Shout-Out and Thanks to a Peachparts Member - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

al76slc · #1 11-23-2009, 08:48 AM

I’ll leave it to Mark (MG Burg) to tell the tale of his six day adventure coming to NY and leaving with my beloved 76 SLC. I’m thrilled the car found a home with a Peachparts member who understands these vehicles, and will finish the restoration I started.

If it couldn’t be restored for my son, the next best thing for me was to make sure that it can be finished and saved for people who don’t remember what terrific cars these were in 1976 (and continue to be today).

Kudos to Mark for his good spirits and sense of adventure. Many thousands of happy miles to you. Don’t be shy - enjoy the looks and questions you'll from car enthusiasts and civilians.

And thanks to Peachparts (hate the name!). I didn’t advertise the vehicle anywhere. Just mentioned it here and the deed was done.

Well done all around.

Mistress · #2 11-23-2009, 01:41 PM

Glad it went to a good home. We need pics....

Jorn · #3 11-23-2009, 01:52 PM

Always nice if it go's to an appreciating new owner. Sold one of my 780's to a smug knowing it would end sooner or later in a junk yard, still feel bad about it.

al76slc · #4 11-23-2009, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

Glad it went to a good home. We need pics....

I posted pics in the "cars for sale" about 3 weeks ago. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=264719

Mark apparently took some shots on his travels, which I'm interested in seeing as well (Mark - that's a hint).

mgburg · #5 11-24-2009, 02:34 AM

OK Al, you've got me on now...I've just downloaded the shots and will select a few to go along w/the narative...as appropriate...

The X, and I, left La Crosse on Saturday, the 14th, on AMTRAK, and ended up in Chicago with a scheduled layover of 5 hours...1st time on AMTRAK for me, but I had been on trains back in the 60s before, so it was a little like getting back on a bike when you've been off for a while...we switched trains and got back on the EMPIRE BUILDER about 7PM that night...for a little wine/cheese party for "early boarders" - I thought that it was nice that someone else was going to drive for the evening...and I wine'd...about time too...I needed more than I thought...

About so-and-so-after-whatever, I remember having a bit of a "pitch" somewhere east of Chicago, then I re-awoke to the site of a railyard somewhere west or east of Cleveland...then it was "seepy time" once again...awakening somewhere, finally, along the Erie Canal and the I-90 system...still heading towards Albany. Once in Albany, we separated cars and one half the train headed to Boston while we re-attached to the engine(s) and headed south towards New York...finally arriving in Croton-On-Hudson about 5pm on the 15th...Having called Al about 10 minutes out from the station, we disembarked, crossed over to the parking lot and waited a whole 10 minutes 'til Al arrived in his ML...beautiful ride to his place...although the sun was in the setting mode and we were running out of sunlight...we stopped to get a few pizzas and then headed off to meet Al's family & dog (BIG and FRIENDLY)...a "pup" in his mind...wanted more lovin' than is possible to dispense in one or two visits...( Al, does he actually guard anything?

)
I'll let Al dispense with the family names to protect the innocent...I don't want to give out any information on the forum that Al may want to protect...needless to say, Number 1 son understood that I was a Cheesehead and he managed to keep me informed of the fact that the Packers were beating the Cowboys (I had completely forgotten about the game...due to the car issue at hand...now that's relaxation!)...Al, his son and I headed to the "cavern/garage" where I was given the visual of the SLC, then a little paperwork history of the SLC, it's "history" with an infamous individual (not exactly a "Bernie Maddoff" but definately no "Al Capone"), and the reason for parting of the ways with auto and current owner...then it was time to solidify the schedule for Monday and head off to the hotel in White Plains...Al took the X and me to our hotel and we parted ways 'til the morn...

About 9AM, I called Al, he showed up about 35 minutes later, we headed back to his place and proceded to go over the paperwork needed to visit the NYSDMV (New York State Dept. of Motor Vehicles) in Peekskill...upon arrival, the X did some "malling around" while Al & I went through the bureaucratic paperwork that makes riches for the lazy...after calling my insurance agent back in Onalaska, and she faxing the required sheet of paper to complete our DMV activities, both Al & I were on our way OUT of the DMV in what should have been record time for auto-registration history...a little over 45 minutes or so...

