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Art Love
Australia
3335 Posts |
 Posted - 03/14/2009 : 03:20:48
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Michael Smart had to move house. Ron Bunting and I had helped Michael buy #4426 from its previous owner a few years ago. The car had not been driven for many years, but had been regularly started and serviced. Michael had some problems with the car which finally resulted in its being parked in the street outside his house for over a year without being able to be driven. So Michael rang me to say he had to sell the car because it couldn't go with him and it couldn't stay parked on the street outside his friend's house after he shifted.
Anyway, I rang Justin and we went round. It was a pretty sorry sight, covered with leaves, rust spots beginning to show through, right down on its knees. For some reason, I don't think I took any pictures of it. We got the back up with the compressor and the front about half an inch. It would not even kick the starter motor.
So I bought it and Justin got a tow truck and we took it to his shed. Justin pulled the aftermarket immobilizer off it, put in fresh fuel and got it started but it ran rich and didn't want to rev. That blew it up off its haunches at least and it stays up. He has cleaned it up. Today we got under the bonnet and pulled the dipstick out of the back of the MFI releasing a good 2-300 ml of engine oil from the MFI governor compartment, put in a new set of plugs and away it went. So I took it for a run round the block. It ran quite sweetly and blew no smoke. It certainly has some grunt . The only excitment was when I gave it a bootful up the left lane from the traffic lights (we drive on the left with RHD) on the incline in the road where Justin's shed is and when I was looking in the rear view mirror for smoke, the stupid geezer in the middle lane in front of me suddenly decided that he would turn left across my lane into a shopping centre . The brakes work quite well and I managed to swing around his arse instead of T boning him which is what he deserved.
Here are a couple of pics of the car after we put it back to bed in Justin's shed.
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Ron B
Australia
7933 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2009 : 04:16:33
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The old girl hasn't looked that good since it was in Tony Spinelli's workshop about 10 years ago. it's basically a good car and yes it has some grunt . Just needs to be driven more and that trans switch sorting. he Spent about $10,000([:0 ) on the bags and valves so the suspension should be good.
 quote:
12-14-2004, 11:49 PM #8
Tom Hanson
MBCA Member
What the heck, try to stuff a MB 6.9 liter V8 in it. What a machine that would be..
__________________
Tom Hanson
Orange County Section
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Art Love
Australia
3335 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2009 : 03:18:36
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Justin drove it home today, filling it with fuel on the way. It started to do the same thing that stopped Michael from driving it, smelling fuelly and cutting out. Considering that my run round the block was its first time on the road in over 12 months, it was "cold" yet it blew no brown smoke under load and ran very sweetly, I am not too put off. The old fuel was dumped and Justin cleaned out the filter in the tank bung before he did anything else. I gave him my spare throttle body switch today to put on it; should help the idle speed when the car is in gear (one of the times it snuffs). He said that the fuel pump has a bit of a leak, but they do that some times after standing for a long time. That may well explain the fuelly smell. I have not had the chance to even look at which pump it has on it. He's going to recheck the oil in the MFI governor cavity. If it's overfull again, the pump will have to come off as clearly the seals are kaput with that little running. We'll go through the obvious, one thing at a time. We don't even know what the filter in the fuel pump or the main fuel filter look like, let alone the state of the cold start valves. I'm working on the premise that the points and electrics are OK for it to have performed well when I drove it. What I do know is that it has the capacity to run well. I should check with Peter at Three Point as to what they did with it so we don't repeat the obvious.
Justin wants to use it as a daily driver. I'll keep you informed presuming readers are interested in the saga.
Art |
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karra
Finland
348 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2009 : 04:08:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Art Love
I'll keep you informed presuming readers are interested in the saga.
Yes, definetly this is interesting. I have kind of similiar situation here.
The plates look funny; almost like the old Finnish ones, up to 1973.
We had the amount of letters and numbers of all combinations.
At the moment vintage cars can get a such retro plate if the car is approved for a "vintage class" (needs to be inspected):
Usually it has 2 or 3 letters, first is "M" and 1 or 2 numbers.
