Author Topic: 1964 230SL restoration in UK (Read 255943 times)

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #100 on:** November 28, 2014, 21:22:06 »

No that's the original crossmember. I can't see any part of this car that has been replaced. Mechanically it seems very unmessed about with. It's quite nice. You can tell when you are working on an original car and something where someone has been there before, and on this one, for the most part, no one has.

I carried on with the front suspension strip a bit tonight, got the upper and lower a arms off, callipers and brake lines and one disc. I'll get the rest of it off in the morning as it is Saturday so playday, although I have a customer coming to collect a car and another one collecting a transmission, I have jobs to do at home, and dog sitting for my mum on Sunday......Not much time left to pagode this weekend....

stickandrudderman · « **Reply #101 on:** November 28, 2014, 22:43:35 »

An interesting new word! "Pagode" [verb] the act of repairing a pagoda.

Garry · « **Reply #102 on:** November 28, 2014, 23:49:01 »

I still own the registration “Pagode", only trouble is I drive my Pagoda on historic plates at $110 a year. Put the Pagoda plate on and I have to add $600 for the privilege per year

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #103 on:** December 03, 2014, 08:17:32 »

So did you have to pay for the licence plate as well? Seems a bit harsh having to pay extra annually. At least in the uk car tax is free for pre 74 cars.

I got the rest of the suspension off on Saturday morning and last night. Ronni and I man(and woman)handled the diff and rear axle out this morning and got the car on a dolly, that was no mean feat I can tell you. All I have to do now is get the stuck rear shocks out and the stuck heat shield but I can do that at my leisure. I wanted to get the car back in the booth for tomorrow as I have my young lad in who can paint strip the dash and a few other bits.

It's all gone reasonably well, I made up a spring compressor to get the compensator spring out, my knuckles are a bit raw but I'm sure it will all be worthwhile! I showed ronni my home made tool and she rolled her eyes and marvelled at my blatant disregard for health and safety....I thought it looked ok! It was all pretty straightforward though, the rear axle looks a pretty complicated bit of kit compared to what I'm used to, although I think that is just a lack of familiarity, but once again 113.org has been an invaluable source.

Everything will get steam cleaned now in readiness for bushing removal and then sandblasting. The a arm bushes and track rod ends all look like new, but will reserve judgement until all is cleaned. I would rather do it all now than have to do more work once the car is complete.

RobSirg · « **Reply #104 on:** December 03, 2014, 08:46:20 »

Garry,

You must have ordered that plate in the past few years as when i was trying to come up with a cool looking personalised plate I noticed that "PAGODE" was available. In the end I bought "ASL 280" for a mere $300 from a guy who was a MB club member and had planned on buying a 280SL but realised his dream was too far away with the onset of children (thankfully didn't stop me

). Looks so much nicer with black and white plates (wish the heritage plates were B&W)....or better still with the UK plate that was on the car when I bought it. Further footnote - I immediately sold the UK plate (COX 976) for GBP1800 to a broker who presumably sold it for a lot more. I still cant work out why anyone would pay so much for a plate that didn't appear to be special in any way?

Scott - you are making great progress on the car. I'm too embarrassed to post photo's of my current resto - I'm afraid you and Andy put me to shame. Have you decided on a colour yet?

Cheers

Rob

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #105 on:** January 24, 2015, 08:09:01 »

I've been too busy at work to really do much with this lately but got back into it last weekend.

Rob i haven't decidsed on a colour yet, I keep hovering between silver, grey, or blue, at the moment favourite is 387H blue but that could change yet.....

I have stripped the front and rear suspension fully now. Everything seemed in not bad shape, the main bush on the diff pivot had had it but that was about it. The trailing arm bushes were all in pretty good shape but I will renew them as a matter of course, same with all the rubbers on the suspension. Even the diff bellows seemed reasonably supple surprisingly but that will all get renewed. I'll drop the diff into my guys next weekend for them to look at. The oil was pretty manky that came out so a freshen up wouldn't go amiss. It also was caked in muck so has obviously been leaking in the past.

I guess it would be prudent to replace the rear wheel bearings at this stage too even though they feel ok, past experience tells me that even if it seems ok now the chances are when you start using the car it will fail....

