What is left to achieve Pebble Beach level?

[Jkalplus1]

This thread is where compulsive, obsessive, or just dreamy members can layout their Masterplan -whether they intend to carry it out or not- to take their car to a straight #1.

For me, it goes something like this, in order of planned execution order, perceived importance, and from least to most onerous:

1- Replace the padded blue leather ashtray cover with the original black unpadded vinyl I still have.
2- Install the black passenger side door pull that was not reinstalled during the restoration.
3- Remove the stalk on my washer bottle and install a grommet in the flat cap Done!.  Polish the brass eyelets.  Think about sourcing a new bottle/cap and fit it with brass grommets.  While I am at it, replace the other yellowed plastic containers in the engine compartments...though I have seen spectacular cars (Theelews 250SL comes to mind) with the original yellowed plastic bottles and it seems just fine so long as they are clean...opinions on this?
4- Replace the incorrect black wiper blades with a set of the polished chromed ones from the "Man in Cyprus"[/s] Done!
4.5- Fix the paint chips caused by the soft top frame where it rubbed against the "U" shaped groove in the soft top cover.
5- Find a new pouch for my tool kit.  It is original, but fraying a little.
6- Toothbrush and Magic Eraser the trunk rubber mat.  It is really nice, but it is not 100%.  I am thinking I will give this job to the kiddies... I also learned a very important thing reading old posts again: it is true it is a moisture trap.  And I did notice tiny specks of rust underneath.  From now on, this rubber mat will only go in the trunk for shows.  Is the thought of rejuvenating slightly brittle old vinyl a chimera?  I think so...it can get clean, it will never become supple again, unless you know of a product I don't.  I rub in Vinylex on the mat, then rub vigorously with a dry towel so it does not remain too shiny. I get approximately the level of shine of new rubber mats this way...Anyone else care to sahe tips on this?
7- Fix the tiny specks of rust in the trunk with rustblocker and satin paint.  Should be very quick and unnoticeable.
8- Replace the (brand new but incorrect) MB replacement firewall pad with the aftermarket diamond pattern firewall pad.
9- Change the wood trim finish from glossy to satin.  Dulling chemical agents maybe?  I seem to remember a product called "liquid sandpaper"  My goal is to do this without removing the trim.  
9.5 Acquire Phoenix Tires.  My car currently has 185/75s. New.  Argh...$$$
10- During the winter, baking soda blast the aluminum parts of the engine, and find a way to prevent further tarnishing...(clear coat?) Don't want an over restored look, but don't want old black tarnished either...don't want to polish aluminum all the time...
11- During the winter, find a way to keep the headers and exhaust system to remain nice (ceramic coat?  Sounds expensive).
12- Replace the (brand new!) nice but incorrect wool carpet with square weave, and get cocoa mats.  Yeah, right!  Probably too expensive.
13- Replace/rechrome all chrome that is not already 100%. Trunk lid handle and door handles first (I don't want to screw up the key mechanism though), left side soft top cover trim second, right rear bumper third.  If I had a lot of money to spare I might get the front grille rechromed as you can see pitting if you put your face about 1 ft away.  I am afraid of fitment after the rechroming though...I remember Mike's story of breaking a grille after rechroming...
14- Replace the brand new leather with the correct MB-Tex interior the car was born with.  Yeah, right...This is not going to happen during my tenure!
15- Put together the fully restored -but unassembled- hard top.  I cannot think I will ever want to drive with it or even install it.  


I will post pictures soon in the image forum (driving takes priority) so you can tell me what is wrong or incorrect that I missed.  I realized yesterday reading an old post from Achim that overspray on the spare tire was correct, and I was about to "fix it" thinking it was a botched restoration job.  Since my spare is unused (still has a product sticker on it), I am thinking it might be original, but I somehow have doubts.  It is a Michelin.

Have a great day!

[mdsalemi]

Personally I don't think a Pagoda will be invited (that's how you get there...) to Pebble Beach as a to-be-judged car...

Spare?  in 1964 the original tires were Firestone/Phoenix or Conti RA60--so I don't think yours is original, but you never know.

That's a long and ambitious list you have there!

[Jkalplus1]

I agree, unless you make it a condition to accept the invitation you received for your teardrop Talbot Lago.  I meant to see what people had in mind to improve the condition of their cars.  I think about it quite a bit myself, make plans, etc.  I read the archives and did not see a lot on soft top storage rash, but most cars I've seen have some kind of rubbing/chafing damage in this area of the storage compartment, including R107s...is there a trick to avoid it, besides "never drive with the soft top up"?

