MarrsCars

Didn't know about that one, thanks!

Wanted to share this post with you all. Most of you seem to be on the East Coast or middle part of the country but if anyone is in the area this is really a top shelf show, the organizers using their long standing connections to many local collections to bring out the very best cars. Hope to see some of you there! Save the Date: Forest Grove Concours d'Elegance- Sunday, July 20, 2014

I have Pertronix on the Benz and it works just fine. I kept the Bosch coil rather than switch to the Pertronix version so that there is nothing visible under the hood to indicate the swap. I would, and do, recommend the change to electronic over points if so inclined.

We just posted this up on MotoArigato, I love executive cars and American history, and these cars hit both marks dead on. My buddy is representing these and many other cars from a local collection, we will post some of the more interesting cars in the near future. Create Your Own Motorcade with this Presidential Limo and Parade Car

Saw this on Jalopnik: http://jalopnik.com/look-at-these-bonkers-fenders-from-a-1912-french-mudgu-1594056992

I have an old island out in the barn that's worth twice as much.

Not to be indelicate but you can often tell high-end original mascots from aftermarket, and likewise fakes from originals, by the quality of the sculpting and finishing detail. Study the various "vintage" Rolls-Royce mascots on eBay and you will see what I mean. You may notice that this example is finished well but the sculpting of the figure, especially the lady's arms, is not natural nor particularly elegant. Still this is a fine piece and one you can enjoy while remembering your father.

Exactly that, compared to the real thing these are much sleeker and lower. I felt they showed the model distinctions well however.

The link Auburnseeker is a great resource, there is a page there with relevance to your project and I have used them years ago for hardware. Here's the direct link to the How-to section: http://www.brettunsvillage.com/trunks/howto/howto.html How to replace handles: http://www.brettunsvillage.com/trunks/howto/parts.html Spare parts: http://www.brettunsvillage.com/trunks/howto/parts/ I have never seen rivets on big trunks, only tacks so be prepared for that when you dig in, bit I suppose anything is possible with all the various manufacturers over the years.

Here's all three, the Royal Touring Brougham (blue), Royal Brougham (burgundy) and Royal Coupe (green). Anyone know for certain which the OP owned? By "humpback" I'd think he had the Touring model. Such good looking cars.

Not mine, nor do I know the seller, but I thought this was such a neat add-on radiator mascot that somebody here might be interested, especially for cars that pull parade duty. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Radiator-Airplane-Mascot-Flag-Holder-Parade-Antique-Car-Ornament-Lindbergh-/231257231207?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35d8014f67&vxp=mtr

No rant at all, but rather incredibly valuable information. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

My local Mercedes indie shop scrapped about three dozen 60's and 70's cars they kept for parts a few years ago without notifying anyone, and when they mentioned they were going to scrap all their remaining vintage engine and other mechanical parts a couple of weeks ago I asked if they would let me know first so I could come by and pick some stuff out and pay them for it. Well, I stopped in the very next day unexpectedly and the scrap man was already there hauling all that stuff away. Some people do just get burnt out and surrender.

You did a fine job, I'd be happy if I received that quality of work. Funny what you said about factory stitching, comes up often when we talk about restorations, how the originals can never compare to the craftsmanship of a high end resto. This almost.... almost, makes me want to try making my own!

Does anyone here recall a thread posted in one of these forums depicting a silver or grey custom station wagon that incorporated some parts of a Bentley (or Rolls-Royce) and a fintail Mercedes? It was on display at a northern or northeastern show, maybe NY area, and was originally ordered by the owner of a large department store or retail chain if I am not mistaken. I have tried every combination of search terms to no avail. I did find this photo of the car, the gallery says it was at Amelia Island at the time it was taken. Somewhere there was a thread with many more detailed pics. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/03/the-highlights-of-amelia-island/bentley/

Awesome find, that looks like an absolute blast to drive! Enjoy it buddy! (Someone rated this as 1-star??? really? I added 5-stars to help the average, just too cool.)

I think when we consider the era for this car is is acceptable. With 1,280,000 miles that means an engine rebuild at every 300,000+ miles, which is reasonable for the 1966 technology. Also these had an aluminum head on a cast iron block so the differential in metals caused head leaks causing them to need rebuilt more often, but still no more than typical cars of the era. I do see your point and feel the bottom end should be good for more miles, even in a gas engined Mercedes, but we don't know the reality, maybe the original owner had a shop that simply said "let's do it all" and just went with the flow. It seems to be a money-was-no-object car so that could easily be the case. I just got my own W111 coupe back from an extensive repair, was going to just be the head at $2,500-5,000 but once we got into it I agreed that we should go ahead and do the timing chain and tensioners and sprockets, then why not go ahead and do the injectors, and how about the front main seal while it's accessible? $10k and one month later I get my car back (just a few days ago) from it's "head rebuild" but the money spent all pencils out and I am happy with the work done. The real difference with an SE (fuel injected) W111 is the mechanical fuel injection system that can be costly and delicate to bring back online if neglected, but once sorted is among the most fascinating, well designed and wonderful systems to enjoy on any modern motorcar. Oddly enough, on many old cars the fuel injection rarely gives any problems if it has never been tampered with, but once a backyard mechanic tries to fix it by tampering with the various screws, plates and linkages, it gets all out of whack. The best thing you can do to one of these early MFI cars is to simply never touch it if it retains factory settings, it will usually remain in-spec for several lifetimes.