But, if the car is older than 1973 the white plates can be ordered as black ones but the size and amount of figures is not the same as in the really old or "vintage" plates.
Sorry about this OT  .
Kari Pykäläinen
1971 6.3 #5581
1968 280 SE Coupé
1993 E420
1995 Tahoe 350cid |
Edited by - karra on 03/15/2009 04:09:08 |
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Art Love
Australia
3335 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2009 : 05:17:30
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Hi Kari,
When Michael bought the car it had these plates. Here they are called "personalized plates". The previous owner had bought them from the transport department at great cost because of AMG. I have no idea why it is 92 that follows other than all the lesser numbers were used up. He agreed to sell the car to Michael with the existing plates. Michael still has the car registered with these plates and Justin and I will take over that registration.
Our Department of Transport is into making money any way they can, which suits me because that means I pay less taxes, the Department being a government modality. They decided some years ago to change from just issuing conventional plates which in recent times have consisted of three letters and three digits, to reissuing the original Queensland plates which were Q followed by a number. The first registration issued was Q1. When I was a child, they were up to about Q10000 which was when they changed to the 3 numbers/3 letters system. For example, I remember my father's ponton 220S was NHS 989. There were still some cars running with there original Q plates, never deregistered, but the rest were up for grabs. I know the fellow who has Q1 and Q2 and he paid a couple of thousand dollars for them at the Department of Transport auction. They now sell for several thousand dollars, a good investment. Then the Department made an open slather arrangement. Just about any combination of number and figures are obtainable, the small writing can be just about anything. For example, the local M-B Club have there own plates with Mercedes-Benz Club of Queensland on them. These plates cost several hundred dollars. The plates are owned by the owner, not the car, and can be transferred to other cars. The only plates they won't issue are those with overt sexual conitations.
Art |
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Art Love
Australia
3335 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2009 : 05:32:57
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Here are three examples of what I am talking about. These pictures were taken at Three Point. This is serious money.
Art |
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karra
Finland
348 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2009 : 06:56:51
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Hello Art!
We have also so called personalized plates as long as the text is not offending anyone but the plate can hold max. 3 letters and 3 numbers only. The price is 1000,- EUR so our DMV is making profit also.
Here are the vintage plates on my coupé:
Still, mostly on US cars the place for the plates is smaller than for our standard plates. Then the customer can have without any costs a shorter plate, actually just 5 digits or less.
If you don't tell anyone I happen to know a person at one of our MOT office and when I bought my 6.3 it had standard 6 digit white plates. I said to him that I have an US model rear bumber and the existing plate is too long. Actually he knows the thruth but he used this information to give me new plates with 5 digits. Then when I got those I immediately returned the plates and said I want to renew the colour to black as my 6.3 is older than 1972. And vóila, I have now a real retro-looking black 5 digit plats, for just a few EUR additional cost  .
Besides, the letter C was in use on old days and it has returned now for the short US car plates, that really enhances the "retro-look".
Kari Pykäläinen
1971 6.3 #5581
1968 280 SE Coupé
1993 E420
1995 Tahoe 350cid |
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Ron B
Australia
7933 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2009 : 21:45:56
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Stefan the hairdresser.
I think he could get 7 figures for that plate now although i doubt very much if he would ever sell them.
The Q plates were all hand made by screwing the figures to a alloy base. I had a guy working for me years ago who was telling me he had a NSW 3 figure plate off a car he had owned (Hispano Suiza!) . He wanted to know he should sell it in the paper...as he had no idea what they were worth.
quote:
12-14-2004, 11:49 PM #8
Tom Hanson
MBCA Member
What the heck, try to stuff a MB 6.9 liter V8 in it. What a machine that would be..
__________________
Tom Hanson
Orange County Section
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CraigS
Australia
629 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2009 : 01:59:19
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An example of the "N" series plates Art was referring to. Although this is a reissued plate, the number coincides with the original plate that the 300b wore when first sold in Scotland.
