My Custom 1980 W116 300SD Project Part 2 - Page 9 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Squiggle Dog · #1 05-06-2019, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

"I'm going to be married to this project for a while!"

....Join the club ! it's a nice diversion .

I've done the underside of my Coupe & 240D a few times, once when it was just dirty from the years and other times when it blew a gasket (oil filter to block, GAH) or other messy thing occurred, I suit up in my coveralls and cap, junkyard shoes and eye protection, raise the car on safety stands and slide under on my creeper, it's not a job for the faint of heart, is it now

.

I hope you wore eye protection ! .

You needn't use abrasive scrubbing pads, old rags and good cleaner will do the same job with less damage to the paint .

This car is looking very fine indeed .

I wanted to wear goggles, but with all the filthy water dripping down and soaking my face I figured I wouldn't be able to see out of them. I used a dish cleaning scrubbing pad which didn't feel very abrasive to the touch (just soft fibers). It was a lot easier to hold in my hand than a rag and was able to be frequently rinsed out. It was quite a task. Working under the car would bother me as I would constantly have greasy dirt falling down on me before.

vwnate1 · #2 05-06-2019, 09:15 AM

Well ;

You wanted to be a Mechanic.....

Yes, the crap and greasy water with dirt particles will fall into your face and soak you through and through but that's the job .

If one tiny particle of grit or soapy grease falls into your eye you'll be wishing you'd used eye protection ~ BT, DT, had to have steel chips picked out of one eye with a needle whilst I was awake once....

.

dude99 · #3 05-06-2019, 12:08 AM

The quality of your work never ceases to amaze me.

Squiggle Dog · #4 05-06-2019, 11:27 AM

Don't get me wrong, I use eye protection quite often and really wanted to use it this time as well. I just didn't think I would be able to see at all as the glasses would be smeared over with grease and there wasn't good lighting underneath to begin with.

vwnate1 · #5 05-06-2019, 11:48 AM

I understand completely .

Squiggle Dog · #6 05-18-2019, 12:59 PM

I got new rubber grommets for the parking brake cables as the old ones were worn through and the metal was starting to cut into the cables.

I also got new locking nuts and washers for the differential.

Squiggle Dog · #7 05-18-2019, 01:23 PM

The remanufactured CVJ axles had little breather tubes pinched in between the boots and the shaft. CVJ said I could remove them if I live in a dusty environment or if I wanted. I grabbed the ends with pliers and noted they stretched out quite a bit, almost to the point of breaking, but with very careful and steady force I pulled them all out and the boots still seem to fit tightly.

The new clips for attaching the axle shafts into the differential arrived. The old clips were a loose fit and I had hoped that new clips would fit snug and prevent me from having to play around with replacement spacers. Fortunately, the new clips fit nice and snug.

After installing the trailing arms and differential into the subframe, I lifted the trailing arms up to the stop and supported them so I could manipulate the ends of the axle shafts into place. Then I lowered the trailing arms to help seat them.

Some gentle taps with a rubber mallet were required to drive the axle shafts into the hubs so the bolt would reach.

After the axle shafts were installed (new deformable washers are needed), I checked the trailing arms to make sure the axle shafts were allowing the full range of motion. Then I torqued down the bolts for the trailing arm bushings as it's easier to move the trailing arms beforehand. I used physics to my advantage and tilted the whole assembly back onto the protrusion of the differential cover and rotated it on the cardboard so I could lay it down correct side up onto two moving carts.

I noticed that the threaded differential mounting tabs had small rocks and dirt underneath them which wasn't allowing them to fit flat against the sheet metal, and no doubt would have caused mounting issues. So, I removed them, soaked them in Evapo-Rust, and then cleaned out the body with a pick and compressed air. The compressed air worked well for blowing out all the dust and dirt from the body channels.

Squiggle Dog · #8 05-18-2019, 01:37 PM

Installing the rear axle assembly by myself was easy with the proper technique. I rolled the assembly back to the vehicle on the carts.

Then I slid it underneath the vehicle until I bumped into the exhaust. I put a moving blanket over the exhaust system, and with the left rear hub floating over the top of it, I lifted up the rear axle assembly enough to slide out one of the carts so the assembly was now resting on the exhaust. From there I was able to center the assembly by sliding it into place.

I got new springs and spacers for the rear. I figured it's now or never.

