About Ford Model A’s

The History of the Model A 1928-31

1929 Ford Mod. A Roadster

Introduced to the public in late 1927 as a “New Ford Car,” the Ford Model A could trace its roots all the way back to the establishment of the Ford Motor Company in 1903. Actually, the first car produced by the developing auto manufacturer was labeled the Model A. Henry Ford would work his way through a series of letter designations for his automotive creations before settling on the successful formula that would become the Model T. In the years that followed, as America’s roads and driveways filled with Model T’s, Henry Ford would remain reluctant to significantly tamper with his beloved car’s design.

Henry Ford portrait

It was only in the face of plummeting sales by the mid 1920’s, the result of a buying public that sought the modern upgrades offered by Ford’s competitors, that Ford finally relented. In an unusual business move, Ford halted production of the Model T in May of 1927, shutting down the entire production operation for 6 months to allow for retooling and final development of the new Model A Ford.

1928-29 Standard Coupe

A Ford Mod. A Coupe being assembled.

Working under an impossible deadline, Ford managed to get the design and production requirements in place for the release of the “New Ford Car” by November of 1927. Henry’s son, Edsel Ford, had unsuccessfully tried to convince his father to abandon the Model T years earlier. Unbeknown to his father, Edsel had been secretly working on the development of a new car and would ultimately play a significant role in the design of what would become the Ford Model A.

A Ford Model A Roadster body ready to be mounted on its chassis.

Ford Mod. A’s being assembled at the
Rouge line.

Unlike its predecessor, the Model T, which was the result of an evolving process of design, the Model A was designed, complete, from the ground up. The Model A was truly a “New Ford Car.” Mechanical upgrades for the Model A Ford included a new 3-speed transmission, hydraulic shock absorbers, and four-wheel mechanical brakes. Other significant improvements were an electric starter, water pump, speedometer and gas gauge, and the introduction of Triplex safety glass. The styling of the Ford Model A, elegant and integrated compared to the Model T, brought Ford into the modern era with a vehicle that looked more like a car and less like a horseless carriage.

A period Ford Salesroom featuring Ford Model A’s.

The first Mod. A was delivered on Jan. 26, 1928.

Henry Ford created a sense of hype and mystery surrounding the release of the Model A Ford, relying on the media to reach the buying public and generate interest in the “New Ford Car.” Shortly after the Ford Model A was made available to the public on December 2, 1927, orders for the new car far exceeded supply. Ford scrambled to increase production and by mid 1928, producing up to 4,000 cars per day, was still not meeting the buying publics demand. In an effort to meet demand, Ford steadily boosted production, peaking at around 9,200 cars per day by June of 1930.

During its four-year production run, the Model A Ford would be offered in a wide variety of car and truck body styles. For 1928, Ford offered several different style passenger car bodies:

Early Ford Mod A. Fordor

Standard Phaeton, Standard Roadster, Standard Coupe, Special Coupe, Sport Coupe, Business Coupe, Tudor Sedan, Town Car, and Leatherback Fordor Sedan. Truck bodies included: Open Cab Pickup, Closed Cab Pickup, Pickup (box), “A” Panel Delivery, “AA” Panel Delivery, and Deluxe Delivery.

In 1929, Ford expanded the options for passenger car body styles by adding the Steelback Fordor, Cabriolet, Station Wagon, both Murray and Briggs versions of the Town Sedan, as well as Murray and Briggs versions of the Standard Fordor. The Standard Fordor (2 window) was also introduced. Options for truck bodies remained the same from the previous year.

For 1930, the Leatherback and Steelback Fordors, as well as the Special and Business Coupes, would be dropped from the lineup. New passenger car bodies included the Deluxe Phaeton, Deluxe Roadster, Deluxe Coupe, Deluxe Fordor (2 window) and Victoria. Truck body options included the addition of the Deluxe Delivery and Panel Delivery (drop floor), Special Delivery, Town Car Delivery, “AA” Panel Delivery and the “AA” Deluxe Delivery.

Introductory Period Brochure

The Story of the New Ford Car poster.

The year 1931, was the final of Ford Model A production, would mark the most extensive offering of passenger car and truck body styles in the vehicle’s brief history. New passenger cars for 1931 were the Deluxe Tudor, Slant Window Cabriolet, Slant Window Standard Fordor, Slant Window Town Sedan, Slant Window Deluxe Fordor (Blindback) and Convertible Sedan. The Standard Fordor (2 window) and Town Car were no longer offered. For truck bodies, a Deluxe Pickup and a wide bed Pickup (box) were introduced.

Like the rest of the nation, the Ford Motor Company would endure the effects of the economic Depression that began with the stock market crash in October of 1929. Despite reducing prices for 1931, Ford continued to see a steady decline of new car sales.

Perhaps learning from his mistake of sticking with the Model T long after the public regarded it as outdated, Henry Ford had been actively working on a new design for 1932. The successful development of the new V8 Ford for 1932 would ultimately put an end to the short but successful run for “Henry’s Lady,” the Model A Ford.

A FMA Coupe in the snow!

President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a Ford Mod. A Roadster.

Summary of models produced: Ford Model A Standard Phaeton, Standard Roadster, Standard Coupe, Special Coupe, Sport Coupe, Business Coupe, Tudor Sedan, Town Car, Leatherback Fordor Sedan, Open Cab Pickup, Closed Cab Pickup, Pickup (box), “A” Panel Delivery, “AA” Panel Delivery, Deluxe Delivery, Steelback Fordor, Cabriolet, Station Wagon, both Murray and Briggs versions of the Town Sedan, as well as Murray and Briggs versions of the Standard Fordor, Standard Fordor (2 window), Deluxe Phaeton, Deluxe Roadster, Deluxe Coupe, Deluxe Fordor (2 window), Victoria, Panel Delivery (drop floor), Special Delivery, Town Car Delivery, “AA” Deluxe Delivery, Deluxe Tudor, Slant Window Cabriolet, Slant Window Standard Fordor, Slant Window Town Sedan, Slant Window Deluxe Fordor (Blindback), Convertible Sedan, Deluxe Pickup and Wide Bed Pickup (box).

Almost every Ford Mod. A car body will be found in this gathering!

From the same FMA gathering.

Fun Facts:

• Riding the roads and the airwaves. The Ford Model A was the subject of the 1928 song, “Henry’s Made a Lady Out of Lizzie,” which sang the praises of Ford’s new addition to the road.
• The first Model A Ford engine, stamped “A1” by Henry Ford himself on October 20, 1927, was put in a Tudor Sedan that Ford personally drove and tested before giving final approval to begin production of the car. At Henry Ford’s request, the engine was eventually placed in a 1928 Phaeton that was reserved in Dearborn for the use of his friend and fellow innovator, Thomas Edison.
  

  Henry Ford punches the engine number on the first Ford Model A off the assembly line.

• The 20 Millionth Ford was a 1931 Ford Model A 160-B Slant Windshield Town Sedan. Accompanied off the assembly line by Henry and Edsel Ford, the black car was lettered on the sides and, so it could be seen from the air, the roof, with “The Twenty Millionth Ford.” The Sedan would be taken on a tour of the U.S., stopping at nearly every Ford territory and dealer along the way. Rumored to be lost in a fire sometime after the publicity tour, the car was discovered in Michigan in 1999. After Ford determined it was indeed “The Twenty Millionth Ford,” the company agreed to lease the car from its current owner. Ford then devoted their resources to a complete restoration of the car in preparation for their 2003 Centennial celebration. As part of the lease agreement, the Town Sedan will be displayed at Ford World Headquarters for the following 10 years.

The Twenty Millionth Ford Model A was an 8 window 1931 Ford Model A 160-B Slant Windshield Town Sedan!

Henry Ford and his son Edsel in front od a Mod. A Fordor.

Text Sourced from: www.macsautoparts.com

Greece in the 1930′s

A period advertisement from the first Ford distributor in Greece, J. Kontellis & Co.

Finally, few pictures of our Father’s (Emmanuel V. Riginos) 1929 Ford Mod. A Tudor which he brought to Greece upon his return from an extended 15 year period of immigration to the USA. Upon his return to his homeland, he also brought (importing & distributing) the Atwater Kent radios to Greece in the late 20′s – early 30′s.
He used a 1930 Ford Model A Tudor as his car and on the door panels the round “Atwater Kent Radios” logo was affixed.

Here Emmanuel and his brother Alekos Riginos admire a newly erected street side advertisement of the ‘Kent Radio’.

He used a 1930 Ford Model A Tudor as his car and on the door panels the round “Atwater Kent Radios” logo was affixed.

The Ford Model A has broken down! The agony of the moment is captured on the faces of Emmanuel and his other brother George Riginos’s faces.

Manolis Riginos Ford Model A Tudor, bearing Greek License Plate No. 30914.

External links:

Model A Ford Reference Sheet, Owners Manual, and Help

Model A Ford Club of America

Model A Restorers Club

The Model A Barnyard

Ford Model A Assembly Plant in Edgewater NJ

www.fordbarn.com

My YouTube Ford Model A Playlist

Model A/AA Ford Websites

Internal Link:

My Next Classic/Veteran Car Investment?

The VW Käfer is back on the streets!

The finished 1962 VW Beetle made its first ‘after the restoration’ appearance during the ’9th Concours d’Elegance PHILPA 2012′.

I am pleased to report that at long last my 1962 VW Käfer restoration project has been completed successfully! And just in time to enter the car in the “9th Concours d’Elegance PHILPA 2012“. The ‘spare no expense’ restoration project lasted about nine months and by all accounts the result is quite stunning.

Picking up the thread of the story since the previous post detailing the process, I add few words before completing the project; the car was loaded on a transporter from the body shop heading to the upholsterer, Christos Tsadilas. There, the TMI upholstery kits were fitted to the car, the front windshield was replaced along with new rubber seals, the carpet kit was improved and fitted.

Here is a short video clip from the unloading sequence:

Afterwards the car was taken to the electrician Stefanos Tokatlian (who had fitted the new wiring loom and had done all the connections), for fitting the new Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio sourced from Koenigs Klassik Radios, plus few other details.

Several last minute missing items were sourced from Oval Dean who carry BBT stock items in Athens, before the car was declared ready. On the first drive home along the highway, the speedo climbed to 110 kph without any hesitation or drama.

The renovated little car with matching numbers is intended to be driven regularly, has normal licenese plates and is pledged to my wife Ivi as a birthday present

Enjoy the photo album here below.

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The Restoration Project of the 1962 VW Käfer continues

Several friends who know about my venture into the deep waters of yet another ‘ground-up restoration’ project have been asking about its progress. Well here is an update.

