stoma wrote:

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JUST BURN DAT MOTHAFUCKKKA DOWN!!!!!!!!!! AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So we now have Stomas official position... Thanks for the support a$$hole!

SELLC wrote:

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Stoma, I have enough money to buy a brand new Mercedes Benz 560 if I really wanted...

 

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I just re-checked the price of the new Mercedes Maybach S 560 and it is $170,000! LOL!

So unless I sold my house and emptied all my accounts and traded in my Corvette I would not be able to buy a new 560 outright.

Could you imagine payments on $170,000 car? For example @ 3.1% interest on a 60 month loan with ZERO down the payments would come to $3,243 per month not including insurance! LOL! Way out of my league..

But I could easily buy a newer Mercedes (5-10 years old) - so you get my point.

Well, it looks like this project is going to be put on hold... Have some water intrusion issues along with serious water damage inside the car that do not merit any further repairs until such time some new interior carpet is purchased. You can read more at this link -

https://autotrend.activeboard.com/t62582086/water-leak-mercedes-benz-w126-560-sel-filling-passenger-rear/?page=last#lastPostAnchor

And I was so excited to think I was getting back behind the wheel of Goldilocks next week! What a pisser!

Well, my son seems convinced that Goldilocks would be best suited placed atop a 1500 or F150 4X4 powertrain... He also claims that such a setup would provide the support needed to cut off the roof and make it convertible...

Fucking damnedest thing of it is, it actually sounds like a good idea! 

Plus, as a bonus - it will really piss off the purist...  Might even put a snow plow on the front of it so that I can plow my driveway in the winter!

Could be a lot of fun, and preserve the legacy! Stay tuned.

The insanity is really the moment I realized the speed sensor was holding the entire weight of the 722.350 transmission dangling in the air... followed shortly by a right hook to the face by my son who did not like the tongue lashing he received for leaving the 10mm bolt attached...

These are the things that plunder my mind on sleepless nights...

How the fuck did two 14 gauge wires hold a 200 lb transmission suspended from mid air!? 

I have been giving serious thought to pulling ole' Goldilocks into the garage to get her transmission and chain guides installed this week. Been mulling it for the past month but I might have an opening and my recent DOGE coin revenues will allow me a few days to spare. 

I currently have valid historical/classic plates on it, so it would only be like $15 a month to get an antique policy going on it once it's able to move under it's own power again. Moving on it's own power is pretty important at this point since it's been quite awhile. I also had it listed on eBay for awhile, at $4800... and trust me, I don't expect to get that but I am trying to help raise the value for my fellow Mercedes brethern and be able to say to the wife, "Hey I got all my toys listed for sale, I can't give them away" (Roll eyes - lol) but I will have to remove the listing once it gets towed into the bay.

About the only part that I will need to buy is a new battery. Everything else I should have... still havent found the damn interior water leak but wouldn't you know it since I havent been using it there has been no leaks! I wonder if it's possible in the winter that water freezes and blocks the drains on these cars? Very odd as I have had it apart with the carpet out and the headliner down watching all this time and the damn thing just won't leak if it's not being driven! So odd!

Anyway, here's to a little luck that I can get a few days free, at least to get it running. I can nip at it here and there once it can be driven around rather than pushed. If it ends up happening I'll post some photos.

I might have a used battery that I can make fit until such time it's ready to roll, and yes it's lead-acid. I don't think I have seen a lithium ion battery for ICE vehicles yet.

The water was collecting in the rear passengers side foot well, so I am pretty sure it has something to do with the drains freezing up. Never had any problems with water intrusion until the winter time now that I think about it. Has to be a drain freezing.

No go on the logs for now, I just want it up and running on it's own power.

I just pulled it in and it's a real train wreck after having sat for two years! I am just trying not to look at all the crazy cosmetic stuff until I get the damn transmission and chain guides installed so I don't get distracted. Probably spend the night tonight getting all the parts, bolts and hardware in order so I can once again have the kid finish helping me put the transmission in. Last time we got in a brawl pulling it out, I sure hope things go much smoother this time around! LOL

Anyway, here it is... in all her dirt and filth from sitting two years.

You can see the engine hanging forward from the lack of transmission. I already vacuumed out all the leaves and stuff from the false firewall and cowel area, probably blow it all out real good too and perhaps put the guides in tonight. Of course I'll take some photos! Good news is I have all the guildes, gaskets and oil filter on the ready for this job for the past two years.

