Road Trip, what should I take? M110/W114

[ssk831]

Planning a road trip for this coming spring. Going up the coast from Orange County to Seattle, then over to Montana. Wondering what spare parts I should take along with any other tips y'all have for me! Already taking all my basic tools, solid jack, fuses, spare fluids, snow chains, misc emergency supplies. Car is a 1973 280C, has 135K miles, so relatively low mileage for its age.Recently got a tune up, new belts/fluids/carb rebuild. Also received a sander AC conversion. Planning on removing the Thermal Reactor before the trip along with a much needed stereo installation. Any help is appreciated! Also any must sees along the way.

[Mike D]

Might want to take a rear stabilizer link with you if you haven't replaced them. Long highway drives and added weight will take their toll on marginal links. No big deal if they break but definitely annoying hearing the noise.

Takes 20 minutes tops to replace them. I've done it in a parking lot sitting in the rain.

[JimFreeh]

At the least, bring extra filters, belts and tune up parts.
Out in the boonies, MB parts can get scarce, let alone OLD MB parts!

Consider joining AAA and getting the extended range towing option.

Jim

[Mike D]

I noticed you have a '73. Take a spare set of ignition points. Nothing says, "hope you like the views where you are" better than burnt out set of points.

[Mr.Kenny]

Take a spare Honda civic with you; you will need it.

[ScooterABC]

I wouldn't take much of anything with me. A quart or two of oil, a bottle of water, _maybe_ a set of points, and a few basic tools. If your belts, hoses, etc are new and if your car drives reasonably well right now, I think you should go for it. (Is your car water-tight? That would be my bigest concern....) OH and if you are getting rid of your old OEM radio in favor of some modern new-fangled stereo thing, I would be interested in your old radio. :-)

[ssk831]

Originally Posted by ScooterABC

I wouldn't take much of anything with me. A quart or two of oil, a bottle of water, _maybe_ a set of points, and a few basic tools. If your belts, hoses, etc are new and if your car drives reasonably well right now, I think you should go for it. (Is your car water-tight? That would be my bigest concern....) OH and if you are getting rid of your old OEM radio in favor of some modern new-fangled stereo thing, I would be interested in your old radio. :-)

It had some water in the trunk last time I washed it, looks like a bad trunk seal. Unfortunately I have no radio! Want a Becker for the aesthetics, but I don't know if it's worth the premium.

[ScooterABC]

Originally Posted by ssk831

It had some water in the trunk last time I washed it, looks like a bad trunk seal. Unfortunately I have no radio! Want a Becker for the aesthetics, but I don't know if it's worth the premium.

My 114 has a lousy trunk seal that works just fine. For me it was the rear window seal, which is a common water failure point in these cars.

I am glad you want a Becker for aesthetics. Yes it is worth the premium. You are driving a classic car and nothing looks worse than a 21st century bells and whistles stereo in a 1970s car. Did your car come with Stereo or Mono? (do you have kick panel speakers on the sides of the foot areas in front, or just the center dash speaker?)

Scott

[ssk831]

Originally Posted by ScooterABC

My 114 has a lousy trunk seal that works just fine. For me it was the rear window seal, which is a common water failure point in these cars.

I am glad you want a Becker for aesthetics. Yes it is worth the premium. You are driving a classic car and nothing looks worse than a 21st century bells and whistles stereo in a 1970s car. Did your car come with Stereo or Mono? (do you have kick panel speakers on the sides of the foot areas in front, or just the center dash speaker?)

Scott

Just the center. I'd like to add kick panel speakers along with two in the rear deck. I'm intrigued by the Becker Mexico 7498, but it isn't available on this side of the pond. It was suggested I could run an old school Becker through a JL Audio CL441DSP for better sound.

[ScooterABC]

Originally Posted by ssk831

Just the center. I'd like to add kick panel speakers along with two in the rear deck. I'm intrigued by the Becker Mexico 7498, but it isn't available on this side of the pond. It was suggested I could run an old school Becker through a JL Audio CL441DSP for better sound.

You can get the Mexico 7498, the problem is that you can't get the maps for the United States. Plus your smart phone is going to have WAY better navigation than the becker. I vote for a Becker Europa II stereo (inexpensive) with a plug-in-the-back Aux In cable box so you can play your tunes through your becker. Not all that expensive...

[ssk831]

Originally Posted by ScooterABC

You can get the Mexico 7498, the problem is that you can't get the maps for the United States. Plus your smart phone is going to have WAY better navigation than the becker. I vote for a Becker Europa II stereo (inexpensive) with a plug-in-the-back Aux In cable box so you can play your tunes through your becker. Not all that expensive...

I think I like the idea of the Mexico 7498. Bluetooth would be a great addition in getting this car to daily driver status. But the electronics are most likely outdated as it is. Been hunting around for Europa II's, hard to find one under $500. Becker wants something like $600 for a remanufactured one, time to find a parts car.

[ScooterABC]

I'm sure I can come up with a Europa II for under $500....

[Palolo]

Originally Posted by ScooterABC

I vote for a Becker Europa II stereo (inexpensive) with a plug-in-the-back Aux In cable box so you can play your tunes through your becker. Not all that expensive...

That's what I did in my 108, which was delivered with single dash speaker only.

I currently have the Europa II sending audio to two 4" (?) two-way speakers that fit, barely, in the center dash location. Technically, it is stereo sound, but since they are jammed next to each other, there is no separation. (Doesn't matter much for public radio npr hahaha)

In the future, a speaker level DSP hooked up to the bottom-mounted rear shelf speakers (with original grilles above, for looks) will greatly increase the audio quality for the rare occasion that my ears are not being entertained by the M130 burble.

[thorsen]

I have a Becker Grand Prix that was factory re-conditioned and comes with the schematic diagrams. It's been sitting in my closet and I'd love to find her a good home.

[pwjeep]

While I don't have a gasser... I do have an '85 300D which I drove from the Detroit Mi area to Tucson, Az via Fort Worth, Tx. Here is how we prepared this 28 yr old car.

W. Hunter and I replaced the entire suspension (springs, bushings, tie rod ends, torsion bar links, flex discs, differential support, trans support, shocks, flex boots) then rebuilt transmission, and did belts, hoses, brakes, calipers, flex brake lines, various filters, alternator, regulator and other stuff along the way.

After that I attended to various comfort items... namely I had Becker install an MP3 jack, I installed a separate power jack (aka cigar lighter recepticle) for my GPS, MP3 and cell phone. My friendly upholsterer rebuilt the front seat back to add a foam lumbar support. Then we threw out what was left of the horse hair seat pad and added fabric and foam for the driver's seat.

All in all this was a multi year project. But the work resulted in a very dependable, comfortable car that I can drive all winter and spring in Tucson. (and back!) Yes, you can "get away" with doing less. I suppose it all depends on your threshold for "excitement" / "breakdown anxiety". I agree that AAA is a great plan too.

The only down side was when I got to about 8,700 ft and the performance was sluggish. But then a gasser would be too. It's not a modern car, but it's very comfortable, will easily keep up with traffic (and faster too) and it's fun!

W. Hunter was a huge asset on getting it right. Thanks Roy!