Angelfish

Thank you for all the good advice, it's possible I will call on you for more in the future. I'm happy so far. My wife is looking at an SLK for herself, we may end up with a pair of them.

Well gentlemen, my life has been easy, my marriage has been strong and my future has been secure. On balance my life has been somewhat sheltered and predictable. So why not throw all that away for the sake of a 40 year old Mercedes Benz? I brought it home yesterday. I drove it a couple days ago, it started and ran well with a little bit of idle surge, +/- 100 rpm. Got it on the road and it drove and shifted nicely, the brakes were confidant, and it died every time I came to a stop sign. Put about 15 miles on it, it died and restarted several times. Brought it back, parked it, the owner just handed the cash back and said he'd work on it and put it up for sale again when the weather improved. And that was the end of it. I drove home, announced to the family that we did not own a Mecedes, and I was at peace. Then the phone rang. It was the seller. I thought about not answering. He said he bypassed the fuel pump relay and it was running well, and he'd knock another $1000 off it. I told him I'd sleep on it. So here I am. This morning I bought oil, filters, transmission fluid and brake fluid. The weather is lousy so I'm relegated to sitting in the shop trying to figure out to operate the climate control. The timing chain has already been replaced, although it was long enough back that the guides are uncertain, the subframe is not cracked, but still requires the gussets, the engine room is clean, the leaks are minimal and only in the places that don't really count anyway, the engine sounds good and the car is overall in very nice condition. The more time I spend with it the better it looks. I don't expect the real alcoholic depression to set in until at least May. A lot of people say they're underpowered, and while it's no BMW M3, I was pleased with the performance for what it is. The drive home was fun and the car did grow on me. And it has a very nice V8 rumble. The radio is missing so PM me if you want to part with one, only has one key and it's well worn so looking for a new one, the clock doesn't work, which might be a sign that I don't want to know how much time I'll have into it, and there's a dead spider hanging in front of the odometer inside the instrument panel.

Looked at one this morning. 1982, 115,000 miles. Under $10,000. Good set of service records, cosmetically very nice, no damage, looks like the soft top was never used and no yellowing in the rear window, hard top like new, clear coat peeling on the hood and trunk, interior very nice, radio missing. Timing chain replaced at 100,000, cranked over a few times before it started, once warm it started easily, 1 tiny bit of a valve train tick and a little bit of a surge at idle that leveled out but didn't go away entirely, no rust, electrics worked except for antenna and cruise control remains untested, heater fan turned on at least, steering box felt tight. 9 inches of wet snow precluded a test drive, hoping to remedy that in the next few days. I would drive it regularly, commuting and the occasional road trip.

Would be nice to see it rescued, but it won't be me. What a mess.

I've been told that Ettore Bugatti once received a letter from a customer explaining that his Bugatti was hard to start when it was cold. Ettore wrote back saying that if he didn't keep it in a heated garage, he didn't deserve to own one.

This is one of those things that I like to ponder from time to time. The term "museum quality," and it typically refers to an item in pristine condition. Firearms in particular as an example, but cars as well. There are very rare and valuable original Colt pistols that have never been fired, much like a perfect car that is never driven. But how interesting is a 150 year old Colt pistol that has never been out of the box? A well worn Texas ranger's pistol will have much better stories to tell. Museum quality often times means that it has never done anything. Some of these pictures are nearly heartbreaking. But what good is a car that spends its life in a heated garage and the occasional trailer ride?

It would make a good parade car. I swore off driving in parades due to the overheating and clutch riding. And it's not unlike just being stuck in traffic. But this would serve nicely for someone who liked that sort of thing. I hope they didn't destroy a good running car to make it.

If the choice in this case is between parting out or restomod, I have to go with the second. I hate to see any car hot rodded but it's better than seeing it scrapped. That fact that you're asking indicates that you understand what it means to cut up a good car, but a questionable car gets a little murky. Could you find a period drive train that could be made to work while keeping the car more in the spirit of its manufacture? A Chevy flathead 6 would be easy enough to find and would at least look the part. I know where there's a Chrysler straight 8 needing a full rebuild. As mentioned, the basics of structural integrity, interior, glass, drive train need addressed regardless of your course. Maybe a tasteful restomod using period (or at least not overtly modern) parts, with an eye toward the original spirit of the car even if the letter cannot be strictly adhered to. That could be a lot of fun, really and you'd be the only one to have one.

