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Replies: 10
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Oculus Spirit [93616]
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Wood trim on the MB project.
Jun 16, 2018, 9:05 PM
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None of these have the polyurethane finish yet but I'm kinda proud to have come this far. All that's left is dye the leather and install a new rear windshield with an MB gasket. The finished CC panel on the left in the second photo is the same one in the first photo. I had two sets so I'll have nearly two sets when this is over. I lost a couple stripping the finish. You gotta learn somewhere.
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Legend [18407]
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Joined: 10/20/13
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Re: Wood trim on the MB project.
Jun 16, 2018, 9:24 PM
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You should be proud of it. Do you show cars?
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Oculus Spirit [93616]
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No but I may show this one.
Jun 16, 2018, 10:23 PM
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I'm hankerin to learn body work and paint.
The polyurethane I want to use is Imron 500S or one of the other Dupont high tech finishes. A quart of the Imron is about 100 bucks but the activator is another $160. I know a pint of Imron poly will finish more than one set of trim and the other half would be wasted. A quart of the activator is enough to spray 3/4ths of a gallon of the poly so 7/8ths of that money would be shot.
I called a finisher about buying what I had left and he said he might have some I could buy in his shop. He regularly does wood trim in jets/airplanes and I know he only uses the good stuff. A bare instrument panel on a Leer is about &8K and I saw one he sprayed, cut and buffed. The stained wood panel looked like it was covered with a quarter inch glass panel.
He called me back in about two days and said he needed some help in his shop and he'd be glad to have me use the shop for my finish work. I jumped on the opportunity because I need my wood sprayed in a boot and not under my carport where I sprayed all the vinyl panels and the dash. It turned out well but I wasn't shooting glass on any of it.
Instead of working for money I'll work for the use of his paint boot and his expertise in body work. He is a pro for sure. If I can learn body work and paint well enough to paint the body on my car it will be showroom. If not I'll be consoled to drive it until I die. It's a black 85 w126 body. Here's a picture of one like it.
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110%er [6238]
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Joined: 11/21/99
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I've had one SD over the years...
Jun 17, 2018, 9:41 AM
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built like an absolute tank.
To me the weakest link on those (and with the 300D's) are the seats. Not much support, and the electronics fail often. I like the MB Tex over the leather, which would degrade quickly.
I perfected a way to take them out and weave a pool noodle strategically through the springs. it improved the seats dramatically.
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Oculus Spirit [93616]
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How many miles did the car have on it when the seats failed?
Jun 17, 2018, 12:17 PM
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MB sells a solid noodle for the seats which goes in the front coils. I mixed and matched a set of front springs and purchased a set of noodles from them for 40 bucks. The springs are full height and set level. That's all they ever did other than being the best ever manufactured.
I've rebuilt 6 or 8 of the switches for the front seats. Most of them are still in my out building. They are the only problem with the electronics of the seats. I have never seen the mechanical or electrical at the seats fail. I took the opportunity to clean the tracks and re-lube them with moly grease while I was breaking them down to change the skins.
The window switches are mini switches which have guts similar to the seat switch. Two pivot points. The simplicity of these and ease of cleaning and refurbishing are pure engineering genius. All in all the removal, repair and installation of a seat switch is about an 2 hours and might be necessary every 150K miles.
This car rolls over on its back when it sees me coming.
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110%er [6238]
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Great job! ***
Jun 16, 2018, 9:25 PM
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Heisman Winner [111426]
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Re: Wood trim on the MB project.
Jun 16, 2018, 9:54 PM
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is the middle hole for the 8 track?
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Oculus Spirit [93616]
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Lutz...
Jun 16, 2018, 10:25 PM
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That's an 85 model so 8 tracks were obsolete at the time. Mostly because I had the market cornered on 8 track players and tapes so everybody had to go to cassettes by then.
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Hall of Famer [22291]
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Joined: 3/3/99
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Very nice. Tell you what, when you're finished
Jun 17, 2018, 9:56 AM
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I'll give you $500 for it without even test driving it. Deal?
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Hall of Famer [22291]
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Joined: 3/3/99
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OK, $550, final offer.
Jun 17, 2018, 1:53 PM
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Just kidding, man. That's gonna be one sweet ride when you're done. You're obviously doing everything the right way and not taking shortcuts. I envy people who can do this kinda stuff, I simply don't have the mechanical aptitude and skills to even attempt a car restoration. I think I hit the ceiling of my skill level changing spark plugs & replacing a belt on my 72 Nova back in the day...
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Oculus Spirit [93616]
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Joined: 12/25/09
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You had the perfect engine to work on.
Jun 17, 2018, 4:45 PM
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I started piddling with engines back in the early seventies. I had a 67 Chevy II. It was the simplest thing I ever worked on.
I'm not selling this car. It's promised to my DNL (no pigs) for being the first of my children to graduate college. As compensation for all the work I'm doing I get to drive it until I die.
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