We headed back to Al's home, loaded the trunk with parts and books/paperwork, and eventually, hit the road...the test drive with the car earlier, hadn't really done it justice. On the open road and with heavier traffic, the SLC was sure-footed and didn't hesitate with lane changes or on/off-ramps for the various routes...other than one "shmuck" that decided he had to be the first to the exit, the trip was pretty much uneventful...

That would change...AFTER I dropped the X off in Buffalo...

After a little "replanning" of the trip, we took I-81 north to Binghampton, then hopped on the "I" going west and meandered into the AMTRAK station in Buffalo about an hour ahead of the X's anticipated departure...again, a smooth and uneventful drive...the 450 was sailing along, not a care or wear to worry about...the X's train arrived about 5 minutes early, she got boarded and was on her way, and the same for me...I pulled out of Buffalo and hit the "I" 'til a fillup about 20 minutes or so east of Erie, PA., then at Exit 27 at Erie, I pulled off, checked into a Comfort Inn, dropped my head and died an appropriate death of contentment...

Then the phone rang...

( To be continued... )

mgburg · #6 11-24-2009, 03:20 AM

Act II.: The "Call"

ME: "Elloooo....?"
DESKETTE: "Hello? Mr. Burg? Do you own a blue Mercedes?"
ME: (Grabbing the phone a bit tighter, sitting up faster than a pleab at boot-camp) "YES..." (Thought going through head during this micro-second of my life..."Someone hit this car in an open parking lot????") "Is there a problem??????"
DESKETTE: "Well (Any sentence that begins with a "Well..." is not a good sentence, regardless how sweet the voice is that's voicing it..."), the Fire Department is out by your car right now and would like to know..."
ME: "IT'S NOT BURNING UP, IS IT? IS ANYONE HURT?"
DESKETTE: "No, Mr. Burg. If you could meet them out there, they'd like to talk to you...your car is leaking gas. That's all."
ME: "Thank you! I'll be right there!"

While throwing anything on that would keep me from being arrested in a strange town, by acting stranger than they could ever act (and presenting a less lewd view to the locals) I was finishing buttoning up my shirt when I came around the corner and saw one fireperson on his hands and knees behind the RR tire, looking up in the area around the fuelpump and gas tank, two others sweeping and spreading cat-litter/oil-soak for about 200 feet behind the car and one, lonely fire truck, idling with the flashers on...no lights, just flashers. And overseeing this disaster of epic scale was a 20-ish-looking PA. State Trooper...paperwork being filled out on a nice and sunny Tuesday morning...

After going through the required IDing of myself and explaining the car's presence in the lot (no plates require explaination, regardless the REQUIRED paperwork in the rear window that no one bothered to notice...

), I'm informed by all 4 individuals, 4 separate times, that I shouldn't drive it, that it would be best that I have it towed to the local Benz dealership and have them bless it...of course, Goober and friends were sure that the gas tank had sprung a leak and that I'd need a new tank. Of course, Goober #1 had identified, with 100% certified automotive experience, that the spare-tire well was the gas tank, and since gas was "dripping" off that area, he was sure the tank was shot. I didn't say anything 'til now, I didn't know who knew who and who was related to what, so I didn't want to point out or embarrass anyone that could be related to a local Government Upper-Mucky-Muck, let alone any wiseguy-du-jour. Hey, I'm nothing more than a wandering Cheesehead with a 33yo flame-thrower-to-be leaker...what would I know?

Anyways, the local hook&haul was called, he shows up about an hour later and when he sees that the call is about an MB, he goes car-collector nutz...this tow was the best of baby-handling I've ever seen on any call I've ever witnessed. He's swimming through the gas-infested kitty-litter, making sure that the skids aren't hitting anything delicate, the straps are bound proper and not binding on anything important, nothing is dragging or hanging loose...we head over to the Benz Dealership, Dana (tow driver/owner) is taking all the smooth and straight streets to Peach Avenue...He unhooks the 450SLC, heads inside and get the Service Manager/Advisor out and the two of them make sure that there's no more gas leaking out onto the asphalt.

Dana then hands me a bill for $65.00...that's it. I cash him and then tip him $10.00. We chat for another 20 minutes while he's checking out the older vehicles in the lot. We part ways and I check with Dave, the SM, on when I can expect any news, let alone when I might be able to hit the road, or the rack, as the case may be...

About a half hour later, the news...

