Weekend Wrenching - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

alabbasi · #1 10-15-2007, 01:03 AM

This week wasn’t too shabby but it did have its ups and downs. Some may know, I listed my 76 Euro 6.9 for sale on eBay. This car has good interior but runs badly, as if it has no power and is difficult to start. Once running it can get up to speeds, but I think those little Chinese scooters that you see in Pep Boys can smoke it.

Thanks to the PO, the car has a horrible spring conversion that simply looks like a hack job. Angle iron welded into the inner wings hack job and it has a horrible paint job on it.

On the positive front, while the engine ran, it ran well. There was no clatter and no rumble to indicate any problems with the car. It has very little rust as it lived in Phoenix and the interior was intact and in good shape and the A/C will turn your fingers blue.

I was disappointed to see that it sold for a lot less then I expected it to. But the lady who bought it was genuine and an enthusiast. She bought it with open eyes and her and her husband shared a car hobby together. She owned a 6.9 in the past which was totaled, so she kept the engine. Her husband owns a 6.9 today.

She paid her deposit instantly and we spoke and made arrangements for her to collect it. While all this was happening, I was talking to a local dealer here about a 1980 US spec 6.9. It wasn’t perfect and needed work but looked solid and ran. On Thursday I went out to see it and bought it on site. It ran well and suspension was intact. The clear coat was peeling and the rear suspension was jacked up all the way. But in my opinion it was a solid base. The following day after buying the 80, the lady who bought my 76 contacted me and informed me that she was backing out of the deal for personal reasons which were genuine and sincere.

But clearly my plan backfired as I tried to get down to one 6.9 and ended up with three. After talking to a couple of guys about this event, the topic of Euro vs US 6.9 came up and I began to be interested in finding out which meant keep the car for a bit longer and trying to fix it.

Friday, the 1980 6.9 arrived at my shop. It runs well but the key which appears to have been replaced with a later model key (the laser cut type Mercedes Key). It sticks and keeps the starter engaged if you’re not careful.

The radiator or hose appears to have a leak, and the suspension was jacked up in the rear which made a very bouncy ride. It has black leather seats with are shot in the front. But it has seat heaters. The wood is in good shape and the A/C blows cold.

It arrived with the muffler hanging loose as all the mounts in the rear missing. Even with the hanging muffler and the jacked up suspension, I decided to take it for a quick spin.

Holy cow this car has power! I thought my current 6.9 has poke, but my 79 feels like a long stoke engine that doesn’t like to rev. But instead, it builds momentum. At 70 MPH it feels like nothing can overtake it.

his on the other hand, this new one is quick of the mark. From a 15mph rolling start, I can stomp the accelerator and smoke the tires through the gears. It’s very impressive and there is a noticeable difference between the two cars. I hate to say it, but this one is a keeper.

Saturday started with me getting some muffler hangers so that I could put the engine hang the muffler correctly. Then I decided to check out a local junk yard to see I could find a fuel distributor to test the 76 with. There are a couple of “you pick it” style yards here in the DFW metropolis. I found a nice 380SEL with really good interior that I knew a friend could make use off as he just bought a Euro 500SEL.

I called him and let him know about it. I also found out that my Jagualet (Chevy powered Jaguar) with a broken manifold uses a Chevy ram horn style manifold from the late 60’s. Sure enough, there was an old Chevy pickup at the yard and I pulled the manifold and a 450SEL door molding for $35.

When I got back we checked out the manifold and it fit perfect, so we looked at what else is involved to get the Jag. This car was bought from a guy who explained to me that his wife was driving it, when she lost the brakes and she went airborne into a ditch.

The windshield is still intact and the frame looks like it was undamaged. But on landing, the transmission failed and the manifold broke on impact. It snapped two spark plugs clean off with it. When they tried to get it out of the ditch, they found out that the transmission would not engage. He thought it would need a new transmission which isn’t that expensive as it’s a turbo 350. But upon closer inspection it appears that the landing disconnected the drive shaft from the transmission. So we may be able to get this car running quickly and inexpensively. I order a new master cylinder and will inspect the rest of the brake system next week.

I also have a friend who has been helping me put back together the MGB engine, he got pretty far with the whole engine assembled on Saturday but when he went to put on the flywheel, he found it to be pitted and could not continue. I was a little disappointed because I was hoping to have the engine in the car this weekend and it was not likely that I could find a machine shop open at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. I drove around a couple of the shops in the industrial estate where I rent my space and found a French gentleman who owns a Citroen traction (beautiful car). He suggested a couple of places that were closed and some got out of the machining business. But calling one place after another resulted in my finding out that you can get that sort of work done at O Reilly Auto parts. I found one which did, and they were able to turn the flywheel for $35. They also turn rotors for $10.

On Sunday, Paul, the fellow who has the Euro 500SEL and I planned on going back to the yard so that he can check the interior out. As this yard has a sister yard in Fort Worth, and you can pay once and enter both yards. We thought we would check the Fort Worth Yard first. For Paul, it was like hitting the mother load. There was a 1980 Euro 500SEL with Euro headlight and wipers in the yard (his was converted to the sealed beam unit). It also had electric rear seats and an intact engine bay. His car has a ticky camshaft and runs super rich which the PO suspected as a bad fuel distributor. He also found some decent burl. We pulled the whole throttle body, including injectors, warm up regulators and cold start valves. Then I saw something that made my hair stand up on end. It looked like a reservoir behind the front left headlight. I checked underneath and sure enough, this car had front and rear hydraulic suspension and there went the rest of my day.

The front shocks came out pretty quickly using an battery powered impact wrench (about 15 mins per side). I could not compress the rear shocks for love or money and fought with them for about 2 hours. I was about to give up when I called David Poole who told me to disconnect the hydraulic lines as it may still be pressurized. Like an impatient fart, I pulled out a knife and cut the big hose and wore the hydraulic fluid which shot out all over me. 20 minutes later, I had four hydraulic shocks, 5 spheres and the rear self leveling valve in a wheel barrow. Sold for $80!

For anyone who doesn’t know, these parts will run to more then $3000 if you try to buy new. There may be a chance for the Euro 6.9.

There is also a Euro 300D with perfect blue MB Tex and a 4 speed manual at that yard. If anyone needs it, they need to jump on it soon before the scum bags come and smash everything up.

While I was out, Chuck put the engine and transmission back together and installed it into the MGB which is also a very nice result as soon, I’ll be able to drive and the weather is perfect in Dallas right now. I can also get it out of the shop so that I have more space.

I plan on replacing the seats on the Silver 80 6.9 and giving it a Maaco Makeover (there is a very good Maaco near me) and then making it road legal. The Euro 6.9 will require more effort but I know have the bases to start it.

Once I have the MG and the truck out of the door. We can get to work on the 6.3 which has been neglected because it’s such a mammoth effort.

Pictures will come tomorrow.

Rashakor · #2 10-15-2007, 01:59 PM

eh Al,

Could you use a helper during the weekend? I hereby volunteer... your weekends definitively sound interesting.

alabbasi · #3 10-15-2007, 02:09 PM

Rashakor

I couldnt do what I do with my cars if it wasnt for me already having a helper. But if you ever need to work on your car on the weekend and make use of air tools etc. Feel free to stop by.

All the best

Al