Author Topic: 1964 230SL restoration in UK (Read 238165 times)

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #150 on:** August 20, 2015, 05:41:58 »

Much excitement here yesterday. The first batch of parts arrived from the MB dealer, new camshaft, new fuel tank and a few other bits. The new grille surround has turned up and is very lovely, couldn't resist putting it in the hole....

Really gave me a boost, long long way to go before this gets fitted properly though....

Jonny B · « **Reply #151 on:** August 20, 2015, 16:54:33 »

Be sure to keep checking the fit on the grill surround as you complete the body work for that area. The pieces don't always exactly fit. BUT - LOOKS GREAT!

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #152 on:** August 27, 2015, 06:15:29 »

Took my last big batch of chrome to the platers the other day and picked up the second lot that had been done. All looks very nice except for one hubcap that didn't come out too well that I am going to have them do again, and a couple of the trim rings, which were in a pretty poor state to start with have got a couple of small holes in, you have to wonder why they continued with the chroming process.....

They also condemned my rear view mirror housing as being too far gone to do anything with, that's a pain although not really surprising as that was also pretty grotty, so now I have to try and find another mirror.

The new bumpers arrived from K&K too, the fronts look very good, the rears not so much, which to be fair they did tell me, I haven't checked the fit as the body is nowhere near that stage yet, but I am stock piling bits as and when I can.

The chrome on the fronts is fine but the chrome on the rears is lousy and will need to be redone, the rears also seem thinner than the fronts, but my original rears also seem thinner than the fronts, so I guess they were either like that or my rears have had a load of polishing done previously. I sent mine to be redone and had one good front and one good rear, they also all needed a bit of work and think would have only looked so so. I figured this may have been an easier option than trying to find a decent used half bumper, then sending it for chrome, and finding it's no good. K&K also told me that the rears may sit a bit close to the body so I guess if they have to be redone I can maybe tweak the bumper a little bit, I've got some very big hammers I'm itching to use...

It's nice to see a big batch of fresh chrome though.....

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #153 on:** August 27, 2015, 06:24:03 »

On this shipment I also got the new exhaust from Timevalve, It's not quite what I was hoping for but in fairness I'm pretty fussy on exhausts. Stainless steel is not my first choice anyway but the fact that the standard system is a weld together one and untreated mild steel I thought this was a better way to go. I'm not too sure if I will run with this system or not, I may wind up selling it and going the OE route.

So a week of mixed emotions, some highs, some lows....

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #154 on:** August 27, 2015, 06:35:02 »

The rest of the sheet metal arrived from K&K too, In theory I should have pretty much everything I need to get started on the structural repairs now, I had already got floor pans from Mercedes. I still need a couple of oddball repair patches, I am still looking for a donor piece to repair my front grille opening and I also need to get a piece made to fill the speaker holes that the Texas chainsaw guy cut in the rear bulkhead.

I have a couple of small holes in the rear wheel arches and am reserving judgement on those until I start to get into the rear wheel wells. I'll deal with the frame and floors first.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #155 on:** August 28, 2015, 06:11:02 »

An exciting day yesterday.

My 'new' 5 speed transmission turned up on the back of a truck...I have been looking on and off for a Getrag 265 for a while, and have seen some come and go on ebay but never done anything. I had a couple of feelers out but to no avail and then this BMW 628CSi came up for auction so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I hadn't seen the car but I got a friend to check it wasn't the dogleg version and then bid on it for me.

couple of hours later the transmission is out, and the rest of this magnificent cruiser will go on ebay, could backfire on me and I wind up with the worlds most expensive gearbox or it could go in my favour and wind up owing me not too much, I fear it may be the former having had a look at the rest of the car.

So there it is, the elusive Getrag 265 complete with speedo drive and propshaft, all very happy making.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #156 on:** August 28, 2015, 06:21:01 »

But the excitement wasn't over yet....

I had a very busy afternoon with customers arriving and phone calls and barely noticed the arrival of a surprise parcel, I was blown away when I opened it up and saw a pair of euro headlights given to me by a fellow forum member.

