Barn Find

[snowyt 69]

I know you all dream of a barn find, so thought I’d tell you about mine.
A couple of friends of mine were holding a contents sale for a client of theirs. This is what they do for money. One of them took me aside the other day and asked me, “What is a ’69 Mercedes convertible with a hard top and four flat tires worth? Oh. It hasn’t been started in 8 years.”
I told her I would come and have a look at it. Give her my best guess. I went the day before the sale went public. It was a lark. Jack it up, stick my finger through the frame, and figure out what it might be worth in parts.
Car is white. No ugly pools of fluid underneath. Doors open and shut. Seams are straight. None of this matters in Ontario. It is only underneath that the story is told.
Floor jack under the differential and up she goes. It is seriously cold, even by Ontario standards, given that it is late November. I am already freezing.
I crawl underneath, and despite the cob webs, the loose golf balls, tee shirts, and what not, I am taken by surprise.
The underside of the car is as solid and correct as a bank vault.
I spin the rear wheels, and they spin. Get my brother to press on the brake pedal, and they stop spinning. Hmm.
Raise the hood. Oh no! Mr. Squirrel has been living under here for a number of years. There are sunflower shells everywhere. Luckily it appears Mr. Squirrel has been well fed. He doesn’t appear to have eaten into the wiring harness. It doesn’t appear by the way. I am way too cold to do any forensic looking.
Check the dipstick. Oil is present. The expansion chamber on the rad. The fluid is still green. Squeeze hoses and they squeeze.
Teeth chattering, my brother and I figure out how to raise the convertible roof.
Oh no! Mr. Mouse has chewed a hole in it somehow. Nice blue roof before Mr. Mouse ate his hole in it. Original, as is the rest of the car. What used to be the plastic rear window is fragments of dust. Hmm.
Who would leave such a lovely car as this to simply sit and be a home for squirrels? Who would attempt to sell it, even at a garage sale, and not even bother to pump up the tires? Why would you store it, for eight years, with the ruddy top down?
Maybe if I’d been warmer or had a nice rum toddy to calm me down I could have thought clearer.
Instead, I simply bought the car.
Four flat tires. Mouse hole in the top. Sunflower seeds under the hood. Gas tank full of varnish. God knows what else.
‘69 280 SL. Automatic. No air. White on blue vinyl. 180,000 original kilometres. Engine rebuilt 10,000 kilometres ago. No bills to prove anything. European spec.
I’ll keep you posted.

 

[Cees Klumper]

Great story! I hope you warmed up again, I am feeding the wood stove right now, it was around freezing temp in the house when I woke up this morning.

Please do keep us posted, any issues you encounter can be dealt with and all the knowledge is right here. Including lots of posts on what to do and not to do with a car that's been sitting for a long time (although it sounds like you already know quite a bit!).

[Louis]

Look's like a great find !!  Thanks for sharing the story in such fine detail. 

[MichaelB.]

Very cool!

[Ulf]

Congratulations - very spontaneous indeed!

[Dutch Pagode]

Nice find and story!!

Thanks for sharing.

Henri

[joes]

Hey there snowyt69,

With ebay and all of the other "on line" ways to buy a car it's good to see that the odd barn find still exists out there.  Great find and story.
Congrats!!
Joe.

[Peter van Es]

I'll tell you, after the rally I completed this weekend, through unpaved mud roads in the winter in Europe, my car looks worse than yours (but I do know it runs well)! Good luck.

Peter

[badali]

Post some more pictures as you get working.  The car looks like it may be very presentable after some detailing.

[snowyt 69]

Hope this works.
Had an offer to buy Snow White. Until I had it, I didn't realize she was for sale. But anything is possible.
We chose to disagree on price, so up she goes.
On axle stands. I have siphoned out the bulk of the gas. Now I will pull the plug in the tank and check the status of the fuel screen.
I have all winter, so we simply start at the beginning.

[Jordan]

What a great story.  You can't sell the car now or you will lose the story.  I see the MB emblem is missing from the hood.  Have you looked at the numbers stamped on the hood, HT and soft top yet.  The history of something always adds to the story.  Let us know how it goes over the winter, with lots of pictures.
Cheers
Marcus

[JamesL]

Fantastic story and I am sure most of us dream about! I'm jealous!!

At a guess, the front end has had a knock in the past - IIRC the battery box should be a flat black colour, not white (thus less visible through the grille)

[Ulf]

Would it be rude to ask how much you paid for it? If you wish to keep the price a secret, pls don't feel pushed by me to reveal it - I too hate when the first question people ask is "How much was it?" as if was the only measure of such a cars' many virtues...
But the (tall) tales of barn finds usually include a sobbing, old widow who knows nothing about car prices and just want to get rid of it for virtually nothing. Rumor has it that an airline pilot here in Denmark once spotted an Aston Martin DB5 and bought it from the widow for something like USD 6000 - the story is from the late 80's where the classic car market was really booming, think someone even wrote a song about it...I know I would have, had it been me :-)

Ulf

[IXLR8]

I see that you have called your car Snow White.

Reminds me of an old Mae West quote: "I used to be snow white, but I drifted."


Joe

[snowyt 69]

I found the name “Snow White” on the back of the only service invoice that came with the car. An invoice for $9.82 dated 21 August 1997 for an original Mercedes Oil Filter. Great to know the service history is up to date! Another invoice was for $11.87, dated a day later. This covered the cost of 6 liters of oil and a roofing broom. Alas, the roofing broom did not come with the car.

On the back of the oil filter invoice, printed in hand are these instructions.
TO WINTERIZE SNOW WHITE:
1) Fill gas tank
2) 2 squirts of oil in each cylinder. Replace the spark plugs. Do it one at a time!
3) Remove the battery and take it inside.
Good luck.

I thought “Snow White” was a cute name, so I’ve simply kept it.

It has been ferociously cold for this time of year where I live. Daytime highs in the minus double digits, or plus ten Farenheight if you live in the States. I am hoping the temperature moderates as they are supposed to do. Once I have dealt with the status of the gas tank, then I can crank up the space heaters and have a jolly look around.

Car first titled in Ontario on December 29th, 1981. Owner’s name was Burkhard Schoch.
Sold to June G Doherty on June 6th, 1983.
I bought it from June.

Repainted once when the motor was re-built 11 years ago. The original Mercedes white. I will check the paint codes when it warms up. Driven three summers after, then parked till now.

The only identification numbers I have thus far uncovered are the V.I.N. and the engine number.

The V.I.N. is 11304412010359.
The engine number is 13098312006602. It is stamped in the block on the driver’s side underneath the rear spark plugs. There is a plate below this riveted in place, but I can’t make out the numbers on it.

I believe what I paid for the car was commensurate with the risks involved in purchasing it in the first place. I got what I believe was a terrific buy, and if it does not cost me an arm and a leg to get the car to run, shift, stop, steer, (you know, the little things), then I have really scored big time.

No weeping widows or DB5 Aston Martin’s for five hundred Canadian. But I did okay.

I just thought she was way too pretty to be the world’s most expensive squirrel nest.

[Ulf]

Great story, please keep us posted on the progress :-)

[snowyt 69]

I have been puttering away at Snow White.

Today I pulled the drain plug on the gas tank. It is still draining as I type. I thought it would be a geyser. Truth be told, she is sort of being dainty. Who knows what to expect in these matters?
There is a picture here of Benz Doctor’s plug tool. A spark plug socket in reverse. Worked perfectly by the way. I love stuff like this. Thanks Benz Doctor.
The fuel smells not like gasoline at all. But beyond that, there is little to fear in it. I expected golf ball sized particles of rust. There are none. There was approximately 25 litres of fuel in the tank total.
The plug and screen in the pictures I hope will post are just as I have removed them. I have not cleaned the screen, the plug, anything. What you see is what I saw. I love German stuff though. A brass plug! Now that’s class!
I had thought of removing the line to the fuel pump, but there seems little point. I’m just as likely to bust something as uncover some unlikely flaw, so forget it. I’ll still take the line off under the hood and bleed it out before I attempt to start her. I don’t want even a line full of varnish in the mechanical injectors.

I have had a look at the brakes. The rotors are rusted, but only on the surface. All four wheels spin freely in my hand. I have seen worse rust on my old Honda rotors five minutes after I’d wash it.
Not to worry that the $15.00 floor jack in the pictures is the one I actually use.  It takes a serious bit of heft to get the Bus’s rotund carcass in the air.  I have a 3 and ½ ton floor jack. This is how I put things in the air. Works great.
I spent all last night cleaning the residue off the back of Snow White’s hubcaps. Brake dust and lube and who knows what else. No one will ever really notice, or perhaps even care. But I notice. I care.
I am also aware that the differential seal is leaking. I will check the fluid level and top up before driving anywhere. Put on my list.
But I suspect that I might just have bought the family Jack Russell Terrier. You know, the object of real love. Why anyone could park such a delight and simply leave it, roof down, I can only speculate.
But once upon a time, I owned a similar car. A ’66 Porsche 911. 44,000 original miles on it when I sold it in 1996. The longer I owned it, the less I drove it. It was not that I did not love it. Exactly the opposite. I loved it too much to be able to enjoy it. I believe Snow White is a similar car.
I will keep you posted.

