My Custom 1980 W116 300SD Project - Page 11 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Stretch · #1 07-11-2012, 02:49 AM

Indeed what an ordeal...

...I too hope the foot gets better soon.

Aquaticedge · #2 07-11-2012, 11:38 AM

I am Quite sorry to see your foot, I hope that it heals well for you, I dont envy the pain you are in with it. It sounds like the transit truck was wet stacking and your cars got the brunt of it :/ atleast hopefully it came off well. complain about it to the transit company. maybe you can get a little of your money back from that ordeal

Zacharias · #3 07-11-2012, 12:24 PM

Congrats on that move. Even a move across town can be stressful, so I can't imagine what you've been through -- with a badly injured foot to top it all off.

I've had similar nightmares with transport companies. When I moved my CD from Cali it ended up parked in NY somewhere for three weeks.

Unless you pay huge money for the high-end, enclosed carriers, the run of the mill operators are only concerned with keeping the rigs moving, which = $$$$. They get freaked over even a delay of an hour or two.

The last time I moved a car, my 300d from Jersey, the driver called me to say he would be picking it up at 11 or midnight. I said, uh no, the lady is elderly, I don't think she will want you banging on the door at midnight (and I had specified the pickup-window times in the original agreement).

Fast forward through several terse calls between him and the dispatcher and they reluctantly moved the job to another company.

Oh yes and my CD was covered in oil as well when it got here.

mercmad6.3 · #4 07-11-2012, 06:18 PM

My God, I hope you have good medical insurance!!

. if not a few of us should get together and donate something to gettting it fixed. You should have had it raised and ice packed as soon as it happened.!.
I learned years ago that steel caps boots must be of a set standard so the toes are not crushed if the cap is placed under load . Check the standard of your boots..!!!!!
you may have a reason to investigate a claim of negligence on the part of the manufacturer and because so much crap is made in china to boost companies profits a lot shoddy stuff is being sold world wide to maximinse those

profits. If the boots are substandard and being sold as protective items you should take aim at those profits.!
Good luck with your medicals becuase i know that getting broken toes etc fixed can become a lifetime thing with the real effects hitting you in later life.

mercmad6.3 · #5 07-11-2012, 06:22 PM

PS ,never run a Mercedes through a car wash!! the strong alkalied chemicals they use to wash cars WILL Ruin the anodised trim . it taskes the shine off all of it. It's better to get a bucket of warm water with a mild household dish washing liquid and soap it on to get most of the oil off. ( or simply clean the glass and leave the rest as rust treatment )

Squiggle Dog · #6 07-13-2012, 02:34 PM

Thanks for the replies. I don't have medical insurance or even a job. At least I have a line of credit I can use, though the sad thing is that I just finished paying off $12,000 in debt from years ago, and now it looks like I'll be back in the same situation.

I'll take a look at my steel toe boots when I find them, though what happened is that the trailer came down directly behind the cap and onto my toes (even though the boots were the proper size, the cap doesn't cover the 4th or 5th toes at all).

I was reluctant to use the car wash, but my roommate surprised me by paying for it in advance and gave me a stern look when I questioned using it.

300D85 · #7 08-12-2012, 12:48 AM

years ago, my neighbor and friend was leveling a newly bought fair sized camper trailer in his driveway alone

had an engineering background,

he was under it, mostly, legs sticking out ..when something happened and it was all over for him

mercmad6.3 · #8 08-12-2012, 01:40 AM

Oh man, when the relatives turned up for a prayer meeting i would be worried that they had come to administer the last rites...
I have to aggree,S class is the man when it comes to finding odd parts for W116's etc. I got some lower ball joints for a W126 SLS Struts from him. a part even Mercedes has no record of..ha ha
South Africa manufactures cars for daimler and as result there are lot of parts there . The guy who does my injection pumps was based in Pretoria and years ago ,bosch asked him if he wanted the remaining stocks of MFI parts to suit 220SE,250,280 3.0 and 6.3 engines. He said OK and several pallets of parts, test benches,specialized tooling arrived. But because he was coming to Australia nad didn't think anyone would ever need that stuff here,left it in Pretoria.

katja · #9 08-29-2012, 11:27 PM

Wow Scott....what a nightmare you've been through this year! I hope your foot is healing well now and things have settled down.

