Jim B.'s Mercedes adventures in So Cal junkyards & Mercedes show. (many pic's

[Jim B.]

This is for the big car show at Los Alamitos that has 150+ Mercedes of every vintage signed up. I was invited and decided to come.

I left as the sun set in Grass Valley.







(more to come...)



A side trip to San Jose, to inspect some W126 parts for sale in San Jose tacked on another 2 hours to the trip, and so I did not even get further than Lancaster, in Antelope Valley, at 4am. Over ten hours of driving was enough. I made a fast run down Interstate 5, but had a huge scare when I hit a slight dip at 140 mph!!!! WOW!! Who put THAT there? Car must have caught air cause it seemed to land and almost jumped out of control and started to fishtail but I caught it and corrected it -- barely!!....... and proceeded with my speed sagging badly.

[davidmash]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Over ten hours of driving was enough. I made a fast run down Interstate 5, but had a huge scare when I hit a slight dip at 140 mph!!!! WOW!! Who put THAT there?

It's ain't the Autobahn that's for sure.

[Chad300tdt]

Hey Jim, Oxyclean and Febreeze should clean up your driver seat without a trace.

[Jim B.]

I was met at the hotel in Lancaster, CA. by Chadahar (from this forum) with his lapis blue '84 500SEC euro and Mike M. from Benzworld, in his '91 560SEC who both live in the area, and the three of us set off for the first junkyard, at Antelope Valley Mercedes.


I have never seen so many wrecked W126 cars in one place in my life!!!
Plenty of W124s and W140s also. It was astonishing. Mike said crashes in the desert, when they happen, are really bad. People try and make time. Highway 138 off 5 to Lancaster is pretty deserted at 3 to 4am, so I really hurried. It's 40 miles and I did about 110 mph most of the way, which demanded total attention on that 2 lane highway.



leaving the hotel in Lancaster to go to the yard






W126, (where the wrecks were): Antelope Valley Mercedes




















Some were repairable. This 560SEL was bought new by a local neurosurgeon who is having it restored for his daughter to drive around in.







(more coming....)

[Jim B.]

Mike and I caravaned then to Los Angeles, to look for new wheels for his '91, to be purchased in time for the car show on Saturday. The horrible chrome ghetto bling wheels HAD to go. He found some excellent new late model AMG wheels, staggered 18's that had to be checked for scrubbing the wheel wells.

This was out at the Nitrous Garage, out past Pasadena and Monrovia, way east of Glendale.


The owner drove a CL 500 with bling wheels.




When the car's wheels were removed, you could see the drilled rotors. They make a HUGE difference. The car stops on a dime with them. He let me drive it and test it myself. I am totally convinced of their worth.







Rolling on new AMG wheels, staggered 18's!!! Only $1000 out the door for all of it, wheels, new Michelin rubber, lugs, center caps, everything! Looks like a great deal to me!!

[iwrock]

Damn Jim, I wish I could have made it.

[Chad300tdt]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Safety First! That guy under the car in the background is a gambler.

[Jim B.]

Meanwhile, the new burlwood shift knob, which looked great, did not quite go incorrectly. There was a linkage problem with the shift gate, so the know did not shift perfectly, slot into each gear; moreover, the ignition interlock would not release the key at all!!


Clearly this needed some tweaking!! Now the car shifts correctly - after adjusting the linkage underneath (at the Nirtous Garage) tire shop but the key will only release in part if, when the shifter is in park, and when you shove it forward to the full extent in Park. Never had to do THAT before.

Clearly, more adjusting will needed to be done. But I am rolling again.









Los Angeles and SoCal is utterly different than Nor Cal and San Francisco....





more to follow soon...........

[iwrock]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Meanwhile, the new burlwood shift knob, which looked great, did not quite go incorrectly. There was a linkage problem with the shift gate, so the know did not shift perfectly, slot into each gear; moreover, the ignition interlock would not release the key at all!!


Clearly this needed some tweaking!! Now the car shifts correctly - after adjusting the linkage underneath (at the Nirtous Garage) tire shop but the key will only release in part if, when the shifter is in park, and when you shove it forward to the full extent in Park. Never had to do THAT before.

Clearly, more adjusting will needed to be done. But I am rolling again.









Los Angeles and SoCal is utterly different than Nor Cal and San Francisco....





more to follow soon...........

That looks completely safe...

[derburger]

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

Safety First! That guy under the car in the background is a gambler.

Well, he did have his warning triangle up! And it looks like the car was running or the lights were on.

[Chad300tdt]

Now I feel a little sick ... the gambler was YOU JIM!!!!! I feel nervous just looking at those pics. First that the car might crush you and second that something indecent may happen with your shorts.

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

but had a huge scare when I hit a slight dip at 140 mph!!!! WOW!! Who put THAT there? Car must have caught air cause it seemed to land and almost jumped out of control and started to fishtail but I caught it and corrected it -- barely!!....... and proceeded with my speed sagging badly.

Originally Posted by Jim B.

I have never seen so many wrecked W126 cars in one place in my life!!!
Plenty of W124s and W140s also. It was astonishing. Mike said crashes in the desert, when they happen, are really bad. People try and make time. Highway 138 off 5 to Lancaster is pretty deserted at 3 to 4am, so I really hurried. It's 40 miles and I did about 110 mph most of the way, which demanded total attention on that 2 lane highway.

Am I the only one who thought the irony was glaring?

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Holy $h!t, no wonder 140 mph doesn't concern you.

[Jim B.]

^^^^^ Live fast, play hard, die young?

(That was not me under the car.) I don't do it like that

[Medmech]

Originally Posted by iwrock

That looks completely safe...

Werd, thrill seeker for sure.