[john.mancini]

I love barn find stories. About 25 years ago an elderly woman, who was a patient of mine, asked me if I was interested in buying her late husband's old Corvette, which had been on blocks, in their barn. He only drove it for one year! I went to look at the car that day. It was a 1953 Corvette, the first year of production. Dusty, dirty, with about 2,500 miles on it. It was all there, everything. She told me that her husband and his two brothers ordered three 1953 Corvettes when Chevrolet announced production in 1952. The two brothers were killed in 1953, driving their Corvettes! The husband never drove the Corvette again. Being VERY superstitious, I passed on the Corvette and gave the information to a major Classic Corvette Dealer in Ohio. He bought the car, sight-unseen and sold it immediately. I'll admit, I was probably a little crazy to pass on it, but I probably would have been very nervous driving it.
John

[snowyt 69]

So I shined up the gas tank plug.
Fixed the parking brake. I thought this might be major. It took me 20 minutes from start to finish.  It was out of adjustment. This is getting silly.
Merry Christmas everyone.
May all your dreams come true.

[snowyt 69]

UPDATE

Boy the Germans sure love numbers! They’re everywhere.
Snow White’s transmission is…Teil NR. 113 270 09 07.
Underneath is Aggreagal NR. 00001638.
Stamped in the rubber of the driver’s carpet is 113 68407 30.
There is a stamping on the air filter housing half the length of pi.
Numbers inside the fuel filter housing and if I’m not mistaken, a signature as well.
Decals on the glass alert me to the fact I actually own a Mercedes-Benz.
What a relief! I was beginning to think I’d bought a Saab.

But she sure is cute.

The battery is on the floor of the garage. The plate underneath is in fine shape. A few sunflower shells, but I found those in the air cleaner housing as well. No mouse carcasses to go with the food, so I’m winning.

Air filter itself is brand new and unmolested. Well it’s at least 8 years old, but the car hasn’t exactly been driven.

Fuel filter also brand new. Mercedes original. Lots of numbers.
 
The gas in the filter housing smelled way better than the guck in the tank. Stuff in the fuel filter smelled like, well, gasoline. Although brand new, the fuel filter is going to the dump. New one on order as I type.

The wheels on the car, though all of the same size, do not match. Some have numbers. Some have lots of numbers. Two are painted black. The spare is also black. Two are silver. I guess I got hosed.

I had a moment of uncertainty. I sort of thought when you put an automatic transmission in Park that the rear wheels weren’t supposed to move. I thought this was the point of Park.
Snow White’s moved, by hand.
It must be catastrophic transmission failure.
However, when I crawled under earlier to get the numbers off the transmission plate, I noticed the shift fork wasn’t exactly connected to the shift rod. What used to connect these two parts was now disintegrating into flakes of dust. I suspect these are bushings, perhaps teflon? If these things were once rubber they sure aren’t now. Anyhow, I appear closer to a couple of cheap bushings than I was to a total transmission rebuild a couple of hours ago. This looks like a Mercedes purchase of bushings though. I doubt they sell them at Wal Mart.

When I moved the shift fork (by hand), and placed it over the shift rod, I could no longer move the rear wheels. I had achieved Park.

Buoyed by all this good fortune, I went for the gusto. Snow White has been soaking a month since I bought her. So I stuck a 22 mm box end wrench on the power steering pulley and gave it a tug.
The engine turned over without a single bind.
I turned her through several revolutions.
Plugs out, not too cold, nothing there.
She spins.

Now I still have not attempted to start her. Don’t know the status of the fuel pump, the injector pump, the points and plugs and what not.
But I am thousands of dollars ahead in money, and months ahead in time to simply be where I am today.
I bought a shell of a car. A really nice, solid shell. I knew I could make her live again, given time.
I suppose in the back of my mind I thought I might be buying a car.
But really what I bought was four flat tires and a bunch of sunflower shells.
This is what I bid on.

Supposed to be plus four come the weekend. If so it is the great fluid change. Drain the rad and the block and flush it all out. Out with the oil. Drain the transmission. All of this is done cold. Not the way you want to do it, but the only way I can do it. New fluids, new battery, drain plug in the tank, fresh gas, turn the key and away we go.
My twenty bucks says she fires right up.

[Iconic]

Thank you for this great story.
It is allowing me to relive almost exactly what I experienced 2 years ago. I'm sure it is peaking the memories of many.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but you might have a little problem with the fuel pump. If so, it is a small setback given all of your successes.
I remember the first time I turned the key.
It was a glorious day.
Enjoy this ride and the ride that will follow when you are behind the wheel.

[gugel]

The car sounds great!  A word of caution:  before you try starting the car, I would take the fuel pump (the one back by the tank) apart and clean out the old gummy gasoline.  If you try starting it without doing that, you could well burn out the pump -- and they're expensive.  Ask me how I know.

Chris

[Peter van Es]

The gear lever bushings are a well known problem, and they are cheap (even from Mercedes). Look on the forum and search for gear linkage...

Peter

[snowyt 69]

Gugel/Chris

Thanks for the head’s up about the fuel pump. I will heed your sage advice and remove it/clean it before I proceed with the great first turn of the key. I had thought of doing so, but wondered if I wasn’t more likely to bust it than something be wrong with it. However, as I said, the gas that was in the rear end of Snow White was definitely not gas anymore, and there was a layer of rubberised scum on the flat section of the fuel plug below the screen. This I peeled off with a pocketknife, but should such be the case inside the fuel pump the thing would burn out before the gas even filled the fuel filter canister. On my list.
To everyone on this sight I wish to say thank you. I have motored around and answered most of my questions without having to bother anyone. I am still not adept at posting pictures, but I will figure this out as I go along. I have taken lots. I will post them when I get the method right.
The bushings I need for the shifter are not Teflon. Nylon. $5.50 each. I’m going broke!
Thanks again for all your help, direct or otherwise. Suggestions are welcome. I am listening.

[66andBlue]

Hi,
while you are at it your Snow White needs most likely four new shifter bushings (2x number 786 and 2x number 732 in the attached picture) and perhaps also number 744 although that one rarely is bad.
Keep on posting your musings about Snow White they are fun to read!

[thelews]

There is a picture here of Benz Doctor’s plug tool.

Speaking of Benz Doctor, where is he?

[douglas dees]

Thank you for this great story.
It is allowing me to relive almost exactly what I experienced 2 years ago. I'm sure it is peaking the memories of many.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but you might have a little problem with the fuel pump. If so, it is a small setback given all of your successes.
I remember the first time I turned the key.
It was a glorious day.
Enjoy this ride and the ride that will follow when you are behind the wheel.

My 69 280SL that sat in the Beaches in Toronto outside for 4 years had the gas lines blown out and injection pump cleaned as well as the gas tank and pump. All fluids/filters  were changed. Compression was 40 lbs due to a spun bearing. Hope yours is good to go
Doug Dees
Toronto

[snowyt 69]

So I have had more time to look around.
Bought a battery and a 14 mm Allen wrench to drain the oil today.
Drained the oil (cold). The oil cooler (cold). The transmission is drained. Will drain the rad and the block tomorrow. Also cold. It’s not like I am in any position to start the car.
Looked real hard at the fuel pump, and listened to what she said.
“Touch me at your peril.”
For the first time I have seen evidence of Snow White’s real age. The fuel pump is obviously the original. I could take it out, take it apart, but to what end? I am sure to bust the gas line, as it is fraught with rust. Replace all the seals only to find it leaks. So I’m rolling the dice. Again. I’m leaving her alone. My twenty says she functions as she is. If not, I have lost nothing. I am sure to ruin what is here in the first place. If she functions, I have won. If she doesn’t, it is simply the inevitable.
I took the gas line off the pump, and I had a good jolly sniff at the results. I smelled…gasoline.
Not the varnish that was in the tank.
This was gasoline.
You must understand. Snow White was a functioning entity the day she was driven into the garage and simply parked. Top down. For eight years.
So the grunge that accumulated in the fuel tank was never distributed to the rest of the car. Where is the fuel pump? Twelve inches away by line from the tank? What would it take, a simple turn of the key?
This never happened. I was told this never happened, and laughably enough I believed the story.
As far as I can determine, I am not wrong in my beliefs.
I will keep you posted.

[Bob Killam]

+Sounds like Your having To Much Fun!!   
10 years ago I went through A similar experience not as bad as yours, Mine was in heated storage since 83,Someone ahead of Me had tried to fire it up with partial susses, Three cylinders was all she had,This was in A machine shop storage area where the owner parked it and bought His wife A new car.Origanally it was not for sale.Saving for his son I believe,Ten years ago they opened it up for bids but did not advertise it,My son works there and told me about it as we had talked about the car many times as we both knew it was there.The shop is Berkshire Ind. in Westfield Ma.
    I was employed there when the car was originally bought new,Some jerk who worked in the office there put in A Battery and fuel and went for it.The old Girl told him to never go near it again when he offered 500 bucks for it I inherited the Battery.What I started to tell you was that some of the pistons in the injector punp were stuck.After freeing those Up I had all 6 cylinders purring,12000 Miles later the Fuel Pump.Injector Pump,Tranny and engine are as they were when I bought It,
  Good Luck
  Bob k  The 113 is A 250 Auto with 145000 miles

[snowyt 69]

