My Custom 1980 W116 300SD Project Part 2 - Page 16 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vwnate1 · #**226** 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 .

Squiggle Dog · #**227** 06-12-2019, 03:42 AM

The new rear subframe mounts aren't collapsed as were the originals.

The rubber seals of the driveshaft centering sleeves were damaged, so I replaced them. I drilled a hole through them and then hammered an old ratchet handle into the hole. I cleaned around the interface area, applied Deep Creep penetrating oil, and put a long prybar at each end and rocked the prybars back and forth until after much effort the sleeves started to slide out. It took much persistence. "I want to break free!"

I sacrificed one of the old flex discs to make a tool for pressing in the new centering sleeves. There is a large washer in between, and it bent in the process.

After the sleeves were sunken in, I hammered them down to make sure they were fully seated.

Squiggle Dog · #**228** 06-12-2019, 03:44 AM

I ordered new genuine Mercedes flex discs. Comparing them next to one of the old German-made Lemförders, they look almost identical other than the genuine Mercedes ones having the star logo and part number. They are probably made by the same company in the same factory, but in different molds and possibly with different rubber compounds.

The new bearing pressed into the driveshaft support by hand.

I put a film of automatic transmission fluid on the driveshaft and then carefully tapped down the bearing with a wide flat blade screwdriver and a hammer, alternating from side to side and making sure not to slip and punch into the bearing's seal. I also squoze the driveshaft between my legs to support it so the new centering sleeve wouldn't be hammered too hard against the block of wood on the ground.

I don't have a good set of snap ring pliers and I destroyed the original snap ring and shields in the process. I ordered new ones and slid them down into place.

Squiggle Dog · #**229** 06-12-2019, 03:46 AM

I greased the splines of the driveshaft halves, assembled them together noting they went back in the same orientation as they were removed (so as to not disturb the balance), and installed a new rubber boot.

I put Corroseal rust converter on the driveshaft to make it look nicer and protect it from rust.

The captive nuts in the driveshaft tunnel had grit under them, so I removed and cleaned them, then scraped and blew compressed air inside the bracket to get the dirt out.

The driveshaft in place. I did not replace the universal joint because I ran out of funds and am hoping that because the driveshaft is in a straight line that it will last a very long time.

Squiggle Dog · #**230** 06-12-2019, 03:48 AM

I got my car to the point a while back where it doesn't drip any fluids on the ground--except for the control pressure rod shaft seal on the side of the transmission, and it's been driving me crazy because it leaves a puddle under the car. Unfortunately, it is not possible to replace the shaft seal without completely disassembling the transmission and pulling out the gear set. How awful is that? Here is what the shaft looks like from the outside, with the lever removed from it:

The seal is not located at the outside of the case, but rather it's on the shaft close to the inside of the case. In order to replace the seal, the shaft has to slide out from the inside of the transmission, but one of the drums is blocking it. I really dislike this design and want to change it. I thought about having the case bored so a lip seal could be installed on the outside of the case. But, this wouldn't work because the shaft steps down at the area where it would need to seal.

Then I had another thought--the lever welded to the shaft on the inside of the transmission is keyed, so if the weld was ground off, the lever could be removed and then the shaft could be drilled, threaded, and the lever made to be removable with a screw, allowing the shaft to be removed from the outside. I had envisioned removing the valve body on my transmission, taping a plastic bag around the area where I would need to grind off the welds to prevent contaminating the transmission with metal particles, and then doing the modification so I could replace the seal without taking apart the transmission. But, there is just not enough room to reach a tool in there. Oh, well. I still might do it when it comes time to rebuild the transmission.

In the past I had attempted to stop the leak by putting an O-ring on the shaft, sliding it up against the case, and then letting the force of the nylon washer and the spring washer push against it. It did not work. But, I tried it again using a thicker Viton O-ring, size 8mmIDX12mmOD.

I put the nylon washer and spring washer and clip in place against the O-ring, and though it felt like they were pressing hard against it, I noticed the nylon washer was deforming at the open end of the clip. So, I replaced it with a steel washer from a flex disc bolt of similar dimensions (11mmIDX18mmODX1.5mmT)--I think the nylon washer had a 10mm inner diameter, though.

It was a bit difficult to get the spring washer and clip on after the O-ring and steel washer, but it was putting firm pressure against the O-ring.

Squiggle Dog · #**231** 06-12-2019, 03:50 AM

It actually worked! Ever since I shoved an O-ring of the proper size in there, it hasn't leaked at all. Now I can have a spot-free driveway without having to rebuild the transmission.