And the English style plate on the front (not strictly legal)
and on the 6.9, another example of a personalised plate
Now 2054.70 cu ins. of M100 power ! |
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abl567
Australia
512 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2009 : 04:59:07
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I tried to resist , a NSW plate, and my children
300SEL
6.3 #2723, my first classic Benz
3.5 #8659, my second.
2 to go... |
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Art Love
Australia
3335 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2009 : 05:14:20
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Ha, ha.
Now back to the topic of the thread . Anyone got any advice for Justin and me regarding getting #4426 running as a daily driver
Art |
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abl567
Australia
512 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2009 : 05:23:59
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Kidnap Olaf
300SEL
6.3 #2723, my first classic Benz
3.5 #8659, my second.
2 to go... |
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Ron B
Australia
7933 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2009 : 16:41:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Art Love
Ha, ha.
Now back to the topic of the thread. Anyone got any advice for Justin and me regarding getting #4426 running as a daily driver
Art
Check fuel flow and fuel pressure at the drivers side coldstart valve. Fuel smell (and overfueling ) will most likely be a blockage and I would suspect that rubber hose on the return line on the firewall. Do the check first though and do any work required to get it up to spec. Check the tank vent in the boot and make sure the little plastic bottle thing is still connected.
Did justin replace all the hoses around the pump? I never looked at those but they could also be at least 20 years old.
The shocks and suspension should all be fine ( has Bilstein adjustables or Koni's fited off a donor car i had here for a while $$$$$ ) . Diff and trans etc are also good. Only thing of concern is Justins capacity to keep it fueled up once he discovers the joys of 6.3 driving...
quote:
12-14-2004, 11:49 PM #8
Tom Hanson
MBCA Member
What the heck, try to stuff a MB 6.9 liter V8 in it. What a machine that would be..
__________________
Tom Hanson
Orange County Section
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Edited by - Ron B on 03/16/2009 16:43:26 |
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Art Love
Australia
3335 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 04:53:33
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Well, this car has been "elsewhere" for over 12 months - in fact at the exhaust shop. It came back at the weekend. It's exhaust was shot and needed replacement. It now has a set of custom headers, a sort of trial for #5810 and a complete new system through to the back - I think all stainless but I'm not sure. To move it at the shop, they just kept putting in more new spark plugs from a box of plugs that Justin inadvertantly left in the car as the existing ones fouled and threw the fouled ones on the passenger floor.
So we now have yet another project before it can be a daily driver again. Here is a shot of the right side headers I took at the weekend.
Art |
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Ron B
Australia
7933 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 18:36:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Art Love
To move it at the shop, they just kept putting in more new spark plugs from a box of plugs that Justin inadvertantly left in the car as the existing ones fouled and threw the fouled ones on the passenger floor.
So we now have yet another project before it can be a daily driver again. Here is a shot of the right side headers I took at the weekend.
Art
Charming...
I suspect it has the usual problem of a stuck rack. At the shop it was probably just fired up, moved, then shut off. This is a very bad situation for a 6.3 (in fact for any MFI equipped engine) as the cold start never gets to shut off and the engine will have been a huge load of fuel Hence the plug fouling. The rack will be sitting in the full load position or close to it.
You or Justin should remove the fuel inlet line on the pump and fill it with toluene or carb cleaner and let it soak for a day or so.
get it hot and running and check the CO from idle to 3/4 throttle under load and see what level it's at. It should lean out to 1% under load. I don't remember which pump it has but it was working well when Michael first bought it . I like the look of the exhaust manifolds though...dyno time!!
quote:
12-14-2004, 11:49 PM #8
Tom Hanson
MBCA Member
What the heck, try to stuff a MB 6.9 liter V8 in it. What a machine that would be..
__________________
Tom Hanson
Orange County Section
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Edited by - Ron B on 05/17/2010 18:38:01 |
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Art Love
Australia
3335 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2010 : 23:37:52
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| That's the plan |
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#4426
