[Fonzi]

Last night I sold my 1992 500sl, and my saga comes to an end. A few things I discovered / hypothesized while getting the car ready for pickup:

First potential buyer was a scumbag, me thinks:
I went to charge up AC so the guy knows it works, because last summer it was nice and cold for a while, and I'd only done a single can charge of r12. But after a guy took the car for a ride while I was embarking on the top hydraulics fix, the guy said the AC is blowing warm. I figured the AC simply lost its charge, and my decision was to not charge it again with r12 since it's bad for the environment, and if it leaks, it should get r134a conversion. Well, that never happened, and the car was about to leave. So I figured I better put a can of r12 in. I hooked up my r12 gauges and tapped a can, but the compressor wouldn't turn. I had about 60-70 PSI on the low side that normally doesn't exceed 25psi when the compressor is running. WTF? So I google and discover that step 1 is to check the B fuse. MISSING! And there's a white fuse sitting in the extra section. So it's not like I stole the fuse. Hmm... WTF? Now wait... the AC was working fine when that guy took the car for a ride, and came back blowing warm. And that guy has since purchased 3 r129 cars. Wow. Scumbag me thinks. As soon as I put the fuse in the Air worked fine. Wasted a can of r12, but topped off the system and got the majority of it into the system, with high side pressure upped from about 155 to 200+ PSI. I feel bad for the environment, but I learned a lesson.


What else... I did lots and lots of cleaning.

I bypassed the windshield washer reservoir heating element since this car is going to Georgia and Florida. I had confirmed that the thermostat on that heating element was still leaking after I had cleaned out the washer reservoir.

I hooked up the subwoofer amp again and learned how to set the bass at different frequency levels so it sounded nice instead of rattling all the time.

I popped the nicest hardtop I've got on the car and vacuumed the wind blocker.

I removed the floor and trunk mats and washed them as best as I could.

I tightened the belt tensioner and stopped that damn belt squeal on startup and when the electric takes a load or the AC clicks on.

All these things that I never found a full day to invest in the car for got fixed right when it was time to sell. The urgency and knowing the money is coming creates the urgency that my wife respected. That's the difference between a toy and a job I guess.

The car went right up onto the trailer and is probably driving south right about now. The weather was horrible and rainy. So I didn't take any pictures, but it's gone.

The r129 was the newest of any cars I've refurbished, and it certainly was the most time consuming and complicated. And mine was the early simpler version. The last chassis that I have owned in MB and said "never again" to was the w114. The carbs and rust on that chassis with the limited up-side value will probably keep me away from those cars forever. R129 have great value in parts, but the sale prices are in the dumps because there are so many with so many small (or even large) problems. Top hydraulics, cooling systems, crappy sideways distributor caps. Man. They are a lot of car for the money, but I think it will be a while before I return to one. I now can get back to my r107 and w108 cars, and maybe my w126 AMG project. The w126 and w108 may be equal wastes of time. Perhaps I should find a good w109 if I want to waste my time on that chassis. And the 1985 500se is probably an equal waste, but I've fallen into those traps. I finally got my leg out of the r129 without having to hack it off. ;-)




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[glideslope]

Sad to see you ditch the R129, El Fonz. Your insights into the intricacies of keeping these beautiful cars on the road will be missed by those of us who haven't reached the point of throwing in the towel just yet.

If it makes you feel any better, the rundown on my small fleet of old Mercs is as follows. The 500SE needs a new prop shaft due to horrendous vibration particularly on takeoff, the 500SEC is down while I order new cylinder head gaskets that need replacing for the second time in a few short months, on account of stripped cylinder head bolts that here craftily kept secret by my now dismissed mechanic, and the E420 is also in need of new cylinder head gaskets currently on order from Pelican Parts, leaving the R129 as my only means of transport, while I scramble to fix the other ailing cars in my stable.

