Upgrade 83 Mer 500 SEC from 88 Volvo GLE? - Page 17 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

CamelotShadow · #**241** 08-29-2007, 06:13 PM

Hot here today
had to be way over 100

just doing research

Was going to take a piv of the lil volvo engine
Actually its quite a impressive beast.

I have 2 spots in an underground garage
so its make things nice

Your site has this for the heat seat code

872 Left and right rear seat heating 873 Left and right front seat

it doesn;t have 870 871

I'll have to blow up front metal tag with the codes & check the codes

CamelotShadow · #**242** 08-29-2007, 07:04 PM

Called insurance co
gave them vin
it comes up as a 2001

OOOH well
she logged into DMV
found the model
Asked me if I checked vin

I said I have pics of vin from 3 places on car & they match

There is a number on door too
couldn;t see that in pic or on car well
Will have to get flashlight & magnifying glass

Anyway they took it
So I can print a new insurance card
with my new Benz...

I owe them $16 thru 9/30/07

I was going to wait til title came in mailbut figured
it should come as DMV records have the car correct...

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamelotShadow

Hot here today
just doing research

Was going to take a piv of the lil volvo engine
Actually its quite a impressive beast.

I have 2 spots in an underground garage
so its make things nice

Your site has this for the heat seat code

872 Left and right rear seat heating 873 Left and right front seat

So I an assuming since its a euro version 870 871
as the russia site doesn't list the heated seats & the car does have them

I'll have to blow up front metal tag with the codes & check the codes

data plate & now most codes except heated seats are accounted for

CamelotShadow · #**243** 08-29-2007, 08:14 PM

My brother likes it & says doesn;t sound like cracked head

Hi, I dont think the head is cracked or you would see steam or something coming out the tail pipe, also your oil level would go higher and get foamy, also you would loose antifreeze, maybe just a bad thermostat sensor for the fan, not coming on when it should, just ride it keep track of temp for a while. sounds like a good car

Jim B. · #**244** 08-29-2007, 10:29 PM

Yeah, reassuring words from your brother. I agree with him, I don't think you have a cracked head from what has been said here.....

Something way less than that. It is quite possible the Euros may normally run hotter than 80. All I know that mine justs sit at 80 all the time.

The insurance companies often have problems insuring the euros because the VIN#s for them are unfamiliar to them. Luckily for you, your insurance company seems to be a little more enlightened than many...

That is a good thing.

Even better, is that they are out of harm's way and prying eyes, in a covered garage. Much better than a carport or the street.

Well, I returned from the tire shop finally. Looks like Christmas is gonna come early...WOO HOO. The baby is gonna get new shoes.

A lot of questions needed to be resolved. Incredibly, the Tire Shop I have always used in on the approved list for the "Tire Rack" up here. I know the owner and their employees and they have always looked after the SUbaru and this car, and before that, the AMC Eagle 4x4 my late parents had before
that. So installation and shipping will be no problem at all.

They even gave me a tire pressure gauge, and set the gas station ones are inaccurate, often dropped, and worth little. Nice of them. But then, if you spend over $1,000, they ought to be...

I decided to go with the chromed ones in the end, even though they cost much more because they will look better with the Pearl Black, than the painted steel ones. Also they will clean up easier, and not to mention the fact that the clearcoat on the painted ones could peel off, making them look ugly.

A friend scored a set of Factory in the Box vintage AMG AERO I wheels, which look good but they are 17" ones, so I would have to buy new tires if I went with them; not to mention also, that I have new 16" tires on the car with just less than 1,00 0 miles on them and they are top of the Line Yokohamas, and virtually brand new.

It was pointed out to me, also, that 17" ones look awesome, but they degrade the ride, as they transmit everything, and are really low profile, and less suitable for cruising, and so low to the ground that lots less protection is offered. Plus I would surmise that they would throw the speedometer way off.

The wheels are 225x55x16", and my tires I have now are new 225x50x16, so the size difference is no problem - nothing with hubcentic spacers or anything, that it would need.

It is in perfect alignment, and they said I would not need to realign the tires - another big savings.

Apparently, a truck from the Tire Rack visits their approved installation sites, every day, kind of like the Snap-On tool trucks, so they would be able to order the tires themselves directly from there, and thus save me the (quite considerable) shipping charge; plus waive the disposal charge as I am an old customer.

So the money goes to a local merchant - I am good with that.