Unfortunately, a leak had also developed at the selector shaft seal. But, this seal is located on the outside of the case. Unfortunately, the proper way to replace the seal is to remove the entire rear cone of the transmission so the shaft can be unclamped and then slid out of the case. The reverse lights were working intermittently and then not at all, so I suspected the neutral safety switch. I had purchased a new switch a while back, but when I pulled off the wire plug (which wasn't staying together), one of the terminals fell off. So, it was clear that the non-functioning reverse lights was due to broken wiring. I pulled the plug up into the cabin and soldered the terminal back in place.

The wire tubing was cut where it used to attach to the connector. I knew electrical tape wouldn't hold up, so I used heat shrink tubing. But, the problem I had was I didn't have heat shrink tubing large enough to fit over the large half of the connector, and any heat shrink tubing which would fit over it wouldn't shrink down small enough to fit over the tubing I was trying to mend. I took a chance and put a section of heat shrink tubing over large needle nose pliers and I carefully opened the pliers, thus stretching the tubing until it was eventually about twice the original diameter. Then I slid it over the connector and shrank it down to size. Even though it had stretched so much, it still worked!

I had purchased a new Bakelite connector thinking it was why it wasn't staying together, but it was that the larger plastic counterpart (which is no longer available) had tabs that weren't gripping the Bakelite part. So, I very carefully heated the plastic part with a heat gun and then bent in the tabs as far as I could and held them until they cooled. It worked!

I had a new selector shaft seal which I purchased four years ago and didn't install because it wasn't needed at the time. I decided that I didn't want to remove the tail cone of the transmission in order to replace the selector shaft seal, and since the seal is on the outside of the case, I took a small flat blade screwdriver and tapped it into the seal so I could remove the seal. After much work, the seal came out, but to my horror the selector shaft was very deeply gouged all over the seal surface from tapping in the screwdriver. I was in disbelief and wish I wouldn't have messed with it, as now not only would I have to take off the tail cone anyway, but I'd have to get a new selector shaft on top of more seals and gaskets.

I had planned on having to buy the parts (with money I don't have) and go through the whole process, but in order to keep contaminants out of the transmission, I put a little sealant on the outside of the seal and then tried to push it over the shaft, but there is a sharp lip that makes it very difficult to do, which is yet another reason why the shaft is supposed to be removed when the seal is installed. I tried to tap it in place, but it wasn't going in straight. I pulled the seal back out (and scratched the steel outer diameter in the process), but went too far and it came off the shaft, when I noticed that the sharp edges of the shaft had cut the seal. I applied more sealant to the outer diameter, forced the seal back on and tried to tap it in again. It was going in crooked, but I didn't care. I just kept tapping it into place and denting it in the process. Then I installed the neutral safety switch and selector shaft rod.

The next day I went out to the car and looked under it, hoping it wasn't leaking too much. To my surprise it was completely dry. There was no leak anymore! Somehow the seal must have contacted a very small part of the shaft where it wasn't gouged, and there must be enough pressure against the seal that the cut isn't leaking. What a relief! I still eventually want to fix it correctly, but that can wait. It is so wonderful having a transmission that doesn't leak!

My car doesn't leak on the driveway anymore! Yay!

Squiggle Dog · #**232** 06-12-2019, 03:51 AM

When I had an auto transporter deliver my car from Washington to Arizona when I moved several years ago, they broke and bent one of the tabs (of unknown purpose, but which only appear on North American models), along with lots of other damage to my car and my roommate's cars. But that's a story which has already been told. I had to bend the tab out of the way so I could remove the bolts for the rear sway bar.

I installed new sway bar bushings and end links as the old ones had broken.

I installed new parking brakes four years ago, but I was reading the factory service manual and thought that I had the adjusters installed backwards because the manual reads:

"Attention!
Adjusting direction of screw driver for moving brake shoes against disc:

Left side: from bottom to top

Right side: from top to bottom"

I noticed that my adjusters worked the opposite way, so I pried apart the brake shoes and flipped the adjusters around.

But then I noticed that the manual also says:

"Install adjusting device in both brake shoes, so that adjusting wheel of diagonal swing axle faces forward."

That's the way I originally had them installed (also in accordance with the accompanying picture), and it goes contrary to the direction it says they are rotated to move the shoes toward the disc. There must be a translation error. I decided to put the adjusters the way I had them before, with the adjuster wheel pointing forward, and the way the pictures show. The manual must have left and right sides mixed up with regards to in what direction to move the adjusters.