Looks pretty nasty now, but once I clean her up and put the shine on her she should be looking much better.

I'll also have to button up the rear interior that I tore apart looking for the source of the leak but I'll probably give the carpets a very good cleaning while it's apart.

So glad it's now registered as a historical vehicle! Plates only cost about $40 for 10 years and the insurance is under $20 a month for classic car insurance. Might have to call my insurance agent tomorrow and make sure they can put it on quickly before the weekend. Don't have any plans to drive it anywhere far but I would like it to be back in our fleet ASAP. Guess I will have to remove the listing I have for it on eBay now, for the best really... I'd probably get what I am asking currently ($4800) once it runs and drives should I decide to sell later. It's always easier to sell a vehicle that runs and drives because people can drive it home or send an auto transport out.

This ole' girl is in a bad way, let me tell you. I'll be sure to post more soon. Any and all support, back patting or even some snide comments are welcome to keep my motivation up. Twice I have aleady asked myself "what the hell are you doing Rex". 

But I got nothing else to do right now, and I have all the parts so I might as well spend my time on something.

So I got my nuts and bolts in order for the transmission install tomorrow and get everthing else gathered up too.

Looking like everything is there from nearly two and a half years ago so I am somewhat pleased. Also very glad to find the trunk was bone dry with no signs of water intrusion. Seems the rest of the big parts were in there too, and I'm quite glad because I was starting to wonder what I did with my radiator! LOL

Upon making it thus far I figued what the hell, I might as well get going on them timing chain guides! I'm also going to do a tune up and of course an oil change.

What I found next is a sure sign that the transmission failure may have been my cars saving grace because the drivers side inboard timing chain guide was fractured clean in half, with the bottom part just dangling from the lower guide pin! The lower portion of the nylon guide just waiting to fall into the timing chain path and destroy the engine!

So it's a DAMN GOOD THING that I am replacing these guides or I think it would have fallen and busted the valves in very short order!

More to come, I'll have better photos of the broken guide when I fish it out of there! Wish me luck!

That is the best part about freestyle posts, you can totally go off topic and not give a hoot! LOL

Okay boys, I got my needed items today! Time get this party started again!

Rastus, are you able to see the photo just above this post? 

I have noticed that on both Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome they are being blocked. No issues with Safari though...

This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about, pay all this money and Google and Microsoft want to censor my web information because I won't pay the big dollars to host web images with an HTTPS subscription. I can't say I'm surprised, I have dealt with this kind of thing every since I started hosting on the internet. It really makes me sick.

Thanks for letting me know!

Yes I would consider a flush but the odds are that I will have to transfer the entire fuel pump from the blue donor 560 to Goldilocks. 

The one on the donor car is much nicer, but for now I just need it to run in the most crude of ways to pull itself in and out of the garage as my schedule clears. This is the main goal for me, the rest I can pick away at over time.

It's been a long weekend, and I am sorry I didn't get back with everyone sooner but it's just been one ass kicking after another!

For starters, the old core battery I was hoping that would at least last long enough for a boosted start has dead cells and can barely turn the engine over after a five hour trickcle... I blame Rastus' bad luck as spreading to me, so now I have to buy a battery! LOL

But it gets worse! For the past 20 years I have NEVER had to buy a new part, outside of batteries, gaskets and regular maintaince for ANY of my Mercedes... Today may change that as my supply of used alternators has run dry! Apparently the 2nd to last has an issue with one of the terminals and the other one is clocked wrong placing the power terminals in an area that is inaccessible. I could re-clock it, however the bearing sounds spent and who knows if it's any good anyway. The cost of a replacement with lifetime warranty is only $100 so I am thinking of biting the bullet. 

Getting everything hooked up on the underside really taxed my body, but I spent the time and made sure everything was hooked up with proper bolts and washers as it come from the factory. In my younger years I would have sprayed the underside with carb cleaner to "pre-clean" for the final powerwash but in my older days I have decided I'm not into huffing carb cleaner anymore so I just had a smoke instead. I'll clean it with the powerwasher and save the brain cells as I can't afford to lose any this late in the game.