You'd think with all this bad luck I'd have the sense to stay away from old Mercs, but nooooooo, as John Belushi might have said, I had to go and bid on a water-damaged, non-running 2009 Mercedes CLK550 that went up for auction recently, thus bringing yet another dodgy project car into my already hopelessly cluttered life. I guess I will remain a glutton for punishment, until I finally run myself into the poorhouse trying to keep these old relics on the road.

Anyway, going by your references to other Mercedes cars that may yet force open your pocket book, it is safe to assume that you will remain a loyal Merc fanatic, in some shape or form, until we are all old and grey. All the best, sir, and my closing remark can only be that the only thing worse than being a Mercedes restorer, is NOT being a Mercedes restorer.

 

[Jayare]

Congrats on the sale?

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[Fonzi]

Oh I am not going anywhere. In case you haven't seen my signature, the majority of the 34, probably more like 37 by now, Mercedes that I have, have not been sold or parted yet. I still have at least four "keepers":
- 1978 450slc 5.0 custom convertible, seats five.
- 1985 280sl 5-speed stick
- 1973 280se 4.5 (California rot free, sunroof)
- 1985 500se AMG, keeper for now, but I could see myself completing this one and calling it a day.

I am working on acquiring some more 350sl 4-speed cars which have the critical bits for the AMG getrag conversions or really any manual trans v8 MB car. I've got one 350sl 4-speed and I'm working on buying a second which may be restored with what I've got in tons of parts. My friend has a warehouse full of about 30 MB right now. We want out of the w124, w140, and r129 chassis stuff. They got too complicated for restoration stuff. They are too plentiful and low on price tag. We pick stuff to the bone too much to spend any time on those cars. I gotta go old!


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[Pete S]

Congrats on the sale and pop your head in here from time to time. If you ever end up pulling those door sills let me know. Cheers

 

[Fonzi]

Yes. The 1995 sl500 parts carcass is back on the chopping block list again now that mine is gone. It was nice to have a personal parts car while I had mine, but now we need to turn that warehouse space into dollars (and space). If you end up coming down this way, we will surely get this sills out for you in short order. Jason could use cash badly right now. So...


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[glideslope]

My gawd ! A 37-strong stable of Mercs sets you apart from the pack by a country mile, Fonz. For a moment there I thought I had just got done boasting about my humble collection of four cars, but now I know better ha ha.

Looking at the lineup you have bothered to list here, I would not be in the least surprised now to learn that your collection includes the odd 1960's vintage Pagoda SL, which are currently going for a king's ransom in the collector market. As I write this, my hunting dogs are still out scouring the African wilderness in search of any old Pagodas that might be rusting away forgotten in someone's back yard, but I won't hold my breath for that particular search.

 

[Fonzi]

I've decided that w111 cabriolet and pagodas have both become unibtanium to me. My garage is too full of junk to even consider one. I would ruin it.


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[glideslope]

I can't imagine myself restoring or driving anything as old as a Pagoda, but I would snag one in a heartbeat if I could find one cheap out here in the Third World sticks, simply to ship it and flip it stateside or in Europe, as a purely mercenary venture.

Rumors abound regarding their existence among the forgotten relics rusting away in the estates of old money families out here, but so far my searches have come up empty. Keeping my fingers crossed though.

 

[Ruindr]

Good luck with your other cars, Fonzi! I will keep the 129 for sure, it's the best driving machine I've ever owned!

 

[Ozzie Rob]

Hi Fonzi,
Did you get those pics of mine? I have to admit that, as much as I like my sl500 r129, I just can't believe how complicated they are. Mind you, I don't have a garage, turned that into a room, so all work gets done on the driveway. But one thing that I do know, is that the power in my car is simply awesome. Just love it when a young gun pulls up beside me at a set of lights in his hotty, or GTS, EVEN A COUPLE OF PORCHES, and whilst you can be neck and neck for a couple of seconds, just blow them away. Love it when you stop again, and look at them, and their head is bowed, can't look.
All the best with the next project.
Rob