After having separated the body from the rolling chassis (see previous post by clicking here), two main tasks have been taken care of:

• Sandblasting the body shell and it’s already removed parts (bonnet, deck lid, doors, fenders etc.),
• determining the actual condition of the car and drawing up a ‘parts required’ list

The verdict (and the lesson learned) is that if one plunges into a restoration project, ‘you either do it right or do not do it at all’. What I mean is that only after one skins the shell (in this case by sandblasting), can truly assess the actual condition of the metal, which more often than not, in old cars has been surfaced by several coats of body filler and paint, effectively hiding its true condition. Nasty surprises uncovered? Oh! yes. The bonnet (or front trunk hood) has been badly treated apparently after a front end collision. Ditto for the apron. The spare wheel well bottom looked like a strainer with several pit holes. The door bottom part has been treated badly from a rust attack. The rear deck lid (engine hood) as well as the lower heater channel areas had its own rust malaise’s. All these parts are characterized as ‘B.L.R.’ (i.e. Beyond Local Repair) and need to be replaced.

Back to the drawing board. That is the list of spare parts required grew longer than initially anticipated. While sourcing parts on the Internet is a great boon for any restorer, believe me the task of searching, identifying parts, comparing prices, determining delivery availability and summing up the costs from many vendors is a very time-consuming job! I ended up breaking the purchase orders from three sources: VW Heritage in England, Custom Speed Parts in Germany and BBT4VW.com in Belgium via its local new agent and friend Oval Dean Parts. Orders were placed, screened, verified, negotiated and awaited for taking delivery. Overall about 200 items were included in the lists. Few days ago I took partial deliveries from the three suppliers while back orders are still outstanding and will be forthcoming in the near future.

Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio for VW Beetles

And what about a period correct sound system? To my rescue comes a great German classic car radios provider (who supplied the Becker radio for my Mercedes-Benz 250SE Coupé), the firm www.koenigs-klassik-radios.de. The proper radio model, the Blaupunkt Frankfurt special car radio for VW beetle and speaker plus antenna and iPod/iPhone/iPad cable have also been selected. What about the cost of all these parts? Way out of my initial budget calculations. But as I said, you either do it or you don’t! No regrets as the end result will be such a good one which will certainly make me feel proud!

So here is a brief slide-show of the tasks at hand so far. We now have plenty of spare parts to go on with the Käfer restoration.

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June Update:

The rolling chassis has been treated and repainted.

The restoration works are progressing at a slower pace than I would have liked but as the proverbial saying “it takes some time to cook a good meal”, I have now complaints. The gear box has been entrusted to Labros Dimitriou in Melissia, the half axles and rear drums have been removed and now repainted while the sourcing of parts is underway to replace the faulty synchronizer rings before the box is reassembled and complete.

Similarly the floor pan has been scraped and repainted by my guys at A & B For Cars. More rusty spots have been treated and some hand-made metal parts have been skillfully fabricated. My new friend Tassos Baxevanakis has been most helpful in sourcing used but in excellent condition major body parts as front hood, rear deck lid and both doors. The hard to find correct 1926 rear engine lid was found and shipped from Sweden! Both front and rear aprons have been replaced by new parts and the front hood has been fitted.

The TMI Co. interior upholstery kit has arrived!

Just a week ago three parcels arrived from England, shipped by VW Heritage, containing all the important TMI Co. upholstery kits. Boy do their quality and perfection will make my “De Luxe” Beetle looking so good when finished.

This question jumps-up. WHEN? To be frank I have no idea. There is so much more ground to cover. With almost all the required parts now gathered, on that department we look good. But the summer months are already upon us. That translates to more delays as shops will close for summer vacations and so on. Mentally I will set a target for the Bug to be back in the streets of Athens in her reincarnated form by the middle of September. As it was similar in the case of my Mercedes-Benz 250SE Coupe project, I would like to have the car ready to participate in the PHILPA 41st International Rally 2012, a major Regularity event this year taking the streets of Pelion (see here: 41st In’t Rally 2102 English).

July-August Update:

The rear apron had to be aligned and made to fit properly…

During July and most of August the progress of the restoration was slow due to a number of problems which had to be resolved. First the LH door that was sourced proved to be of a slightly later model year and had to be modified around the hinge areas to make it fit. The engine lid which was sourced from Sweden also required some metal work to treat some rust and fit the handle cylinder lock to an oversized hole.The rear apron which was sourced as a new replacement part from CSP Germany was way out of spec in terms of size and form. Plenty of hours were spent to make it true. The RH side windshield post was damaged to the extent that a replacement was sought. This proved to be difficult, so my body shop guys had to also spend extra time to heat it up, reform it and bring it back to spec, ensuring a good fit for the windshield glass without water ingress from the rubber seal.

Having overcome these challenges successfully, the body became ready for its final treatment and preparations before entering the paint oven. As planned, the color had to be the same as per the original specs of the factory, as attested in the ‘Zertifikat”, i.e. the L 469 Anthracite.  In early August of 2012, the color recipe was cooked by Master Painter Costa Vitaliotis  and the Käfer shell was carefully and lovingly resprayed.

Milestone moment: the Bug has be repainted to its original factory Anthracite L469 color!

At the same time, two other tasks were taken care of. First the old, original gear box was rebuilt as the synchro mesh of the

The gear box is refitted to the rolling chassis and mated with the engine.

2nd gear had weakened. Upon inspection, the 1st gear mesh was also replaced as did all the seals and axle boots. Prior to reassembly, the half axles were repainted black as well as the drum assemblies. The completed g-box looked nice while the first test drive will prove if the ‘surgery’ was successful.

Second, the old seat covers were removed from the seat frames and the frames were scrubbed and painted in light ivory as per their original color. Next, a friendly upholsterer was recommended by a friend who was doing up the interior of his newly acquired 1962 Jaguar Mk II and was quite happy with the quality of his workmanship. One hot afternoon I loaded up all the seat frames along with the TMI Inc. upholstery kits and ventured to west side Athens to meet my new collaborator, Christos Tsadilas.  After inspecting his work on my friend’s Jag, touching bases and helping him to file an application for a FIVA card on his Dodge Charger classic, a deal was struck ‘on the interior job’ and we agreed to bring the car to him prior to fitting the front and rear windshields so that he could also fit the new headliner.

The engine-trans-axle-gear box assembly has been refitted to the rolling chassis.

Finally back at the A & B For Cars body shop, the guys started to reassemble the trans-axle and engine onto the reconditioned chassis. All the engine tinware and fan doghouse were repainted flat black and the new screws were fitted from the appropriate kit provided by VW Heritage.

Next task: re-mating the body to the rolling chassis!

More updates will be forthcoming…

The Restoration Project of the Käfer has started

In my other post of mid December 2011 titled A 1962 VW Beetle joins the ‘family’, I had outlined the new acquisition and mentioned about the plan to proceed with a sympathetic restoration of this fun car to which I have become emotionally attached.

Not without some delays, the resto project has commenced as of Monday 5th March. I have entrusted the work to my competent body shop friends of A & B For Cars who had done such a good job couple of years ago on my other car, the Mercedes-Benz 250SE Coupé.

Since the VW Beetle is a much simpler and smaller vehicle compared to the Mercedes, but also having gone through the previous Mercedes project experience, I am now more knowledgeable, hence confident that we will proceed with a relatively quick pace. An important factor pertains to human relationships. Through the years, I have built trusting and friendly relationships with the owners Gregory and Costa, as well as with their staff and Manos, the shop’s foreman who is looking after my Käfer! The target is to have the car ready for Easter. Sort of like a little ‘half egg shaped’ present. In addition, I have done some preparatory research on parts availability; as expected for such a popular car which had endured a long life with 18+ million examples produced, the issue of sourcing spare parts is de facto solved. There are many specialists involved with the VW brand both in Europe, the USA, South America and Asia of course.

We are currently verifying the “parts needed list” in order to proceed with placing purchase orders. The guys at A & B suggest that we take off the body, have it sand blasted and thus allowing for working on the floor pan with much ease and thoroughness. Budgetary estimates are being prepared for this (and only) scenario. So far the verdict is that we have a rather sound body with very little rust spots and an even better looking floor pan. Not so many worries (or additional expenses).

So here is what I saw yesterday after the initial stripping:

The restoration was started on 5 March 2012

Wheel arches show no rust

The rear LH valance from the inside: few issues here

The LH inner fender rust spot: not so difficult to fix

Inner door condition is good with some rust in the bottom area.

The view from the rear, prior to engine removal

Wed. 7th March 2012 update: ‘Houston we have Lift-Off’, the body was separated from the chassis

The body shell hovers over the chassis! Perhaps this temporary separation has occurred for the first time after a tight, faithful marriage of over 50 years!

Today as I visited the body shop, the Käfer was just being readied for lift-off! That is all the bolts holding the body shell firmly mated to the rolling chassis had been removed, ditto for the wiring. Manos, the shop’s Foreman was making sure that nothing was forgotten, the last item to be disconnected was the speedo cable. The body was manually cracked open and the lifter arms were adjusted so that by pressing the Up button it would be raised evenly and without much effort. Carefully coordinating the intermittent pressings of the button by an assistant, the body was lifted-off without any mishap.

Rear quarter panel is rusted nicely and will be replaced.

Upon closer examination of both body and floor-pan, the verdict revealed few more rust spots, mainly in the body undersides, in the area of the heater tubes which run alongside the door sills. A known source of pain for VW Beetles. In addition, few more rust spots became evident on the rear quarter panels onto which the bumper brackets are being mounted. Luckily such panels are readily available from a number of sources, among which the VWHERITAGE guys in the UK.

Other than these pains in the aforementioned areas, there were no further nasty surprises upon the separation of the body from the chassis, such having occurred for the first time after a tight and faithful German marriage, residing in sunny dry Greece, for over 50 years!

Watch the ‘separation’ video clip here below:

Here are few more impressive pictures from the operation:

I love this particular picture which captures almost an unreal sight

The rolling chassis

Attention Low Riders: you cannot go any lower than this!

A 1962 VW Beetle joins the ‘family’

Preface

The story of the Volkswagen Beetle is well known; it was designed by Ferdinand Porsche to provide cheap transport for the hard working German masses, hence the name, the “People’s Car”. For the myriad other names given to this popular car click here! Initially they were built in very small numbers before and during World War II; later the Beetle literally rose from the ashes of Volkswagen’s bombed-out Wolfsburg factory to become an instant success across Europe, Britain, America and virtually every other country in the world.
The model evolved through various facelifts and numerous mechanical changes – there were more than 70,000 identifiable modifications – while it also provided a platform for other models, including military (such as the Kübelwagen and the remarkable Schwimmwagen), commercial vehicles (such as the Type 2 Bus) and sporting derivatives such as those by Karmann-Ghia. It was this constant development and attention to detail which allowed the Beetle to maintain its remarkable sales success , and as production raced past the 15,000,000 mark, the Beetle went on to be known as ‘The Best Selling’ car of all time. But this record was eventually superseded by the VW Golf.

My story

My old VW Beetle named Marlen, during College years (ca. 1972), here in Aspen, Colorado.

