Walmart, huh.
I just picked up a set of pistons and door window trim at 7-11.

Just kidding, I know what you mean!

Interesting how things came together and I was able to see the car before giving over any money. Shortly after I came in contac with the seller, I got a call to be a substitute bass player with a Swing Band that was playing in Portland, Bremerton and Pullman. While in Bremerton, Washington, I hopped on the Greyhound up to Bellingham which is about 20 minutes from the Canadian border. In case you don't know, Bremerton is one of the islands right by Seattle, you pretty much have to take a ferry to get anywhere. It wasn't hard for my imagination to presume that this wasn't merely by chance.
So, I got to see the car and hang out with the seller, just about the nicest guy I've ever met. Seems he and his wife were very fond of fixing up old cars (esp old VW's) and taking them to shows and gatherings and just enjoying having old cars around.
Well, the 60's Mercedes blew their minds in comparison with anything from VW of that era!
I was really freaked out about driving it the first time. I was fortunate though, I had lessons. The previous owner was just handed the keys and limped it away before coming to understand the column shifter.
So I handed him a down payment with the intent to return with the rest. (Actually I was really unsure about buying it, wondering if I could really take care of it in the way it deserves)
Months passed and with my uncle's help I came back with the rest. I really felt badly about taking this car away from the guy, and I may see if he wants to look after it while I'm on the move. (if that pans out)

The first thing was 1hr out of Bellingham, the drivers window refused to roll up and the handle spun effortlessly in the door.
As darkness fell I removed the door panel and fumbled around trying to understand through the exploded diagram how things were supposed to work. There was no way to fix it without a new regulator (I later found out) but managed to use a


((will have to finish this saga tomorrow, must. . . go. . . to . . .sleep

__________________
63 220S W111
76 300D W115
2013 VW JSW TDI M6

previously-
73 280 SEL 4.5
86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6

A. piece of wood
B. rock
C. wire hanger
D. wadded up T-shirt

to jam the window shut!

Happy Motoring, Mark

__________________
DrDKW

Lets see. . . I think I tried a piece of wood and wadded up something but went with the spare hose clamp. It worked for Months except I had a perma- gap in the window.
It was very fortunate, it was pouring rain that night in Seattle.
So where am I, well just driving along. I was on 5 south and cut over on highway 99 towards Crecsent City California. It was a great night drive with the sunroof open winding through the Redwoods.
By this time the clutch pedal was not returning on its own. I was using my foot to bring it back up. Of course anyone with any experience would have known to check the resovior, but I was yet unaware of its existence. So I was passing through Crescent City at about 9pm, thinking I could make it home that night, thinking Crescent city was some podunk town.
Well I got it into second gear going up a hill and couldn't get it out. I was stranded, just outside of town in the pitch dark on a narrow highway. Fortunately, I could have been much worse. I lost the clutch right at a place where there was a large shoulder.
Had it been anywhere else, there was virtually NO shoulder with Traffic (Semi-trucks) FLYING up the road around curves and hills. Not to mention the fintails don't have hazard lights.
Although I was lucky in where I stopped, I had to walk down that hill about 5 miles into town. The good thing is that I had bought AAA right before I left.
The tow truck driver turns out, has some 60's Jaguar in his garage thats in a million pieces right now. He knew that the clutch fluid was all gone and we just filled it back up and pumped the clutch back to life. He could have just dropped my off by some repair shop (at their mercy) and bid me goodnight.
I came to learn that the people of Crescent City were very Generous Friendly people.
After that, I made it home with no problems.
That was Febuary 2001.

Mark, how long have you owned 'Miss Daisy'?

Josh

__________________
63 220S W111
76 300D W115
2013 VW JSW TDI M6

previously-
73 280 SEL 4.5
86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6

Elouise passed away Sept 2001 and I picked up 'Miss Daisy' the following month. My 12 mile trip home was less 'exciting' than yours. I mainly worried about the heavy brakes and steering and if some clown was going to plow into me before I got my 'new' car safely home. After a few weeks of getting used to driving 'Mis Daisy', I took her on a trip around Alexandria and Arlington. That's when I discovered my left rear brake was dragging and smelling. The engine also seemed have a lot of vibration. After a new brake hose and motor mounts I took her out on the local Beltway. She ran fine up to about 80 but I was feeling kind of naked, dodging the tractor-trailers without seatbelts, so another project was born. Last fall I took a 400 mile weekend trip and 'Miss Daisy' ran flawlessly. She seems to run better and more reliably as I'm driving her a lot more than Elouise did.

Since the new motor mounts, the engine idles so smooth that I can't feel it running. At stoplights, sometimes I glance at the oil guage or charging lamp to make sure it's still running. A friend who worked on BMWs for years remarked that he'd never seen one that idled as smooth as my car.

When spring returns and before summer becomes too miserable, I plan some more short trips.
Happy Motoring, Mark

__________________
DrDKW