Would it be possible to see a closeup picture of the brushed pattern in your stainless dash trim? I really like that one and I need to see if the stainless shop can copy it.

I work in the retail end of the construction business and we see tools and trailers getting stolen on a regular basis. The owners agree that it is the unmarked trailers that get stolen and they are turned into meth labs. The contents, well that's fair game regardless. In the era of cordless tools it's impossible to keep someone out, all you can do is slow them down. Puck locks are harder to cut than a regular pad lock so they just cut the door around the lock. On a job site they use a large hole saw and reach in and open the door from the inside.

I'm just looking forward to my daily ration of crickets.

It works great for people who can't leave things alone, knowing it will never go back together if you touch it one more time is a good incentive to leave it alone,

To summarize the NASA document, it states that split (helical spring) washers are "useless for locking." Well, talk about the earth shifting under my feet. They didn't seem very impressed with star washers either, implying that they may be slightly better than nothing, but that is a step up from "useless." On the plus side, I never did like the appearance of split washers, so I guess I'll skip them from now on.

I still think these look better than the 57, although 56 is still my favorite. Were there suspension changes in 58? I've heard local gossip stating that the 58s rode better than previous years.

I buy split washers by the hundred and I put them on things that I think make sense to have split washers, mostly things that I don't want to come apart on their own. I assume there's a right and wrong place for them. On an engine for example. Assorted generator brackets, starters, fuel pumps, oil pump housings, transmission bell housings, engine mounts, exhaust manifolds, carburetors. Assembling the frame there's all sorts of little brackets and bits and pieces. Is there a predictable criteria when they are desirable and when not?

How to I know if I have the fuel pump arm riding on the cam correctly? It popped in nicely but now I just have to hope that I got it right.

But it wasn't all champagne and roses. My poor shop manual just couldn't take it anymore and started shedding pages. It's almost 70 years old so it didn't do too bad. I ran over to the local UPS store and she spiral bound it for me. Too big so she had to split it into two. Photocopied the cover for the second one and put clear covers over the top. All for the extravagant sum of $4.50 .

All accompanied by Mark Knophler

Dropped in the engine yesterday. You get all geared up for a big project and then when it takes 20 minutes it's almost disappointing. But not really. The engine dropped right in, this car wants to get back on the road so we'll have to make sure it happens. All four tires and an engine for the first time since 2019.

What is your Sta-bil regimen? I've had good luck using it as a preservative but was unaware if its use for ethanol.

Bearing race has been solved. Propane torch was hot enough. Tiny bur inside the race like they got a little rough on the install, emery cloth took care of that. This clears the way to put the wheels on which in turn allows the engine to go in.

Thank you! I do have a propane torch, not sure it that gets hot enough. I should be able to chase down a Mapp cylinder. Can I heat the race without damaging it? What color does it turn when it's the right temperature?

It's locked on tight. No movement in any direction. I've been using PB blaster periodically and tapping it with a wood block but nothing yet. Not a big deal, just another delay getting it back on its wheels.

How do I loosen up this inner bearing race on the front spindle? It is supposed to "creep," according to the manual, but the removal instructions are a little vague. Now as I sit here I wonder if a strap wrench would work. But if you have a suggestion for the non destructive removal I'd take it.

Came with a Saratoga in 1941. Junkyard has one and wants too much for it ($250). It's complete less carburetor. Have to assume it's seized with a cracked block, it's possible that's not the case but we'll start at the worst scenario. The hood is still in place so it's more or less protected. No reason, I just always wanted to rebuild a straight 8 and this is the one that presented itself. I need it like I need a badly stubbed toe. It would be something interesting to work on and then I'd end up with an engine that weighs as much as a smart car and not have a car to put it in. The transmission has wandered off on its own somewhere. But for those you who have done it, just interested in what was noteworthy about the process. And if you could tell me what it really does weigh.