SNOW WHITE RAD BLOCKAGE

It has been real warm here the last couple of days, plus 9 Celsius, so I figured I’d drain the rad and the block.
The rad drained no problem, but I found some suspicious bits of coagulated stuff in the run off. Hmm.
Pulled the plug in the block and got similar results. Hmm.
So I started removing hoses. I removed the lower rad hose first from the inlet to the block.
The entire opening is plugged by what used to be Prestone. It’s a solid mass by now, the consistency for the most part like rubberized sugar cubes.
Pulled the upper rad hose and fluid ran out. Real live green fluid.
Pulled the hose off the thermostat, removed the four 10 mm studs, and then had to beat the daylights out the housing with a hammer and a sturdy two by four before it would let go. I know it is made of aluminium. But sometimes cooing endearments just doesn’t cut it in the real world of auto mechanics.
Got the cover off and found the thermostat covered to the rafters in goo. Fished out the sealing ring, and removed the thermostat. Cleaned in the laundry tubs inside. A quick run to the stove in a pot of water to see if it works. It does. A Mercedes original thermostat by the way. Lots of numbers and the three pointed star too.
So how insidious is this corruption of coolant? I do not know. How clogged is the block? The rad? Everything?
Again, I do not know.
I scraped out the worst of the blockage in the inlet pipe with a long handled, fine tipped slot head screw driver. Nice to know they still have some use.
Then I did what I could think of. I put a really high test wet vacuum hose on the lower rad intake housing to the block. Fit perfectly by the way. Spun the vacuum up on high, and flushed the thermostat housing from above. Then, getting my son to put his hand over the opening to the thermostat housing, I reverse flushed the block from below. My thinking was that all this grot must have settled from above. Gravity and what not. So I flushed it out backwards. Made sense to me. I fired five gallons of hot water through the drain plug in the block, and sucked it out from above. I thought this a good start.
The next day I bought High Test Block flush stuff from the local parts shop. Filled, waited, and flushed. The block ran clean and drained itself in no time.
I have filled the block with fresh anti-freeze. The unanswered question is how much of this goo is in the water pump? I can not say. But I took the worst of the sugar cubes from the inlet pipe and sat them in clear water over night. They appear to be reverting to their natural state, which is liquid.
So I thought, instead of ripping out the rad, the fan, the water pump and everything, why not just reverse flush out the worst of the goop, fill the whole thing up with lubricant (rad fluid) and see what happens?
Sounds like a plan to me.
I’ll keep you posted.

[snowyt 69]

SNOW WHITE ENERGIZED

Cleaned the modest amount of shells off the battery shelf. Scraped what little residue from old battery was there. It's really pretty solid. I would say it was a rusted out piece of junk if it was.
Slid my brand new battery into place. I knew it would fit simply because I took the old one to the parts place and measured them both. The old one cleared the oil cooler line and no more. The new one is somewhat smaller, so it was a piece of cake.
I energised Snow White and had a look around.
The starter motor works. The engine spins freely.
The lights all work. Low beams, high beams, marker lights. Turn signals left and right. The left rear taillight does not light up. Nor does the right rear license plate light. I suspect this is bulbs and will attend to them.
The horn honks.
The wipers wipe.
The radio works.
The heating fan functions on all speeds.
The gauges all light up.
None of this surprises me by the way. I honestly believe that when I bought her, Snow White wanted to live. To function as she is supposed to. To be the car she was built to be.
To be truthful, this is why I bought her in the first place. I was so cold I couldn't even think. But she talked to me back then in the garage with her four flat tires and a mouse hole in her top.
“I am,” she said. “I can be again. Trust me.”
So I did. And thus trust is what the story is all about.

[snowyt 69]

ME AND MR. FUEL PUMP

Have not been getting along.
Having filled the lovely Snow White with fresh oil and a filter, fresh transmission oil (no filter. Dropping the pan comes later.), a new steering pump filter and the block with fresh Prestone, it was time to add fresh gasoline and check out the status of Mr. Fuel Pump. Nothing but the best for Snow White. $1.35 a litre for the highest of high tests. $5.40 a U.S. gallon.
Got my son to twist the key while I waited for the gallon a minute flood into my catch bucket.
Nothing happened.
Got him to try again. And again.
Okay that’s it.
I’ve already checked the fuse. Now maybe it’s the wiring to the pump, but I think it’s Mr. Fuel Pump.
Reluctantly I begin the task of removing Mr. Fuel Pump. I bust off the red electrical lead nut in all of ten seconds. Can’t even get a grasp on the brown one, as the nut is so corroded. No force in the universe is going to remove the fuel line nut, so I remove the downstream fuel line at the clamp. Take off the three eight-mm nuts holding the pump to the bracket no problem, and drop this insidious piece of machinery on the floor.
Bench-test the pump inside. Nothing.
Having read the detailed fuel pump disassembly procedure on this board, I begin by busting off the first of the three slot-headed nuts holding the “can” in place. With Mr. Vice Grip. Actually get the other two out threads and all, so think I’m winning. Although Mr. Can is supposed to come out with a gentle tug, Mr. Can has had 42 years to get solidly rusted in place, so I beat the daylights out of it with a hammer and a really sharp cold chisel, and it finally lets go.
Fiddling around with what I have found, the brown electrical connection just sorts of falls out of the can. I figure it is supposed to. I don’t exactly take Mercedes fuel pumps apart everyday.
I fiddle and whack and bust more bolts, generally having a great time. Machines are fascinating and intricate. It is a wonder they even get us to the end of our respective driveways.
In the end I determine that the sole likely reason Mr. Fuel Pump no longer functions is because the microscopic connection to the brown electrical lead has come adrift. There is nothing else in the fuel pump amiss. No grunge. No build up of any crud. The vanes on the pump itself are perfect.
I could re-build it. I just might. But in the meantime I will look for a solid used pump. Bolt it in and see what happens. Remember I still don’t know what lurks further up the food chain. But one thing I know is that if it’s not getting gas, it’s not going to start. 
Mr. Fuel Pump-The Sequel. Coming to a message board soon.

[badali]

This is a great story so far.  Keep it going.  I enjoy the reading.
Brad

[Peter van Es]

How much fuel is in the tank? If it's only a gallon it won't go....

I presume you've read the Fuel section of the Technical Manual thoroughly?

Good luck!

Peter

[snowyt 69]

MR. FUEL PUMP-THE SEQUAL

Unable to find a suitable pump at either Wal-Mart or Dollerama, I was forced at great expense to procure a new one. I did find a used one, but it was going to be $425.00 delivered to my door, and a new one was only $622.00 (plus 13 per cent tax and delivery). I thought the difference in price favoured the new one, which comes with a 24-month warranty. Brand new Bosch. The short pump. The exact match to the original pump in the car.  Bright and shiny.
I bought a full set of fitted hoses at the same time. New belts. Fitted them all. New clamps. Not Mercedes original clamps. Hey, a clamp is a clamp in my book.
Hoses were really all fine, save for the by-pass hose (the fat one) beneath the thermostat housing. Not confetti but filled with crud. I cut it off and replaced it.
The alternator belt looked like it had about two turns left in it before it fragmented to dust. The power steering belt was perfect.
Re-filled the gas tank with 35 litres of high test (approximately 9 U.S. gallons). Twisted the key and listened with glee as my really expensive new fuel pump fired to life. Watched with dismay as it pumped fuel out the top of the fuel filter at the bolt hole. Hmm.
Removed the bolt, cleaned up the mating surfaces and the really tiny copper sealing ring, and put everything back in place. This attention to detail seemed to make Snow White happy. No leaks.
So away we go.
Roused my brother from his flu-induced stupor and told him today was the day. Coughing and grumbling, but with a promise of coffee and beer he headed down.
Trouble light burning, space heaters working their magic, it a balmy -1 outside (hey, it was -20 yesterday), I stepped inside the lovely Snow White and twisted the key.
I had butterflies. I felt like a kid on Christmas Day.
Snow White turned over exactly twice and fired instantly to life. Her last plate ran out in February 2002. So figure she has been parked since September of 2001. Ten years give or take.
And when I say instantly, I mean INSTANTLY. On all six cylinders. With a graceful puff of blue smoke, which was the half a gallon of penetrating oil I’d squirted down her cylinders a month and a half ago.
I stared at my brother. He stared back.
“Well crap Hank (his name is not Hank. It is a term of endearment) that was easy.”
Before she tossed a rod, ejected a spark plug, or otherwise mis-behaved, I filled the expansion tank with high test rad flush and water, and then simply fiddled with the throttle linkage until the motor came up to temperature. She wasn’t exactly happy at idle, settling in at a rough 800 RPM. But she idled at this and didn’t stall. Settled in just north of 80 degrees on the gauge. Remember this is Celsius degrees.
Shut her off. Waited for her to cool. Drained the rad. Filled with water and started the process again. Shut her off, let her cool, then I drained both the rad and the block. Checked the fluid for crud, blobs of solidified coolant, the works, and found nothing.
Filled her up with fresh Prestone, circulated it about, and shut her down.
Now she goes back to sleep.
It does Snow White no favour to idle her on her blocks. What she really needs is go for a run. Stretch her pretty legs and fly.
This I will do in the spring. When the roads are clear of the salt and snow that covers them now.
Start and run I have achieved. No comes Shift. I have the bushings. I will peruse the board and figure out how to remove the carpet without damaging it. This is important. It is the original carpet. As much as possible I want to preserve Snow White, warts and all, just as I found her.
With special thanks to Benz Doctor, who walked me through the start up procedure on email. I had it pretty much figured out, but I missed a couple of steps, and for your help Dan I thank you.
I’ll keep you posted on what comes next.

[badali]

Removing the carpet is simple as the hump pieces is just held in by gravity.  It may be a little stuck to the floor from sitting but careful lifting will loosen it.  There are 4 bolts holding the shifter assembly.  The bushung under the car if disconnected will allow you to pull the shifter from above.  A little twist maneuver and it will slide out.  Press in new bushings at each point and reinstall connecting the lower one back to the transmission last.  An hour or so job.

[thelews]

Sounds great and you're smart to not further start it until you can drive.

Yes, Dan has always been a big help.  He and Joe know these cars better than anyone. 

Where is he?

