My Custom 1980 W116 300SD Project Part 2 - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Squiggle Dog · #31 12-04-2017, 11:25 PM

I started out with a small bit and had to oval out the holes and cheat them until they were aligned correctly. Then I used a larger bit and bored out the holes.

I made some steel spacers (about 52mm long) to fit into the holes to prevent the box tubing on the body from collapsing when the bolts are tightened down. I installed them with sealant.

I painted the inner edges to prevent rust.

pj67coll · #32 12-05-2017, 08:45 AM

Good grief Squiggle. I can't believe the stuff you've done on this car. It's fantastic work I must say. I'm especially impressed by your A/C solution. How effective is it? If things work out the way I hope then I'm thinking of trying that on my 240D.

By the way. How are you posting these pic's? I assume you are not using Photbucket?

- Peter.

Squiggle Dog · #33 12-05-2017, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj67coll

Good grief Squiggle. I can't believe the stuff you've done on this car. It's fantastic work I must say. I'm especially impressed by your A/C solution. How effective is it? If things work out the way I hope then I'm thinking of trying that on my 240D.

By the way. How are you posting these pic's? I assume you are not using Photbucket?

- Peter.

Thanks! I may be financially poor, but I try to make up for that in effort.

I don't yet have the air conditioning working as I have to figure out what hose fittings I need at the compressor so I can have hoses made up. I already bought some 90 degree fittings that won't work because of clearance issues.

After that, I have to correctly wire the auxiliary fan and compressor. Then I have to remove the center console and dashboard so I can get the heater assembly removed and replaced with a manual unit. The wire harness will need to be altered to be compatible with the manual climate control. That will be a lot of work.

As of right now, I have a manual heater valve under the hood that has to be opened by hand when I want heat (which hasn't been in ages). I installed the faceplate from a manual climate control and wired it so the switch turns on the blower motor, but the blower motor quit working because the amp capacitor fried. I then used jumper wires directly to the blower, but I think the wires burned up.

I have been using Google Photos (used to be Picasa Web Albums) from day one.

Squiggle Dog · #34 02-21-2018, 03:46 AM

I'm still using my car as a truck.

Squiggle Dog · #35 02-21-2018, 03:47 AM

My car has been without wheel covers for a long time. As mentioned in an earlier post, I installed aluminum wheels but my wheel covers wouldn't fit them. A friend sent me some of the special stainless steel wheel covers that fit the aluminum wheels. I removed the dents the best I could and sanded the scuffs. I used oven cleaner to get off all the baked-on brake dust and grime. Paint stripper removed the old paint with little effort.

I used a stencil that my roommate bought me, which helped a lot, but I had to use paint thinner on a rag to wipe off areas of overspray and had to carefully wipe paint off of the outer rim so it would make a crisp line.

I wasn't sure whether or not to prime them before painting them as it made it a lot more difficult and the factory didn't use primer. I used primer and it was a lot of extra work.

I painted five wheel covers so I have a spare. Painting them was a first for me, but they came out acceptably. There was a lot of overspray, and it was nerve-wracking to use paint thinner on a rag, but it works like an eraser for paint.

I think that letting the primer dry overnight was a mistake, because when I sprayed on the paint, it didn't lay down very smoothly, though it is smoothing out with time. I might wet sand and then polish the paint so it looks better.

Squiggle Dog · #36 02-21-2018, 03:48 AM

One of the wheel covers had a large dent on the raised edge where the chrome and paint meet. Using a ball peen hammer and a sledge hammer, I was able to get it almost perfect.

A couple of the wheel covers were scuffed, so I sanded them starting with 400 grit and ending with 2000 grit and polish. In order to completely remove the scratches, I would have had to sand almost all the material away, so I did the best I could.

I'm holding up one of my old wheel covers in front of the ones I just painted. They look almost identical, but the old ones were chrome-plated steel instead of stainless steel and wouldn't fit the aluminum wheels.

I had a whole bunch of clips for aluminum wheels blasted and powder coated. They have Teflon inserts which protect against scratches.

Installing the clips wasn't difficult with the help of a flat blade screwdriver.

Squiggle Dog · #37 02-21-2018, 03:49 AM

The fifth wheel cover fit on the spare wheel, even with the hold-down hardware in place.

Yay! My car finally has wheel covers again. I wet sanded the paint and then polished it so it would be smoother.

I spread the Kurgo seat hammock on the back seat for the dogs.

The paint wore off of the front license plate, and my roommate gave me a replacement with a larger star that he found in a wrecking yard.

Squiggle Dog · #38 02-21-2018, 03:50 AM

I finally washed my car for the first time in YEARS! I've just been too busy before then. I wish that the paint was in better condition, as it's flaking off all over. It's interesting how the clear coat wouldn't shine up at all, but the paint in the areas where the clear coat had peeled off buffed out to be very glossy. I am not a fan of clear coat and one day when I have the car repainted, it is going to be single stage with NO clear!