Very occasionally something happens that really reinforces you faith in human nature, and this has definitely been one of those moments, certainly shows the camaraderie of the collector car hobby, and also of this forum. So my sincere thanks go to Andrew for this one and in the interests of good karma I will make a donation to the Pagoda SL group.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #157 on:** August 30, 2015, 05:59:02 »

I had a few parts sandblasted with a load of Corvette bits the other day. I had the colour matched on the underside of the transmission mount so I sent that for blasting, along with the seat frames and hinges. I gave them a coat of primer in between trying to finish up the Mustang rear disc conversion, now that's a simple job that has turned in to a massive headache....

I had to weld one of the seat springs back together and that was it. I'll give these a couple of coats of the mushroom colour that I had mixed and box them up for later. The Mustang should be done next Saturday so then we can start Pagoding in earnest....

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #158 on:** September 02, 2015, 05:22:31 »

Got a couple of coats of the mushroom colour on the seat frames and hinges yesterday, will paint the other side today. It is a fraction darker than what was on there but was the closest I could get without getting a custom colour made up and when the two colours are side by side there is barely anything in it.

The 'S' shaped springs were originally black on mine, and the slats were bare metal but masking up and painting the springs a different colour is a bit over the top and a bit pointless really, although I did briefly consider it....I think this is OK.

I also painted the transmission mount underneath, and when the car is painted I will have this piece done body colour on the other side. I will be fitting the Getrag 5 speed so this will not get used but I figured it may as well get painted along with everything else as it doesn't take any extra time and if I have a change of plan further down the line it is ready to go.

I know this is all a bit out of sequence in the game order, but I had them stripped down and some stuff going for blasting so thought I'd take advantage of it. One thing less to do later on too.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #159 on:** September 02, 2015, 05:44:14 »

I am having a lot of trouble deciding on a colour. I know I am still a ways off that but would like to have it resolved in my mind. These are the ones I've narrowed it down to;

387H blue with either red or parchment interior, black or blue soft top, I wondered about a bamboo interior with this colour?

172G anthracite grey with red interior, maybe the 173G non metallic, black or grey soft top

Or, I like the pale green that I have seen on what I think is a press shot but don't know what the colour is.

I am leaning toward the blue with parchment, the red interior might be a little easier for me to live with and keep clean but may be harder to sell should I decide to move the car on. I have always shied away from pale interiors as they just show every little mark and I want to able to use this car but I do think it looks very striking. Centre caps and hardtop would be in body colour I think.

Any thoughts??

batman · « **Reply #160 on:** September 02, 2015, 06:01:02 »

Of them - I prefer 172G anthracite grey with red interior.

I think this colour combination gives the car a real an air of extra class/chicness/expensiveness.

However, I would go a dark red not bright red, maybe burgundy to reduce the blingness.

mbzse · « **Reply #161 on:** September 02, 2015, 06:02:14 »

Quote from: Scottcorvette

.../...Or, I like the pale green that I have seen on what I think is a press shot but don't know what the colour is../...

See this posting, reply 1281 and thereabouts
http://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=18284.msg153137#msg153137
/Hans in Sweden
.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #162 on:** September 02, 2015, 19:21:40 »

Seems my mind is playing tricks on me. I was sure that the seat belt reinforcements were that mushroom colour, but checking back through my pictures tonight seems they were just rusty. I'm sure someone knows what finish these should be, any ideas?

I'm guessing they were maybe yellow zinc/cad?

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #163 on:** September 14, 2015, 21:45:47 »

It's been very busy at work and I have been working late quite a bit recently so haven't had chance to do anything much. I have spent a day or so photographing and cataloging nuts and bolts etc so I can send everything away to be plated and know where everything goes when they come back.

This is where marque expertise comes into its own, if this were a corvette I would be able to look at a bolt and tell you on the car where it goes, most of the time anyway, but on this car for me it is all alien so I am having to note everything as we go on. I struggle a bit with metric sizes too, unf and unc are no problem....but I don't know about these modern millimetres!

I have also been stripping the headlights to assess those and get the rebuild parts ordered. It's all good fun....

waqas · « **Reply #164 on:** September 16, 2015, 18:35:12 »

Quote from: Scottcorvette on September 02, 2015, 19:21:40

Seems my mind is playing tricks on me. I was sure that the seat belt reinforcements were that mushroom colour, but checking back through my pictures tonight seems they were just rusty. I'm sure someone knows what finish these should be, any ideas?

I'm guessing they were maybe yellow zinc/cad?