The old springs actually don't seem like they lost any height and were probably fine, but I think the front left spring is sagging and if I have to replace the fronts anyway, I might as well do the rears, too.

marco5 · #9 05-18-2019, 05:05 PM

Absolutely amazing job Squiggle Dog, so much attention to detail. Your car is approaching full mechanical restoration and is worth some good money.

Just curious, what have you spent so far ball park with the restoration? You may want to have it insured/appraised for that amount. Just in case some moron rear ends you or something.

Squiggle Dog · #10 05-20-2019, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marco5

Absolutely amazing job Squiggle Dog, so much attention to detail. Your car is approaching full mechanical restoration and is worth some good money.

Just curious, what have you spent so far ball park with the restoration? You may want to have it insured/appraised for that amount. Just in case some moron rear ends you or something.

I added up the stack of receipts that I've kept since I got the car in early 2010, and it came out to over $13,000. That's including parts I've purchased from wrecking yards and eBay. Most of the genuine Mercedes parts I've ordered have been at a 15-30% discount off of MSRP. I have done all my own labor except for possibly only alignments, mounting and balancing tires, and rebuilding the injectors. If I had paid someone to do the work, the cost would no doubt have been exponentially larger as not only would I be paying $60-$100 per hour (?) but I'd also be paying a mark-up on the parts.

I guess $13,000 isn't terrible considering it's going to be nearly mechanically perfect with everything working as it should and every bit as reliable as a new car. But that's putting in a lot of time and labor. It's also in dire need of paint and bodywork, and that's easily going to cost a few thousand.

vwnate1 · #11 05-21-2019, 09:13 AM

...Join the club Squig .

Every time I look at my old Coupe I think "if only I know a trustworthy body & paint shop"......

The last body shop I trusted to touch my Mercedes (my first 300CD) screwed it up -so- badly I sold the car at a dead loss .

Squiggle Dog · #12 05-21-2019, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

...Join the club Squig .

Every time I look at my old Coupe I think "if only I know a trustworthy body & paint shop"......

The last body shop I trusted to touch my Mercedes (my first 300CD) screwed it up -so- badly I sold the car at a dead loss .

I've been driving my roommate's 1965 W111 220S while my car has been down and as I got out of it at The UPS Store, a bunch of guys in a big truck asked me if I ever thought about getting the car painted. I said, "Yeah, but who can afford it?" The guy said that they do mobile auto painting and for $600 they could put three coats of clear coat on it to make it shine like new. Ick. Clear coat does not last in the desert. He said he'd follow me back to my house and do it right in my driveway.

I pointed out all the paint loss on the driver side doors because both doors had been replaced and were originally different colors. When the car was repainted, the paint didn't adhere very well. I also pointed out all the dents. He said, "For $725 I will remove all the dents, respray the doors, and clear coat the whole car. I'll do it right now, right here in the parking lot. You'll never get such a great deal. This is the opportunity of a lifetime."

The guy was really pushy and all his buddies were chiming in, too. I told him the car doesn't even belong to me and I'd have to ask the owner, anyway. That's when the guy said, "Whatever." and got back in his truck and drove off.

I can only imagine the quality of the job if the guy had done it right there in the parking lot. Most likely he would have demanded cash up front and then sped off.

vwnate1 · #13 05-21-2019, 11:29 AM

LOL !

.

Yeah, one time I was at a red light and this huge old rusty and dented up full size American station wagon with filthy cracked and dirty windows, about five dirty kids, a nasty looking woman riding shotgun and of course a hillbilly who had maybe six teeth in spite of being only 30 years old or so, pulls up next to me and offers to fix a small dent in my fender for $75 ~ when I politely declined he sneered and said "oh yeah ? so you're just gonna drive it 'round looking like that huh ?" (my old car was washed and waxed, just not perfect) I I didn't want to waste time pointing out to the missing link there that he might consider taking a bath and maybe not driving a jalopy no junkyard would take free when he was turning up his nose at others...

I briefly pondered asking him if he owned a mirror .

Those are the same guys who peddle TV's that 'fell off the back of a truck' ~ if you're stupid enough to pay for one, the box will be full of concrete blocks, I actually know one fool who told all his employees to get in on this with him before they lost the chance .

I bet the two peddlers laughed all the way back to Compton .

BWhitmore · #14 05-18-2019, 05:18 PM

I appreciate your attention to the details. Nice work!

KJenkins · #15 05-18-2019, 09:08 PM

This is fantastic work. I think you should start your own youtube channel. There are many people doing VW restorations and such but not many doing classic mercedes. I personally would love seeing work like this documented on video.