Mounted, balanced, right out the door ran me $1,052 . Not cheap, but good for what I wil get.

And it is pretty much exactly what I wanted. W140 replica wheels, like on the later S class Mercedes. Authentic looking, easy to clean up, and looking good chromed on a black car.

They should arrive Friday, and possibly installed on Monday.

If I can figure what to do about the airconditioning, I should be good to travel anyplace after that. The idea of going over 500-600 miles in this car to have Enqique work on it gives me pause.

However I would like him to do it, plus the sunroof, and check some other things. I still want to get down there soon.

CamelotShadow · #**245** 08-29-2007, 10:39 PM

The garage is gated but is accessed by other tenants so its not private
but yes much better than a sidewalk carport or the street

No way I;d have bought this car & park it on the street.
I couldn;t sleep
Last night I dreamed about checking its oil

whn I am done tweaking it
I will park it in front of the volvo
so it will be sandwiched bewteen cars & they would have to move Volvo to get to it...

Reminds me time to go down & set the alarm

My wheels are 205/55/16
so the diameter is smaller than yours

Arrgh I saw orig Mercedes whell w tires on ebay
they were over $1000 so I didn;t mention to you
I hope they weren't waht you wanted but they were 15 in

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/15-Mercedes-SL-SEL-SEC-Wheels-and-Tires_W0QQitemZ300146054654QQihZ020QQcategoryZ66481QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Jim B. · #**246** 08-29-2007, 10:48 PM

I asked about this for you at the tire store today.

the tech there told me that this happens often there. People lose their wheel lock keys pretty often, so it comes up a lot.

If they don't have wheel locks in the store that are generic and will unlock the car's wheels, they can steel do it, but it takes at least a half an hour to do it, without wheel lock keys, and can eventually get the wheels off the car.

Th price for that is $25-$50 per wheel, but they charge ONLY for the time it takes to actually do it

They can put "tuner bolts" back on the car, or provide another similar wheel lock kcy for the wheels if they have one around, sometimes.

He told me that with most cars, wheel locks aren't really needed. Come on, who is going to be outside your house at 3:00 am, with an air impact wrench, and steal the wheels, and leave your car sitting on plastic milk crates?

Most cases they would more likely steal the entire car instead; it would be easier.

However, it would be another situation if the car in qestion was a Honda Civic with VTEC, or the hot "ricer" cars which are HIGH RISK targets for theft

He was familiar with the SND brand, but any really good tire shop, either Big "O" or other savvy chain store in your area, would likely be able to help you out with this.

Basically, a minor issue, easily solved.

For this reason, I have elected NOT to buy wheel locks for this set of new wheels coming.

The new wheels I have purchased do NOT come with Mercedes Benz 3 point star logo center wheel caps,unfortunately. However, the tire shop is going to contact Mercedes Benz directly, and feels confident that they may be able to get some for me.

I am really looking forward to this; I think one of the rims on the car might be permanently bent in some small place which is why repeated trips to the tire shop for new valves and reinstallation & reseal have not eliminated the slow leak.

I took the Subaru Outback out yesterday and went to the AAA and paid next years license fees and got the '08 sticker for it, and noticed that the left rear tire was down a quite bit on THAT car also. It also has brand new tires and had a new valve stem put in once. I hope not to see that problem again; that car to me is an apliance, and I have no plans to soup it up - just to giv e it the maintenance it would need.

It would be cool to see pictures of the Volvo you have. I really, really
like those, and say so as a person that had owned one similar to it for many years, and thus feel well qualified to comment on them.

CamelotShadow · #**247** 08-29-2007, 10:59 PM

Ze
Volvo

Didn;t take the engine but I will
its really a good looking beefy lil 4 cylinder

Thanks for asking
So they heard of SND?
Well thats good
it looks like a round key

both I think are brushed alluminum

See the Benz will go where the Volvo is safe against the wall its protected on 2 sides

Jim B. · #**248** 08-29-2007, 11:06 PM

I notice your car, from the picture of the engine does NOT have dual snorkel air intakes, like the later 560 motors do. I was surprised, and did not know that. Youlearn something each day.

However with the higher compression engine, less restrictive exhaust, better headers and without the skinny crossover pipe the strangled US spec engines are cursd with, a Euro 500 in a decent state of tune should have no trouble equaling the performance of a US spec 560 engine that is in stock condition.

Those Euros are how the German engineers intended them to be.

But US spec engines are what you get when you have lawyers, and Government lawyers (even worse) messing with them.........

