While removing the flywheel,under the car, on a 300D 123 I remove what I thought was the second to last bolt. Guess what, it was the last bolt and I caught that heavy sucker right in the mouth. Broke one side of my jaw and bunch of teeth but there is not a mark on me and I have a great smile again. Oh I forgot. no marks on my hands. I had gloves on.

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1984 300SD turbo 126
"My true love"

God made me an atheist and who am I to question His wisdom

Ouch!

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

The straight 8 was a pretty low stressed engine. The crank had maybe five main bearings at most. The compression was pretty low and it is a flathead design. The head is so flexible that I had a head gasket leak on one end of it once and simply tightened the head bolts on that end anothe quarter of a turn or so and it quit. A really simple engine to work on. Valve adjustments though were a trick with side covers on the block to get at them to make adjustments.

That ambulance was built on a sedan delivery chassis which was lengthened about 30". You could actually see the splices welded into the frame. the rear door from the sedan delivery was a handsome device with its little window in it. It was hinged on one side (left?).

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I have always liked the sound of a straight eight engine. Last one I had till about five years ago was a 1950 2 door special jetback sedan. The special had the smaller buick straight eight.

My 39 buicks straight eight is long gone and replaced with a three fifty engine upgraded to corvette power levels. That car travels very well.

The roadmaster and century models had the larger straight eight up until 1953 I think. Over the years that engine even powered flexable busses. In a car you could let out the clutch in third gear and the car would slowly pull away.

One of my many regrets is that I had a chance to buy a totally very well restored 34 packard straight eight for thirty thousand and had to decline the offer as at the time as it was too much for us to comforatably afford. Even at the time I felt I was making a serious error.

The Packard straight eight was the cream of the crop for straight eights! Seven main bearings, and aluminum side covers.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.