Readers of my Cars & More pages in this Blog may have noticed that while I was in Lake Forest College (during the early 70′s), I had obtained an old 1962 VW Beetle, into which later on had thrusted a rebuilt by-my-own-hands Porsche 356 engine in the back bay, turning the little car into a nondescript hot-rod; eventually converting the Bug into a wicked Autodynamics Deserter GT beach-buggy that accompanied me back home to Greece after graduation on board the super-liner SS Michelangelo.

The 1962 Beetle as I first encountered her in the Corinth storage of the ‘Smile of a Child’ Org.

I guess that the notion of re-living those long gone days of innocence and thirst for an adrenaline fueled life, was in the back of my head for some time. And out of the blue, the opportunity to acquire another 1962 Beetle came sometime in the spring of 2011. In April a bunch of car aficionados  had successfully formed the “Car Friends Close Group“, a small private Face Book Group of friends who share their passion and love about anything on wheels. We then organized an event with our cars showing in a private collector’s garage aiming to raise funds for ‘a good cause’ in support of the Smile of Child, a well known Greek NGO (http://www.hamogelo.gr). Since the President of the NGO is an ex colleague from the IT Business, he asked me to help him in selling some old cars that were donated few years ago to the organization. Arrangements were  made for me to visit the storage area in Corinth in order to take pictures and evaluate the cars on his behalf. Lo and behold, when the gates were opened I first encountered a 1973 R107 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL and right behind a 1962 Type 113 VW Beetle (aka Käfer) in anthracite color. Having myself bought just few months ago an immaculate R107 (see The Day I met “Princes Grace” post) I had no interest for yet another one in need of restoration. But the Beetle touched my soft spot; I had to rescue this neglected but quite original and in sound condition example. I must confess that among all my classic or modern cars, the Beetle, named Marlen II, currently commands the highest emotional charge!

The “just arrived” Porsche 356 engine in a box!

Rewinding on the story a parenthesis is due; the idea of re-living my College year’s of owning an early 60′s  VW Beetle powered by a 356 Porsche engine, included a quest to source an appropriate unit for rebuilding and then fitting (a straight bolt on job) it to the newly acquired Beetle. Seeking such in Greece was unsuccessful; Enter in the picture a generous and noted Porsche cars collector, a Greek-American friend, Myron Vernis, who upon learning via e-mail exchanges of my quest, graciously offered to provide such a unit as a present to me! Ain’t that nice? Hence, after many arrangements done by my other close Greek car collector friend, Alex Vazeos, one September morning the 356 engine arrived at my garage in a crate, directly from Ohio, USA! I am most grateful about getting “a little help from my friends!”

Just about ready to unload the Bug on “Terra Attica” after its journey from Corinth.

Closing the parenthesis, back to present, making a longish story short, after negotiating with my ex colleague for a two car deal, I was able to get yet another Greek car collector friend of mine interested in the Merc R107; hence we concluded the purchase of both cars in late October 2011. I made arrangements for both to be loaded on a car transport truck and delivered to our respective workshops in Athens. I took delivery of Marlen II on Friday afternoon 18th of November at the premises of my trusted body shop, the A & B FOR CARS in Geraka (the friendly guys who did such a nice job on the “ground-up” restoration project of 2010 for my 1967 Mercedes-Benz W111 250 SE Coupé. Click here for the related stories). The drums of anticipation jumped gear thumping faster as I heard the truck’s diesel engine maneuvering outside the body shop’s gate. I had not inspected the car carefully while in its Corinthian storage, as there was not enough room nor had I the possibility to raise the car and examine at the undercarriage for rust spots. It was sort of a “blind date” purchase and now after several months of dreaming about the little car, I was going to face the truth, good or bad…

The relevant ‘Apocalypse Now!’ video clip is here-below; Manos’ expert eye confirms that the undercarriage is original, rust-free and unmolested. “Poly Kalo!” (Very Good! was his verdict). The car has not suffered any injuries from any serious crash accident and there would be little intervention to be done in her underbelly aside from a thorough steam cleaning and wax-oiling! A pleasant surprise

Engine Number: it turned out that this is indeed the original engine!

After some more documenting pictures were taken, I left the car there and headed for home (on the way I decided to offer Marlen II as a birthday present to my beloved wife Ivi, her anniversary being on Sunday 20th November)! Full of excitement about all that was eager and thirsty to hit the web and start researching about her birth date and many other Käfer related details.  Her chassis No. 4 725 111 revealed that the official model is “113, VW De Luxe Sedan”, manufactured in May 1962; in addition, the engine No. 6 766 861 means that it pumps out 34 DIN PS with a displacement of 1.2 Liter. For more details I would have to await the receipt of the official ‘Zertifikat’ applied for from the Stifung AutoMuseum Volkswagen, Schatzkammer der Marke.

On the following Saturday morning the primary task was to start the engine! Of course the 6 Volt battery was dead so I had to ‘borrow’ the one from our 1956 Citroen Traction Avant! Armed with a ‘light’ toolbox and the extracted battery plus a spray can of ether engine starter, I proceeded to A & B FOR CARS to do the honors.

VW engine key (aka key to happiness)!

The VW speedometer indicates some 80′s kilometrage…

After cleaning the battery terminals and positioning the fresh power source in its tray under the rear seat bench-(also not rusted), I removed the carb air cleaner and was ready to turn the ignition key. I asked one of the guys to assist by only squirting ether twice inside the carb barrel. Ready? Ignition: on the second cranking the air-cooled motor without much ado, spurted to life! I could not believe my eyes, ears and nose. All three senses acted in unison as a total recall to long forgotten but familiar VW Beetle sounds and smells. My new ’49-years old’ VW was purring, revving at higher idle as a cold engine should. No excessive smoke nor valve train clutter was noticed. The red indicator charging/oil pressure ‘idiot light’ on the speedometer instrument going out as it was supposed to. Good omens for an unusually warm and sunny late November Saturday morning. I was very happy indeed! A time capsule? Who knows how long ago it was when the engine was last used? How many previous owners? Are the 81310 kilometers indicated in the odometer true and correct? Further inspection and getting to know my Marlen II would sooner or later piece together some of the puzzle pieces of her past life.

The first steam cleaning attempt of Marlen II was half done: the machine broke down!

Next stop was at the cleaners! Unluckily my friendly Pakistani hot pressure water equipped car washer was not available, so I had to hunt in the neighborhood for an alternate. After several gas station stops, one had the right equipment and was willing to undertake the job. A lot of old grease and caked oil had accumulated in the rear engine and gear box area as well as in the front torsion bar suspension. While at it, his Karcher machine broke down… The job was half done and the bill was reduced. Oh well, Kumar will do it properly for me come Monday.

A more detailed picture album of the car can be viewed by clicking HERE!

Overhauling the brakes at Cabilis Performance ‘clean’ shop.

Next task was to change the vital juices: engine oil, gearbox oil, brake fluid. In addition to check on the road safety of the car in areas of steering, suspension, brakes, electrics (lights, turning indicators, horn, windshield wipers etc). These items were taken care of (the juices by Christos Economou VW Service) and the rest by Cabilis Performance, a VW specialist conveniently located only one block away from my garage! In between five new tires were fitted and the wheels dynamically balanced.

The mechanical repairs effected so far (Dec 2011) include:

• Brakes overhaul (new master cylinder, wheel cylinders, linings, hoses, bleeders)
• Front end (new steering damper, tie rod ends, wheel bearings cleaned & greased, new shock absorbers, travel end ‘stop’ rubbers)
• Rear end (re-tuned torsion bars as the car was sitting too high, new shock absorbers, travel end ‘stop’ rubbers)
• Engine (new distributor assembly, spark plugs and HT wires, valves adjusted, carb cleaned, fuel filter fitted in non-conspicuous spot, replaced gear shift lever with original one)
• Electrics (headlights replaced, light bulbs checked, horn, dome light, windshield wiper motor, wiper arms, windshield washer line replaced, generator coils re-winded and new bearing fitted).

The engine bay is quite original. In this pic after replacing the distributor and overhauling the generator.

What is interesting to note is that the Cabilis people (father and two sons) report that the engine has not been opened and its compression test was good and even! Aside from establishing that the engine is a “matching numbers” case, this good news supports the possibility that the indicated 80k kilometers might also be true. In the mean time, the “Zertifikat” along with the confirming letter stating that “that the above engine number is that of the original engine”, came via post just the other day. Considering all the above, I am now in a dilemma about replacing the original-in good condition-engine with the more powerful Porsche 356 unit as originally planned. That issue will be resolved in the near future as the restoration project progresses during 2012…

Marlen’s II birth “Zertificat” as issued by the VW AutoMuseum

The VW Museum Letter confirming engine “matching numbers” dated 30.11.2011.

Next phase of repairs to commence in January 2012 will cover the following areas:

• Body shop work (addressing the few rot spots, stripping and sanding and respraying to the original color “L 469 Anthracite”, replacing front and rear bumpers, sand blasting and respraying the wheels to the original color “L 471 Stone Beige”, replacing front & rear windshield seals, all other rubbers and seals etc).
• Upholstery work (replacing seat upholstery according to the factory fitted “M 079 Upholstery leatherette” and the head liner of the original 1960-62 style in light gray nap cloth perforated type, fitting the proper carpet set as the original tan colored German square weave material, plus anything else required so that the car will be in an as much original condition as possible).

Hopefully we will not get as analytic during the preservation phase!

Preparing for implementing that exciting phase of the restoration, I have delved in appropriate VW parts sources and related info which I list below as a reference for other interested Beetle loving friends and readers:

• http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/index.cfm
•   http://www.machine7.com/index.php 
• http://vwheritage.com/ 
• http://www.bbt4vw.com/en/links.htm
•   http://www.vvwca.com/links/ 
•   http://www.pre67vw.com/production
•   http://www.vwupholstery.com/ 

To be continued as the restoration progresses!

The day I met “Lillibet” a.k.a. Daimler Double Six Series 3

As some readers of my web-log may recall, I was lusting during this spring/summer period after the acquisition of a Ford Model ‘A’ ca. 1930. For several reasons beyond my control, this quest did not materialize. Circumstances or fate had it that a much younger siren would whisper songs of lust into my ears and cast her beautiful lines and soft leathery souled interior cum primordial smells upon me. Her uplifted condition and metallic blue color with sliding roof to gaze upon the stars while parked along a Greek coastal twisty road, was also cool. Cooler even was the output of her primitive but efficient climate control, a parameter important to me as I sweat easily.

