G'day Folks,

I have a slight problem - well actualy a slightly big problem - well if I'm being honest a 'king great big one.

I'm getting divorced.

There are likely to be many casualties.

The likely casualty that I'd like to talk about here is my W123 300D project.

If I'm really lucky I might - just might - get time to welded it up before certain things happen. The chance is really small but I might be lucky or rather "it" might be lucky 'cos if it ain't done it will end up at the crusher not with glee from me.

This isn't the end of the world it is after all only a car - people are more important (even the awkward ones!) - but nevertheless it would be nice to have a happy ending.



So



to cut to the chase =>



I can see that with luck the welding could be done but as it is now almost winter and the car is outside I have little to bugger all chance of getting it painted. Paying someone to paint isn't an option - it never was - never will be - DIY 'till I die!!!!

I can POR15 to my heart's content and make the body work water tight and smooth so what about

car wrap?


There are some pretty neat carbon fibre ones out there (ha ha)...


"Google" reckons a wrap might last five to seven years so that'll buy me a bit of time before I go back to paint.

Has anyone here wrapped a car before?

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Sorry to hear it.

I'm wondering if a healthy coat of wax occasionally wold suffice.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

Sorry to hear that Army. You have been a friend and helped so many on this forum. They plastic wrap boats around here like crazy. Big boats, small boats, they wrap them and store them. I guess you can wrap a car, but I s'pect that it would be hard to move after the wrap - so you would have to have it wrapped where you will store it. Really hope you can make it work for you Army. Really hope so much!

__________________
Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

I'll echo the general sentiment, very sorry to hear about your circumstances.

On the wrap thing: there may be some confusion here... do you mean the stuff they use for boat storage (a large version of what they offer for bags at airports) or do you mean the form-fitting wraps people are applying to their cars for unique graphic (for example, camouflage) effects?

Whichever you mean, bear in mind that if you mean some exposed areas will have POR-15, that stuff isn't UV resistant and it has to have a topcoat anywhere that will be exposed to sunlight. Not sure if wraps are UV-blockers or not....

__________________


Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

I've been there. I lost some Hemi MoPar's in the first divorce. They would have been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars now, but in 1988, I sold them for peanuts.

I would prime everything I could and then put a box fan inside the car and run the cord outside so you can run the fan while the car is being stored.

Moisture coming up off the ground is a killer. I would place the car over a large plastic tarp (or roll of black plastic sheet) to keep the moisture from rising up into the chassis.

Hope this helps...Robert

__________________
Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership

Sorry to hear the News Army.

Hopefully it will end up being the right thing for both of you.

You could park the car on a tarp (if it is not on concrete or tarmac) and then put on a waterproof car cover. If it is well tied down it should be fine. Around here, people store their cars that way in our harsh winters. Others use portable garages (canvas over frame), but usually only when they want to be able to drive car.

Good Luck with everything!

__________________
Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

Sorry to hear Army !
I hope you can work something out.

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

Army I really feel for you and what you are going through. been there also.
I hope this doesn`t hurt your kids too bad, they get cought in the middle when things go bad.

I agree with some sort of tarp under the car to keep moisture from coming up under it. you don`t want to keep it wrapped or tarped too tight, or it will hold moisture in. it will need to have some ventilation with a fan to keep the air moving so it doesn`t sweat.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

I would suggest primer, first of all. If you are going to wrap it in some moisture proof material, I would recommend putting some desiccant buckets inside with it. You might think that you're sealing moisture out, but what you're actually doing is sealing it in.

(Just don't include any plastic or leather.)

If the car is going to be just stored for a while more or less complete, there is the car "bubble". But again, I wouldn't recommend that either without the powered fan providing constant airflow.
http://www.thegreenhead.com/2007/12/carcapsule-inflatable-car-storage-bubble.php

__________________
1982 300CD Petrol/Black Leather

Thank you all for the kind words - I never thought it would end this way...

...I'm sorry not to have been clearer in my first post - I guess I'm somewhat distracted.

So let me try and get the thread back on track!


The current situation is that I either need to scrap the vehicle or get it running. I don't have anywhere to store the vehicle any more.

At the moment it looks like this (still)



http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/body-repair-restoration/303669-my-w123-saloon-sedan-old-accident-repair-bit-rust-repair-thread.html

I started painting parts of the car last year but I struggled with low temperatures

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/body-repair-restoration/286062-ive-taken-your-advice-started-paint.html

So even if I find the time to weld the structure I know that painting is out of the question.

I was thinking about a wrap instead of paint something like this

Car Wraps, Vehicle Wraps by Avery Graphics |Auto Wraps for Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Chicago, Dallas, Tampa, Orlando

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

All I can offer, my friend, is the lyrics to We Can Work It Out (Beatles, 1965):

We Can Work It Out Lyrics - Beatles
The Beatles We Can Work It Out (2009 Stereo Remaster) - YouTube

Sorry to hear about the relationship woes. Hope everything works out ok.

As for the car, you did say you'd take things to bits and you surely did!

__________________
Codifex
1981 240D ChinaBlue (Got her running with a donor engine.)
1983 300DTurbo w/sunroof.
1984 300TD manual sunroof. (Electrical Gremlins)

Seems you have more pressing issues than trying to find a wrap, or protect that car for when you can get back to it.

You state it must go or be driven away.

What is your time line? If short, put parts up for sale.

Sorry mate.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

There needs to be some sort of paint on the metal as the wrap / sticker won't provide a complete seal. The keeping water out of the shell is paramount next any kind of spray paint will be helpfull ( not primer as it holds moisture ) . Spraying a mix of diesel fuel and thick oil ( not used oil as it is acidic ) keeps rust down pretty well but it needs reapplied and presents a bit of a mess when prepping for paint.

Army, do you have storage buildings available in the Netherlands? I don't remember seeing any when I was there, but I wasn't looking for them either. We have a surplus of them here, endless rows of small garage like building all attached and in row upon row. You can just barely get a mid sized auto in them, if you push it in. Probably runs about $50.00 a month long term. It does keep all the weather off, but not the humidity. But availability and price could be a lot different in Holland, if they are even available.

__________________
Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!