The connecting hose between the fuel filter and the dampner has rotted away, so for the action of an MB-trained mechanic and more paperwork than an IRS-agent audit, I'm back on the road by 3PM, heading west on I-90, towards Cleveland and next adventure...post rush-hour traffic...story about 5pm...coming up...

( To be continued... )

mgburg · #7 11-24-2009, 04:06 AM

Act III.: The Ramp

I'm on the "I" - west-bound and heading into the Cleveland rush-hour...traffic going zero-to-one in about 30 seconds...then back to zero for 30 more...then up, then down, then up, then...

About, oh, forever of this, we finally make the infamouse 35MPH corner of I-90 in town, then we run into the first of two 4-vehicle explosions of vehicular-carnage that can happen with all things plastic...5 lanes of bumpers and side panels all over the highway...all laid there at a whopping 40MPH...oh, the humanity...I think people were spraining their middle digit at one another...no airbag action on anything, just shattered plastic and crying insurance agents...

Anyways, after clearing the 2nd 4-car meltdown/crack-apart, I'm tooling along with the rest of the traffic...going about 65MPH, when it happens....

*THWUMP!* *BWAP!* *THWUMP!THWUMP!SCRAA-A-A-A-A-A-A-TCH!*

I look in the driver's door rearview mirror...

"Oh chit!! SPARKS! I wonder if I can outrun the flames!!! Oh, good! No orange glow from below!"

(At this time, I notice that ALL THE HEADLIGHTS THAT WERE ON MY BUMPER have faded in the distance...dropping away from me like I was pealing wall-paper off the inside of an elevator using a gas-emitting object...(think SBD!)...

I manage to cross over to the exit that just popped up and I realize that the muffler is being dragged...and I'm assuming that it didn't separate the right way, it separated the wrong way. And guess what? I was right!

I try to be sure that I don't "pole-vault" the car as I try to get off the main drag and into a parking lot where I can assess my situation and decide if I need another hook&haul in less than 12 hours...this day is just dragging on and on...

Anyways, as luck would have it, the muffler decides to jam into a crevice and jam itself between the rear deck and bumper...tailpipes up and muffler jacking the car up by lodging itself under the bumper and bumpershock...I've got the picture but can't post it...too big...

I stop the car...(I'm able to drive forward but the muffler is wedged in there pretty good)...I pop the trunk, pull out the jack, insert same in jack-hole and start jacking the left-rear up and up 'til I have enough of the car's weigh off the muffler that I can kick the thing loose and unjam it from between the deck and bumper...the muffler is still a bit warm, so I drop the car, replace the jack in the trunk, then I clear a spot in the trunk to put the muffler. With everything packed in there, I still managed to get that thing in there...I head into the Steakhouse (parking lot of where I stopped) and the owner, a Benz owner himself, invites me to clean up and a drink, which I have to decline due to the driving I have yet to do...no muffler and DUI? Sorry, Jack! I'm not on that train...

I get cleaned up, leave a "tip" at the bar, then hit the Interstate again.

What next? I'll find out...

I finish the Ohio Turnpike, then it's onto the Indiana Tollway...then a gasup, then more tollway, then the outskirts of Chicago...eventually the Kennedy Expressway, where I get swarmed by two of Chicago's fastest...they see a Benz, heading off towards where the sun went, no plates and moving suspiciously fast...to them, it could be an issue of stolen property moving before reporting...they come up fast and then...*POOF!* Both spots come on...4 Billion Candlepower come flooding the driver's position of the 450SLC...a fat little white guy with a NYSITP in the LR window...PROPERLY ATTACHED...one signals the other...both spots extinguish and I'm "released" back into the western wilds of Illinois suburbia...all the while we're going about 65MPH...aren't radios wonderful?

I stay on I-90, get to Rockford, turn north on I-39/I-90 and head towards the last few tollbooths and the WI. State Line.

Will I make it? Will I have enough coinage to get through the booths? Will I care?

Only time, gas and cash will tell...

Did you realize that Illinois tollbooth collectors are becoming a rare breed these days?

Yup! Only two per toll-area...everything else is turning into an I-Pass, I-Pay, I-Speed, I-Rip&Snort, I-Got-Credit-&-U-Have-Coins....and they are lonely...