A good car collector friend had similarly fallen for this 1991 Daimler Double Six Series 3, an up-market Jaguar XJ12 model, just few months earlier. “I simply had to buy her, cars like that in such a good condition are rarely to be found in Greece”, he once told me. When the time came for him to update and focus his unique car collection an offer to buy was placed upon me. We took the car out for a spin on a mid-July evening which ended with a pleasant dinner on a coastal, chic Vouliagmeni Italian restaurant. The ride was excellent, while the amount of smoothness ensured by the V12 legendary Jaguar engine, simply had not been experienced by me before. I said to my friend that “I will sleep on the idea” and headed for home in my sweet GLK.

The car as I first saw her. Her beautiful lines and shape, penned by none other than Pininfarina during the Series 3 upgrade, did not go unnoticed...

Next morning there was a lot of Googling and researching on the Double Six story and checking of International market values and offers. Negotiating softly on the asking price, soon a deal was struck on a Friday morning. During that week-end many deeper Internet searches revealed several aspects of the car, familiarized with the XJ6 and XJ12 stories and so on. Photographs taken during the test drive session kept the new infatuation alive and well. Hence arrangements were made to drive by my friends garage on Monday evening on our way back from an extended w-e in Kea island, to take delivery of the car.

Queen Elizabeth II driving her Daimler Double Six

Breaking the news to spouse of a new big saloon, large engined, powerful young classic was an issue. Did that ala Walt Disney with fast moving photos sliding along the iPad screen while on the ferry. The myth added (a fact) was that Queen Elizabeth II had owned exactly the same model and blue colored luxury car. See here this story: Queen Elizabeth II’s 1984 Daimler Double Six LWB up for auction — Autoblog. Took delivery of the car in Glyfada and drove off north to lock her up in the garage without much fuss so as to avoid any unnecessary feminine nagging. Besides, my entire next day would be devoted to “Lillibet“. First driving impressions: big car, torquey, excellent brakes, lovely feeling on the palms of that polished wooden rimmed steering wheel. Studied the “Owners Manual” on the couch before falling asleep. It had been a full and eventful day.

The OEM FM radio-cassette unit bearing the Jaguar logo.

Given that we had to drive my mother-in-law and her “au pair” lady to central Greece on Thursday for her summer vacation stint, we set for a round trip same day 700 km dash; I thought that this presented a lovely opportunity for an extended test drive of the new acquisition. Although the car was recently serviced by my previous owner friend and reported as being “in excellent condition”, few items required attention. One head light bulb was off, so while at it, Panayotis (my auto electrician at Gerakas) replaced both by fitting HID lamps all around. My friend had also sourced an original Jaguar stereo cassette sound system from the USA. Alas such radio sets do not tune in to odd numbered FM frequencies which are common in Europe. The idea of traveling for eight plus hours without a proper sound system was impossible to bear.

Cockpit view with the new Sony radio installed. Note the USB white wire and the convenient remote-control.

Hence I bought a modern Sony MEX-BT3900U with Bluetooth, player of MP3/CD’s, including USB, front AUX input and remote-control. Not a period unit (the OEM unit was packaged away with cherish), but impressively high-tech; Panos had to carefully remove the central console veneers and arm rest storage bin in order to extract the old unit and wire in the modern device. Ipso facto, upon completion, I easily connected my iPhone, received and made hands free calls, played selections from iTunes either via BT or via USB while also recharging. The car’s electric rear antenna functioned well with the unit and although has a 4 X 52 Watt rating, pumps out enough power to deliver undistorted all around sounds via the built in six speakers of the Double Six. “Now you are cooking with gas!” I muttered to myself upon driving away from my faithful electrician who had professionally done all the electrics during last year’s restoration project of the M-B 250 SE Coupe. Almost ready to depart? Not just quite. The passenger front door lock cylinder had lost its internal retaining forked clip, thus loosened and popping out suspiciously. Fiddling with it, the door locked permanently   Ouch! How could spouse get in and out of the car with her door being shut tight? To the rescue came my expert body-shop guys of A+B For Cars. They managed to get the lock loose, open-up the entire RH indoor facing, fish out the dropped clip, grease the undone linkages and reassemble properly the whole lot within two hours. Now we were ready for tomorrows hot weather, 700 km test drive.

The Beginnings of Daimler

The British based automobile producer, Daimler Motor Car Company, was based in Coventry and has origins dating back to 1896. In 1893, Frederick Simms purchased the patent rights to the Gottlieb Daimler’s engine, and formed a company named the ‘Daimler Motor Syndicate.’ Daimler, a German engineer, had patented an engine design and worked closely with Wilhelm Maybach to create the first motorcycle in 1885. Their first four-wheeled car was created a few years later, in 1889. They later formed the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, also known as DMG or Daimler Motor Company.

1932 Radiator Mascot of Daimler Double Six. Source: http://www.conceptcarz.com

The Daimler Motor Company, based in Cannstatt, would continue in business until 1926. The company relocated to Stuttgart-Untertürkheim in 1903; Daimler had passed away in 1900 and a fire had destroyed the original factory a short time later. During the early years of the company, they produced petrol engines and sold the rights and patents for use of these engines. They dabbled in the creation of racing cars and enjoyed much success. This lead to the production of the Mercedes model in 1902. From this point, automobile production became their main business and they offered a variety of models over the years. In 1926, DMG merged with Benz & Cie, and formed Daimler-Benz and used Mercedes-Benz as its trademark automobile. In 1998, a merger with Chrysler created the DaimlerChrysler Corporation.

The early years of automobile production was very uncertain. Public opinion about motorized vehicles were mixed, with many fearing the contraptions. They were loud, noise, dirty, smoky, and at times, unpredictable. They often spooked the live-stock and sent horse-drawn carriages into chaos. In Britain, they solved this problem by requiring each motorized vehicle to be escorted by a person on foot, who would wave a bright red flag and warn all those in its path of its arrival. This would give ample time to prepare for the noisy contraptions and to secure their livestock. This did little to promote the use of motorized car.

Mr. Simms held onto his patent rights for only a short while, before selling in 1896 to Harry Lawson, who formed the ‘Daimler Motor Company’ in the city of Coventry. This, of course, causes confusion as there were two companies with the name, Daimler. The license to use the name ‘Daimler’ was sold to a number of countries, which adds another degree of confusion. To help alleviate this confusion, the name ‘Mercedes’ was used by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft for the cars that they produced after 1902. 1908 was the final year that the name ‘Daimler’ was used on a German built car.

British based Daimler
The British based Daimler Company is Britain’s oldest marque. The cars they built were powered by German engines with chassis designs very similar to those of Panhard & Lavasseur. The Daimler cars immediately appealed to the wealthy, Royalty, and the socially elite. Their chassis platforms were appropriate for the finest of coachwork and capable of satisfying the demands of their elite group of clientele. They would continue this stately business for many years, with little competition from other British marques, until Rolls-Royce came onto the scene.

In 1908, Daimler acquired a license for the Knight engine which featured sleeve valves and allowed the engine to operate in a much quieter fashion. This technology was in use by several United States automobile makers, though the high-cost of production limited it to mainly high-end automobile production. The quiet operation was made possible by using a sliding valve to operate the intake and exhaust ports. The valves required lots of lubrication which often resulted in smoke. The popular alternative to the sleeve valve was a camshaft actuated valve which rattled and created noise.

Daimler’s line-up of vehicles consisted of six-cylinder engines until the mid-1920s, when the Double Six came onto the scene. It was designed by their chief engineer, Laurence H. Pomeroy. It used a similar design to the six-cylinder engine, which consisted of two-sets of three cylinders. The Double Six engine was basically two six-cylinder engines in vee-configuration with each bank having their own intake, exhaust and ignition system. Pomeroy used a new aluminum crankcase and modified the sleeve-valve design. The oil consumption of the sleeve-valve was reduced by replacing the cast-iron valves with steel, and forming them to have a better fit. The result was a twelve-cylinder engine capable of producing an impressive 150 horsepower.

1932 Daimler Double Six. Source: http://www.conceptcarz.com

In 1926, Daimler introduced their Double Six which remained in production until the mid-1930s. During that time, only a limited number of examples were created. At most, there were seventy-five created, with as few as a one-third of that estimate. All were unique and tailed to the customer’s requests, including the displacement size of the engine. Some were two-doors, others had four. They were very popular with royalty, including King George of Britain who ordered two limousine examples, both had seating for seven.

The elegant bodies rode atop of a steel ladder frame chassis which varied in length depending on the customers requests. The body configurations favored luxury, but some were sporty including a number of drop-top models. One unique example, designed by Reid Railton and built by Thompson and Taylor, had a low, underslung rear end.

The early models were known as the 50 and 30, which was in reference to their displacement size. The 50 had a 7136cc displacement size while the 30 feature a 3477cc size. These were replaced in the early 1930s by the 30/40 and the 40/50. The 30/40 had a 5.3-liter engine and the 40/50 displaced 6.5 liters. Improvements continued throughout the years, including to the lubrication system and a new gearbox, a preselector unit.

Production continued until 1935, though a final example was created in 1937 to use up surplus supplies.
By Daniel Vaughan | May 2007. Source: conceptcarz.com

More on the Daimler marque history can be found here: http://www.thoroughbred-cars.com/cars/UK/Daimler/history.htm

Fast forward to more recent times:

The company was purchased by Jaguar Cars in 1960. After the introduction of the Daimler DR450 new models used Jaguar bodies with Daimler grilles and badging. Daimler remains in the ownership of Jaguar Cars which now belongs to Tata Group of India.

In 1979 Jaguar unveiled the Series 3 which remained in production until 1992. The famous design studio, Pininfarina, had been tasked with incorporating design enhancements for the long-wheelbase version. The results were stunning. The Series III were powered by six- and 12-cylinder engines. In six-cylinder form, the owner could select either the 3.4-liter or 4.2-liter unit. The V12 unit had 5.3-liters in displacement size. The larger six-cylinder engine and the 12-cylinder unit both utilized Bosch fuel injection. The smaller six used carburetors and now offered for sale in the US.

Daimler Double Six

1986–1988 Daimler Double Six (XJ Series III)

From 1972 Jaguar’s 5.3 litre V12 engine was available in the XJ range, and for the Daimler version a name used by the company from 1926 to 1938 was revived. Sir William Lyons had retired from Jaguar in 1972 and the new chairman was FRW (Lofty) England. Lofty England had been a Daimler apprentice from 1927 to 1932 and taken second place in the first ever RAC rally driving a 30/40 hp Daimler double-six. Lofty England decreed that the new V12 Daimler would be known as Double Six.

Unlike the Jaguar, the twelve-cylinder Daimler had the same radiator grille as its six-cylinder sibling, and externally only the badges distinguished them. Although the Sovereign name was transferred to Jaguar, the Double Six name remained with Daimler throughout Series III production, which continued until 1992.

In total, there were 132,952 examples of the Series III produced. A small percentage of those, 10,500, were equipped with the 12-cylinder engine. In 1987 Jaguar ceased production of the Series III XJ with the six-cylinder engines. The Series III with the 12-cylinder power-plant continued until 1992.