On the front suspension it was a similar case, the front wheel bearings will need replacement, the track rod ends feel nice but the boots are split so they will need replacing. The steering idler seems good, the steering box feels nice but leaks badly so that will need an overhaul. I'll do kingpins and bushes too whilst it's all apart.

I stripped the propshaft too, the U/J's felt a bit graunchy and you'll see why....I won't rebuild this yet as I still have an idea I'd like to put a 5 speed in the car if funds allow and if I can find all the parts necessary.

So that's all the suspension parts pretty much ready for sandblasting.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #106 on:** January 24, 2015, 08:19:33 »

So today's task is to get the body bolted to it's cradle. I brought a new body cart in from the states that will bolt to our rotisserie and I need to make up some mount brackets for it.

I am planning on using the front and rear bumper brackets, the rear shock absorber mounts in the tower, and the front subframe mounts. I haven't got the rear shocks out yet so will need to have a look at that area and see if it seems strong enough. Failing that I'll have to use the jacking points. Only problem is I have repairs to do around that area so the supports will be in the way.

It is a nice piece of kit though, I can drop individual mounts out the way so I can always do my repairs and then move the supports to the jacking pints. I am planning on having the car painted on this cart as well, so once the floor pan is painted I can move the supports around so that the painter can get everywhere.

GGR · « **Reply #107 on:** January 24, 2015, 09:28:53 »

Nice progress!

When it comes to replacing rubber parts, be careful with some aftermarket ones. They are not as durable as they should, and they also can be softer which creates handling problems (rear axle, trail arms and front axle).

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #108 on:** February 03, 2015, 07:46:25 »

I'm planning on using genuine parts as much as possible where finances allow. I have just had my first shipment of parts arrive from MB and it all seems very nice quality, I got new floor pans and a tail light panel, a couple of new emblems, all genuine MB. I also bought a repro door mirror from them and the difference in quality is marked. Some parts just seem wildly expensive though, I ordered a new main pivot for the diff and it was over £200 - and is it really that much better than the SLS one at 97 euros? It was the only part I didn't ask the price on so lesson learnt there.

I have sent my steering wheel away to have a new rim moulded on and had stripped the horn pad. I ordered a new one from MB and it is very lovely but is missing the chrome ring from around the emblem, I may try and fit mine but don't want to screw up the new one so I'll sleep on it. Compared to the diff pivot I thought it was good value so I guess these things even themselves out.

My chrome plater called and said he didn't think I'd be happy with the bumpers so am debating whether to buy repro or proceed with the chroming, new MB bumpers are out the question as the cost is prohibitive. I have the same problem with the grille shell. I guess I should go new MB with that but I need to pace myself here.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #109 on:** February 03, 2015, 07:56:02 »

So the current state of play is that the shell is mounted to the cradle but could do with lining up on it a bit better. I'll need to get it under the hoist and get it aligned on there better before I start doing any metalwork. At the moment I am into scraping underseal off.

My original plan was to leave the original undercoating on but the more I looked at it I could see this wasn't a viable option so it is all coming off. I have found a couple of extra holes so I guess is the right thing to do, I keep thinking to myself I should have just had it dipped but I don't think there is any point now. My fears about dipping still stand though.

I am probably going to have the underside sandblasted but keep thinking about the original rustproofing by MB, the blasting will take that off but there are quite a few areas under there that need attention so I think may be the best way forward. I will protect the metal pretty well and the car wont see the rain on purpose so I'm sure it will be fine.

It's looking pretty crappy under there though.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #110 on:** February 03, 2015, 07:59:09 »

Few more of underneath.

JamesL · « **Reply #111 on:** February 03, 2015, 08:39:28 »

Scott. Hate to agree but yes, it's a bit crappy under there...

There's been many far worse but you weren't putting the time and cash into fixing those. I promised you I'd bring mine up to say hello but the salt under the snow argues against it this weekend.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #112 on:** February 03, 2015, 19:53:31 »

Yes the weather here is lousy. I must admit I get very jealous when I read about all the balmy winter drives that everyone seems to be taking in their Pagodas......