I don't believe these reinforcement plates are original. The factory actually created reinforced 3-point mounts on the inside of the car, even though belts were not always supplied at the factory. One lap belt mount hole should be on the inner side of the rocker (facing the side of the seat); the other should be located in a similar position on the tunnel. The shoulder mount is located near the top of the B pillar, just below the chrome cover and facing the seat back. Let us know if you can't locate them. You might want to consider removing these plates from the floorpans and using the factory points. These mount points get overlooked because they are usually hidden by the carpets.

By the way, I've been enjoying reading through your restoration thread. Wish I was as far along with mine!

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #165 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:07:21 »

Thanks for that, I'm not as far on as I'd like to be, these pesky Corvettes keep getting in the way!

I'll take a look today for the mounts, I don't recall seeing any other fixings in there.

This is a photo of the mounts from the inside, they had a grey plastic screw in there a s a hole filler, that's what made me think they were factory. They also looked a bit more professional looking than the average seat belt add on, that's not to say someone hasn't put them in there in the last 50 years!

I think I would like to fit 3 point belts in the car, there was nothing in there previously but it feels alien to me to not wear a seat belt now. My only worry about the 3 point belts is it rubbing into your neck because the mount is pretty low down. What are they like?

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #166 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:16:05 »

I was trawling the web a couple of weeks back and I came across a photo of my car in the USA on a dealers website. I made contact with him to see if I could get any background info on my car. I got a nice reply telling me the car belonged to the father of a friend and had been laid up in a mechanics shop since 1995 for unknown reasons. He sent me a load of photos of the car as found and then cleaned up.

I bought the car in Late 2013, and I figure it hadn't long been out of storage and ran through the hands of various dealers, all taking a slice of the pie, until it wound up in the auction in the UK, I would really like to find out a little bit more about the car so I think I will write to the last name on the title and see if I can't find out anything more.

The photos show the car in a pretty sorry state. I paid too much for the car and am now into it for more than the asking price again just in parts, with a long way to go. I'm enjoying the ride though so I guess it must be good for my soul...

Could this be the luckiest Pagoda out there......

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #167 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:21:23 »

A few more.

It is pretty easy for this to happen though. I have a few cars in my shop that have been there for years, usually because of a problem with payment, then when it get's resolved we are busy with other things so it's hard to schedule them back in, then you get worried that you will do a load more work and not get paid so you do something else, and so it goes on.

It's a nice feeling knowing that this old girl is getting another chance though.

JamesL · « **Reply #168 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:41:53 »

You're doing good work there Scott!
Would you have bought it in the original state?

stickandrudderman · « **Reply #169 on:** September 17, 2015, 12:12:07 »

Those seat belt anchor points are not original but are the more common method of retro-fitting.
You should take the opportunity to get rid of them and install proper ones in the correct places.

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #170 on:** September 17, 2015, 19:56:05 »

Stick, I forgot to look at seat belt mounts today but I found these pictures and I definitely don't have the seat belt mounts that I think you are talking about, maybe mine is a rare prototype for seat belt mounts....

If I wanted to fit the factory mounts what is on the backside of the hole, is it just a captive nut welded to the body or is there a backing plate/spreader?

James, I would have still bought the car in that state. it wouldn't have bothered me one iota that it was covered in crap and not running. In fact I would have much preferred it if I had bought it then as it was significantly less money...I guess I am a bit of an oddbod here really as I wasn't looking for one of these cars at the time, I rode in one when I was in my teens on the way to a Corvette meet, and it was very nice but it wasn't something I yearned after, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...I really liked the look of the car and it just kind of got me.

Knowing what I know now though I might not have bought it, the condition is worse than I had imagined. Restoration costs are what they are, and it is as expensive as you want it to be I guess, I baulk a bit at some of the parts prices but I am spoilt by American sports and muscle cars, where parts are readily available and sensibly priced for the most part, once I get over the initial shock though I'm okay with it....

One thing I do like though is that almost everything is available, and most from Mercedes Benz so far, that really turns me on, I am trying to do this with as much OE as possible, and I know it will cost me more and that I am probably being a sucker but I really like it. I got pretty tired of poor quality repro parts with my Mustang project, so this is a breath of fresh air.