The Series III brought with it cruise control and a sunroof as optional equipment. The Vanden Plas option was introduced in 1982 and intended for the US market. This designation indicated the top-of-the-line offering for the Jaguar XJ which included the twelve-cylinder engine and many luxury items as standard equipment.

Byron’s 1991 Daimler Double Six

Here are some pictures of my Double Six, affectionately named “Lillibet” after Queen Elizabeth II’s nickname, who owned exactly the same car.

Daimler Double Six side view

Daimler Double Six rear view at Lake Plastira area

Daimler Double Six radiator grille detail

Automobile Club de Monaco emblem. The S.P.M. initials at the base of the crown stands for "Sovereign Prince of Monaco" (click on the picture to enlarge).

The Daimler monogram on the radiator fluted ornamentation.

Daimler Double Six rear end with insignia and dual exhaust pipes.

An additional photo album of the car can be viewed by clicking here!

My next classic/veteran car investment?

My father's Ford Model A Tudor ca. 1936 in Athens

Readers of my blog may have seen the page Cars & More where there is a mention of one of my father’s early cars of the mid thirties, namely a Ford Model A Tudor. I have this very photograph in a frame in our living room. Stricken with the flu these last few days, I was expelled from the master bedroom and spent several nights on the couch. My eyes kept looking at this picture and after a while the idea just clicked: wouldn’t be nice if I managed to get my hands on a Model A? Not only it would be the first pre-war car in the collection but I would sense and feel how my dad went about his daily business in the streets of Athens during the mid thirties! The more I pondered on the idea the more sense it made. A search on E-Bay and Hemmings revealed an adequate supply of these models in the vast American market. Dwelling deeper into Henry’s creations, soon enough I was convinced that a Roadster Model A would be more fun and appropriate for the dry, sunny weather of my Mediterranean country.  All these inputs being quite encouraging and inspiring, but was I really ready to shop from far away? Without seeing and test driving the prospective wheels? And then agonizing about shipment in a container by sea, plus going through the chores of clearing Greek customs upon landing and so on?

The answer to all these questions and concerns was a loud NO. But as it happens often in life, good fortune (or bad being just as easily present) came my way. By coincidence and circumstance I learned about a car collection being liquidated in Northern Greece. Soon enough a list of cars for sale appeared, among them one being a “1931 Ford”. Just that, no further details or even a picture was provided. With two other “gear-head” friends we flew bright and early to Thessaloniki on a Thursday of May 2011 aiming to examine several interesting examples. The suspense was mounting. Would that Ford be a Model A? And if so, which body type? The list of models good old Henry produced was endless:
Convertible Sedan (A-400)

My Dad's Ford Model A facing technical problems!

Business Coupe  or plain Coupe
Deluxe Coupe or Sport Coupe
Standard Coupe
Standard Fordor Sedan – Murray
Standard Fordor Sedan – Briggs
Deluxe Fordor Sedan – Murray
Deluxe Fordor Sedan – Briggs
Leatherback Fordor Sedan
Standard Fordor Sedan – Slant windshield
Mail Truck
Panel Truck
Phaeton 2-door
Phaeton 4-door
Deluxe Service Pickup
Roadster Pickup
Pickup
Deluxe Pickup
Standard Roadster
Deluxe Roadster
Sport Roadster
Station Wagon
Taxi Cab
Town Car
Town Car Delivery
Standard Tudor Sedan
Deluxe Tudor Sedan
Victoria
Wood Panel Delivery… Amen!

I controlled my curiosity, in a way similar to a kid who savors his sweet candy; after evaluating thoroughly two Mercedes cars (a 300d Cabriolet and a 220 SE Cabriolet, both of 1960 vintage), and not as yet having spotted any pre-war cars in the storage hall, I inquired about the old Ford’s whereabouts. ‘Aha! We have to go to the other hall in the back”, came the answer from the collector’s son who was escorting us that fine morning.

First glimpse of the 1931 Ford Mod A Roadster!

Lo and behold! A nice looking 1931 Ford Model A Roadster was positioned and resting on quatropod car stands. Exactly the body version I was thinking about including that fun adding rear rumble seat!  Controlling myself for yet another time, with my Mag-Lite in one hand and digital camera strapped on the neck, I started scrutinizing the veteran old lady quite thoroughly. An older restoration but a decent one. All parts there. Dual spare wheels with chained mirrors on them. Wind wing deflecting glass. Single Trico windshield wiper of the vacuum type. Vinyl brown color upholstery. Tidy engine bay. No radiator ornament but fitted with a stone guard, no trunk box in the back, no air filter in the Zenith carb. Clean undercarriage, some oil marks on the cement floor. Not the greatest color combination, but…

Could this be my next investment in fun and a ticket to ride on the Emmanuel Riginos family car sentiments lane? Possibly so; the coming days will reveal what the fate of this 80 year old Model A will be. Will she find a new home with abundant tender loving care? A new pampered life with many happy outings and several old car rallies?

These cars are simple and durable. All parts can be sourced.

P.S. in my recent College reunion trip to the USA, as I was driving through East Dennis in Cape Cod, I saw a beautiful Model A Tudor. Made a U-turn and snapped few pictures of this smartly restored car, exactly the model my Dad owned in the mid thirties!

The smartly restored Ford Mod. A Tudor encountered in Cape Cod-June 2011

1929 Ford Mod. A rear view, East Dennis, Cape Cod-June 2011

Nice front end look of the 1929 Ford Model A Tudor

The Day I met “Princess Grace” a.k.a. 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SL

A new member completes the three pronged Mercedes-Benz Star collection in Byron’s Classic Car Garage!

1987 Mercedes-Benz 560 SL (R107.048/M.117.967)

Chassis R107 E 56, Engine M117 E 56

Technology & Luxury Made In Germany!

My newest acquisition, the 560 SL, tenderly nicknamed "Grace"

I start the new year 2011 with a nice addition in my classic car collection, in such a way that the three points of the Mercedes-Benz Star have now become balanced and complete; in other words I now have three M-B models: the modern 2009 GLK 300 (X204) Compact SUV with all-wheel drive (4-Matic) and the advanced G7 automatic gear-box, the elegant 1967 250 SL Coupé Automatic and now the 1987 560 SL (R107), a late model exported only to the US market, fitted with a powerful and torquey V-8 of 5.6 Liters. I named her “Grace” or “Princess Grace” or “Amazing Grace” for a number of reasons. First is about her color, the DB 441, “Desert Taupe” or “Impala Brown” or “hellbeige” in German, supplemented by impeccable creamy leather interior. There is no doubt about her being a blond! Second reason, pertains to her timeless, quite graceful design cues of the R107 body (a replacement of the 230/250/280 SL’s a.k.a “Pagode” or W113); a long lived elegant “Sport Leicht” model produced from 1971 up to 1989, being the second longest single series ever produced by Daimler-Benz A.G., after the G-Class.

Grace Kelly driving a cabriolet in the movie "To Catch a Thief" ca. 1955

Although a “muscle car” of 5,549 c.c. pumping out 227 hp SAE (169 kW) @ 5,200 rpm’s and with a massive torque of 287 lb·ft (389 N·m) @ 3,500 rpm’s, all mated to a smooth 4-speed automatic gearbox, this car is very easy and comfortable to drive. Some of the most famous celebrities, iconic symbols of the American dream, could be seen in films or TV series sitting behind the wheel of an R107 SL: Bobby Ewing in Dallas, Richard Gere in American Gigolo, Jonathan Hart in Hart to Hart and even Eddie Murphy, in the first Beverly Hills Cop. A real star on four wheels that fully lives up to the Mercedes-Benz name, a fact well appreciated by many Hollywood stars, men and ladies alike. I am pretty sure that had Her Serene Highness The Princess Grace of Monaco been alive through the 1980′s, (she died on September 14, 1982, two months before her 53rd birthday, when she lost control of her automobile and crashed after suffering a stroke in the mountainous roads of the Riviera), she would drive an R107!

This particular example was a Southern California car since new, had only 35,000 miles on the clock and came with a full service history; she is 100%

560SL engine bay: 5.6 Liters ready to unleash the cavalry at the press of the accelerator pedal!

original and unmolested. The previous owner had the car inspected and fully refurbished by the Southern Ca. M-B specialist Brian Peters of Motoring Investments who replaced the ugly US spec bumpers and headlights, by fitting new and expensive EU spec ones. While at it, the air con compressor, receiver dryer and Behr radiator were replaced with OEM items, plus a set of four new Bilstein’s along with a steering damper were fitted. All drive belts, liquids, cosmetics and detailing were taken care of regardless of cost, which came to over US$ 20,000.00. The car comes with “as new” hardtop cum its stand on casters, and a perfect condition soft-top; prerequisites to enjoy driving comfortably this smooth beauty all year round. But the sheer joy I am looking forward to is springtime in sunny Greece. I will take  my wife Ivi and “Grace” for a long trek in mountainous roads either in northern Greece or the Peloponnese.

Here is a video presentation of the R107 class from the “Mercedes-Benz Fascination” series:

Having taken delivery of the car on a rainy evening of 3rd January 2011, I did not have as yet the opportunity to road test her sufficiently. Hence we plan to go on a short excursion this coming week-end to mountainous Lakonia on the Peloponnese. Hope that the weather will be kind and spare us from heavy rains or snow.

560SL in Vouliagmeni with the top down

560SL: interior as seen with the top down

560SL: interior detail

560SL: the view from the driver's seat

My R107 in mountainous Lakonia-Jan 2011, here with the hardtop fitted.

When two ladies meet: my wife tames "Grace" for the first time

Digging Deeper…on the 560SL Options codes I managed to decode the various factory options from the metal plate as follows:

• 441 – Impala metallic color

The Options Code metal plate

• 442 – airbag in steering wheel (from 01.02.1980 up to 31.10.1993)

• 494 – California version

• 506 – outside rear view mirror, left and right, heated (electrically adjustable on the right) (l.h.d.) (from 01.10.1983 up to 31.03.1989)

• 519 – Becker radio Grand Prix electronic cassette – USA (from 01.08.1980 up to 30.11.1990)

• 531 – automatic antenna (from 01.01.1963)

• 551 – anti-theft warning system (from 01.11.1978 up to 31.03.1998)

• 581 – automatic climate control (from 01.01.1977)

• 262 – elimination of rear end spoiler (from 01.01.1978 up to 31.10.1989)

• 807 – Change of year of model, last figure shows new model year

General specifications
Country of origin: Germany
Numbers built: 49347
Produced from: 1985 – 1989

Engine
Configuration: M 117 E 56 90º V8
Location: Front, longitudinally mounted
Construction: light alloy block and head
Displacement: 5.547 liter / 338.5 cu in
Bore / Stroke: 96.5 mm (3.8 in) / 85.0 mm (3.3 in)
Compression: 9.0:1
Valvetrain: 2 valves / cylinder, SOHC
Fuel feed: Bosch KE-Jetronic Fuel Injection
Aspiration: Naturally Aspirated
Power: 230 bhp / 172 KW @ 4750 rpm
Torque: 373 Nm / 275 ft lbs @ 3250 rpm
BHP/Liter: 41 bhp / liter

Drivetrain
Chassis: unitary steel
Front suspension: double wishbone, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, supplementary rubber suspension, torsion bar stabilizer
Rear suspension: twist-beam axle, telescopic shock absorbers, coil springs, supplementary rubber suspension, torsion bar stabilizer
Steering: recirculating ball, power assisted
Brakes: ventilated discs front, solids rear
Gearbox : 4 speed Automatic
Drive: Rear wheel drive

Dimensions
Weight: 1715 kilo / 3780.9 lbs
Length / Width / Height: 4580 mm (180.3 in) / 1790 mm (70.5 in) / 1300 mm (51.2 in)
Wheelbase / Track (fr/r):  2455 mm (96.7 in) / 1465 mm (57.7 in) / 1466 mm (57.7 in)

Performance figures
Power to weight: 0.13 bhp / kg
Top Speed: 223 km/h (139 mph)
0-60 mph: 6.8 s
0-100 mph: 19.6 s

The Mercedes 250 SE Coupé is a roller!