The trouble is when I saw this car a lot of this rot had been covered up, it was described as a 'largely rust free straightforward restoration project' I really did have rose tinted spectacles on and didn't look hard enough or do enough research, but it was a spur of the moment thing and as they say, buy in haste, repent at leisure.....but, I am in it now and will make it lovely.

I went back to the same auction this weekend, will I never learn? and came away a very nice 1972 Fiat 130 coupe, 41,000 miles from new and apart from an older respray, very original and very nice indeed. I filled it up with gas only for it to leak out again so now is in the workshop with the tank removed. It is lovely to drive though and I think will give me an enjoyable summer. I want to take my wife and mum away for a weekend to France shortly and I can't think of a better way to travel.

JamesL · « **Reply #113 on:** February 04, 2015, 18:43:06 »

That's a proper 1970s velour interior! Sweet.

AGT · « **Reply #114 on:** February 06, 2015, 14:46:40 »

Scott

That is a lovely car. Let me know when you are done with it. I can think of a very good home.

Best regards
Andrew

1966 230SL

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #115 on:** February 22, 2015, 04:59:30 »

Well if it is something you are interested in let me know and we'll see if we can get something together. It was never bought as a long term thing for me, just one I wanted to get off my bucket list, and the more I looked round the car the more I liked it. I guess I could always look for something else for the French trip.

I would very much like another Citroen SM but don't know if I am really brave enough to go that route again, they are very maintenance heavy and not a lot of room in the back.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #116 on:** February 22, 2015, 05:07:29 »

So it has been a productive week on the Mercedes. My Saturday boy had a week off college so I put him to work on scraping the rest of the undercoating off and cleaning the underside of the car. It is all bare now and ready for the sandblaster to do his thing. I was going to have him just blast spots but there are lots of little bits that need doing so I will just have him hit the whole thing.

I was sold some sort of zinc based primer/coating a while back so I may look into using that if it is still any good. I'd like to protect this as best I can. There has been no more nasties found, there was a few small spots of light rust in places but nothing to crazy. I think this was the right way to go though. It has been very labour intensive and if I hadn't already stripped the paint may have revisited the dipping thing but I still have my reservations on that one.

As soon as I have figured out what primer I'll use I'll organise the blasters to come and do the floors and engine bay. All the suspension components are stripped ready to blast so there is quite a bit for them to do.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #117 on:** February 22, 2015, 05:24:09 »

I spent yesterday getting the engine dismantled enough to go to my machinist. I am scheduled in with him for March and he'll have it 2-3 months I guess so it will be ready long before I need it but it won't come to any harm in storage and it spreads the cost out a bit.

My engine experience is pretty much Chevy V8's, I have done bits and pieces to various other classics I have had but I was a little bit apprehensive about getting into this. It all came apart very easily though so I feel a bit more relaxed about the reassembly. Maybe that statement will bite me.

The car is showing 80,000 odd miles and the pistons are marked 81.99 mm so I guess are the originals. It didn't look like it had been apart before. I doubt I will get away with a hone and new rings but fingers crossed, the bores did look in nice condition. If it were a small block and pistons were a couple of hundred dollars a set I'd just go 1st over size as a matter of course but having done a bit of research - yikes.....still, if it needs them then it needs them. I am pretty philosophical about this sort of thing, it just means the project might take a little longer.

I am having a bit of trouble getting the water pump apart and I can't see how to get the pulley off - help!

I only took photos as memory joggers so they are a bit random but heres a couple

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #118 on:** February 22, 2015, 05:39:43 »

The other concern I have is the camshaft, it was a bit pitted so may need to be replaced or re-profiled. Again I would normally replace this as a matter of course but a Chevy cam is $160....

The engine ran quite well though with no unseemly knocks or rattles so hopefully will be reasonably straightforward. This is the state of play now and this is as far as I go. The short block will go to my machinist and he will strip and do his measurements, he'll re-bore if necessary and grind the crank etc. I'll get him the parts and he will reassemble back to this point and rebuild the head. I'll take over from there.

I would normally pull the harmonic balancer too but I left it on there for him, and I have no means of pulling the distributor drive gear off so hopefully he can handle that also.

Aren't the pistons tiny!!!