Anyway I really like this car, and up to now I have no regrets. I couldn't afford to just go out and buy a car restored the way I would want it done, and to be honest I don't know that I would want to, the pleasure for me really is in the doing, I love the planning, the parts sourcing, and the rebuild itself. Once it is done I don't really know what to do with it and I kind of lose interest. I am hoping though that the Pagoda may well be the answer to all my motoring dreams.....

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #171 on:** September 18, 2015, 06:14:11 »

Well I'm limbering up to kick this rebuild into second gear. It has been almost 2 years now since I bought this car and it has played second fiddle to a Mustang and VW Karmann Ghia, both need a couple of small jobs doing to finish but nothing of any real consequence. So now the Mercedes moves up into number 1 slot!

I'm pretty well on with the parts, there is still a lot more I need but I have made a dent in things. The first job will be to tackle the welding. I am trying to find a reasonably priced spot welder to do some of the body repairs with, I will probably wind up getting a new one, trouble is once this car is done it won't get a lot of use at our place, or at least I don't think it will. I got a plasma cutter last year when I was doing the VW and that has been invaluable at times, I'm sure a spot welder will be too, that's what I keep telling my mother/accountant...

We do a lot of chassis and windscreen frame repairs at our place, so I am fortunate that a lot of these toys are available for my own projects. this is a 1967 Corvette frame that we have just put a new front frame rail in, and replaced the rear body mounts. Ronni did this, her welding is superb.

Anyway I'm pretty excited about it getting it going on now, once I have finished sorting out and listing the nuts and bolts I can get stuck into some sheet metal repair....no doubt 6 months down the line some of this gung ho enthusiasm will have waned...

Oh my plan with the BMW failed miserably by the way, it made a bit over half what I was hoping for on ebay, so I am now the proud owner of the worlds most expensive Getrag....ah well!

andyburns · « **Reply #172 on:** September 18, 2015, 07:35:56 »

Hey Scott. Thought I would just poke my head in and say i think your doing an awesome awesome job. Really hope your love affair with your mistress never wears off. Lol. Shes a keeper.

Liquid silver · « **Reply #173 on:** September 18, 2015, 10:04:57 »

Hi Scott
Great restoration post. I have just bought a 65 Pagoda 230SL and admire what you are doing. If you are interested the guys on the Official MB club and MB Club.co.uk would find your write ups very interesting. If you are not a member of the official club I would recommend you join as you will get discounts on parts and access to the EPC which would be very useful to you at this stage of your restoration. It will be the best £37 that you will spend.
I am also a member of the CCCUK have had 4 Corvettes, surprised we haven't met at a meet some time.
Good luck with your restoration, you have my utmost respect for what you are doing, keep the pics coming.

Paul

Scottcorvette · « **Reply #174 on:** September 19, 2015, 05:20:02 »

Thanks fellas. Nice to get a bit of feedback on this. Good to see you back on the scene Andy, I miss your resto posts, think you need another project...

Paul I only really used to go to the corvette nationals, I didn't make it this year but the focus seems to be more on later cars and I just don't get involved in anything post 1982, be interesting to hear what your thoughts on the Mercedes are compared to the Corvettes you have had. I have a 1962 Corvette and my wife and I drove it to Lemans and back a couple of years ago, it was a bit of a journey with heavy steering, heavy clutch, heavy drum brakes, and a leaky soft top, I love the car though but it is better for shorter journeys and blowing out cobwebs. I am hoping the Mercedes will be a much more relaxing car to do a couple of long trips in. I looked at the planned euro event with a great deal of interest but I am pretty certain mine will be done by then.

I did join the MB club when I went to the NEC, I go the renewal and it kept getting pushed to one side and eventually forgotten, I really ought to rejoin. The value I get from this site far exceeds the joining fee.

so I took a look at my lack of seat belt mounts yesterday, this is what I have. I think the first picture may be the attaching point for a shoulder harness? The second and third show I have nothing in the spots I have seen in other posts on this forum, and the last one shows clearly nothing on the trans tunnel.

The only mounts I have that I think may have been for seat belts is a captive nut on the big crossmember behind the seats which may have been for a lap strap, I didn't look on the inside of the sill to see if there is a captive nut there.

I guess original style retractable 3 point seat belts are going to be made of unobtanium?

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Author Topic: 1964 230SL restoration in UK (Read 238165 times)

batman

Liquid silver