On the first day of Autumn, on the 1st September 2010 I took delivery of the car after her ground-up restoration and respray back to the original dark blue (DB332) color! She is now a roller, back on the streets of Athens. I am very pleased with the result, the car is stunning and a head twister wherever I have driven her so far!

My 250SE Coupé on her first day back in the streets, in her new dark blue color, Sep. 1st 2010!

The dominating front end with the characteristic W111 vertical headlights and the M-B Star on the radiator decorative cap.

Nevertheless, rarely a deep surgery like the one she has undergone, after a complete strip-down, with hundreds of new parts fitted etc., goes without “a recovery period”. Hence, I do have taken care of few problems and need to look after on few more before the car is declared 100% ready. The overhauled old Behr air con lost part of its freon gas due to a linkage leak; after curing this problem, the following day the fan fuse was blown but now with the fuse contacts brushed clean seems to be operating nicely, pumping out efficient dosages of cool air in +32ºC hot Athens streets. The fuel tank was filled-up with 50 Liters of Shell V-Power after having it cleaned and had replaced the bottom tank filter plus the fuel level sending unit. A leak was noticed. Upon raising the car a fuel pump hose was replaced cum new clamp. The water temp gauge sending unit was detached from its mercury filled capillary tube during reassembly. No cure for that, the gifted machinists who could fix them back in the old days, all seem to have passed from this futile world. A new gage/sending unit assembly has been ordered and awaited from Niemoeller’s. Ditto for the hand brake tell-light micro switch, its head found broken, hence a new switch is now on order.

 

The beautiful lines of the Paul Bracq design come out nicely in this side-view picture

The 250 SE Automatic rear end, shiny and bright!

The biggest pain concerns the persistent vibration which was noticeable at speeds over 80 kph before the restoration; now appears albeit in a different resonance harmonic, but at speeds over 50 kph. Despite the fact that the propeller shaft was balanced and trued by a specialist, new universal joints fitted, Michael (my chief mechanic) was optimistic that these bad vibes would go away. Not so; a further investigation is required for its cause, or at worst a new prop shaft would need to be fitted. In addition, the auto gear box seems out of tune as gear changes have lost their smoothness, kicking in abruptly

The re-varnished woodwork needs some finishing work; The leathers and carpeting as well.

The car will be taken tomorrow to the electrician for some minor adjustments and interventions and right after that to the Auto-Stop/Connolly for finishing off the interior details. A list of interventions was made this afternoon with George Pitsikos and his assistant Thanassis. The biggest grief there involves the fascia wood varnishing. First the ash-tray was left behind and had to be redone separately, resulting in a darker shade from the rest of the woodwork. Next the end piece to the right had unacceptable bubbles and needs to be redone. Door weather seals need adjustments as well as the driver side door lock.

During the course of next week the new consignment of spare parts from Germany ought to arrive, allowing to add some finishing touches and raise even higher the level of perfection.

The revarnished instruments cluster looks nice. An original Becker Europa II radio has been ordered to replace the non-original item.

After Connolly’s the car would go back to Autohouse-Stuttgart for the vibration and auto trans cures, hoping that all issues will be resolved well before the Start of the 39th PHILPA International Classic Car Rally on the 22nd of September…

Another pestering issue concerns the car radio. The dilemma is: to get an original overhauled Becker Europa Stereo, pin stripe design cum iPod connector, or do the extravaganza and source a hard to find (and very expensive) now extinct Becker Mexico Retro Navi 7942 system? I lost out on one such offer on eBay few days ago, so will see what fate has in store for my Princess in the area of music and in cabin entertainment. I think I will opt for originality and buy the albeit low powered Europa as they were made especially for Mercedes-Benz…

Thursday 09/09/10 update

The car has finished the few intervening jobs at the electrician and then was left in the custody of Auto-Stop/Connolly for the detailing of the interior. First, Pavlos of Detail Clean Center did a thorough steam clean of the roof liner. A lot of accumulated dirt and dust came off the roof line pores fabric. Now the original creamy/white color has brightened and looks almost as if new.

The new garage black cover. When its time to sleep the Princess will wear this gown

Then Thanassis of Conniolly’s tended to many details as fitting the carpet over floor pieces front & rear, adjusting windows and doors so that they mate better with the new harder weather seals, applying silicone spray to all the rubber parts, fitting few missing seals and grommets (from the new parts bin which had arrived few days ago from Germany) and so on. To boot George Pistsikos had a black soft fabric cum liner garage cover made as a present for me! What a nice gesture

Back at the AUTOHAUS STUTTGART work shop.

Having done the chores in the Gerakas area (will revert to the electrician to fit the new temperature gauge and the reconditioned Becker Europa radio, yes I have opted for the original radio set!), I drove the car bright and early (so as to beat the morning traffic) to Piraeus. There AUTOHAUS STUTTGART will tend to resolving the propeller shaft vibration problem. The issue with the gear box was quickly resolved by adjusting the rods which interlink with the throttle and govern the gear changes.

From the new parts bin, all the flexible brake hoses were changed, the silent blocks for the air filter and some clamps for the manifold shield. Also the auto trans cooling flexible hoses that run into the radiator where changed. Finally a new set of chromed twin tail pipes were fitted, adding to a nice finishing touch.

The prop shaft centering cross was cracked; a new one has been ordered.

Coming to the propeller drive shaft problem, upon dismantling  the shaft, the centering cross was found cracked and the adjacent rubber buffer too tired not to be replaced. Both these parts were ordered from Germany and are awaited early next week.

After fitting the new centering cross and flange parts on the prop shaft, the entire assembly will go back to the machinist for rebalancing. I can only hope that these interventions will bear fruit and the car will find her peaceful ride quality as a true Mercedes deserves.

Monday 20/09/10 update

By now most of the pending issues have been addressed! The main issue resolved concerns the prop shaft. Upon disassembly and re-balancing adjustments and more counter-weights were added. A test drive after re-assembly proved positive! The bad vibes are now a thing of the past… At the same time all fluids were re-checked and topped-up. Mechanically the car was now ready.

The reconditioned Becker Europa II stereo AM/FM radio is fitted, "mit iPod kabel". Here with the optional TuneFlex iPod holder/charger.

Next stop was the electrician Panayiotis. The Becker Europa radio “mit iPod Kabel” had arrived few days earlier via UPS. The new water temperature gauge was fitted after having to remove the instrument cluster once again. The radio was fitted along with its separate stereo pre-amplifier unit;  a convenient position was selected for attaching the iPod female mini-din connector on the side of the air con housing. The electric antenna was also connected…and Bingo! We now have stylish sounds in the cabin. Only the two new front door speakers were connected as the power output of the 60′s radio is not so high. The manual seeking mode of radio stations is sending me back to teen-age era memories; nevertheless, the frequency drifting is somewhat disturbing, while the only two pre-selector FM band buttons means that one only stores his very top stations! On the other hand the output and sound quality when connected to the iPod is very good indeed.  I am also using the FlexTune holder accessory which not only boosts the audio signal but recharges the iPod via the cigarette lighter; to boot the flexible holder allows easy operation and visual of the screen. Is a great device which I have been using both in my GLK300 and my X-Trim 28 RIB boat. It is interesting to note that even with the iPod connected directly (i.e. without the TuneFlex), the audio signal is quite strong and the volume knob on the Europa need not be turned up more! Lots of power left for louder listening of my favorite playlists.

While at it, I decided to buy a new black case battery to go better with the mid sixties look of the engine bay. I also fitted a race car type master switch so that when the car rests in the garage, disconnecting the electrics will be easier or even in the event of a short circuit this precious classic will be better protected. The final touch was changing the headlight and auxiliary Hella spot light lamps with higher intensity “white light” emitting lamps. A small improvement gained for night driving.

Hence the car today was declared ready for the much anticipated “39th PHILPA Rally” commencing on Wednesday 22nd September. Just In Time indeed. More on that experience in a forthcoming post.

So at this point, a tedious and costly ground-up restoration to a “A3 condition” according to FIVA (Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens) classification, has been completed. I guess from this time onwards, the car will offer to me, family and friends many moments of pleasure and enjoyment. I will be also keen to be monitoring the “W111.023″ market scene in months ahead, so as to reassure myself that from an investment point of view I am doing OK. Ciao for now and thanks to all interested readers of these posts

The 250SE Coupé at Nafplion with Byron anticipating to start the "39th PHILPA International Rally"

Action shot during the 39th PHILPA International Rally, Oct. 2010.

The Mercedes-Benz 250SE Coupé will regain its original dark blue color!

It took some thinking and few discussions with motor-head friends before finally deciding that this quality car, taking into consideration of her interesting “blue-blooded” first ownership history, rightly deserves to be in an “as original as possible” condition. Hence the decision was taken at this time instead of postponing for later, to undertake a thorough, full bare metal re-spray, to strip off the under-seal, repair any rust areas and repaint, then re-underseal with a complete Waxoyl hard wax treatment, ensuring that the car has no rust at all and is fully protected against it going forward. Obviously choosing the factory color of Dark Blue code 332 G, according to what is stamped on the car’s nomenclature metal plate, goes without question.

Once again my “cars network” came through, as George Pitsikos of Auto-Stop/Connolly who will be doing the leather job and saloon interior reconditioning later on, has recommended a friendly body-shop, fit for executing the demanding job, nearer to my home north of Athens. Thus I opted for this alternative rather than the body-shop with outsourcing the paint-shop option of AUTOHOUSE STUTTGART in far away Piraeus. The firm chosen is called A & B FOR CARS, the initials originating from the last names of the two proprietors, Gregory Apostolou and Costas Bitaliotis.

