Literally!! I met the T-Bird seller at Rio Vista sort of a halfway point between us since he lives in Napa area. I went on a short ride when I arrived home from my maiden voyage. The temperature started creeping up while on the surface streets. Once it hit 220F I pulled over to cool off. Too late! The lower radiator hose burst open and sprayed fluid all over the street. Not a good first time cruising, especially with the wifey.
I originally wondered why there was a spring inside of the tube. The replacement hose did not have any wiring inside. It turns out it is very important and used to prevent any hose collapse caused by the large water pump vacuum at high RPM’s. I had to of course change this write away. If the hose collapse at higher RPM’s it will regulate or cutoff the water into the pump and seize circulation.
On the positive note, a few passerby vehicles stopped and said what an awesome car! Sort of took some of the sting out of an embarrassing situation.
I wanted to try out the rag top since the weather forecast still calls for rainy weather. It was a bitch to close down and setting the locks. I had to ask the wifey for some of her muscle to push down on the top so I can use the special tools.
I’m digging the way the rag top looks. It’s not the standard black you see most of the time. This one matches the 904 stock paint color of the MB.
I’m going to attempt using touch up paint on my classic Mercedes Benz. I figure if I make it worse I can always remove it.
I went online and found that my paint is a dark blue 1984 color and the paint code is a 904. The online own paint seller has the instructions as well as the materials to perform the work. The kit arrived yesterday and a lot smaller than I expected. I better get good fast because I don’t have much to practice with.
When I purchased the Mercedes Benz 380SL the radio deck front cover was damaged and hanging on by gravity. I could see where the previous owner tried in vain using super glue to adhere the mounting brackets. How freakin’ ghetto can you get? I guess using clear gift wrapping tape could have been worse.
I found a used JVC deck that had Iphone hookup via a USB port and it also had a auxiliary input. All this for $40 bucks. The price of car audio decks have gone down down so much since the early 80’s.
I’ve been going to this hole in the wall shop since I was kid riding a bicycle. Even though the prices have slowly increased throughout the years the cash register shown in the back has probably been in that same position since the shop was in existence.
I’ve been around technology all my adult life and have worked in the cellular industry for many, many years. My part in the technology was towards the cell site hardware.
This gigantic amplifier was located under the rear deck of the MB 380SL. It has a custom key for removal. Unfortunately I did not have this custom key and the amplifier had to removed by brute force.
I went over to my buddy’s place who’s into cars and he had the idea of using a crowbar to rip the underside off which was held by only a couple of sheet metal screws.
By removing this cell amp I gain more space for car audio amplifier installation or a sub woofer cabinet area.
I removed the MB 380SL door panel so I can see how the vacuum lines operated the door locks. It’s impressive how much vacuum lines are used throughout these old vehicles.
I have an intermittent problem with my climate controller on the MB380SL. Sometimes it works fine and other time I have no heat or fan blower movement. One cause I’ve read on the online forums was a bad mono-valve that may intermittely become stuck and prevent heated coolant to pass through and into the heater core.
This valve receives its signal from the climate controller inside the cabin. You can see where the screen preventing contaminants from entering has become corroded over time.
I can scratch another bucket list item off, owning a Mercedes Benz. I’ve been missing riding a full convertible at will. We have a BMW 330ci but it’s the wifey’s car and not available all the time. Also, I’m not able to tinker with it and out of commission for days at a time.