Squiggle Dog · #39 02-21-2018, 03:51 AM

When I was out taking pictures today, I was joined by several jackrabbits running around and having a good time. There are also coyotes out here that come into the neighborhood to say hi. They look exactly like one of my dogs, and I am starting to wonder if she is part coyote. She doesn't mind them when they walk past us at night, and she makes howling and yipping noises with them. She also has strange mannerisms like sneaking up on other dogs or people, pushing them hard with her crutch tip nose, and then running away. She is also very feral and skittish like a coyote, and was found as a stray in the desert.

240Dee · #40 02-21-2018, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squiggle Dog

One of the wheel covers had a large dent on the raised edge where the chrome and paint meet. Using a ball peen hammer and a sledge hammer, I was able to get it almost perfect.

A couple of the wheel covers were scuffed, so I sanded them starting with 400 grit and ending with 2000 grit and polish. In order to completely remove the scratches, I would have had to sand almost all the material away, so I did the best I could.

I'm holding up one of my old wheel covers in front of the ones I just painted. They look almost identical, but the old ones were chrome-plated steel instead of stainless steel and wouldn't fit the aluminum wheels.

I had a whole bunch of clips for aluminum wheels blasted and powder coated. They have Teflon inserts which protect against scratches.

Installing the clips wasn't difficult with the help of a flat blade screwdriver.

Wow, those look great! I’m picking mine up this afternoon from my painter and can only pray his work is as good.....we’ll see...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

pj67coll · #41 02-21-2018, 09:02 AM

Fantastic Squiggle. Your work on the hubcaps is particularly impressive. I really want to get a hold of one of those templates so I can re-do mine. They look awful. I wasn't aware of the issues with hubcaps and aluminum wheels. My wheels are also aluminum. I assume that the caps are the same as yours then. Anyway. Really good work. And thanks for the tip about Google photos'. I think I'll try them.

I finally bit the bullet and spent over a grand on the AC on my truck. I just couldn't take another Phoenix summer without it. The 240D will become my winter driver/summer backup while I drive the truck during the blast furnace months.

Good luck with your A/C repair. I wouldn't think you'd need to do much electrical wiring changes to it though. Once you get a power wire to the blower that's it surely, on a manual system.

Oh and I completely agree about the clear coat thing. I hate clear coats myself and would prefer never to have one on a car. Unfortunately all new cars have them now even if they are not metallic.

- Peter.

dieselbenz1 · #42 02-21-2018, 09:50 AM

'When I was out taking pictures today, I was joined by several jackrabbits running around and having a good time. There are also coyotes out here that come into the neighborhood to say hi. They look exactly like one of my dogs, and I am starting to wonder if she is part coyote. She doesn't mind them when they walk past us at night, and she makes howling and yipping noises with them. She also has strange mannerisms like sneaking up on other dogs or people, pushing them hard with her crutch tip nose, and then running away. She is also very feral and skittish like a coyote, and was found as a stray in the desert.'

Great looking car! I once had a half breed coyote and border colie he always howeled half the night on a full moon or when he was lonely. Some people would come for blocks to watch him howl.

SonnyMorrow · #43 02-21-2018, 01:49 PM

I love your write ups on this car, what a fun thread to look through! Your radiator guy seems like a jerk, and as you said, I guess some people just don't have any sense of aesthetics. Good job on those hubcaps though. I'm going to have a few of mine done soon on my '84 as you can see someone tried to paint one of them to match before, and its about a 20 footer job. I guess you really do need the Mercedes template in order to do a good job. Keep the posts coming. Hopefully soon I'll start a thread like yours with my '84, it looks like fun. Take care

dude99 · #44 02-21-2018, 07:24 PM

Amazing job as always! Glad to see your back at it!

Squiggle Dog · #45 03-20-2018, 10:54 AM

I am likely going to be leaving the Mercedes scene. My financial situation is dire due to a sleeping disorder which makes it difficult to work, and I have a lot of time-consuming self-improvement I want to do, anyway. It's getting way too difficult to maintain and restore a W116 and all these rubber, vinyl, and plastic parts just don't last in the Arizona heat. My 300SD is in extremely good mechanical condition, so now is a good time to sell before something breaks that I can't afford to fix.

My 1967 Universal fintail station wagon was going to be restored into a daily driver, but it's a huge welding project and completely unrealistic. I bought it several years ago and had hopes that by now that I'd have a decent income and able to restore it, but I was delusional. It's also getting increasingly difficult to get any parts for these old cars and there are just so many expensive rubber and vinyl parts to replace.

I also have thousands of dollars in debt that I can't pay off any other way. If I can sell these vehicles and get out of debt, it would be a huge relief. My roommate has cars I can use if I need to drive somewhere. If I do purchase another vehicle, it will be something simple and utilitarian like a Willys Jeep station wagon powered by some kind of diesel powerplant.

I will likely have both of my vehicles listed on eBay in the near future. They are great cars for someone with a decent income, but that's not me. I have to be realistic and make some changes in my life.