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #119 on:** February 22, 2015, 05:49:35 »

I will shortly be sending all my calliper and power steering cores back to the USA and I was going to get in touch with Jerry Fairchild industries to get my injection pump rebuilt. I had it in mind to send the cold start valve and throttle body too.

No.6 injector was dry when I took them out. I haven't blown through the lines yet to see if they are blocked but it didn't look like it had had gas near it for many years, all the others were very wet so I will ask him about those. I don't know if they can be stripped and cleaned or if they have to be replaced.

I think the problem must be a blocked line or something wrong with the pump not getting fuel to no.6 - I only had the engine running a couple of times but it sounded fine so knowing now it was only running on 5 then it should be a very lovely thing when all rebuilt and everything working as it should

And so it goes on.....

jameshoward · « **Reply #120 on:** February 22, 2015, 10:51:36 »

Just out of interest, why send these to the US? The shipping alone would surely pay for a chunk of the cost were you to send it to some experts in Europe, of which there are several. I think some of the German firms would be impossible to beat for quality work, and shipping costs would be lower. Not sure about labour costs.

Naj ✝︎ · « **Reply #121 on:** February 22, 2015, 11:10:04 »

Quote from: Scottcorvette on February 22, 2015, 05:49:35

I was going to get in touch with Jerry Fairchild industries to get my injection pump rebuilt. I had it in mind to send the cold start valve and throttle body too.

No.6 injector was dry when I took them out. I haven't blown through the lines yet to see if they are blocked but it didn't look like it had had gas near it for many years, all the others were very wet so I will ask him about those. I don't know if they can be stripped and cleaned or if they have to be replaced.

Talk to Fred Pentecost about the fuel injection items. He used to own tower Bridge diesels but now has all the machines in his back garden.
He is in East London (0208 524 2973). He has repaired a couple of pumps for me.

There are several caliper reconditioners in the UK

I would look for the 230 pistons and bearings before doing any machining.

Naj

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #122 on:** February 22, 2015, 12:46:31 »

When I buy corvette callipers, power steering pumps, rams and valves they all have a core charge on them, once every 18 months or so I send them all back and get my core charges refunded so ill just put my mercedes stuff in the crate with them and have my guys in Michigan ship them wherever. I probably have 150 callipers to send back! I would also like them restoring cosmetically and generally that sort of thing is more prevalent in the us than in the uk.

Also because I am so used to dealing with America and I get a shipment every month it is automatic for me to use that as my first port of call. I guess it is habit more than anything. Sending the parts to the usa with my shipment and having them sent back to the uk in my monthly shipment won't cost me any extra whereas sending it all to Germany would, I also speak American really well and my German is not great.....

That being said I will call the guy you mention and have a talk with him. I will need to find a place in the uk to rebuild the brake booster and master cylinder, maybe the callipers too.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #123 on:** March 11, 2015, 20:18:19 »

Pretty exciting stuff, I took the engine to my machinist today for him to start work on. Initial thoughts are that a new cam will be needed or re-profile this one. new rockers and mount studs, maybe there is a better replacement camshaft for a bit more performance?

The diff has had a clean bill of health which is good news, I am just waiting for new gaskets to arrive for that so it can be reassembled, I have ordered trailing arm bushes etc from MB, then I can reassemble the rear end and put it into storage until needed.

I haven't had the floor pan etc sandblasted yet as the blasters are busy with other things and I still haven't decided on what paint to use. I am still trying to decide on what to finish the underside with. The underside of my transmission mount is a sort of mushroom colour, this was the same colour as under the undercoating, should the undercoating be painted this colour too, or is it cream/white?

I want to use the same brand/product throughout and at the moment it is between PPG or Cromax/Dupont, or maybe Glasurit. Trouble is I am too busy during the day to really spend much time talking to paint reps, my Corvette workaday really does interfere with my Pagoding....

There isn't that much getting done at the moment, I am busy in the evenings putting Ronni's Karmann Ghia back together after the repaint, so I only have Saturdays on the Mercedes, I think once the sandblasting is done and the sealer applied things will start to move on.

paults1 · « **Reply #124 on:** March 12, 2015, 02:40:50 »

Under body must be the same as the body. Same for engine compartment.

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Author Topic: 1964 230SL restoration in UK (Read 255943 times)