TOLLGUY: "HEY! NICE CAR! MASERATI? I SEE THOSE ALL THE TIME!"
ME: "Nope! Mercedes! A 450SLC! Only 73K on the clock!"
TOLLGUY: "CAN'T BE! WHERE'S THE STAR ON THE HOOD?"
Me: "This model has the star in the grill and a badge on the hood...didn't you see that when I came up to the window here?"
TOLLGUY: "YOU WOKE ME UP! I DIDN'T SEE YOU 'TIL YOU STOPPED!"
Me: "Here you go!" (I hand him a single...he hands me two dimes...)

I head off into the night once more...leaving the lazy behind...and I'm thinking that La Crosse can wait a few more hours...about 20 minutes into Wisconsin, I pull off at the first Comfort Inn I find...and spend the next 30 minutes talking with the smoker out front and desk clerk about the SLC...I'll never get a decent sleep unless I sneak around with this thing...everyone wants to talk car and how nice it is...

I'm beginning to wonder if I really need to lock it up, let alone if I'd even need an alarm system...these folks almost act like it's their priviledge and responsibility to keep an eye on it...I'm beginning to like this more and more...

But for now, I've got to get some sleep...it's just starting to sprinkle and I don't need to get wet...

( To be continued... )

mgburg · #8 11-24-2009, 04:22 AM

Act IV.: The Pros

I get up around 11am...chit, chower, chave...then check out...I'm on the road, in a light mist that lasts the rest of the way north to Tomah...then I take a left and follow I-90 the rest of the way west towards La Crosse/Onalaska...home is only 40 minutes away...

Then I remember the muffler in the trunk.

A local muffler shop that worked on my donuts with the 123 a while back comes to mind...

"Would they look at my situation and come up with a proper fix? I'll give 'em a call and see if I can get fitted in this afternoon..."

I dial, chat and schedule..."just drive in" Mark says and "we'll look it over."

Cool.

I arrive about 2pm, give him the keys, he racks the Benz, we pull the muffler out of the trunk, he comes up with a plan and within the hour, I'm checking out with a quiet Benz and $65.00 dollars less in my checking account. And he changed all the hanging donuts underneath...everything is fresh, new rubber. And, nothing is leaking.

Now, I head over to my DMV...in and out on a Wednesday, 25 minutes from car door back to car door and $212.00 registered and tagged.

No oil was used in the execution of this trip...COOL!!!!

I'm happy and if I can get the pics posted somehow, it'll make reading this a bit more understandable...

I've got to get some sleep...later folks...

Jim B. · #9 11-24-2009, 06:47 AM

Great story, Mark, VERY well told!!! I hung on every word. I hope your muffler donuts were the SL style ones this time, they are steel reinforced inside.

Great read!!!

al76slc · #10 11-24-2009, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgburg

TOLLGUY: "HEY! NICE CAR! MASERATI? I SEE THOSE ALL THE TIME!"
ME: "Nope! Mercedes! A 450SLC! Only 73K on the clock!"
( To be continued... )

Hate to break it to you Mark, but the SLC's still in my garage. You took the Maserati.

Can you bring it back, pleeeese?

BTW, how many miles did you rack up?

Great tale, well told.

mgburg · #11 11-27-2009, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by al76slc

...BTW, how many miles did you rack up? ...

The starting mileage on the clock was 70,478...I "zero'd" the trip odometer and won't reset it 'til my next "fill-up" down the block...I'm still working on the MPG-thing (minus the 1/2 tank leak back in Erie!).

The final mileage, on the clock, in my driveway is...

(Drumroll please...)

71,739...

The trip-odo shows 260.1. Throw a "1" on the front of that and you have about the same amount of miles in three days of driving compared to all the miles driven going all the way back to 12 March 2007 (you had just completed a LOF at 69,212).

I'm so abusive!!!

To be honest, other than the leak in Erie and the muffler incident outside of Cleveland, I've thoroughly enjoyed the trip...via AMTRAK to your home and the ride back in the 450SLC...I'm not worried how she'll behave or perform...AAMOF, I'm taking her out today...the temps are in the 30s/40s (maybe) but she started right up the past two days without a whimper and she's just too much fun to leave alone. And besides, I'm going to "tease" the President of our local car club (Coullee Classics) - he just had to drive over and show off his 'Vette Pace-car when he got it about a year ago...I'm heading over to give him a dues-check and I want to see the look on his face when he sees this unit.