I cleaned up the brake parts and lubricated the pins and back of the pads. I noticed some brake fluid leaking at the pistons, and the boots have some tiny holes in them. I wonder if the fluid leaking is because I pushed in the pistons when I wedged a carpenter's pencil in there. The calipers were brand new (not remanufactured) eight years ago.

My car is missing the heat shield that goes under the driveshaft. I removed the one from the 280SE parts car I had, and when I did a test fit I found that it will not work; the bolt holes are way off. How odd... You'd think they were all the same?

Squiggle Dog · #**233** 06-12-2019, 03:52 AM

I got the rear of the car back together and took it on a short test drive. The work I did checks out. But, the car is not currently safe to drive as the front end was clunking, the steering wheel is off-center, and the right tie rod keeps popping out of joint. So now to start on the front end rebuild. The nice thing about ceramic brake pads is they don't leave brake dust all over.

There doesn't seem to be anywhere good to support the front of the vehicle other than with jack stands underneath the cross yoke. But, it has to come out to have the bushings replaced. So, I decided I would remove it first, replace the bushings, install it, and then support the car on jack stands under it while I take the rest of the front end apart. It's held on with 24mm bolts and nuts. But, I don't have a 24mm socket or wrench. I have a 15/16" socket which fits on the bolt heads, but the nuts are obscured in a way that a socket won't fit on them, so a wrench must be used. I don't have $7 to buy a 24mm wrench, so I used an adjustable wrench and ended up rounding the nuts. Sigh. I got them off, at least. Then the yoke drops down.

The bushings have open spaces at the sides.

I'm broke, so I tried to find creative ways of getting the bushings out. This way worked to get one halfway out, then I used a hammer and a socket to drive it out the rest of the way.

Then when I went to remove the second bushing, the head of the bolt came off so I couldn't use it anymore. I then tried using a 3-jaw puller, and it actually worked better than the bolt and socket method. But if I had the money I would have just bought the proper tool.

ROLLGUY · #**234** 06-12-2019, 07:26 AM

As usual, your posts are probably the most thorough and helpful of any on this site. I always enjoy reading them, and am very impressed with your work. The talent you have been given to be able to do the work you have done on this car is a gift from God. You are truly blessed! You also are very good at improvising and making things work with what you have. You are a real asset to this community, and we appreciate you and your work!

Squiggle Dog · #**235** 06-12-2019, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROLLGUY

As usual, your posts are probably the most thorough and helpful of any on this site. I always enjoy reading them, and am very impressed with your work. The talent you have been given to be able to do the work you have done on this car is a gift from God. You are truly blessed! You also are very good at improvising and making things work with what you have. You are a real asset to this community, and we appreciate you and your work!

Thank you! So kind!

barry12345 · #**236** 06-13-2019, 11:39 AM

I read a few of your posts and thought. He has a sleep disorder as a partial explanation of the time required perhaps. Most importantly is I really enjoyed your approaches to problems. Trying to do things the right way is very important.

I find I am up to my posterior in alligators so often I seldom get to do work on cars anymore. I really miss it as I find it a very relaxing pursuit.

The wife calls me a perfectionist when I really get down to things. Where the truth is if you do it right the first time. A return visit is not as likely to occur.

There is a lot of truth to the old expression. There is never enough time to do it properly the first time. Yet the time can be found to do it again.

Today I get to lift a car of ours that the front end fell through a concrete floor. There is no easy way to get it back out other than me using three chain hoists. At least the building has steel beams to hoist with.

I am looking forward to reading all your posts.

Squiggle Dog · #**237** 06-14-2019, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

I read a few of your posts and thought. He has a sleep disorder as a partial explanation of the time required perhaps. Most importantly is I really enjoyed your approaches to problems. Trying to do things the right way is very important.

I find I am up to my posterior in alligators so often I seldom get to do work on cars anymore. I really miss it as I find it a very relaxing pursuit.

The wife calls me a perfectionist when I really get down to things. Where the truth is if you do it right the first time. A return visit is not as likely to occur.

There is a lot of truth to the old expression. There is never enough time to do it properly the first time. Yet the time can be found to do it again.

Today I get to lift a car of ours that the front end fell through a concrete floor. There is no easy way to get it back out other than me using three chain hoists. At least the building has steel beams to hoist with.

I am looking forward to reading all your posts.

Wow, it sounds like you have quite a project on your hands!

