, definitely firmed up the seat. Worth every penny (229 of them)....

Rewarded myself with a nice drive around town, it felt good. Then a little detail to finish off the day.

[zoegrlh]

Just got a new car cover from California Car Cover Co for my 280SL.  Their top of the line Superweave, custom #13636 in blue with one mirror pocket, fits like a glove, 99% UV protected and 100% waterproof. (material is light weight, like umbrella material).  Highly recommend this cover.  Just put it on today.
Bob

[280SE Guy]

Not done all today but over the last couple of weeks I have cleaned all of the carpets of my W108, Anthracite. I thought it was interesting that the under layment of the 108 is different than the 113 as it is not like the fire wall material the has been recently discussed. Here are a couple of pictures of the drivers foot well area, carpet removed, probably the most wear prone area of the interior.

It's interesting to see the grease pencil marks on the cover for the fuse box written by some one at the factory and a close up of one of the original paper labels and additional grease pencil mark by an inspector or assembler also installed at the factory





Today I did replace the drivers original carpet

Here are a couple of shots of an original driver carpet of a 1971 Mercedes 108:











Sorry for the similar images but I thought the originality was worth the effort for you.

Hope you enjoy,

280SE Guy

[49er]

Beautiful car and photos to match 280SE Guy. Those original carpets look like they just came out of the box. Beautiful

John

[49er]

Hey John, good to see your car passed its annual check-up with flying colors. Figured it would. Where is Ernie's shop exactly? 

    Hi James, Ernies shop (Bremen Motor works) is down on main street in Orangeville. He is a wizard with these cars and I highly recommend him. He loves the Pagodas and I always have to pry my keys away from him when I come down to pick up my car
    Glad to hear you finally got your seat cover and now you don't need the Milk Crate anymore. Hope your "problem" with vendor got resolved too.
 We have had our car out for drives 4 days in row now. Weather has been perfect but we still have the HT on. We had to delay or trip up to Seattle for a couple of weeks but when we get back, it will be "Topless" for the rest of the summer.

Take care,

John
 

[J. Huber]

Thanks John. Well, Orangevale might be a bit far for me but thanks for the lead. Yes, seat feels much better than the crate.

Oh by the way, I was on the lookout for your Pagoda Friday -- but didn't see ya! I drove through Cool and the Coloma area and was pretty close to your stomping grounds. I was on a 4th grade field trip called the 49er trip. (no I am not in 4th grade, it's my daughter's class)   ... An all day thing with stops in Auburn, Coloma (Marshall State Park), Placerville, The Miwok Grinding Stone, the Black Chasm Caverns (these are really neat), and Folsom. Yikes, lots of history and 60 screaming kids! It was wine-thirty by about 3 o'clock. But fun. Next time I'll be in my nice quiet Pagoda!

[49er]

Hey James, we did drive through Coloma Thursday and yesterday ( it is a nice loop drive from our place) but not Friday:-(. Did you guys find any meteorites? That was the biggest thing (litterally) to hit these parts since the Gold Rush! 
 We took a short  (40 mile) drive up through PVille , Pleasent Valley, and Diamond Springs today.  Great roads for these cars:-)

John

[Alf]

Got my Pagoda back from those good people at Roger Edwards motors. Passed its annual MOT inspection but the puff of exhaust smoke I was seeing on acceleration turned out to be the valve guide on no. 5 cylinder that has worked it's way loose in the head. Got to send it back in in July for the head to come off and new guides fitted all round. Wallet feeling slimed already

[49er]

 Gave the car a polish today while listening to the Indy 500. This has has been the custom for as long as I can remember going back to the old days helping my dad Simoniz his '48 Buick Roadmaster. Sure a lot easier doing the SL for sure:-) Took it out for a short spin afterwards then home to watch the Monaco F1 race. Here are a couple of photos of the car after it's "spa" treatment.

John

[mdsalemi]

Woke her up on saturday, checked all fluids and tire pressures.  First time since late October. Took her for a 5 mile run, including a bit of 5k acceleration.  All is well in prep for the 155 mile top down ride home today.  Too much highway construction will keep me on 2-lane roads.  Should be a pleasant ride, I hope!

Update...it was a delightful ride, about 170 miles on 2-lane roads.  The nab system did make one mistake and took me on an unpaved road for about 5 miles, but was not too bad.  Other than that a 4-hour journey through rural Michigan past farms and fields.

The "new" firm driver's seat was fabulous!

[rocketman1]

Good Morning from Texas.
Many THANKS to ALL the veterans here and in every land, Thank You !!!
 This morning I went out into the garage, to look at my ZF S 5-20 sitting in a plastic box. Albeit in one piece.
Stupid Question: Has ANYONE heard, received, gotten any, Transmissions/parts/ e-mail's, or anything from the ZF company in Germany?
This is very depressing.
Any support, or kind words would be appreciated.
Best Regards
David Lewandos
Corpus Christi,Texas

AKA:rocketman1
64 230SL euro
64 220SEb fintail
82 500SL euro

[Garry]

I have several letters from them on updates to my order for the new gearbox but that is all.  As you will see from other postings on the Forum, they do not tend to reply to anything although someone here recently got some parts from the new production run.

[Peter van Es]

Well, not today, but this weekend. Saturday: wash and general cleanup. Sunday, polished all the chrome and aluminum. All is in pretty good shape except for the door mirrors that are pitted... probably because they are sticking out in the full frontal wind. Treated the car to a 120km drive with my wife and the dog (underneath the windscreen behind the seats), caught some raindrops. Monday, polished all the metal. Spotted too much rust for my liking. Main danger areas: around the headlamps and on the fenders (the rim around the rear-right hand arch). This won't be fixed before the European Event. I may get (someone) to tackle this in the winter.

Monday afternoon, drove to Essen to meet with Achim and the board of the German Pagoda SL Club. As soon as I reached Germany I left the motorway and drove along the Rhine and through old Roman city Xanten, the old industrial center of Duisburg, crossing the river Ruhr and through to Essen. Back around 10:30 at night, on the motorway. Drove 450km's in all, all open top, and, certainly on the motorway at a cruising speed of around 120km/hour. The engine ran beautifully, and the only time I got worried was when I sat in stop-and-go traffic in Xanten for 30 minutes in direct sun and at 30 degrees C, but even then the engine temperature got only a little over horizontal.

Peter

[114015]

Saturday afternoon, drove to Essen to meet with...

(Wisenheimer modus on)

Pentecost Monday ...
Yesterday (28 May 2012)  


(Wisenheimer modus off)


Achim