weekend Wrenching

[alabbasi]

Csaba

You're correct, they stopped selling cars with the 3.5 motors in 71 when they introduced the 4.5 which was de-tuned for the US market. The US 4.5 motors have an 8:1 compression ratio and make about 190hp. A Euro 3.5 is a shorter stroke motor which makes 9.5:1 compression and has 200hp. It's a much more rev happy engine with the red line starting at 6500rpm.

[alabbasi]

Last weekend I bid on a 1994 Jaguar XJS V12. These are the last of the V12 models which were pretty much built to order and hence were only made in the hundred. It was reported to have mechanical issues and they could not get it running. The auction was in Detroit MI and I was concerned that it was rusty, but when it arrived on Monday, it looked fine.

We got it to run for about 15 feet which was enough to get it off the trailer and then pushed it in.

Today I went to tinkered with it a little and got it running. It runs pretty well but I did not drive it as I was on my own and was concerned that if it stalled on me, I'd have no help to push it back in.

Here's a video:

1994 jaguar xjs v12 wake up - YouTube

[alabbasi]

It cleans up pretty well!

[vandor]

Sleek!

[Colorado220]

Originally Posted by ssk831

Alrighty then, just got back from officially buying the V8 Benz. Got a title, two keys, random receipts and some info on who did the conversion. It's a Buick 350 mated to a Chevy trans. Fairly clean install with no firewall cutting and no apparent subframe wackiness.
Random assortment of electronics work, no gas in the car so the tank is probably rusty and nothing from the engine when I turn the key. Pop the hood to see a few wires of the ignition system are dismantled. So for now I took some parts for my coupe and a couple that are ebay bound. Will head back this weekend with a friend to see if we can get any action from it.

I have often wondered how my benz would look with those rims, now I know! Looks like a great little rig to tool around in!

[Colorado220]

Was a good day!!

The 220:
New injectors
new return lines
new fuel filters
cleaned the air filter
new radiator hoses
new t-stat

The Rover:
Swivel ball regrease
New stereo deck
new PCV hoses/vac hoses
fixed the roof rack

Tandem bike:
New bars for the stoker!

Few other items, all in all a good day!

[alabbasi]

The Rover? What kind of Rover?
I've not posted in some time because i've been busy with non MB projects. I recently bought a 944 turbo that had a light engine fire which I'm getting pretty close to fixing. Other then that, I've been doing a lot of dismantling.

The weather is picking up so I should be more active soon.

[Tomguy]

Al, we love seeing your adventures, even non-MB, and especially when there are pictures!

This weekend I started replacing the original 200,000 mile CV joints and hubs on my 300M. I got the left side off, found the lower control arm assemblies were shot (Moog Problem Solver aftermarket from the P/O... I've had BAD luck with their PS line despite everyone saying how good they are). The ball joints were toast. I picked up some cheapo AutoZone replacements that have a lifetime warranty I can guarantee I'll need to use in a year or less based on how lousy the boots are made and fitted.

It took me longer to remove the old C/V tripod from the transaxle output shaft than it took to remove the old hub bearing (which broke free surprisingly easy thanks to the combination of PB and my underpowered impact gun). The tripod only finally came free after both pushing with all my weight on my 4' pry bar while simultaneously smacking it with my mallet.

The damn new CVs do NOT come with new O-ring seals or circlips. The old O-rings are beyond shot so I had to dealer order them, and they'll be in tomorrow.

[Colorado220]

Originally Posted by alabbasi

The Rover? What kind of Rover?

1992 Range Rover

[alabbasi]

Originally Posted by Colorado220

1992 Range Rover

Pretty cool. I'm quite fond of the original Range Rover. I thought you were referring to the Rover car however. I'm fond of those too and owned a couple of P6 Rovers in the past.

[alabbasi]

This weekend was spent fixing the paint on my 88 Mercedes Benz 560SEC. I shot this car in metallic paint about a year ago and made a real pigs ear out of the sides. It was the first time I shot metallic and I had the pressure turned up too high on the gun which caused runs in the base and the metallic flakes to pool. By the time i figured out what was wrong, it was too late for the sides and it took me a year of messing around before I got back to it.

I've been spending a couple of hours / day sanding it back down at 600 grit and then re-shot on Friday. I was using a new gun which I bought for not a lot of money (more then the purple HF guns that I usually use). It turns out that the purple HF guns are much much better, this one was like painting with a garden sprayer. As a result, I got some runs in the clear but these could be fixed with wet sanding.

Next job is the bumpers and cladding and I bought a new HF gun for that purpose.

As the 560SEC is now in the garage, I had to leave the SL outside. Because there's always a car behind it, I never this car so even though it's raining, I've been rocking it all weekend.

[mercmad6.3]

Al, you need to get more space so you can see the car easier when painting. Could you rent booth space somewhere close?
I took the lease to a better shop last week and have been busy installing stuff while the landlord moves his crap out,,,
So far 3 big items have been unloaded,the Wet blaster and the bed for the engine dyno and yesterday I picked up my scissor lift where it has been under a friend's stairwell for a few years. i have top replace all the hoses and rebuild the hydraulic pump before I get it running...dammit! Next are the english wheel,work benchs and lathe ,along with four mercedes in various stages of reconstruction.

[alabbasi]

Spent the weekend dismantling my 89 560SEL. Just about everything from the top of the car has been removed. NOw it's time to put the car on the lift and pull the SLS shocks, LSD diff and fuel pump assembly. Then i'm done and moving on to the 91 560SEL.

[mercmad6.3]

2 weeks later and I am still moving **** . Thank Goodness for easter holidays!, I have had 4 peaceful days to get stuff shifted,plus I loaded the neighbors trailer up with scrap and went halves in the proceeds. $150 wasn't bad for my half and I have almost loaded another trailer full now ,mostly dead mercedes engines of various types.

[alabbasi]

I could use one of those trips to the scrappy.