The SE's engine bay after removal of the engine/transmission assembly.

After bringing in “Princess Michaela” for their inspection and appraisal, a lot of details were discussed as well as the tasks to be undertaken were laid down, while at the same time a budget outline was set. A & B FOR CARS only use quality paints and varnishes made by SIKKENS, necessary ingredients for a good result. What next became apparent was that the engine/drive-train had to be removed so that the engine bay could be repainted properly.

Hence the Coupé had to be taken back to Piraeus to be entrusted once again in the capable hands of AUTOHAUS STUTTGART, where my friend Michael Gouliaras and his team of mechanics would remove the engine, transmission and drive shaft. The latter would be taken to a specialist for precision balancing as some vibrating while cruising at speeds above 80 kph has been noticed. The engine removal task was done within a day or so hence the 250 SE/C was loaded on a car transport truck and duly delivered back to A & B FOR CARS in Gerakas.

Quickly enough Gregory and his team commenced stripping-down the car of all its chrome fittings, removing seats and carpeting, cataloging everything carefully, labeling and marking parts and bolts canisters, photographing were required and so on. Whatever rust spots or damaged chassis and body areas have now come to light; appropriate treatment and body-shop repairs would be the next task.

As anticipated, this Mercedes is a very clean example, despite its 43 years of age, having domiciled for all her life in the dry, salt-free roads of mostly sunny Greece. We are now in the process of listing all the required parts, most of which I will source from Germany through Andreas Reinacher and his DBDepot firm. A critical task involves the removal of the front windshield as some weather-sealing glue has erroneously been used in past days, making removal of the large curved glass a bit tricky. Here are some pictures at this stage of stripping and repairing:

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Monday 21/06/10 update

A+B For Cars premises

Visiting A & B FOR CARS today, I took few more pictures of progress made. The old paint is being removed patiently. The rot spot on the rear RH wheel arch has been repaired. Ditto for the small rust hole in the accelerator area floor pan. The more extensive rust in the passenger side floor pan will be treated in the next days. The electrician will tend to removing all ancillary equipment and obstructing wiring in the engine bay. Tomorrow I will meet with him for looking after many details, among them to address the question: “replace or repair the wiring loom”?

At the same time we will scrutinize the parts list which will be required to source either from Germany or Greece or both.

It seems that daily progress is being made at a good clip as Gregory wishes to finish the 250 SE/C project sooner than anticipated

The engine hood has been scraped (original blue color patches showing) and sanded down.

The RH hand side of the body has been scraped and sanded down. Minor blemishes have been treated.

The RH rear wheel arch has some rust; it will be easily repaired.

The RH rear wheel arch's minor rust spot has been treated nicely, now very smooth to the touch

A small rust hole in the accelerator pedal area has been discovered...

The rust hole in the accelerator area floor pan has been treated; the sewn-in metal plate and weldings will be filed smooth before repainting.

Now the rust holes in the passenger side floor pan are exposed. Appropriate treatment will be done in the next days.

Thursday 24/06/10 update

The meeting with the electrician Panayiotis went well. He is undertaking to clear-up the engine bay from a plethora of wires, relays, connectors, hoses, horns etc, plus to remove the woodwork from the dashboard, along with the instruments, radio, clock, glove compartment and so on. He opined that the wiring loom is in good condition and that only some ending wires and/or connectors would require replacement. Such will be wounded with special fabric “old style” tape. Nevertheless, if I manage to source a new wiring loom, it would be wise to replace the 43 years old serpent.

The radiator & electric air con fan have been removed.

The engine bay has been cleared of wiring and ancillary components; now almost ready for the repaint process.

The dashboard has been stripped-down from instruments, woodwork and accessories.

Now the wood work parts will be cataloged along with the leather seats and side panels before being delivered to George Pitsikos at Auto-Stop/Connolly for re-varnishing and Connollising respectively. Ditto for the carpeting pieces to be used as patterns for cutting new blue colored pieces.

All woodwork pieces have been removed, ready for revarnishing.

In the mean time, the body work is progressing. Now all sides of the car body have been scraped and sanded down, filler and surfacer coats being applied. All rust spots have been treated except the passenger side floor board. The front and rear windshields have not as yet been removed.

The rear end has been scraped and sanded down, filler and surfacer coat applied.

The rust spot in the spare wheel well has been treated by sewing-in a fresh metal plate.

The driver side body panels have been scraped and sanded down.

Tuesday 29/06/10 update

Since last Thursday further progress has been made in the areas of body work repairs and preparations. Now the engine bay is completely empty of any part and the metal areas have been scraped of old paints, glues or greases. The front suspension assembly has been removed. Whatever minor flaws in the metal have been treated.

The 250 SE/C body is completely stripped-down!

The engine bay has been cleared of all parts, scraped clean of old paints, glues and greases. Minor metal treatments done.

The front suspension assembly has been removed and is in "as new" condition!

In the main body, both front and rear windshields have been removed. The entire body shell has been sanded, filled and a primary surface coat applied. The edge railings are in good condition and do not require any treatment. Inside the cabin area the floor boards have been scraped clean of all the insulation tar mats and whatever rust areas have been treated. The seams require to be grinded smooth before primer paint is applied.

Front & rear windshields removed, body shell applied with a surfacer coat.

The floor-boards have been scraped of old insulation tar mats. Metal plate repairs have been completed where required.

The passenger side floor-board had the more extensive rust damage. Of the double plated floor, the underside has been affixed with a new metal piece.

In the rear end and trunk area, the fuel tank has been removed where a small rust spot around the filler hose curb has been noticed.

The rear-end has been applied a surface coat. The fuel tank was removed and whatever small rust spots in the trunk area have been treated.

I think that we have reached the nadir in stripping-down parts from the body. There are no more parts to remove! This is a thorough respray job.

Niemoeller Parts Catalog is D 99008

The task is now to source all the parts required. Every rubber seal in the engine bay needs replacement, along with a smorgasbord of other parts (alas! many more than anticipated). While preparing for this critical task, I did search more on the net and found the Manheim, Germany based M-B oldtimer parts specialist Heinrich E. Niemöller, who offers a thorough parts supply along with pdf schematics which really help the restorer to understand which parts may be needed.

In the next day’s we did allocate computer time with Gregory and Manos aiming to identify parts and place purchase order$…

Waldemar Eder, Management Assistant in Wholesale and Foreign Trade Responsible for bookings by phone and order picking at Heinrich E. Niemöller Co.

This task is now complete and after few clarification exchanges with Mr. Waldemar Eder of Niemoeller Company, we now have a confirmed purchase order for about 300 part items! Unfortunately the wiring harness requires a more than 4 weeks custom built process, so it seems that will stick to the old serpent after repairing it where required. Nevertheless, all connectors and battery cables are coming in new.

George Pitsikos of Auto-Stop/Connolly was also located and we did scrutinize the wood-work and leather job tasks which will be done in the next few days.

Synchronizing the various tasks (body work, respray, fitting new parts, electrician’s job, reassembling, leathers and wood-work, engine re-fitting etc) so that the car will be ready and sorted for participating in the PHILPA 39th International Rally in September 2010 (a FIVA event) is a worrisome task.

Wednesday 07/07/10 update

This morning I first visited George Pitsikos at Auto-Stop/Connolly who in the mean time had given the wooden pieces to his varnisher, had obtained a price quotation and was expecting to receive the first trial piece in order to check the coloration effect. In addition he had checked availability and obtained a quotation from his Connolly leather supplier in the UK in case we wished to replace all leathers outright with new but 60′s period stock.

That scenario was rejected not only because the price was quite high but also considering my wish to maintain originality of the car as much as possible. Hence his quotation for refurbishing the existing leathers was accepted. He will clean all the pieces and repaint and/or repair any scratches or blemishes. He will also repair seat springs, foamings and side door panels. He reassures me that the final result of his craft will be highly appreciated and admired.  On this jolly promise I left the premises in joyous spirits only to ride my BMW 650 Funduro bike few blocks away to A & B FOR CARS.

The fender support bolts after treatment

The progress made on the body work preparations before commencing the respray was satisfactory. A lot of detailing has been done, as for example the front fender bolts have been undone and applied paint remover, then buffed to a shiny clean condition, ready to accept the new dark blue paint. The entire engine bay was treated to a similar detail and as Greg mentioned “Whoever opens the engine hood will admire the work done!’. Oh! music to my ears

The 250SE/C body shell has been primed mat black.

Likewise the detailing inside the cabin and the floor board intervention areas is done in a nice way. Paint will be applied in the next day. The entire body shell has been treated to a black mat undercoat, assisting the observation of minor flaws on the metal surfaces which can then be treated by a successive filler and sanding down process.

Floor pan detailed and ready for resparying.

The rear end has been meticulously detailed!

The hub caps need to be repainted dark blue. The paint removing task is delicate so as not to damage the surrounding chrome and the central M-B Star.

The material on the rear shelf has been discolored by the sun. Useful piece for matching the correct color.

Small details:

Left: Hub caps treatment before applying carefully the new dark blue color.

Right: The vinyl material on the rear wind-shield shelf has been discolored and faded by the strong sun rays of the Mediterranean. The original blue section (covered all these years by the rear seat back) will be used for matching the leather treating color!

A "Mixit-Pro" screen shot showing the DB 332 color recipe.

It seems that the time to start thinking about the color has arrived! The original car color code DB 332 has been entered into the “Mixit-Pro” computer software and out came the exact recipe for the “DunkelBlau” non-metallic mixture using Sikkens quality paints. The Mixit Pro on-line formula retrieval software enables perfect color matching while providing faster formula updates than any conventional system. Furthermore it supports painters with a variety of reporting functions, including consumption analysis, material cost per job and access to recalculated mixes. According to Greg and Costa (the paint guru of A + B), three coats of paint will be applied with successive fine grade sand-downs; these will be topped-off with two additional coats of varnish (again with a sand-down in between) which will protect the color for many years to come, add depth when viewing and endure many waxings or minor scratches to boot!

I must confess: I am anxious to see the final result of the team’s labors

Monday 12/07/10 update

Fresh off the paint oven! The DB 332 dark blue color has been applied!

Master painter Costa Vitaliotis has executed the respray. Here buffing and rebuffing!

What a nice Monday morning surprise! My Princess has regained her original factory dark blue color! A “Dunkel Blau” jingle whizzes stubbornly through my head. The A + B FOR CARS team has worked well in the last days, having applied the base colors plus the varnish coatings.

Now the process of cleaning and rubbing down with various grades of cutting pastes (such as 3M’s Fast Cut Plus #50417) and polishing agents in multiple applications will bring out the luster and depth of the color. In these pictures because of the green awning reflections, the true tone of the dark blue color is not rendered quite well.

Buffing the car after the respray is an important stage of the process, done utilizing multiple cutting pastes and finally waxes.