CamelotShadow · #**249** 08-29-2007, 11:08 PM

I don;t think 83 had dual snorkel it was a later year

Jim B. · #**250** 08-29-2007, 11:16 PM

Oh my dog, the Volvo looks JUST like the '91 I had, with the exception of the wheels (mine ,"Volvito") had really nice Borbet type E custom wheels on it, and chromed wheel arches, (like your SEC has on it) and of course the flat glass single piece Euro- style headlights the '91 740 Volvos had, which look better than the older, sealed beam 4 piece the earlier 740's had. And the tail lights were a bit different. Even after a few years, I feel sure I could grab the key, sit down in a car like that and be instantly familiar and comfortable,
and ready to go. Such sadness the last time I ever drove the old one...

Sweeeeet car ya got there. Nice charcoal or very close, looking one, just like mine. Those are so nice. But then again, I am prejudiced; I had its virtual twin. Fix up the AC, get the old cassette out of the stereo, and sort out the trunk hinge on that, and you could stick on a high mileage badge on it and go anywhere.

Little Volvo 740 with the 4 cyl is a REAL long lasting sturdy little car, tough as nails, and instantly recognizable as a Volvo - or in this case, the box it came in...

I still get a lump in my throat when I see one of those (or a cockatiel, too) LOL

CamelotShadow · #**251** 08-29-2007, 11:26 PM

Its probably charcoal
darl metallic gunmetal
Wish it has gray leather
but its is what is
& is in exceptional condition for being almost 20 years old

Here's my baby
LOL
The last is a baby pic 6 wks old

Now before you get another
Remember they can live up to 35 years!

CamelotShadow · #**252** 08-29-2007, 11:54 PM

Arrrgh it was 100 today & should be similar trhu Sat

Arrrgghhhh

Way too hot to test a car that runs hot
Will have to wait

Good things are worth waiting for...

Jim B. · #**253** 08-30-2007, 12:50 AM

Simply - take your car out early in the morning for a ride if you'd like to test it. It takes awhile to get hot outside in the morning.

Consider watching here - for a grille badge to keep the free high mileage from Mercedes Benz that you are elibible to obtain company. It might be worth getting, to contemplate putting one on each side of the rear license plate, if it turned out difficult to mount them on the front.

For the sake of symettry and balance, it might look nice to mount one on each side. I had the high mileage badge on the Volvo, and since they are flat, with stcky on the back, I did not choose to mount it on the front grille, where it might normally go, but simply to one side of the license plate where it looked good.
I was able to obtain a pair of nice, metal license plates with the "Dominion Volvo, Houston" script on it for originality's sake . They were the original selling dealer; and I had to watch the Volvo mechanics like a hawk as they were inclined to throw them away each time I bought the car in, and put on a couple of their cheesy, cheap black PLASTIC frames with their name: EXCLUSIVELY Volvo- San Francisco, on it.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/off-topic-discussion/198360-official-mercedesshop-com-grill-badge-discussion-post1606055.html?posted=1#post1606055

Please no more bird and Volvo badges tonight - you are tormenting me with images of some of my weaknesses - what did I do exactly to deserve this?

CamelotShadow · #**254** 08-30-2007, 01:02 AM

OK

Jim B. · #**255** 08-30-2007, 01:51 AM

Should you contemplate a trip to Enriques' in the near future, I wonder if you could ask him about these:

I recall that a customer of his was made aware of a very subtle, inexpensive aftermarket option for these cars that mounts above the rear license plate, and under the trunk chrome handle. They are supposed to let you open and close the trunk without touching the paint or getting your hands dirty

Some kind of bracket that barely sticks out from under the middle of the trunk lid, or something close to that. It sounds like a clever accessory.

They are supposed to be similar to the ones that were seen on some of the later high line W140 Mercedes S-Class models of 1992-1999.

Enrique apparently had examples of them in a catalogue. They were about $20
A thin silver plate of some kind.

I'd be curious as to how they worked, and what they looked like, and if they are good, would be interested in buying one of these from him (or having one of his customers do it and mail them to me).

nb: Just rechecked Tire Rack site for details on my new wheels again; it says NOW that they are "available 10/20/07".

How could I have missed that? Guy at the tire shop said he could get them shipped to him on Friday. Hope he is right, I don't want to wait that long. The painted steel ones are listed "available"
I thought that BOTH styles were available when I looked yesterday. Drat.