[Iconic]

Thank you for this great story.
It is allowing me to relive almost exactly what I experienced 2 years ago. I'm sure it is peaking the memories of many.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but you might have a little problem with the fuel pump. If so, it is a small setback given all of your successes.
I remember the first time I turned the key.
It was a glorious day.
Enjoy this ride and the ride that will follow when you are behind the wheel.

I'm quoting myself. How often does that happen? 
What a glorious day !
Enjoy the successes !
Since it starts, runs, and idles, you just confirmed the functioning of many parts and systems !
Congratulations !! As soon as that weather breaks, I know you'll be driving.

[snowyt 69]

MORE MUSINGS

It snowed quite heavily in the night here in Toronto, so I got up early and cancelled my jobs. This is one of the things I like about working for myself. 5 centimetres are quite enough to turn the roads into a two hundred square kilometre demolition derby. We got 20 in the night. The media termed it “Snow-pocalypse.” I’m not kidding. This is Canada for crying out loud, but I guess you have to sell newspapers somehow.
Anyhow, as it was a snow day, I fired up the space heaters and had a go at Snow White’s transmission shifter.
Many thanks badali. Although perhaps at one point held in place by glue (there was stuff that looked like glue on the back of the carpet), it did pull out just as you said. I had to tug on it a bit and work at it with a scraper, but in the end it came out in one piece and I didn’t tear it into shreds.
I spent the most time getting the shifter knob off. I could tell that it was simply a press fit, but it sure didn’t want to let go, and I was reluctant to hit it with a sledgehammer. In the end a little WD-40 and a modest application of heat from my heat gun was all it took. Might have come off easier in the summer, but realise that even with the heaters cranked up it is maybe plus 5 in my garage (40 degrees F). So you want to be gentle, especially with plastic.
Getting the shifter out took all of ten minutes. This is really a delightful car to work on. Not only is she simple and honest and straightforward, but the lack of rust makes everything a treat.
Hustled inside to the real warmth of my downstairs laundry room, broke out my cleaning pan and brushes and Varsol and had a jolly scrub down.
I believe the bits of confetti that fell off are what are left of the 732-shifter bushings that 66andBlue warned me about. I don’t have these in stock, so will have to order them. It’s not like I’m in a hurry. I’m not about to pop on a set of tire chains and see how the lovely Snow White runs.
I pulled up the rest of the carpets so I could have a look at the floors. Well, not just a look actually. I took a hammer to them. No, I did not wail it with all the force in the universe. A simple tap here, there, and everywhere. Metal rings. Rust is a thud. Happily, all I heard were rings.
This being out of the way with, it was downstairs to spark up the steam machine and clean the carpets. The passenger side carpet is beyond repair, as Mr. Mouse has had his way with it. The transmission hump carpet, and the driver’s floor carpet cleaned up just great. They are dark blue, the colour of the seats and the convertible top, which sadly Mr. Mouse had his way with too. On my list in the future to replace.
I called up the kindly people in Irvine, California to request a Data Card for Snow White today. Much to my surprise the charming woman on the phone told me such a card was free. Free! So I said I’d take ten. She laughed as she was supposed to. When it comes I’ll check out numbers and see what I’ve bought.
A question to you all. When I removed the oil plug from Snow White, it was painted a lurid blue. Over-spray on the oil pan. I noticed the same blue paint on my new fuel pump. Does this signify a replaced/re-built item? I took pictures of the oil plug before I cleaned off this offence. The blue over-spray is still on the oil pan. This was obviously deliberate. The rest of the block is painted black.
Again, I thank you all for the many posts I have read, and for the information I have received. It has made the task of bringing Snow White back to life way easier than a Haynes Manual, which never tells the whole story.
I’ll keep you posted.

[snowyt 69]

DATA CARD

As delivered and according to the data card this is what I bought.
Engine: 130983-12-006602
Check.
Transmission: 001348
Oops. Mine is 001638. Exactly 290 transmissions later down the line. My guess, given the alacrity that these cars were being built in 1969 is that Snow White rolled off the line with a faulty transmission. That two weeks of build time later she was fitted with the transmission she now wears. Only a guess.
717- Paint, Papyrus White
Check
135- Interior Trim, MB-Tex Blue
Check
401- Single seats
Check
426- Mercedes-Benz power steering and automatic transmission with floor shift
Check
431- Safety belts front
Check
463- Hazard warning light with headlamp system
Check
514- Becker radio Europa
Check
680- D- sign
I guess
254- Elimination of lettering "Automatic"
Check
744- Folding top fabric, Dark Blue
Check
836- Fire Extinguisher
Where is it? I got hosed!

So, basically speaking, she is what I thought she was. A few numbers amiss on the transmission, but otherwise of a piece.
Have been spending my time while I await parts rubbing her down with Maguire’s most gentle of rubbing compounds. Went around the whole car, with special attention to the chrome and bright work, which was seriously pitted from neglect. Came up so well I yanked off the rear bumpers (4 17 mm bolts), so I could get to the parts I missed. Was coming up so well I simply went round again. Everywhere.
Nice re-spray on the paint. Not a drool anywhere. Some issues, which only if you’ve been looking at the paint under a microscope (which I have) you would even notice. Terrible job of taping it off. Over-spray basically everywhere. I will correct this.
It is two months till spring. Propane for the heaters is cheap.
And when the day comes that I lower her off her blocks and actually take her for a ride, Snow White is going to wear one fine set of clothes.
Am still waiting for the bushings to put the transmission shifter back together. When they come, I get to find out if Snow White actually SHIFTS. I’m sure she will. It was start and run that was major.
Got Dave my man down at the tire place to quote me on a set of tires. 195/75/R14’s. $440.00 plus tax (add 13%), less $40.00 if I buy them after March 15th. Well, it’s not like I’m in any big hurry. There’s a foot and a half of snow on the ground, and more on the way. Winter is actually behaving like winter down here.
Other than the tires, I need only a new convertible roof. I actually think the brakes will function. I actually think the car will shift. I can not be sure of any of this, but will wait until the snow and the salt are gone in the spring before I drive the car and confirm my suspicions.
I can only track the last thirty years of this car’s ownership. Since June and Bob owned it.
When I raised the convertible roof that cold November day when I bought the car, and found the mouse hole chewed in it, Bob was aghast.
“How did that happen?” he asked.
“Mouse,” I replied. “How long has it been since you put up the top Bob?”
He looked left and right, pondering. Finally all he said was, “Never.”
“Bob,” I said, freezing. “You’ve owned the car for thirty years. What did you do when it rained?”
“Oh, we simply took the Lexus. We never drove Snow White if we thought it would rain.”
I’m not making any of this up. This is the straight dope, and explains why Snow White is so tight and rust free.
Given this information, you’d think the windshield wiper motor would be seized solid.
It’s not. Works happily on both speeds. German stuff.
So away we go. Shifter bushings. Tires. A new roof.
And then a Papyrus White, seriously shiny 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Pagoda is going to join the ranks of the living. I am not restoring her, as she does not need it. I am simply resurrecting her, massaging her, and correcting what needs correcting.
Very soon she will be exactly as she was when I first saw her covered in dust and mouse shells. I saw the dust. I saw the mouse shells. But I saw something else. I saw a car calling out to be recognized, a car that spoke to me, a car that almost said please.
Snow White need never plead. I would not hear of it from such a fine machine.
Freezing cold, I touched her grubby flank and talked to her. Literally. And this is what I said.
“I do not know who you are or what you have been through. But being a mouse nest is beneath you. I will bid what I can, and if it goes well, I will bring you home and bring you back to life.”
My bid hit the mark, the tow truck rocked, and I am mere weeks from fulfilling my promise.
And so the story goes.

[Larry & Norma]

Wow - can't wait for the movie..

[Jordan]

Great story thus far.  You should have someone in the passenger seat to film your reaction when you take it for its first drive.  

When you checked the wipers did you also check the wiper fluid pump?  I am in the process of replacing mine.  Doing a bit a refitting because my 230SL comes with a shield over the pump and the new ones are not made for this.  What make tires are you putting on? 

[49er]

I too have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts about your resurrected "Snow White". I bet you can hardly wait to your great automobile back on the road. Spring will soon be here


John

[Louis]

This W113 has gotten lucky .....

[snowyt 69]

BENZ DR.