In my experience "car guys" are far and above the most congenial and pleasant people to deal with as compared to most other hobbies I am involved in. I think we all tend to remember the "bad apples" more than the quick and easy deals, but at the end of the day we have to see each deal from the other person's perspective and sometimes that means they are selling off something they may only have one of, or maybe even have only ever seen one of, so they want to be sure it goes to the right owner who will appreciate it. I keep this in mind when dealing with sellers who may seem grumpy, but armed with the knowledge as to why, I am fine looking past this and usually end up forming new relationships. One of my favorite things actually it to turn these grumpy people around, I consider it a challenge be it a car deal or just being on the phone with my cable provider. I work to be nice no matter what and eventually they tend to come around and the benefits of a new found source usually follow.

Actually even less per mile cost, the car actually has just over 1,280,000 miles today! greed, classics can become almost "free" cars if you drive them enough (and can trick yourself with the math into believing that as I have). My car is very similar to this one, but a 220 instead of a 250, and I'll say I sure don't mind the cost per mile for one of these cars even tho I'm at around 23-cents per on my own. Just gave me an idea for a thread!

Here's an article I wrote and posted up today. It features a lovely car similar to my own but with one big difference, approximately 10x the mileage! Some of you may know that high mileage on German cars is a badge of honor for their owners (literally and figuratively) and that must make Ben Clopot one of the most honorable Benz guys out there. Enjoy folks! Million Mile 250SE Coupe is SoCal Owner's Daily Driver

Terrific breakdown, well said! Reminds me of movie critics, unless they have attended a film school or come from a filmmaking background, it's a layman's opinion with no more import than any other person's. I very often use Rotten Tomatoes, the film rating site, to help me figure out if I might want to watch a specific movie on Netflix or maybe at the second run theatres (movie ticket, pint of beer and a slice of fresh made pizza for under $10!!!) and they have ratings from both critics and another one from audiences. You can usually safely ignore the critic ratings and go with what audiences liked if you want to stack the odds that you will enjoy the movie too. Tho I will say that films like Gummo and Bad Words made me laugh hysterically while nearly everyone else in the theatre sat is silence so it's not always accurate, but still to your point.

I see your point but in my own experience, even back in the 1980-90's before there were televised auctions people were still always surprised when I told them what my cars actually cost me to buy, how inexpensive they were. I think just the nameplate is enough for most people to see dollar signs, but my cars were almost always something high-end when new (Jag, Cadillac) so I can't say the same would hold true for a Dodge or Chevy.

I like the cut of your jib. Great idea, anything that gets more and older cars out and being seen gets my support.

So talk of recalls on another thread got me wondering about what the oldest/earliest car you know of that has gotten a recall notice? By that I mean has anyone ever gotten a notice for their '56 Chevy or '34 Ford in the last 10 or 20-years? When did recalls begin at all for manufacturers and is there a cutoff based on time or can they be issued indefinitely?

That new info helps a great deal. A few more observations based on what you said: If being "rough on my cars" is evidenced by the example that followed, three cross country trips on one oil change and no coolant, then old car ownership may not be the right fit for you. If you still really want an old car, and I support that, you will have to either make yourself become more involved with the maintenance or simply hire a shop to do this all for you, but old cars are more fun when you can do some basic work especially when you get stranded because you can diagnose and fix yourself sometimes, especially simple stuff like a coolant hose, spark plug, distributor cap, etc. Older engines won't last as long as modern spec engines, so if you started with a newly rebuilt engine with 0-miles within 5-years you would likely need some major services such as timing chain, seals, quite possibly head work ($$$), and suspension ($$). Any old car you buy, unless the subject of a total restoration, will still probably need some immediate work that was either hidden or just due from wear and age. Rubber lines, hoses, suspension bits, etc., all come under this category. You don't really buy an old car for fuel economy simply because gas was basically free back when they were built. I'm exaggerating but inflation adjusted it was FAR cheaper until the mid 2000's so fuel economy was simply not a factor. I have no idea about replacing a carb with fuel injection but some of the 60's top level cars have a mechanical fuel injection, and slightly later cars have electronic injection, they were ahead of the curve, others can comment on American cars. FI isn't necessarily cheaper to maintain either, just slightly better economy and more reliable. In fact, probably more costly, I've spent $500 on adjustments to my MFI when I first got my car just to get it running right. You will likely need standard policy insurance for the mileage you run, like what you already have, but the cost should be lower than what you're paying now. Cassettes were an 80's thing. My experience is largely Euro cars but even 60's Beckers can be sent back to them to have you factory original fitted with an Aux out on the rear to accept an iPod/iPhone connection, many of my friends in the clubs do this. An old car may have had it's stereo upgraded in the 80's/90's however. I feel the need to hit this one point again, any older car and definitely anything from the 60's back, will require you to check the fluids regularly, some will say weekly but I check mine every time I walk out for a drive. It only takes 5-minutes to check oil, trans fluid, power steering, brake fluid and coolant. All old cars leak so the need to check them often is not being overly worried, but there to prevent you ruining an engine or something else costly and leaving you stuck. If you are unwilling, or otherwise not capable, to do any of this, there is only one clear choice for your vintage car, the unstoppable Mercedes-Benz W123 chassis and only with a Diesel engine. Probably a 240d or 300d and there are sedan, wagon and pillarless coupe versions of this car. They are reasonably plentiful and are hard to kill even if you try. You can do veggie oil conversion for fuel if you are so inclined. Look for a Turbo Diesel for better "ooomph" or plan your merges 1/4-mile ahead of time. I also think a big Chrylser 300 or similar from the 60's would be a nice daily car but all have specific weak points or concerns so once you find the make and model you think you want to buy, do what I said already and talk to owners and on brand/model specific forums for buying guides and what problems to look for.