And here is a little tip, if you remove your valve cover gaskets and they are stiff enough to stay erect when holding one end, that means they are WAY past being bad and not even sealing when the engine is cold. I think I may have fixed all the oil leaks by replacing these gaskets because you can see where it started at the valve covers and worked it's way down from there the past 12 or so years. The new valve covers gaskets should be soft enough where there is no chance you could hold them like this and they stay stiff

It's worthy to note that my 560 now has an official late model 722.350 transmission in it, rather than the 420 unit I was running for two years. I wonder if I will notice a difference since it's already been sitting over two years.

But finally I am ready to start the beast once I get a fresh battery from the parts store. I will probably test start it as it sits in this photo to ensure everything is okay before installing the rest of the accessories, cooling system and coolant. Once I know it's good I'll probably button it up with the new alternator.

But it gets worse folks... In addition to the new battery and alternator for the Mercedes I just found out the battery in my Corvette has given up the ghost as well!

What a complete pisser! So now it's TWO batteries and an alternator! ARRRRRAAAGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!! 

I guess I'll just bust out the KY and grab my ankels at this point... I should also mention the wife's Lincoln Zephyr has needed a new AC compressor for the past three months... it's getting louder now that you can roll the windows down...

Explaining this to the wife will be interesting, "Yeah so technically your car wasn't down, but these two need parts RIGHT NOW because they cease to function at all without them"

YOUR CARS WHEN THEY SEE YOU GOT YOUR STIMMY AND CASHED IN A LITTLE DOGE COIN

Thanks Rastus, the alternator is remanufactured but still carries the lifetime warranty. $105.40 to be exact.

I went with the Interstate Megatron Plus for the Corvette (because it's black instead of green) and the regular Megatron green top @730 CCA for the Mercedes.

Also talked to my insurance agent... $10 a month for full coverage insurance on the Mercedes thru the historical insurance program! So I can take the Mercedes for a good bath the moment she is done if I wanted.

Turned on insurance for the Corvette too... that unfortunately was not $10! lol

So it's time to see if Goldilocks starts! With 910 CA she should spin with ease! Fingers crossed!

Proof of running... Goldilocks officially came back to life Monday May 17th 2021.

I have a few vacuum lines to tend to, and I still have to install my hydro suspension bottle and anti-freeze but otherwise it's running! 

Lot's of little things to do from here, but for now I will turn it loose to the wife who will be in charge of shampooing all the carpets and letting them bake in the sun.

Stay tuned lots more to come after I get caught up with work!

SELLC wrote:

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I had worried that I would have to lose the rear hydraulic suspension for regular shocks as there was a leak back there that looked to be coming from the right rear hydro shock/ram. Upon closer inspection it is just the steel hydraulic line that has given up the ghost

 

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Yes Rastus, I have no doubts that I will eventually have to rebuild a Mercedes 722.xxx and GM 4L60-E... Just too few people around I would trust to do that job. In the case of the 4L60-E said transmission started out as a 700 R4 and before that the Turbo Hydromatic... What I know is that in the higher end cars these transmissions got lots of trick parts like oil pumps with more veins and beefed up hard parts. I wonder if the same holds true for the Mercedes transmissions from lower models to higher end ones? We may find out! 

One thing for sure is I would probably never make a business out of it... I'd just do them for myself and people I knew... now days I don't even take in major Mercedes work anymore because honestly it's very rare you find people willing to pay. At the end of the day it makes for a very poor bottom line, much like performance work. It just does not pay and takes too much time. You'll make more money doing smaller jobs at a higher volume unless you wanted to specialize and at that point you would have to do them all to stay in business. That is why they have these things called transmission shops. LOL! They also have these things call oil change shops but I wouldn't know because I change my own! LOL

Speaking of changing oil, when I was just about finished with the Mercedes I went to change the oil and found my drain plug to be stripped! The drain plug wouldn't loosen or tighten! I figure four or five years ago I probably allowed one of my helpers to change my oil and they screwed it up because I would have NEVER left it that way myself! So I had to go into my other garage, roll over one of my core engines and swap the lower pans! The good news is there was no metal flake in the pan and no signs of nylon guides. 