Oh Dan is alive and well. We had been emailing one another about parts I need and the state of Snow White. He said he was coming to town this weekend and would drop by at some point. Showed up at my door today. I had sort of assumed he would call before he came, he sort of assumed I knew he was coming, so I was at my son’s music lesson when he rang me on my cell phone from the phone in my kitchen. We got this mis-communication sorted out in all of ten seconds, and I sent him downstairs in my house to find the guts of the shifter assembly in the laundry room. Told him I’d be home in an hour.
I rolled in the drive in the Sewing Machine exactly an hour later to find Dan in my garage with the shifter assembly already together. He’d had a pleasant gander at Snow White without my prying eyes by this time. I’d never met Dan by the way, but I liked him immediately. He was much as I pictured him.
I cranked up all the space heaters on full, as though not unpleasantly cold this isn’t exactly Florida where I live. We got to work.
The first order of business was to hook up the transmission shifter. This took about ten minutes, mainly because every time I climbed under the car I didn’t have the right wrench/screwdriver/whatever for the task. I should have taken all the tools; but then again, I should have been born a mechanic.
Got this done and then cranked Snow White to life. She was a tad crabby and cantankerous, farted to life and settled into her loopy idle.
“Runs pretty good for a five cylinder car,” Dan said drolly. “Shut her down. I will fix.”
And thus began what I can only describe as a five hour long performance of mechanical ballet.
Now I am what I will call, without any condescension, a skilled garage mechanic. My peers think me a wizard, but that is only because they don’t know one end of a spark plug from the other. I am skilled, and eventually I will figure out just about anything. But in the presence of a real mechanic I will simply watch in awe.
Today I watched in awe as Dan, Benz Dr. to you all, worked his magic on the lovely Snow White.
He was not happy first with the throttle linkage, so he ripped it off the car, stuck it in my vice, and wished he’d brought an 8-mm wrench. Well, I had one, and dug it out for him. He fiddled and adjusted, we cranked Snow White to life, and she ran lousy.
“Wish I had an Ohm meter,” lamented Dan, frowning mightily at my spark plug wires. So I went and got him mine. They were fine.
“Must be this!” wailed Dan. It wasn’t. “How about that?” It wasn’t. He cranked the injection pump adjuster valve twenty turns, screwed the idle adjuster up to about two grand, and Snow White fired happily to life. On five, and then without warning, on all six cylinders.
“Well, except for the fact all the settings are retarded, we’re getting somewhere,” said Dan. He winked at me and stared at my motor.
Reaching down he touched some obscure hose. Felt the rad. Grinned to beat the band.
“I’ve got it! This hose/valve/system is plugged. I must fix at once!”
I handed him every tool in my arsenal to no avail.
“If only I had an oxygen/acetylene torch this would be a piece of cake,” Dan lamented
Luckily I have one. I just had to go and get the hoses, which were where we weren’t.
Armed with heat and enough tools to build the CN Tower, the part was off in two minutes.
“Too bad we don’t have any Silicone Blue sealant.”
I had some of course.
We had to pause for dinner, simple fare but lots of it. Dan went wild for the chocolate sauce on his ice cream for dessert.
Back to the garage, where parts were flying left right and centre. Finally found what Dan was looking for, a blockage in the coolant system around the intake manifold. On the right front side of the car where all the other blockages were. Dug out the worst of this stuff with a screwdriver then flushed it all in the laundry tub downstairs.
“Now she will run like she’s supposed to,” Dan assured me.
Back to the garage, wrenches flying, Dan calling out for this, that and the other thing, which of course I have.
Sparked up the lovely Snow White and she fired instantly to life.
“That’s no bloody good,” announced Dan. “Too rich.”
Fiddle.
“Too lean.”
Fiddle. Fiddle. Fiddle.
“Put her in gear and stomp on the brakes.”
Some serious grinding noises from the back.
“Have you got any lug nuts?”
Is the Pope Catholic?
“Stomp on the brakes. Put her in gear.”
The tach never moves.
“I love it!” Dan announces. It is almost 10 PM. A fine white mist of exhaust is filling the night behind the open garage door. Dan steps into it and takes a mighty sniff.
“Ah, the smell of a Pagoda that is running right. It is unmistakable when you know what to smell.”
I step into the mist and give it a sniff. It smells like a GM car with a bad catalytic converter.
“That’s how it’s supposed to smell?” I ask Dan.
“Trust me,” is all he says.
And I do.
Up on her blocks we admire the lovely Snow White, purring away like a kitten. She never hesitates, never stumbles. This is going to be one fun day in the spring.
But I have to ask the question.
“So what do you think Dan? I mean, you know way more about these cars than I do. I’ve never owned a Mercedes before. What do you think of Snow White?”
“You want me to be honest?”
“Of course.”
“I thought when I read your posts that you were somewhat knowledgeable about what you were doing. I admired your love of your car, but figured that you like almost all my clients overstated the importance of their car simply because they owned it. I had a pretty good look around before you even got home.”
“And?”
“And Pagoda’s rust here. They rust there. I checked. I was sort of surprised to find that you were right. I thought, if this thing runs half as good as the frame, then this is one seriously lovely mouse nest.”
We had a laugh at that. 5 hours of artistry later, Snow White ran as she is supposed to run.
I will meet Dan again I’m sure. The food here is good, and the company is better. He will always be welcome in my house.
His love of these cars is obvious. His skill is obvious. I made a new friend today.

[dtuttle123]

Great writing style!!   Somewhat a cross between a detective and a victorian romance novel!  I especially enjoyed these lines in this chapter:

I step into the mist and give it a sniff. It smells like a GM car with a bad catalytic converter.
“That’s how it’s supposed to smell?” I ask Dan.
“Trust me,” is all he says.
And I do.

[Louis]

Benz Dr to the resue.  Nothing beats a skilled hand !!!! 

[GTMSJ]

This has been a great read...the suspense inherent in your writing style is a wonderful accoutrement to this site. I can't wait for the next installment!

[J. Huber]

I didn't know the Dr. made house calls...

(Dan, Dan, the West Coast beckons...)

Thanks Snowy

[thelews]

Excellent read. 

Yes, Dan knows his stuff.  Too bad he's been so absent of late.  What gives?

Can't wait to read the prose and poetry of the spring drive.

[snowyt 69]

The Saga Continues

Work on Snow White now comes down to the bits and pieces. The windshield washer pump is indeed seized, so I have ordered another one. This is the only part left to function that must in order for Snow White to pass an Ontario Safety Standards Certificate. I am still assuming the brakes will function and that she will drive down the road in basically a straight line. All of this is still in the future, as it continues to snow down here, and with the snow comes the salt on the roads. Only when the snow is gone and the salt has been washed away by the spring rains will Snow White come off her blocks and go for a drive. Then I will know for sure.
In the meantime, there is much to do. I took the hard top off and carted it into my basement. The underside is stained with neglect, having spent the last thirty years on a shelf in a garage. Not bad really, but needs attention. On My List.
I raised the convertible top, not because I wanted to look at the top itself, which I already knew was toast owing to a serious mouse hole. But I wanted to assess the frame. It seems of a piece and to function, though a little stiff after thirty years in the boot. Plus it is still a tad cold here, so I didn’t really want to do anything radical. But I straightened it out, the rubbers look pretty good, and it is neither bent nor rusty. The springs are all in place. I checked.
Next I took the seats out of the car. 4 10 mm bolts each. It is way easier to clean them inside where it is warm than in the car and besides, this allows me a look at the floors and what not.
The floors are hit them with a hammer solid. I know this because I hit them with a hammer. I was listening for a ring, and a ring is what I heard.
Everything was going so well I decided to drop the interior light out. This took ten seconds to figure out. The bulb was burned out.
Yet when I dropped the housing down, a shower of shells and crap fell out with it.
In this moment I was seized with a profound sadness. I have been dealing with shells and neglect since the day I bought the lovely Snow White, but this moment took me by surprise.
I sat staring at this pile of stuff for many moments. I was not sure what I was feeling.
Then it became clear. I was angry. I was mad. A silly light housing seemed to sum it all up.
Snow White is not a mouse nest. How could she have come to be a mouse nest? How could anyone have allowed this to happen?
“What were you thinking?” I asked aloud. “Don’t you get it? Cars like this don’t exactly grow on trees! You had something special in the palm of your hand, and this is what you did?”
I gathered myself up, and patted the lovely Snow White’s fender.
“This is a travesty my friend,” I told her. “This should never have happened. None of this should have happened. You should have been celebrated all along.”
I put a new bulb in the socket and it worked of course. Everything works. This is not a mouse nest. This is a car.
Bit by bit, I will undo all that has been done. Bring her back to life. This is not some rusted out bucket of bolts.
This is Snow White.
And eight weeks from now, she is going to sing again.

[Ulf]

You should seriously consider writing something - a novel, a movie, an article - just write something!
I really hope that spring comes to you soon, you must feel like a penniless kid outside a candy store

Keep the saga coming :-)

Ulf

[thelews]

Hi Snow,

Are you going to remove all of the underdash panels to check for more nest feathering?

Any pictures?  Especially of the blockage.

Thanks,
John

[Peter van Es]

You should seriously consider writing something - a novel, a movie, an article - just write something!

Pagoda World ? For all out benefits!

[snowyt 69]

Rad Blockage And Other Thoughts

Am I going to drop the dash panels and check for mouse evidence? I sort of hoped I wouldn’t have to, but the way things are going, I just might.
I have to take the driver’s door panel off, as the driver’s window will not go all the way down. Dan tells me there is some trim bit that has fallen off and is jamming things, so this procedure is on my list. If I find mouse shells in there, I just might go completely off the deep end.
I showed Dan the picture of the rad blockage. He went, “What is that?” Like me, he’d never seen such a sight before. I tried to post the picture, as I thought it would be of use to anyone who might, like I have, found a Pagoda that has been sitting for a considerable length of time. I tried re-naming the picture, re-sizing the picture, emailing it to myself and up-loading it, but my inability to make it post frustrated me so I simply gave up. I will simply post the whole lot on youtube in the spring. This process takes all of five seconds, and I can post all five hundred images at once.
I have been writing since I was twelve years old. Wrote my first of many novels at 19. Shopped it around to no takers. Re-read this act of genius when I was about 27 and was appalled by how bad it was. So I burned it in my fireplace.
Wrote so many words on my Smith/Corona (this is before the computer by the way), that the keys fell off! I could not help myself. I simply like to write.
I felt bad for the trees that died to produce the paper for my first manuscript. But along the way, I wrote some pretty interesting stuff. The best of it I still have. Would I like to share it? Of course. But in order to share it I still need what I always needed, and that was to get lucky. I have no clout in the publishing world. No contacts. No pedigree. An editor’s desk is snowed by a million submissions a day, most of which are garbage. They tend to be a tad jaded.
But, as the saying goes, I’m not dead yet.
I write to you the story of Snow White, and it is a true story by the way. What I have told you is what I have felt and done, from the beginning.
It is my belief that all I am doing is putting into words what many of you feel about your cars. I look around this sight, I glean information, and I get help from people I will never know. For all of this I am grateful.
I love machines, all machines, and have since I was a kid. I have been taking apart everything in my path since I was four years old. But most of all I love fine machines. Snow White is but the latest in my path.
I will put her back together. Rid her of neglect. Make her sing like she is supposed to.
And in singing, she will sing for all of you.
The song you feel, but simply do not know how to type.