Never mind though, as many other photographs will be coming forth documenting the re-assembly task which will commence as soon as we get hold of the spare parts on order from Niemoeller Co., Germany. Last update on that front is that all items are expected to be gathered and packed by the end of the current week, i.e. Friday 16/7/10.

Rear seat side panel in the process of repainting.

The leather revamping and the re-varnishing of the wood-work tasks are going forward and I do hope that eventually the synchronization of the various jobs will work out without major hiccups. The process is not much different from the metal surface respray. That is the leather surface is cleaned with special detergents, then sanded down, cuts, wrinkles or other blemishes are filled in with putty, then color is applied. Repeated sanding and polishing together with pigment coats are applied before the leather is brought back to a revived condition. The Master of Ceremonies at Auto-Stop/Connolly is Mr. Thanassi who carries many decades of leather industry trade secrets and hard to find (these days) craftsmanship.

Monday 26/07/10 update

The front end bridge and suspension have been re-mounted.

By checking on the UPS site I had tracked the parcel with all the parts from Germany which was delivered to A & B on Friday 23/7 late afternoon. Since we are vacationing in Kea island I decided to return to Athens on Monday morning in order to take delivery of the many parts and sort them into three distinct boxes marked “Body Shop”, “Electrician” and “Mechanic”.  I arrived in Gerakas by noon with much anticipation and excitement. This would be the zenith of a very time consuming and expensive process invested in selecting, ordering, deciphering item codes, negotiating and so forth before all these car parts became a reality.

The cowl (a.k.a. firewall) insulation was the first fresh part to be installed!

The car was in the courtyard, with the front suspension re-fitted. In the days past, the floor boards and trunk space received the special width tar impregnated shielding mats, cut and fitted carefully by Manos.   I noticed that the first part out of the parts box was already installed: the firewall insulation material code D 68 493. Soon after my arrival the car was push wheeled into the shop and I set up “office” next to her using a castered tool chest as table top. Niemoeller’s invoice pack was 25 pages long, mostly with German descriptions while the days temperature was in the 35′s Celsius, making me sweat a lot.  It took me six straight hours to go through the pile of parts and to sort them into the different boxes. All along I was trying to scribble when known, the schematic reference number of the parts, so that Manos and Panayiotis the electrician would be assisted during the reassembly tasks, cross-referencing them with the Niemoeller picture “Catalog D”, a hefty parts dossier, a hard copy of which I had ordered previously.

Car parts galore 1

Parts galore 2

Since I had to return to the island and the family left behind, pressed to catch the 8 o’clock ferry from the Port of Lavrion, I took with me the 25 pages of invoicing for further checking and cross-referencing of parts versus schematic drawings. At this stage of the renovation project, my agony is rising as I wonder how this car will be re-assembled, looking after the complex jig-saw puzzle properly and just in time (during August in Greece almost everyone is escaping the city for summer vacations!), for participating with the 250 SE Coupé in the PHILPA 39th International Classic Car Rally, an event already applied and paid for…

On the other front, George and his team at Auto-Stop/ Connolly have progressed well; the leather seats and all the other interior furnishings have been by now refurbished; at the same time new floor carpeting pieces have been cut out using period style material, utilizing the old pieces as patterns. Likewise the woodwork has already been re-varnished and repaired where needed. George reports as being quite happy with the result as far as the coloring and the varnish coats are concerned.

The reassembly commences, while a trunk full of parts awaits...

Wednesday 04/08/10 update

Protecting the wiring loom with special fabric material tape: Panayiotis and his assistant.

The progress made since the last report is somewhat disappointing.   The main reason being the delays from the part of the electrician to start his job. He did come in on Monday 2nd August with his assistant. They started by sorting and cutting out all the additional wirings other than the original wiring loom. For the lines removed new ones will be installed. The next task was to re-route the lines into the engine bay, inspect them and re-tape with black fabric masking. The fuse box and the relays bracket were repositioned on the fire-wall. New bolts and nuts are used were required for attaching parts like the coil and some relays. In the process we established that some wiring related rubber seals were missing and a new supplementary parts list is being prepared for Niemoeller. Nevertheless, these can be retro-fitted so that the finishing of the project will not be unnecessarily delayed.

Both front & rear windshields, chrome surrounds and radiator grille installed.

In the mean time now both the rear and front windshields have been re-installed using new weather seals together with their chrome surrounds. Ditto for the radiator grille with fresh rubber seal.

The left hand side chrome strips have been positioned as well as the door handle. The roof line weather strip has been replaced. In the rear both tail lights have been bolted as well as the boot (trunk) lid weather seal, lock and handle with fresh rubber seals.

Several main engine parts as the servo drum, the air filter and plate have been cleaned and repainted mat black. The same for the wheel rims, tires removed and rims repainted black.

Costas has done an excellent job in repainting the side panels mounted under the doors.  A beautiful factory crackle dark blue finish is produced giving that special touch.

Left side chrome strips and new weather seals have been installed.

Auto Stop-Connolly has delivered all the reconditioned leather seats and side panels, the new carpeting and the re-varnished wood items. On the latter the end result is not up to expectations as the shade seems darker than the original and some of the varnish is not perfect. George is looking into ways to rectify them…

Gregory is pushing to have the car finished by Friday the 13th August as his body shop will close for summer vacations until the 22nd. Michael at AUTOHAUS STUTTGART has been advised today that the car may be transferred to his workshop on the 13th for refitting the engine and trans by end August or early September at the latest.

I keep my fingers crossed that all will go well without major hiccups and anxiety sessions.

Thursday 12/08/10 update

Today is a big day! A+B FOR CARS are delivering the finished car! My excitement was high in anticipation to check the results. I took the late night ferry from Kea island on Wednesday so that I would spend half a day near “Princess Michaela” to scrutinize the finishing details before the car is loaded on a car transport truck tomorrow to be delivered to Piraeus so that the folks at AUTOHAUS STUTTGART will undertake the task of refitting the engine and auto gearbox, the propeller shaft, connect all the linkages, fit the new engine related spare parts, align the front end, bleed the brakes and so on.

Just before delivery! The 250 SE is being washed. The Dark Blue color together with the bright-ware is smashing!

The rear end in the original dark blue color looks great!

The rear wheel arch and the repainted hub cap look nice!

What can I say! I arrived while the car was being washed. What is noticeable immediately is how striking all the chrome parts are viz. the dark blue color. The side strips, the wheel arch ornamentation, the bumpers, the imposing front radiator grille, the windshield surrounds, the insignia on the trunk lid, all look great and underlined, I guess just as the designer of this lovely car, Paul Bracq must have intended. Now much more accented viz-a-viz the silver metallic color before I undertook the restoration.

The engine bay is finished by the electrics and ancillary equipment and ready to receive the straight six fuel injected engine.

Needless to say, a number of details need to be taken care before the car can be declared “ready and finished”, at least according to my high standards, but also as befits the effort and the expense already invested in this Mercedes-Benz. A one page list was written down as well as another page for the supplementary parts which will be required to be ordered from Germany. The electrician has finished all the re-wiring jobs and refitting the numerous ancillary equipment such as relays, coil, horns, lights, instruments etc. and has tested that all circuits and switches operate correctly. Amen, another difficult and anxiety ridden task completed.

The interior looks good: re-varnished wood parts, re-colored leathers and new carpets.

The interior looks good although Auto-Stop/Connolly have not finished entirely their work. Once the gar gets back her engine, she will be driven at their premises for a final coat of pigment and several saddle-soap layers. One mishap being that the ash-tray was forgotten to be re-varnished. This will be taken care of as well as few other interior and cosmetic details. One remaining task is to detail clean the roof line and the glass-ware from weather strip glues etc. These task will be taken care of by Pavlos, proprietor of the ‘Detail Clean Center’, conveniently located right next to the Auto-Stop/Connolly premises. The new carpeting looks good as far as the quality of the material selected is concerned but also the color tone and the fit are nicely done.

Detailing tasks under way. Manos is hard at work against the clock for finishing off the list of pendings.

All in all and even after writing two big checks for the body shop and the electrician bills, I feel happy and satisfied with the result! I am now relaxed that the car will indeed be ready for the 39th International Rally starting on 20th September. To boot, I will be soon in a position to send some pictures to HRH Michel de Grèce, showing His car pretty much in a similar condition, close to that when He had first bought this car back in 1967…

Tuesday 17/08/10 update

Expert M-B mechanic Michael Gouliaras oversees the engine refitting in my 250 SE/C

Today’s report finds the car in Piraeus at the AUTOHAUS-STUTTGART workshop, a Mercedes-Benz passenger cars specialist, headed by one of the most experienced, factory trained mechanics in Greece, Michael Gouliaras. The main task is to refit the engine-gearbox assembly and while at it to look after all mechanical details. Among them to replace the end muffler which was found partially rusted. I asked Michael to remove the aluminum valve cover and give it to an appropriate workshop in order to buffer and polish it. It would be a nice touch upon opening the engine hood to face a polished valve cover. Yiannis, his right hand assistant was also instructed to fit the new heat shield plate in between the exhaust and intake manifolds, ensuring a correct temperatured fuel mixture injected into the cylinders for improved combustion.

The replacement gear box oil pan will ensure stoppage of ATF leakage

Upon inspecting the car underneath, I immediately noticed that the new auto trans oil pan was fitted along with its new gasket and sealing compound. Anticipate that this new part will seal properly the gear box as the old pan was slightly warped and could not contain a minor ATF leak. At the same time I asked Yiannis to make a list of the parts which may be required during the engine re-fitting job, so as to ensure that the car restoration is indeed finished in a professional way. Detailing, detailing, detailing, makes all the difference.

With the car raised I was able to inspect for the first time the wax-tar under-sealing job which was expertly done by A + B FOR CARS the previous week. In the engine bay matters looked good. The engine was in position and most hoses already connected. The water temperature sensor was reported damaged (probably during the removal/refitting of the wiring harness), so most likely I will need to source a new replacement from Germany.

It looks like a complete car again! With engine and ancillaries in position, the end of the restoration work is near!

The engine is back in position; most linkages and hoses have been connected.

The 250 SE/C on the car lift at AUTOHAUS-STUTTGART, receives expert treatment for the mechanical works required.

Upon leaving the premises I was left with the impression that the car will be within few more days able to be started and put back on the road. The machinist shop who will undertake to precision balance the main drive shaft (hoping to cure a vibration noticed at speeds over 80 kph) is closed for summer holidays this period, hence this important task will be done early next week when he reopens.

The next and final two steps of the restoration cum back to the original “Dunkel Blau” color respray would be some detailing for the leather interior, cleaning of the skyline and fitting the additional car parts (mostly rubber seals which were omitted from the first parts order). An important part still missing is the replacement Becker Mexico radio. More on that saga in a forthcoming report.

At this point the repainting project has been completed. Now the car is a Roller! Click here for more details!