Yes- loads of fun!!!!

I have a polished cover on my 617/39 Studebaker. Yours looks nicer!

Thanks! The photos don't actually do it justice, the light was all wrong.

Dead battery today!
 

A couple weeks ago, I replaced the battery because it was dead. It was about 5 years old, so I figured it was bad, and would not take a charge. I should have checked the charging system then, but I didn't. Today I drove the car to Home Depot, and when I went to start the car, it barely cranked. I called Auto Club and got a jump start. When I got home, I put the battery on the charger. I removed the voltage regulator and found one of the brushes missing. I had a good used one in stock and replaced it. It started right up and is charging the battery now! I really like how easy it is to replace the regulator on these alternators. A stubby Phillips and five minutes got the job done!.......Rich

Voltage Regulators
 

Wow, you certainly got your money's worth out of that one ! .

After 5 years you're on borrowed time, I too have had several 'runs fine but won't re start' when the 5 + year old battery dies in mid flight .

Almost always far from home .

I'm now using dynamic voltage gauges in all my Mercedes because the darn low charge light never comes on unless the fan belt breaks, here's a nice cheap handy one :

https://www.amazon.com/Palumma-Charger-Adapter-Display-Battery/dp/B0773BYS6P?pf_rd_p=5cc0ab18-ad5f-41cb-89ad-d43149f4e286&pd_rd_wg=SYbun&pf_rd_r=4K8E5D5F7SXV9J45PTZK&ref_=pd_gw_wish&pd_rd_w=bp3kv&pd_rd_r=d494c 7c0-f2a2-4ee3-89d6-7052b187c618

BEWARE of the slightly cheaper ones that have BLUE DISPLAY ~ it's hard to see in the sun or at night .

Blower problem=repaired Push Button Unit
 

I had no blower function, so I removed the PBU to see if I could find a problem with it. I could not, so I contacted forum member Jamesdean, and he had me send him all three units (PBU, Temp Regulator, and Blower Speed Control). He found a bad trace in the PBU, and serviced the other two units. He used parts from a couple other PBU cores I sent to make up a nice one for the R107. None of the other PBU's (126,123 etc) are compatible with the 107, so he had to fix mine. He even replaced the temp wheel tape! I highly recommend Jamesdean for Climate Control, Cruise Control, and Instrument Cluster repair. The work is top notch, and very affordable.....Rich

Cool!

The original batteries in my 03 Dodge lasted 11 years. I was impressed.

Actually, Hot! I installed the three units today, and I now have heat!!! Thanks again Jamesdean for the great repair!

Remote door locks (keyless entry)
 

I bought a remote door lock kit from A***** for the SLD. It came with enough parts for four doors, but I only need enough for two. Fortunately, it takes two of the rods per door, so I have enough of them to make both lock motors work. Starting on the passenger side, I removed the vacuum pod, and used one of the holes for the lower mounting bolt for the lock motor. I had to drill one for the top bolt. I also had to remove the bolts from the lock mechanism so I could get the rod through the hole of the lever. To fish the wire, I fashioned a hook on the end of a coat hanger, and fed it through where the vacuum lock hoses go and then hooked the wires. I pulled the end of the wires through, and routed them to the driver side where the controller is. For the driver side, I had to fish five wires through. The wires are thin, so there was enough room for them. After putting the door panels back on, I hooked everything up and now have keyless entry! The controller has provision for trunk unlocking, so I will do some research and figure out how to make it work. I will probably just use one of the extra lock motors and replace the vacuum pod. I don't really need a trunk "popper", just a way to unlock the trunk without using the key.

Pulling wire. Also, I repaired the compressor mount bracket and braces, so they are ready to install. Post #152- After I got the plate welded, I noticed it was not square with the engine. I remove a couple parts, and welded new pieces in, but straight this time!

If I remember right, a custom oil pan had to be made to get the diesel to fit in the SL. True?

NO. A pan from a W116 (300SD) worked perfectly.

A/C compressor mount
 

I started the job of mounting the compressor today. I had to remove the power steering pump and oil cooler lines to gain access to work on the mounting plate. I had to grind off the ribs of the aluminum oil pan so the plate would fit close to the block. It was quite an ordeal to get the plate mounted, as there was very little room to work from above, and none from below. Long wobble extensions were used to tighten the brace screws. I finally got the plate and two braces mounted after a couple hours work. I put the compressor on the plate temporarily (barely enough room to squeeze the compressor in with PS pump and oil cooler hoses removed), and it is tight to the sub-frame with no adjustment. I tried a few different tools to get in there to grind away the seam (thickness of the seam might be enough), but no luck. I decided to just remove the entire sub-frame at a later date to cut and weld in a notch for the compressor. More on this later.....Rich

Sub-frame removal
 

I decided it was easiest to remove the sub-frame to notch it to make room to swing the compressor. It will be much easier to cut and weld with the sub-frame out of the car. An added bonus will be the ease of removal of the springs so I can change the lower control arm bushings. I started the job by cleaning out my garage (have not been able to get a car inside for years). After jacking the car and placing it on stands, I removed the wheels, calipers, sway bar link bolts, shocks, steering arms, and motor mount bolts. I rigged up my engine support by placing a piece of angle iron on each side that bridged the gap between the fender flange and core support (support legs would have been sitting in a hole). I placed the hook of the screw into the front engine lift bracket. With a floor jack under the center of the sub-frame, I loosened the four mounting bolts and lowered the frame with suspension attached.

Sub-frame removal part 2
 

Once I had the sub-frame out from under the car, one side at a time, I hooked up my spring compressor to take the tension off the spring. I then removed the lower control arm and spindle leaving only the upper control arms connected to the sub-frame. I took the tension off the spring on one side, and repeated the process for the other. I was now able to remove the bushings. I decided to order and replace the ball joints as well, and then the entire front suspension will have been rebuilt (I did the upper bushings and ball joints several months ago). I used my ball joint "C" press to remove the ball joints, and some heat from a torch to aid in getting the bushings out. While waiting for parts, I will do the cutting and welding for compressor clearance. After that, I can clean and paint the sub-frame and control arms......Rich