[J. Huber]

While we are on the idea of removing your under dash panels. One thing you must check -- and if I have a captive audience because of this fine thread, all the better -- you must check the small drain hoses that run from the cowl vent at the base of the windshield, through the dash and out the firewall. These are often deteriorated and outside water will quickly become inside water. The result is usually rusted floorboards. Don't ask...

[Bonnyboy]

Hey Mister Snow White.  Love your comments and would love to purchase the story of your find when you put it all together.   I too have a Fairy Tale character which I have named Benita the Sleeping Beauty.    She is still sleeping, north of the 54th parallel, and has been for the past 15 years.  I expect a similar awakening process which will have to be done with the utmost care so as not to scare her.  I feel like the Beast from Beauty and the beast - what if she doesn't like me when she wakes up.  I know I don't deserve her but I hope she falls for me the way I have been smitten with her for the past 3 years. 

Now that she is paid for, the next step is to gingerly lay her on a trailer and bring her to her new home sometime this year.   

Best of luck,  I hope to be writing a similar story next spring.  In the meantime - let me know how much for a signed copy of your Snow White - it would look great sitting under my print from Guy Allen.

Ian in North Vancouver

[snowyt 69]

IAN

Many thanks for your offer to purchase the story of Snow White. Now all I have to decide is whether to hold out for a toonie, or simply flog the story for a buck.
With regards to Benita the Sleeping Beauty I can only wish you well. She can not help but return your affection, just so long as you prove yourself worthy by a shower of love and buckets of money. Especially buckets of money!
The saga of Snow White is a different one for me. Ordinarily, such a purchase I would not touch with a ten-foot pole. It is easier, and way more expedient, to simply buy another man’s pride and joy, which for whatever reason he can no longer support. You know. The Pagoda he has spent a hundred thousand dollars and ten years of his time on, only to find the market cratering, his wife complaining, and a divorce looming. After he tires of the time wasters on Ebay, you show up at his door with 30 grand in cash and walk away with a prize.
Normally, this is how I would go about such a purchase.
But Snow White was not a normal purchase.
Not only did I not have the slightest intention of buying her, I didn’t even know what she was till I showed up at the door. I knew she was white. A Mercedes convertible. 1969. Four flat tires. The whole thing was a lark.
It was only when I saw what I saw, what I felt what I felt, what I guessed at, that I was moved. Bob, June’s wife, was so honest and so obviously not a car guy that this added to the picture. He was not trying to lie to me. He was dismayed to see the mouse hole in the roof. Couldn’t imagine how it could have got there.
So when I bargained for Snow White, I bargained for a resurrection. This is way different than a restoration. I knew from the outset that Snow White didn’t need to be restored. She was basically of a piece. What she needed was love and attention.
I paid exactly one thousand dollars more than my ultimate cut off price for Snow White. The price I had said I wouldn’t exceed. And then I did anyway.
Hey, it was cold and I needed a coffee.
Every step of the way since, Snow White has helped me along the way. Outside of a fuel pump, a couple of fuses, a couple of bulbs, and about ten thousand hours of time and rubbing compound, she is really starting to rock.
I guessed right Ian. I hope you have guessed right with Benita. And by the way North Vancouver rocks. I lived there when I was a kid.
And should Snow White roar down the highway in the spring like she's supposed to, it may even cost you a fin for the story!
Laughing.
Mr. Snow White
(I think the moniker is cute).
 

[gwuisman]

Hi Mr. Snowyt,

I have read your story with much interest. Very nice written too!

I have been through a same procedure some six years ago with which would become the ‘new’ daily driver of my wife. A BMW E21 315 dating 1982 which was garaged and neglected during 12 years.

After all those years the gas was not gummed - thanks to Dutch quality? - but smelled awful and after changing all fluids, battery, sparkplugs and spraying during 2 weeks the pistons, the engine fired up in a split of a second and spins nicely up until today. I was advised to execute the first run using a can of engine cleaner in stead of gas. If it helped, I don't know but up until now no damage from using it has appeared. And after cleaning the interior, the exterior and changing the original also flat tires, my wife started to drive in a like brand new car which only had driven 40.000 km.

The owner had used the car only in nice weather. If not he took the bus. After he died the seven heirs could not agree on who would get the car. So they registered it on the name of their mother who did not have a driving license and lived in an elderly home for mental ill people. They forgot about the car until the garage had to be sold after 12 years. Then they decided to sell the car outside the family in order to end their family fights. I paid 500 Euros for it.

Geard Wuisman 1971 280sl

[snowyt 69]

The First Real Fester

Rang up Dave my tire guy last week only to find he was on holiday. It is no wonder. Once the snow goes for good down here you can’t even get Dave on the phone. The line up of people changing their snow tires for summer ones goes literally round the block. You can wait for hours at such times.
There is a hint of snow in the forecast, but this nightmare of changing tires is probably two weeks away at best.  I am not worried. Snow White isn’t going in for tires, only her rims are. They will go in the back of the Bus, and this whole process will take under an hour. I will bolt them on when I get home.
Someone asked me about the make of tire Dave recommended. They are Toyo Extensa’s. 195/75/R14’s. I thought they were 195/70’s until I looked at the figures he’d written on the back of his card. $109.00 each, installed and balanced, taxes extra, plus some Toyo rebate. I never second-guess Dave about tires. I can’t even count how many I’ve bought over the years. For myself. My friends. Clients. I trust Dave, and well I should. I have never had a bad tire in 20 years.
But seeing as I need tires, well I need brakes. You know, to stop the tires. So I grabbed my 320-grit emery cloth and buffed off the surface rust on the disks. This took all of two minutes a disk, as really they are quite fine despite the length of time they’ve spent as mouse nest disks. Got to the driver’s front disk last of all (luck of the draw), and found it seized. As in SEIZED! I couldn’t move it a bit.
Hmm. I broke out a serious screwdriver and put it across the bolts of the rotor. When this didn’t work, I resorted to my breaker bar. Nothing. Hmm.
It wasn’t seized when I bought the car. None of the brakes were. But now here we are, 4 months later, and it is seized.
I finally loosened the bleeder bolt, a dribble of fluid came out, and now I could move the pads away from the disk and remove them.
Tried to bleed the calliper to no avail. Tried the other front one to no avail. The backs both work. Looked at the rusted out hulk of a master cylinder and went okay.
So I have simply ordered a new master cylinder. Flex lines all round. Will bench bleed my new master cylinder when it arrives (I have done this before), install the new lines, bleed everything, and hope I get brakes.
I kind of need them.
I’ll keep you posted.
Mr. Snow White

[snowyt 69]

APRIL 11

Was a lovely day here in southern Ontario. 22 degrees. Warm breeze from the south. A perfect day for lowering one’s mouse nest off her blocks and taking her for her inaugural drive.
After watching Canada Post do its best imitation of stasis, my master cylinder, flex lines, and yet another seal (this one for the convertible top cover) finally arrived. It took me all of forty minutes to put the four flex lines in place. Took a lot longer to get them out by the way, but nothing terrible.
If you should ever need to replace your master cylinder, by all means bench-bleed it first. This you do on the ground or on your workbench. You simply fill the master cylinder through the two rubber fill grommets where the reservoir is going to go. When the brake fluid stops draining in, you simply pump the piston by hand, adding fluid as you go, until it happily spurts out the three outlets. Takes a surprising amount of fluid. Makes a mess too.
Bolted the master in place last night, and connected the three lines.
“Tomorrow is the day Hank,” I said to my brother on the phone.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied.
So with the sun shining and the wind howling we went round the car, bleeding the brakes. Right rear, left rear, right front, left front. Then again. Then again. And finally, with the car running and the brake booster working, again.
“How’s the pedal Hank?”
“Firm as a dog turd in February!”
“I love dog turds in February! Let’s bolt on the tires and go for a run!”
The tires we bolted on were Toyo Extensas, 195/70/R14’s. Dave apologised for the lack of 190/75/R14’s. They were perhaps on or not on a boat from Sendai, Japan. As in tsunami Japan. He didn’t know when they might arrive. So I simply bought what he had in stock. I will deal with speedometer error as it might be. Besides, Snow White will probably handle better on such rubber.
Bolted on the tires, put the plates from the Sewing Machine on her, and we were off.
Top down, no insurance, fake plates, and we had transmission psychosis. Hunting up and down despite the fact we were only going around the block.
Back in the driveway, only to find the transmission short of fluid. I put back in what came out, but it was not enough. Put in another litre, and off to the races.
Now we’re talking! Smooth snap shifts, no hunting, no smoke from the tail pipe, nothing.
Grinning like idiots, my brother and I took turns at the wheel. Neither of us has ever owned a Mercedes before. I have driven one, my brother never. So it was fun. And we only went around the block!
We brought her home, topped up her fluids, and had a celebratory beer.
“She might well be the finest mouse nest on the planet,” says my brother.
You have to laugh.
Cheers.

[thelews]

How could you limit it to around the block?  Get that baby out and take her for a real spin...you know she wants it!  And she looks nice too.