But it was literally four straight days of BS like that in getting the Mercedes back to life... from having to change lower oil pans to finding the proper shifter rod, to finding all the little missing bolts and washers here and there... alternators, batteries, plugs, exhaust surprises and even a rather terrifying battle with a yellow jacket that seemed to have made Goldilocks her new home! She must have been the queen because she was massive and had a heavy bass sound as her wings propelled her thru the air! She was also very tuff, it took 10 shots of carb cleaner to get her down on the floor to squish her! A few times she litterally flew directly into the stream to get at me before turning back! Could have been a murder hornet for all I know! LOL

Goldilocks now runs and drives, plus she is insured. I did have one last issue to deal with before I drive it to the power wash and that is the pesky hydrolic suspension line that is shown in the very first photo in this thread (quoted in this reply). I put a pan under the line and run a few quarts of fluid thru it just to clean and lube the componets so it would be safe to run between the two houses that are next door. Right now I am fixing a customers Toyota and I have a few others to catch up on first. This job on the Mercedes really kicked my ass though, it was one thing after another along with the funk of over four years of sitting. The muscle pains are just now starting to subside! LOL 

No doubt between now and the weekend I'll be able to slip old Goldilocks in and make short work of that rusted out line. Since Mercedes has super fancy connection flares I'll probably just flair in some bubble flare unions and replace the rusted section and call it a day so I can get to cleaning up the rest of the vehicle. No doubt I'll be back in the area soon to deal with a fuel leak somewhere in the lines or pump unit itself but I have another one at the ready and I'll cross that bridge once we're over the hump.

In the interest of fairness, I have listed Goldilocks on the market at $6500. So even sentimental value has a price around here, LOL.

I'll still be working on her, but honestly even with the inexpensive insurance I can only drive and maintain so many vehicles! 

And I at least have to keep up the apperances that I am collecting and not hording. Plus it helps to bump up our inventory totals, as in assets that are insured to value and not only marketable, but on the market.

Besides, at that price it's going to take someone with deep pockets and a genuine need and appreciation for what it is... and of course, INFLATION! LOL

No refrence to this thread is made where it's listed, so only the insiders know the backstory. 

At minimum it helps to keep the value up on the cars in much better shape with much fewer miles. I'd like to think I am helping, while helping myself as well. 

I only say this because I know I'll be the topic of some lame BW.ORG thread entitled "Today's interesting eBay Ads" or something like that. 

LOL!

It's really a pretty good deal considering that 560 engines are selling for $4500 on eBay and often times this does not even include the fuel injection system! It's also not proven that they run, and none I have seen come with brand new guides let alone a transmission.

You can also buy stripped down long blocks, basically "core" engines, for $1500-$2000...

If I ever come across a really clean body SEC, SL or even an SEL that had a devistated engine I'd seriously consider swapping this engine over into it and getting another 10 years out of one. Best part is they can now be plated and insured as classics. Here in Michigan they are VERY expensive to register and plate as a regular vehicle.

I seen a newer used S560 engine selling for $22,000 as well! That is some serious coin! Can't believe that Mercedes come out with a new S560 and the damn thing only displaces 4.0 liters! What a joke!

Honestly I'm pretty sure it's going to be Goldilocks... I could list her for a million dollars too, don't mean anyone is going to buy her! But it gives me reason to invest more time and a few extra bucks from time to time.

That being said, and in true Mercedes fashion, Goldilocks has given me another punch to the gut... that hydro suspension line I was telling you about? The one I was just going to "splice" a piece in? Yeah that was wishful thinking!

All the lines to the valve and the three way are pretty much absolute shyte! The only way to tackle this is to knock out ALL the lines to and from the fuel pump and the hydraulic  pump, valve, accumulators and rams! 

A real kick in the ass... but honestly I like the hydraulic ride much better than the regular shocks so I guess I'll have to grit my teeth and collect some extra parts to tackle this job. The pumps work so it would be a shame to waste them if they can be saved.

It's got me to thinking... Maybe I should put that blue one back together after this? It would mean fixing a once valve bender core and a smoked transmission, but otherwise I have all the parts twice over to complete another one!

I know... I know... one thing at a time! But I got to thinking about it when I was mulling just cutting everything out of the blue one and putting it on the gold one... but why? If I can save everything on the gold one and just run new lines and put a few rubber bits in, why not save the other real clean stuff in the blue one incase I get hankering for another old fashioned Mercedes ass kicking.

Sometimes it helps to think about an even bigger cluster fuck to help get you over the cluster fuck you're already in the middle of.