Spares...my car came with Phoenix tires when new, the spare right now is a Michelin whitewall, and it will stay there for now!  Current driving tires are narrow whitewall (never able to get them really white though) Continentals. 

[mdsalemi]

jkalplus1,

Cleaning up the white of the white wall is not too hard.  Get some good whitewall cleaner, like the stuff Coker sells (avoid "Bleche-White"); get some 1000 grit (no fooling) wetordry sandpaper, you might have to get this at an auto body supply shop.  Wet the whitewall with the cleaner, use the sandpaper gently on the white wall.  As your wet area becomes soiled, use a rag and clean it off. Repeat.

My WWs get nasty all the time and this brings them back to show quality annually.

[Jkalplus1]

Thanks Mike, i will keep trying.  I find it strange that I was able to quickly bring my nasty dirty old (but new-never used) Michelin spare whitewall to pristine white very fast, and my Continentals resist abrasion, sanding, etc.  They get lighter, even-colored, but still yellowish... I will keep on trying...it calms me.  Thanks!
Jerome

[49er]

 On the subject of tires, My 250SL originaly came with Firestone Phoenix tires and they lasted until I traded it on my current 280SL the following year. That car came with Contintal tires that had to be swapped out for another set almost imediately. The car aparently got a tad too warm down in the hold of the freighter (no car transporters back then) and the green rubberized coating over the whitewalls bonded to the tires. The tires wore out pretty fast and I replaced them in 1970 with skinney WW Michelins. The car now has Fisk Classics with 5/8" (16mm) WWs. Not "original" but they look good and do the job nicely.

John

[MichaelB.]

I came very close to getting "into" Pebble with my '66 230. However, that was last year, Mercedes was the featured marque, AND they had started a untouched original class that my car would have been perfect for. If there was any year a pagoda would have been on the lawn - that would have been the year.

I had to submit photos, documentation, and even an essay about the car to a wonderful lady - who put my car in with the others that were up for a position on the lawn.

I received a fantastic rejection letter (if there is such a thing) and when I casually inquired as to why I was rejected I was told that while my car was exceptional, the color was not exactly the hue for the field that year.

So be it. Tough crowd. 

[mdsalemi]

I came very close to getting "into" Pebble with my '66 230.

I received a fantastic rejection letter (if there is such a thing) and when I casually inquired as to why I was rejected I was told that while my car was exceptional, the color was not exactly the hue for the field that year.

Michael,

With the utmost respect, my friend, I almost got into Harvard Business School too.  I got a fantastic rejection letter.  (had to settle for #3 instead of #1.  So be it.  )

The excuse that PB gave you was BS.  On the cover of The Star, for the November/December 2011 issue, was a photo taken at Pebble Beach of a line-up of older Mercedes--the so-called "White Knight" race cars.  They look, give or take, plus or minus, astoundingly close in color to your pristine, Survivor Series 230SL.  The color looked quite nice on the show field, I'd have to say.

I'll have to agree with Jkalplus1...when a known collector has something "they" want such as that Talbot-Lago perhaps the selection committee will condescend to allow a Pagoda on the field.  Or, if a "major sponsor" insists, for one reason or another...

We'll just have to keep looking...

[71Beige280SL]

My car will never get invited to PB however, I bit the bullet (more like the wallet) to have the interior completely redone in the original cognac leather...every piece replaced including a new soft top. It will be ready in about 4 weeks. It will look fabulous, turn a few heads BUT, never make the lawn at PB. I am OK with that. I will have a high quality driver which is all I ever wanted. The only "driver" I have taken to PB wasn't a Pagoda but a Callaway! . For the golfers in the group, if you haven't played PB, put it on your bucket list!

[MichaelB.]

Michael,

With the utmost respect, my friend, I almost got into Harvard Business School too.

We'll just have to keep looking...

Well said.

Its okay though. I filled the garage with a potential FUTURE Pebble contender. I just have to wait it out. It will be awhile.

[twistedtree]

For better or worse, there is a huge gap between a really, really nice car, and a Pebble Beach contender.  It's more of a freak show than a car show.  And then there are the politics....  No thanks, not for me.  I just like the experience of driving and fussing with an old classic.

[mdsalemi]

For better or worse, there is a huge gap between a really, really nice car, and a Pebble Beach contender.  It's more of a freak show than a car show.  And then there are the politics....  No thanks, not for me.  I just like the experience of driving and fussing with an old classic.