Got mine out on Sat., cranked and started like I never turned it off in Dec.  Off I went, 25 miles, up to 85 mph and she ran like a pro!

[Louis]

Congratulations on reaching the inaugural first ride milestone....From your description , it was worth the cost of admission.

[Ulf]

Good to hear that your hard work finally paid off - I admire your patience, I would have had a hard time holding myself back until everything was ready :-)

Ulf

[Peter van Es]

Lovely looking for a(n) (ex) mouse nest!

[thelews]

I'd imagine Snow White just like this...

[thelews]

And this...

[snowyt 69]

Wow!
Can I buy it?
Oh wait a minute...I own it.
Thanks John.
Mr. Snow White

[Iconic]

What ? THAT is the ex-mouse nest?
Mr. Snow White, you scored big !!
That car looks nice. Real nice.
But, why did you have John (thelews) post the pictures? Because he loves to post pictures ?  

Let's see, a '69 280 with rear disk brakes, headrests, factory shoulder harnesses, Euro headlights and no side marker and no bumper guards ....
That might be the best combination yet.

Congratulations on your first of many drives.

[thelews]

But, why did you have John (thelews) post the pictures? Because he loves to post pictures ?  

Let's see, a '69 280 with rear disk brakes, headrests, factory shoulder harnesses, Euro headlights and no side marker and no bumper guards ....
That might be the best combination yet.

1st question, because Michael was having difficulty with posting multiple pictures.

2nd point, Euro 280, hard inside door pockets too.

[snowyt 69]

THE MOUSE NEST LIVES

I bought Snow White on a seriously cold day in late November.
On a seriously rainy day in May (that would be today), I had her flat decked to Rob my man the mechanic at Autobahn Motors. Snow White was going for her Ontario Safety Standards Certificate check. She had to pass in order for me to license her, insure her, and drive her on the road.
Rob rang me up a couple of hours later.
“She’s ready to go. The clunking in the rear you told me about is the shock absorbers. They really should be replaced. Other than that, she looks to be one fine car. The front end is perfect. Brakes are perfect. Exhaust, lights, hard top. Even the radio works. Not that it matters, only I was curious.”
Armed with this simple piece of paper, I went and bought plates, had the ownership changed to indicate Snow White was a fit vehicle, and then I went for a ride. A proper ride.
The sun came out, the gods were smiling, and I topped up the rather large tank at 6 bucks the American gallon. $1.52 a litre for those inclined. The people at Visa love me.
I headed straight for the highway, and once there I did not stomp the pedal and see how fast Snow White could go. That will wait for another day. I simply cruised her up to speed, 110, 120 kilometres per hour. No drama. Tracked straight and true. Didn’t wander, didn’t shake. Great visibility, even with the hard top in place. Nice noise from the engine. No smoke, no drama, and I was grinning like an idiot.
I turned around as the hour was getting late enough that traffic was soon to become a problem. In Toronto traffic is spelt TRAFFIC. As in get out and walk it’s faster.
I get maybe two kilometres headed home and Snow White starts to sputter. Vroom, stutter, vroom, stutter. I am no longer grinning like an idiot. I’m going “Uh oh”.
The further I go, the worse she runs. I finally get off the highway at the exit maybe five kilometres from my house. I roll up to the stoplight and Snow White proceeds to die. And when I say die, I mean DIE.
I have nothing. No starter. No lights. Not even the four way flashers.
I prop up the hood and wave the irate drivers behind me on. Grab my toolbox from behind the seats and get to work.
It takes me ten seconds to find that the positive lead to the battery has come adrift. It’s the most obvious place to look. Shove it back into place, crank on the four-way flashers, and then bolt it down tight. The whole process takes all of three minutes.
Nothing like a decent electrical connection. Snow White fires instantly to life, and I drive her home the secondary roads as I am rattled. She never misses a beat.
I will take her out again tomorrow, wake her up bit by bit. No need to hurry.
And thus the saga of Snow White comes to an end. When I started telling you the story, it was to get to this moment in time. Could I make her function again as she is supposed to? Could I bring my lovely mouse nest back to life? The answer is yes.
My time I give freely. I did not count the hours, but let us just say lots. I have stared at her, talked to her, and asked her what to do next. I have yelled at her, cursed her, and apologised for my stupidity. I have rubbed her flanks down with rubbing compound and vacuumed shells till I thought I’d go mad.
But in the end I am here today. My car runs. She lives. She is stunning and beautiful to look at and drive.
And this is what is all about. It is about the car. It is about Snow White. Back from the dead. Another Pagoda among the living.
And should my friends say to me on some future date, “We found this picture in a garage. It hasn’t been looked at in ten years. It’s covered in mouse shells. We can’t make out the name but we think it is Rembrunt. What’s it worth?”
“I’ll bring cash,” is all I’ll say.
Art is art.

[Louis]

Beautiful car tale . I got a little shaken at the sputtering part but quickly recovered once you indicated the cause.  I'm glad it has turned out so pleasantly......

[thelews]

A Pagoda fairy tale so appropriately named.

[Iconic]

Fantastic.
Congratulations.
Enjoy the ride !!!

[71Beige280SL]

Fabulous story! I had my inaugural drive in my 280SL last weekend in Ohio. I can completely relate to your "grinning like an idiot" description. I couldn't stay out of the garage (it rained Saturday morning) or the car (when the sun came out and the roads dried). Darn near slept in the car. Enjoy Snow White!

[Wolfmann]

Got home after a hard day in court and just had to read the complete thread. Compelling and almost romantic in a `'no woman would ever understand" type of way. I feel similar emotions on my visits to the shop where my own fairytale princess is being resurrected. I take regular and expensive gifts of parts and even attach some of them myself, sometimes she appears happy but more often just gleeful in demanding bigger and bigger slices of my disposable income. We have been together 14 months and such is my devotion that I have given up eating out and holidays and am down to my last decent suit and pair of 501's but that, as they say, is true love.

My Belle too had played exclusive hotel to to the family mouse and the chrome vents and conduits were clogged with nesting, my mice however fared less well for food and had resorted to eating both windscreen demister mouldings. (no problem, a mere £108 each from MB, now plastic rather than mouse food compressed cardboard).

My 1964 230SL too was originally papyrus white with blue MB tex but is being awakened in 050 white (rather than the Peugeot 206 ice blue some phillistine had daubed her with) with navy leather as the interior was shot (and partially eaten). Unlike Snow White my car needed some profound cosmetic surgery in the form of everything excluding the chassis legs from the firewall forward, the previous owner having spent £20K on having the rear end professionally restored before weakening, (like his marriage) having her blown over and selling her to me for far less than he had already spent. I am happy that she has been truly saved and will be resurrected rather than ending her days being broken for parts. Just another few thousand and 6 months should see her done...

[Larry & Norma]

Sounds nice, any pictures - we love pictures here.

[Wolfmann]

I tried to upload a before and after shot but the site said they were the wrong type and or too big !

[snowyt 69]

THE RESSURECTION

I finally got Snow White totally sorted. She spent rather a long time in Dan’s (Benz Dr.’s) capable hands, but now she is home, happy, and I could drive her to Mars if I chose.
To bring my neglected mouse nest back to life, here is what I did.
NEW-
Belts and hoses.
All fluids.
All filters.
Battery.
Shifter bushings.
Fuel pump
Fuel tank.
Sending unit.
Fuel lines.
Windshield washer pump.
Door seals both sides.
Trunk seal.
Hood emblem.
Brake flex hoses (all four).
Rear steel brake lines.
Master cylinder
Tires.
Re-built distributor.
Steering shock.
Idler arm bushings.
New convertible top.
Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points and condenser.
Valves adjusted.
15 gallons of Maguire’s Ultimate Rubbing Compound.
2 pounds of paste wax.
And a bazillion hours of my time.

In the end, I have turned a mouse nest into a really capable Type 3 driver. I am not going to lie to you and tell you that Snow White would win first prize at the Barrett Jackson auction. Her original seats have tears and scuffs. There is lingering mouse damage in the passenger floor carpet. The heater levers (which I have in stock) need to be replaced. The rear shocks (which are on order) are frozen and the poor car clunks around over the bumps like a rickshaw. I will fix these things. They are easy.
I bought Snow White in the first place not because I had always dreamed of owning such a car. I knew very little about these cars six months ago truth be told. I bought her because I love cars. Especially old cars. I bought her because she spoke to me, and because I knew with a little love and time (and money!) I could bring her back to life as she was meant to be.
I know you are curious so I will tell you. Snow White’s resurrection cost me $10,000.00 Canadian. That includes everything save my time. Parts. Dan’s labour. Tax. Insurance. Plates. Oh I kept records.
She is a work in progress, and like all old cars, will always be a work in progress.
But stand on the gas on the highway, and she howls her way to 6,200 rpm where she shifts. Doesn’t shake. Doesn’t wander. Stops in a dead straight line. She is so ruddy happy you can hear her sing.
And this, my friends, is what it is all about. It is not about me. It is about Snow White. It is about the car I brought back to life because I could, and because she deserved it.
And now we get to play.
Pictures to follow.
Michael/Mr. Snow White

[Jonny B]

Do we get to see some of the "after" shots, including some of the shots on Mars!

