OFFICIAL 3rd Annual Shop Forum GTG and Tech Session (TX, OK, LA, AR)

[sunnyintx]

Roy should be about halfway home by now. I checked the weather for him before he left last night, and he's got clear sailing and warm weather (warm for the locales, not necessarily for Texas!) all the way to Michigan, unless he dawdles -- it's supposed to start raining tomorrow afternoon. Our understanding is that if he's not home by then, he may as well turn around and come back, so here's hoping all goes well. Exciting week closing up everything -- lots done, lots still to be done!

Talking over dinner last night, we were discussing the engine with the broken camshaft and bent rod. My favorite w123 had a fatal injury (metal scrap through the oil pan, instant loss of pressure) about three years ago and destroyed the engine, but she didn't lock. Lots of noise, and lost power, but I got safely off the freeway and 10 blocks to a friend's driveway under her own -- albeit, diminished -- power. On the car that we all saw the horrifically mutilated parts from, we figure someone had to have been putting up with a huge loss of power AND a tremendous racket for several miles before that engine finally seized. Just another object lesson to remind folks -- if it's broke, don't keep driving!!

The w201 (not w124, but then I have little use for either!) did NOT go to Michigan. We loaded the car with all Roy's stuff, THEN put it on the rack after his first 12-mile drive in it, only to find every single piece of rubber in the steering and suspension shredded to a greater or lesser degree. Even the flex discs were showing shreds of cord like fringe hanging off. THAT'S going to be a project-and-a-half, and wasn't going to get done last night or in the forseeable future!!

Fall back and regroup. New plan, different car. After much discussion, and reservations expressed as to the various issues remaining with members of our "fleet," Roy took off in the w126 300SD John has been driving to work since Roy did some tuning on it when he arrived.

The two "back-up" cars [w123s] that are up-and-running since Roy got here have had so much front-end work done that both are in dire need of alignment. One of those, the silver with the engine transplant (that had been sitting for 8 years after the idiot owner destroyed the aforementioned-engine) also needs tires. Good MB alignments are not to be had nearer than Dallas, so that will be a bit in the future.

Roy took the w126 interior for John's SD with him that we'd hoped to get done while he was here, along with the thermostat and the turbo mount kit he didn't have time to get to (stripping the green car and transplanting her various extremely good parts -- including her awesome engine -- into at least 4 other cars took a lot of time), so when we see John's car again, she'll be a bit prettier inside, and mechanically happier. With a half-decent paint job, she'll be dazzling.

Right now, our one certain car is Shiney, the silver w126 I drive back and forth to Dallas every week. I haven't figured out how to drive two at a time, so we'll figure out the alignments for the w123s later, probably after the 13th, since John is on stage as Scrooge until then. Yes, the nicest guy in the world is playing Scrooge for the third year running. Remember, Scrooge becomes REALLY nice in the end, so it works -- John gets more 'knee hugs' from kids after the show than anyone I've ever seen! Still, he won't have time to f**t around with cars, nor will I. The pick-up is a time-honored form of country transportation he'll be using for a bit longer.

Thanks again to everyone for coming. Roy is right -- this really was the best tech session we've had yet. Many thanks to those who returned, and to our new folks, who we hope will be back next year. Lots of great work got done, good weather blessed us, and we had great show 'n' tell to go with it all. I always learn at least half a dozen new things, as does John, and this session was better in that way than our previous ones. Special thanks to first-year attendees Rocky with his incredible parts bazaar, and Andy Damiano with his great knowledge of veg oil conversions (his truck is an awesome, clean set-up!) and his insights into improvements we may consider making to our inovative oil-cooler line solution that Roy so loves.

Again, sorry to have been a slug, but fuddled with pain meds -- that weren't working much -- left me less useful than in past years. I should've just mainlined some margaritas or something, and it would've all been better! While I'm grateful to my now-deceased gorgeous green w126 for keeping me alive (and for resurrecting so many other worthy MBs with her donor parts), I'm still up and down on recovering from that accident. I just don't get better -- and STAY that way -- as fast as I used to, darn it!

Whiskeydan, sorry about the overcharge. Your returning member fee should've been $20, not $30. Doug, our friend who took care of registration so I wouldn't have to, had no way of knowing you got the discount unless someone told him, and I was not at my most competent when you came to me. If you've PM'd Roy with your address as he asked, we'll definitely take care of it.

Half-day tech sessions -- all John & I have ever seen in the North Texas region -- with gassers taking up too much of the time with their high-maintenance issues, have never offered us much, so we've worked to make this a real value for dieselheads.

For the past two years, we've had some financial help from our FastLane sponsors here at the Forum, but this year has not been as good for them -- EVERYONE ORDER MORE PARTS!! Even with their help, the event costs more than the fees.

We've always absorbed what isn't covered, this year more than others. As a two-person rescue operation for w123s and w126s with om617s (it's a terrifying addiction....), we benefit greatly from the sessions, so we're happy to do it, and delighted to see every one of you, every year. It's great to see folks pitch in and help each other solve problems, offer parts and pieces, teach newbies, and get stuff done -- everyone learns.

Roy's absolutely the best, but each of us has good info to offer, tricks to be tried, solutions to the few real PITA issues with our wonderful diesels that are worth sharing, and that's what we hope these sessions accomplish. [You'll have to figure out the PITA acronym on your own -- it starts with 'pain in.....']

And speaking of Roy being the best, I concur with using the photo with the torch as his avatar -- no one's going to be any more scared of you than they already are, Roy, and the manic grin is classic.

Thanks again, everyone -- we were sorry to see you go, and we're already looking forward to next year!

Sunny