I'm sorry we never met up again before you moved...and I still have a glow plug reamer for you (though you probably don't need glow plugs at 112 degrees). I think I'll be visiting my cousin in Phoenix next year so perhaps we can meet up then.

I was thinking of you at the MBCA Show & Shine this year...besides my car, we only had one other diesel there. Yours would have gotten some attention for sure....there was a lot of reminiscing about diesels going on, from those members who have moved on to newer MBs. There was a 450SE that reminded me of your car. You just need a paint job now and that car will look just about perfect. At least you won't have to worry about rust, mold, congealed biodiesel or working outside in the rain now. Though air conditioning might be a necessary option! I'm still really impressed at what a unique SD you have created.

Squiggle Dog · #10 08-31-2012, 01:19 PM

Katja,

The foot is getting better. Next week I go in to see if the worst of the toes has started to heal. The medical expenses sure have wiped me out, but at least everyone has been willing to take payment plans.

It's been really hot, but the temperatures are starting to get down in the low 100s and 90s, so it's getting a lot more pleasant. Send me a message if you are in the area.

I went to the MBCA Show & Shine last year. I got to see that 450SE. The owner put a 6.9 engine and parts on it, making a short wheelbase 6.9. I would have parked my car on the grass instead of the parking lot if it wasn't for my horrible paint. I still had some people asking about my car, so that was nice. I don't know when I'll be able to get a decent paint job, but I plan to own the car for many, many years, so I'm sure at some point I'll have some extra money to get a nice paint job. I still have some nagging things like aging axle boots that I want to replace before they tear.

xaliscomex · #11 09-24-2012, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squiggle Dog

Katja,

The foot is getting better. Next week I go in to see if the worst of the toes has started to heal. The medical expenses sure have wiped me out, but at least everyone has been willing to take payment plans.

I converted to manual window regulators after reading your post and now I'm looking for a 6.9 U.S bumper just like yours. I read your foot nightmare and I wish for a full recovery

Doktor Bert · #12 09-23-2012, 03:06 AM

What does all the nice wood trim cost? Where did you get your dash cover?

Squiggle Dog · #13 11-07-2012, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doktor Bert

What does all the nice wood trim cost? Where did you get your dash cover?

The instrument cluster wood was around $400, if I remember correctly. I got the NOS center console wood for about $100 and spent $200 having holes cut for the seat heater switches, then I pulled the dashboard wood off of a car someone was parting out. The NOS shifter was about $50 on eBay. I got the heater surround wood and ash tray for $15 on eBay and the seller delivered them in person.

I got the dash cover from a place here in Arizona called Dash Designs: Custom Car Seat Covers, SUVs Floor mats, Trucks Sun Shades, Sun Glides, Sun Visors .

dude99 · #14 11-07-2012, 09:50 PM

Might be worth seeing if a member could pick up your old parts and hold on to them for you, you never know

Squiggle Dog · #15 11-20-2012, 04:26 PM

I have a plan that might work for getting the rest of the parts in Washington. If I remove the passenger and rear seat and utilize the roof rack, I should be able to get all of the important stuff for the cost of diesel only (guessing $500--it's a 3,000 mile round trip). I might even be able to get the aluminum hood if I use a moving blanket and strap it to the trunk.

It's still money I don't have, but my auto insurance dropped from $89 to $23 a month, I paid off one of my medical bills, and negotiated lower payments on two other medical bills, so I have enough breathing room for another credit card payment, plus I can sell some of the parts to get a portion of the money back.

It's a bad time of year to be driving, but my route is on the west coast, so there shouldn't be too much snow or ice. I know I'll get drenched in Washington (it's still sunny and warm here in Arizona). I can sleep in the car on the way there if I bring a thick blanket, but on the way back I might have to stay at a couple motels.

I have a job interview with Waste Management next Tuesday, so that's promising. If I do this trip, it will take 6-7 days, so I'll need to do it before I start work.