Well, I just finished a fight with the rear driver's side door handle. I won, but as the saying goes....."I'd hate to see the other guy" - it was a bit of a tough fight.

I removed the door handles on my 82 300sd to repaint it, and all three of the other ones went in fine.

This one however, had attitude - big time. Everytime I went to tighten the screw, the front end of the handle would pop out, instead of sliding into place onto the door panel. Nothing I did worked....until I started thinking about German precision.

"Something I have done here has screwed up their German precision.....what could I have changed?"

Has anyone figured it out yet? Let's see if someone can fiugre it out while I go back out and finish putting the car together while my wife is waxing it for me.

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79 300SD - $50 out of pocket purchase
03 Dodge Ram 3500 CTD
2003 VW Jetta TDI

You have to loosen the front screw on the handle slightly to make up for the difference in paint thickness?

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)

We have a winner!

Had to loosen it by a 1/4 turn.

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79 300SD - $50 out of pocket purchase
03 Dodge Ram 3500 CTD
2003 VW Jetta TDI

That is amazing !

I love these cars.

Reminds me of the sequence of events you have to stick to for getting the alternator belt tightened in these cars.

Or how the gas cap fits in the spring for the filler door, and will not let you shut it with the cap in it.
That saved me from buying another cap just the other day.

Have Fun
RichC

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When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

I'm more impressed by this:Now having your wife wax it is something!

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)

You waxed fresh paint? Is not that a bad idea?

I was going to suggest you had suripticiously substituted a french made screw and the benz was rejecting it!

On my BMW mototcycle, I had the front axle rechromed and when I went to reinsert it in the sleeve, I had to sand some of the chrome plating off before it would go in....another example of German precision.

Also on the bmw bike there was a place in the specification table where it gave performance figures, I can still remember chuckling when it said....."Top speed, 103 mph upright, 108 crouched." (referring to the position of the rider).

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Paint Job Complete, eh?

Hope it turned out nice!

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1983 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo (Daily Driver)
1979 Mercedes Benz 300CD (Needs Lotsa Work)
1963 Chevrolet C10 Stepside Shortbed (Not Stock)
1999 Chevrolet Silverado Z-71 (Fun to Drive)
2007 Nissan 350Z (Wifes Car - Lucky!)

The paint job turned out nice for what I was aiming for. It's one of those 20/40 jobs....looks good 20 feet away while driving by at 40.

Actually, it's much better than that. It IS a Tremclad job. The old paint was severely oxidized to the point that I bought it without any shine at all, the roof was flaking, and polishing and waxing didn't make anything shine. If I have to think of all the small rocks and pebbles and such that have hit the hood over the past 25 years, I could have sanded,primed,sanded,primed,sanded,primed,sanded,primed,sanded,primed for the next month or so to bring it back to a showroom finish. But this was always meant to be just cheap DIY paintjob that would make it look better than it currently was. Somethings turned out great, somethings not. Some of the trim is wonderful, there's also some paint touch ups that need to be done.

However, it's not "flaky white gold" anymore, and the large letter "F" that some kid scratched into the roof in my school parking lot is now gone. I drive this thing to work every day, and when your car is going to get keyed, scratched by backpacks walking between the cars, etc.....getting it professionally painted just wasn't worth it.

As for waxing, the paint dries extremely hard, and waxing doesn't seem to have been a problem for others who have done this job.

As for the wife waxing, she actually WANTED to do it, so that the car would be finished sooner. IN FACT, she painted and sanded the passenger side while I worked on the driver's side. The only thing she didn't do was take off the trim and such, and help put it back together.

Yup, she's a keeper.

Bumpers still need to go on, and Bundts need to be repainted. Other than that and some touch ups, she's good to go.

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79 300SD - $50 out of pocket purchase
03 Dodge Ram 3500 CTD
2003 VW Jetta TDI

It is a bad idea. Virtually all waxes have silicone in them to make them easier to apply/buff out. Applying/buffing just plain wax used to be an Olympic sport.

If you can, I suggest getting a clay bar and remove the wax.

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1984 300TD

What will the wax actually do to the paint?

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79 300SD - $50 out of pocket purchase
03 Dodge Ram 3500 CTD
2003 VW Jetta TDI

It can dull the shine by trapping gases that would escape from the paint otherwise.

The clay bar is tedious, but an easy process. My favorite by far is the Clay Magic one. I got mine at Auto Zone, but it's hit or miss.

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1984 300TD

The wax keeps the paint from fully curing. I'd try to get it off.Then wait at least a month before waxing.

Cheers,

Bill

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Cheers,
Bill

Well, here's proof....

Attached Thumbnails

 

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79 300SD - $50 out of pocket purchase
03 Dodge Ram 3500 CTD
2003 VW Jetta TDI

Here's a quick picture of the 300SD so far...not completed, cladding not put on yet, rims are done, though.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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79 300SD - $50 out of pocket purchase
03 Dodge Ram 3500 CTD
2003 VW Jetta TDI

Both the wife and the car look like winners!

Congratulations.

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)