BTW: PM me on the wax/polish you've been using...we never did go over that information when we were in the "Batcave" - I didn't see anything specific in the paperwork...and I don't want to go start changing anything up that might have some sort of chemical reaction to what's already on her.

Thanks again!

al76slc · #12 11-27-2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgburg

BTW: PM me on the wax/polish you've been using...we never did go over that information when we were in the "Batcave"

Wax? What's that?

Meguier's Cleaner Wax liquid applied by machine. I tried to do 2 coats at a time when I did it. I recently starting claying before waxing. (Even old dogs can learn new tricks.)

BTW let's chill on the Batcave stuff. You have now announced to the multitudes that I live in a cave and don't drive my cars. Will you be revealing anything else?

tonkovich · #13 11-27-2009, 07:47 PM

well told story.

(seemingly?) happy ending.

having driven a 450slc (mechanic's loaner) for a few days, i recall - even the u.s. spec model - had plenty of power and handled like a wonderful tank.

enjoy

(on the batman theme, "al"..is really...alfred?

)

okyoureabeast · #14 11-27-2009, 08:35 PM

I am SO sad that I missed your adventure in Erie! I know we local Erie PA bumpkins are really out there.

I would have loved to see that car. Too bad I was in Ithaca when this all went down

At least you got a royal look at Peach Street. Do any shopping in our less then average mall?

Oh and you got to see the Delorean that I saw too

I would have absolutely loved to see that 450SL. I rock my 300D where ever I go!

I hope Contemporary didn't hose you for all your worth!

mgburg · #15 11-28-2009, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okyoureabeast

I am SO sad that I missed your adventure in Erie! I know we local Erie PA bumpkins are really out there. ... I would have loved to see that car. Too bad I was in Ithaca when this all went down

... At least you got a royal look at Peach Street. Do any shopping in our less then average mall? ... Oh and you got to see the Delorean that I saw too

... I would have absolutely loved to see that 450SL. I rock my 300D where ever I go! ... I hope Contemporary didn't hose you for all your worth!

Sorry I was so secretive about the whole trip...whenever I leave the La Crosse area, the gremlins come out to play...BIG TIME...and whenever I get back, I have an assistant that's about ready to perform self-induced-permanent-pain-relief-accupuncture with a katana.

As for the "wild life" on Peach Street in CM's neighborhood, I had Dave, the SA, repeatedly ask me if I would like a "ride" to any area mall...I mentioned that I would really like to walk a little and thus, I headed northward (I'm assuming Peach Street is a N/S affair) and within 2 doors of CM, I was approached by a young, tall neighborhood resident, who was most interested in whether I would like to "...buy some boxes of chocolate for his *mumble-mumble-mumble-school's fundraising project?" I mentioned that I'm not really "built" for anymore chocolate and I did appreciate him asking...wherein I reached out for his right hand and shook it...then I posed with the right hand in a "fist-bump" stance...and it happened so fast that even he looked a bit surprised and was left with nothing else to do or say other than to FB back..."Later man!" - I then headed up to the crest of the block...then I saw it...another 1/2 mile to anything that looked like a mall...

I turned around, spied the Steel City Pizzaria across the street...I bounded over there, ordered up a small C&S, a bottle of Barq's and when it finally arrived...just sat there and enjoyed the College-Basketball Kickoff Classics that were running that afternoon. After paying the bill (a whole whopping $14.00 - for a 'za, fizz and tip to boot!), I headed back to CM...where I got the opportunity to shoot the Delorean, chat with Dave and then, eventually get the car finished, paid for and out the door.

I sent TheDon 11 shots of the Delorean - he says he has 'em...I hope they are detailed enough that he's jealous that I was there (you too!) and he wasn't...

As for getting hosed by CM...not a problem...I'm not the one that smells like gas and have 5 sets of fingernails with various amounts of unscrapable crud under them...I'm just happy that I didn't have to climb/hammer/smash/cut/bend/fold/spindle/mutilate any/all of my appendages to get back on the road...

At some point, it's just smarter to pay someone to hurt THEMSELVES instead of you causing pain to yourself. I'm the one that made out like the bandit.

BTW: If I'm heading out that way for training in the near future, I'll post here and bring the 450SLC...it traveled a whole lot better than the Buick I rented back in 2001 and it definately isn't invisible when you're behind the wheel...either they come up to look at you or they back off 'cause they don't even want to think how much their own insurance will ding 'em if they ding me.

Later!

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