[snowyt 69]

THE LOVELY SNOW WHITE DOES CAR SHOW

In Cobourg, Ontario, about 130 kilometres from where I live. Straight down the highway at a steady 120 KPH, in the slow lane! Getting left for dust by every Honda Civic and Chrysler Magic Wagon on the planet. The day was bright and sunny, beyond lovely, and I wasn’t in a hurry anyhow. Top down and coffee drinking. Plenty of thumbs up from the Hondas as they blew past. At least they appreciate art on their way to trumpet practice.
Show was neat. Lots of cool rides. My highlight was when the Antique Club of Southern Ontario rolled in, twenty Model T’s, Cadillac’s, Buick’s, not one newer than 1920. They drove them all in! Wooden wheels, pump horns, every one drooling coolant and fluids, twenty horsepower a pop. Magic.
Snow White did not win best in show. I think the judging was biased. Maybe by the showroom condition Duesenburgs, Studebakers, Mustangs, you name it, had something to do with it. What, you don’t appreciate mouse damaged carpeting? That’s all original mouse damage!
The judges were not to be swayed, even when I offered them free Ecstasy pills and a two for one Quizno’s sub coupon. Some people!
I had a ball. And that’s what it’s all about.

 

[Benz Dr.]

And once she gets new shocks she will drive even better.

 I guess filling a tank full of fuel and then parking a car for ten years isn't a good idea. Only tank we couldn't fix by boiling it out. Changed the tank and it was like magic - car ran very strong after that.
Also the only distributor I've ever rebuilt that had a bent shaft. No idea how that could even happen but it did have one.

Top was fun. Never did one before so I helped the top guy to install it. Polished all the little chrome pieces and we finished at 6:00 PM Friday night. Drove the car up to Toronto the next day so Mike and I could take it to the vintage car races at Mosport on Sunday. I went there in 2003 and wrote a story about it that's here in the forums somewhere. This trip was far less eventful.

Sat night we went to see a friend of mine north of he city. He bought a 1947 Buick Roadmaster coupe that I wanted to see. Huge car - so big he has to remove the rear bumper so he can close the roll up door where he parks the car. Mike drove and I chaperoned as he took Snow White on her first date. ( I think he likes her )
 The Red Rocket was supposed to take her to the races the next but he couldn't get anyone to drive him to Toronto on Sat so he had to stay home. He's still pissed at me.......he had a good look at her and he was try to make a move on her before I took her away. He refused to start once I got back home and sat in the corner pining for her. Poor car - he seems lonely now.....

 Took the train home on Monday and picked up a 1960 22SE Cab in London Ontario which I drove back to my place. Pretty nice car but very difficult to restore.
 If I knew how I'd post some pics, but even those who know how say it's hard to do it, so I've kind of not bothered.

[snowyt 69]

The Boring Snow White

Twist the key. Starts effortlessly. Yawn.
Put in gear. Drive anywhere. Yawn.
This is what my mouse nest has become.
And I love it!
I have been roaring all over the Ontario map this summer, mostly with the top down, at high speed on the highways. To the car shows. To the golf course. To my sister’s place to hang out and play a little more golf. Only my sister lives 300 kilometres from where I do, straight up Highway 11. Know how many spares I carry while I wander my way into the wilds of the Ontario north? A couple of belts for the alternator and power steering. Tools to put them on. This is it. Why? Because I trust my car.
The reason I trust my car is because Dan my friend, known as Benz Doctor to you all, finally sorted it out for me. It spent six weeks in his loving care, with a simple mandate. “Fix it.”
Well, he did. And since he delivered it to me, I have done exactly two things.
I have changed the oil and filter, as the first time I did this I did it cold, and I was never really sure that I had got all the sludge out of the oil pan. So I did it again, full hot, with two thousand kilometres of run time on the clock.
Then I did the coolant for exactly the same reason. I did it cold in the first place, and the cooling system was odd to say the least when I first encountered it. So I did it hot, and no drama in what came out of the car.
And now I just drive and grin. 4,000 kilometres and counting since Dan brought it back to me. A forty-two year old car and I drive it like I would a late model Honda.
If any of you out there in Pagoda land are having trouble with your cars, I would recommend Dan in a minute. When he brought the car back to me (and yes he delivered it), the bill was easily half what I would have paid to have it serviced locally. Plus the car was perfect. It ran perfect the day he delivered it, and it runs perfect to this day.
Dan will probably hate me for saying this. The last thing he needs at his shop is more work. He is swamped and always trying to catch up.
But this is of no matter. If you are stumped to figure out why your Pagoda won’t run. If you are mad at getting overcharged for service. If you think you local shop doesn’t know one end of your Pagoda from another, the answer is simple.
Do what I did. Take it to Dan. Wait patiently, and in the end you will have what I now have.
A car where you simply turn the key and go wherever you want to go.
Personally when I get back from the car show in Picton this weekend, I’m thinking of heading to Alabama to play golf with my sister in November. It’s only 3,000 kilometres one way dead south. Not exactly buckets of trunk space in the lovely Snow White (two sets of golf clubs for starters) so we’ll pack light. I’ll take my fan belts in case something happens. Sounds like a plan to me.

[JamesL]

Well, you can be sure you won't find a british car in a barn

A pile of rust perhaps, and if you had the appetite and pockets (and VIN plate) to rebuild it, you'd still have Lucas getting in the way of it ever running right!

Sounds like you are in leerve

[Peter h]

Hello

here a barn find from Germany this year. You cant wait for it, but it happens.
sorry a bad copy from the Pagodenclub news and only in German maybe someone translate it ?

Peter

[Ulf]

Short recap: A gold-coloured Pagoda was discovered in a garage after being laid up since 1980, the buyer thought it was an Aprils fool, but went to look. Found the car complete, but dusty, with flat tires. The leather underneath a lambskin seat covers was pristine and the tacho reading of just 58168 kilometers was confirmed by a sticker from the last service the car received in 1979! All documents came with the car and the softtop looked good underneath the hardtop. The car was bought, the tires were re-inflated. After 4 hours spent washing and polishing the car, the chrome and paintwork was shining. Fuel tank was removed, flushed and filters were replaced. Fuel lines were replaced (I think), same with oil (pan removed), camshaft checked, oil pan reinstalled. A few drops of oil in each cylinder, engine cranked by hand and moved freely. All fluids replaced, new plugs etc. and engine fired up. The car was later repainted in its original colour (not mentioned) and the owner is now looking forwards to years of happy owner ship etc....

All in all a happy story much like the "star" of this thread :-)

A nice weekend to you all

[snowyt 69]

A COUPLE OF OTHER THOUGHTS

I re-read my last post, and realised there was an omission. I actually have done three things since I got the car back from Dan. The third was the rear shocks. This was such an easy swap that I completely forgot about it. But made a real difference in the way Snow White drives. The shocks I took out were, to say the least, shot.
As I have stated previously, I am new to Mercedes ownership. The only Mercedes I had ever driven before I bought Snow White belonged to a friend of mine. A 2006 E-430 as memory serves me (which it doesn’t all that well by the way). Black. Black leather. Immense. 190 kilometres on the clock. He’d picked it up from the dealer two days before he tossed me the keys and asked me if I’d like to drive it.
Well, say no more! It was effortless and silent. Went like stink. My memory was that if you had enough clout to buy it in the first place, and a really big limit on your Visa card to keep it full of fuel, you could really eat up some miles in this thing. I handed him back the keys after a really high speed run home, grinning like an idiot.
“Nice ride,” was all I said.
I have similar feelings about Snow White. I bought her because I thought it a travesty that such a nice car could suffer the fate she had. I wasn’t sure I would like her. I wasn’t sure there weren’t mice nesting on top of the pistons as well as everywhere else, in which case I’d just flung a whole lot of money out the window.
I wasn’t sure of anything.
But the car talked to me. I know this sounds ridiculous, but this is the way it was. The car talked to me, and I believed her.
And now I find myself on the other side of the coin. I have a forty-two year old car I drive with utter faith. I twist the key and drive. And every time I do, I hear my lovely Snow White say, “I told you so.”
Now I get it why you are all so fond of your rides.
Give me a single word to describe my car, and I will call her “elegant”. Graceful and poised come to mind, but I only have one word so I will call her elegant.
She is elegant. Painted white, which on another car would be boring. It is not. She is neither a hot rod (in which case painted red), nor a truck (in which case painted brown). She is elegant and poised, and wears her white dress with style. It is becoming and understated, much as the car is.
From every angle this is the most feminine car I have ever owned. I look at her frequently and I still can not figure out why. But every time I look at my car, I see a woman. Not a bad thing by the way. I happen to love women, especially when they wear white dresses.
So in summation, I have brought Snow White back from the dead with the least of worries. She helped me every step of the way, because she wanted to be. A car left for dead to be a mouse nest, only that will never do. I bought her, I fixed her, and now she is my friend.
And in a couple of hours, Dan who is Benz Doctor is going to arrive at my door. Tomorrow he and I are headed out with the Mercedes Club of Canada on a drive, wine and cheese tasting expedition in Picton, Ontario, which is about 300 kilometres east of where I type. It is pelting rain right now, but the weather forecast says it ought to get it all out of its system before the morning. Fingers crossed.
This is what I never imagined so long ago on the cold November day when I bought my car. That the experience of my car would bring me new friends. New venues. New everything.
So thank you Snow White for doing so.
Enjoy your rides everyone and talk to them.
Like cats, they will purr.

[Peter h]

Thank you Ulf

my english is not the best at all.

Peter

It is such a wonderful late summer here at the mosel river, but i have no time to drive a little bit.

[Louis]

snowyt 69 ,

Enjoy the weekend .  It has been fun observing the relationship evolve between you & snowyt 69.  Most of us can relate similar stories. Happy miles !

[Ulf]

@Peter h - my German is not too good, so I probably missed a few things, weather up here is really nice as well (20 degrees C!) and will remain so for the entire week, so the Pagoda will be the daily driver for the rest of the week :-)