Peter--thank you for a good morning laugh!  Now, for my 2nd cup of coffee.  I'm still smiling at your joust there! 

[66andBlue]

For better or worse, there is a huge gap between a really, really nice car, and a Pebble Beach contender.  It's more of a freak show than a car show.  And then there are the politics....  

Indeed it is a show for "freaks" or the 0.01%.  I don't want to disappoint 71Beige280SL but "to have the interior completely redone in the original cognac leather..." is impossible for normal wage earners.
The C.F Roser company in Stuttgart closed several years ago and original 2-tone cognac leather with the long grain (230SL: MB Code 1505/ 280SL: code 8006) has become extinct. So what do "Pebble Beach" quality restoration companies do when they want it and nothing else is good enough for their billionaire clients? During a visit to the premier Gullwing restorer on the west coast I saw five hides of Cognac "Roser-quality" leather that was sold by an entrepreneur in Vienna. He sources the hides in Hungary, sends them to Italy for tanning from where they go to Poland for dying with vegetable dyes and hand-coloring, then back to Italy for finishing (skiving), on to Vienna and then to the customer. Time required from ordering to receiving 5 finished hides: 9 months; price: don't ask because we wont tell!  
But those hides sure were gorgeous!
(PS I can't quite believe that they use vegetable dyes but use chemical dyes that cannot be used any longer in most States)

[Jkalplus1]

I also remember reading a bit abit Jay Leno casually saying he'd "get the boys in the shop" to machine a new drum for his 300SL before he realized he could actually order a NOS item from the classic centre.

[twistedtree]

By the way, the "freak" shows are great to see, and the cars are pretty amazing.  It's not unlike watching Olympic athletes.

[Iconic]

Its okay though. I filled the garage with a potential FUTURE Pebble contender. I just have to wait it out. It will be awhile.

Please tell us, what follows that fantastic 230 that I had the pleasure of seeing in the "flesh".

[mdsalemi]

Indeed it is a show for "freaks" or the 0.01%...is impossible for normal wage earners.

If you go back to a post I made last December, you'll note that I was at a holiday party at one of my friend's shops.  He is the proprietor of Classic & Exotic Restoration.  It was an "open house" kind of party, in the shop. He has done several Pebble Beach cars in the past. Tacked on a bulletin board was a casual inquiry from an owner of a once-restored Duesenberg Model J.  He wanted to send it in for a "freshening".  The required work was a new paint job; a new interior, and a tonneau replacement.  The pencilled in amounts were "$150,000; $35,000; $15,000" for a total of $200,000. 

0.01% indeed!  And that, my friends, is how you get to Pebble!

[thelews]

It isn't just the money, you need to have the car too.  I doubt our 113s with 52,000 of them built will ever make it.  To my knowledge, with 1/2 as many built and more nostalgic appeal, the 190 SL also has not been invited, and it was the birth of the SL class production car as we know it today.  I guess if a particular MB class was set up in a particular year, one of these models could be invited.

[71Beige280SL]

To 66andBlue, By "original" cognac leather, I didn't mean original in the C.F. Roser way or the circuitious route through Vienna,Italy and Hungary...I meant in the Gahh way. My "original" comment meant getting my car back to the "original" color combination when it rolled off the factory floor. Cognac leather is stunning when new. Mine is 41 years old and has faded and lost its grain texture. I will post some picture as the car nears completion.
 
Thanks for the interesting history/perspective! 

[Garry]

And to think Pebble Beach was on my bucket list all this time, but all this elitism has turned me off the idea, I think I might just take it off the list. That way it frees me up for something very special that money carn't buy

[MichaelB.]

Please tell us, what follows that fantastic 230 that I had the pleasure of seeing in the "flesh".

Oh yes thank you. I recall the event & remember the car looked strong even after the 3 hour drive. 

The 230SL spot is now occupied by a medium rare Ferrari.

I agree wholeheartedly with all of the comments above, but what I think we may be forgetting is that Pebble formulated that "original" "survivor" category that I hoped a Pagoda would be suited for (especially with Mercedes-Benz as the marque). I thought it was the perfect storm. The Pagoda may not be elite enough on its own to garner a spot on the lawn but as a "survivor" I thought that mine would have had a chance - at least more than most. However I was mistaken!  I did try though!

[Shvegel]

Jeez. I would just like to invite my car back to my own garage.  Ticking over 6 years gone this month. Maybe next year....Sigh.