Squiggle Dog · #**238** 06-14-2019, 12:26 AM

The edge of one of the mounting eyes for the lower control arm was flattened out, so I hammered it back into shape.

New cross yoke bushings (116-333-56-15) are no longer available from Mercedes, so I was forced to buy aftermarket. Meyle was the only brand I could find. Even though the rubber reads "Meyle Germany", they are made in Thailand. But, they were cheap. I got them on eBay for $6.95 a pair plus $6.95 shipping.

I got some money from my roommate and bought a long bolt and a nut and washers (and also a 24mm wrench) so I could press in the new bushings. I used dish soap as a lubricant.

There are supposed to be open spaces on the sides.

I put Corroseal rust converter on the cross yoke to make it look nice and protect it from rust.

barry12345 · #**239** 06-14-2019, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squiggle Dog

Wow, it sounds like you have quite a project on your hands!

Went okay so far yesterday. Car is way up in the air. Have started to manipulate it backwards while suspended. At my age of 77 I have decided not to repair the damage. Not a bad project really. Other than doing it safely without any damage to the powertrain.

My concern was and remains to get it out without damage to the powertrain. It is a 114 coupe that was used on a racetrack in Germany. This has a standard transmission so the flywheel was probably individually balanced with the m130 engine in the day. I do not know all the mechanical modifications but everyone that drove it liked it. I have another maroon 114 coupe that I had thought might be nicer converted to a standard. With this powertrain. . Plus the engine may have some unknown modifications.

Unfortunatly I had already done the worse of the restoration.
Changing the floor pans out and dealing with the damage on one rear quarter where it slid off the track. I wish I had some pictures of how an amateur body person like myself dealt with a messed up rear quarter after the metal manipulation.

I took some ash boards six feet long. Ran them through the planer down to about 1/4 inch. Purchased good belt sanding paper and cemented it to the boards. Adding a handle at each end. With one guy at each end the quarter contour came out well with this.. The rippled and damaged area was five feet long. There was no way I was going to get it right otherwise. Possibly would have looked comical in a video with two of us using the sanding boards.

You win some and lose some I suppose. This car was modified I believe at a Canadian forces base in Germany about twenty five miles away from the race track.

Also another spare m130 engine went through the floor as well. Plus a 289 ford engine. So I am left with one good 114 coupe and two spare probably good m130 engines. I will part out the damaged coupe and put everything saved into good storage. Some parts like brakes probably fit the 123s we have. I had the side stainless trim off both coupes go in as well and most of it got crunched. So I will be advertising for a some decent pieces. Both coupes were being prepped for paint. As I got time.

Squiggle Dog · #**240** 06-26-2019, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry12345

Went okay so far yesterday. Car is way up in the air. Have started to manipulate it backwards while suspended. At my age of 77 I have decided not to repair the damage. Not a bad project really. Other than doing it safely without any damage to the powertrain.

My concern was and remains to get it out without damage to the powertrain. It is a 114 coupe that was used on a racetrack in Germany. This has a standard transmission so the flywheel was probably individually balanced with the m130 engine in the day. I do not know all the mechanical modifications but everyone that drove it liked it. I have another maroon 114 coupe that I had thought might be nicer converted to a standard. With this powertrain. . Plus the engine may have some unknown modifications.

Unfortunatly I had already done the worse of the restoration.
Changing the floor pans out and dealing with the damage on one rear quarter where it slid off the track. I wish I had some pictures of how an amateur body person like myself dealt with a messed up rear quarter after the metal manipulation.

I took some ash boards six feet long. Ran them through the planer down to about 1/4 inch. Purchased good belt sanding paper and cemented it to the boards. Adding a handle at each end. With one guy at each end the quarter contour came out well with this.. The rippled and damaged area was five feet long. There was no way I was going to get it right otherwise. Possibly would have looked comical in a video with two of us using the sanding boards.

You win some and lose some I suppose. This car was modified I believe at a Canadian forces base in Germany about twenty five miles away from the race track.

Also another spare m130 engine went through the floor as well. Plus a 289 ford engine. So I am left with one good 114 coupe and two spare probably good m130 engines. I will part out the damaged coupe and put everything saved into good storage. Some parts like brakes probably fit the 123s we have. I had the side stainless trim off both coupes go in as well and most of it got crunched. So I will be advertising for a some decent pieces. Both coupes were being prepped for paint. As I got time.

Clever way of dealing with the bodywork! I'm sure someone new will appreciate such a unique vehicle.