De-chromafication

With Jade's bumpers, grille and headlights removed, a phone call from a really nice chap on the other side of the country who needed some chrome for his car, motivated me to get moving with the next stage of Jade's de-chromafication.

I few of the hip line trim pieces were already damaged making these a good place to start to see how easily the parts would come off; after all I didn't want to damage parts that someone else was able to use.

To my I surprised the hip line and sill trim pieces all come off very easily.  All I used was a cloth covered large flat screwdriver, and worked my way along each piece popping the clips out of the holders.  Jade may have been an exceptions as the trim had already been removed one already when Jade changed colour, cars with original paint may not be so easy.

Starting with a damaged one.  

Here you can see the red fixings that hold all the trim pieces in place.  

It is a simple press fixing.

So much chrome, part of the /8's appeal

 

The quarter panel hip line trim is almost 2metres long!!!

The sill trim for some reason had had new fixings points drilled into the sill which, with little consideration for the old one that were left unfilled, potentially assisted with the spread of moisture and therefore rust within the sills.  Not a good example of "out of sight, out of mind".

WHY??!!!! Why would you add twice as many holes into the sill?

Most alarming was the amount of crud that I found under the rear window trim.  This is of corner to me as UGU already has a rust blister under her back window which I have been trying to ignore, but seeing this I realise that I need to deal with it before winter arrives in June.

It is easy to see how rusting under the back window is so common 

when this much crud gets trapped under the trim.

Thankfully the clever folk at Mercedes-Benz in the late '60's must have know the day would come when I would need to post parts across Australia, so the rear window surround breaks down into several pieces thanks to these corner backing plates.

 Rear window trim as we would see it installed on the car

Rear window trim seen from the back with helpful backing plate holding the trim together 

A few of us have had lengthy discussions on W(A)114/115 debating a topic that gets a surprising amount of back lash from the purists: Chrome wheel-arch mouldings, WAM's for short.

Love them or hate them, WAM's appeal to a lot of people and are a common sight on many classic cars and, on the right body coloured car, I quite like them too, but being from the UK, I like many other people had concerns that they would trap moisture and lead to rust.  However, in our climate in Western Australia, we have busted this myth, it is simply not the case and Jade is another example of that.  Despite the huge amount of rust seemly everywhere in her body, the fenders and in near perfect, rust free condition.

WAM's removed and there is no evidence of rust on the 

fenders despite common misconception

Windscreen bottom lip trim and windscreen wiper cowl

So, with the chrome now all off, it's time to get them packed up and off to their new owner.

What's the next task you ask? hmmm, not sure yet so keep posted.

The diagnosis is not good

After giving Jade a good wash I turned my attention to looking for rust.

I already knew the boot floor was very rusty as the accident damage to the rear end meant that the boot lid was no longer able to close correctly, allowing water to leak in.

Accident damage allows water into boot and the boot floor begins to rust

I next lifted out the interior carpets. The floors in the back were solid and in good condition put as I started to look towards the front things took a nasty turn.  In the passenger floor there was a large hole and as I pulled back the frayed carpet on the sill more daylight could be seen.  I had a look under the car and saw huge patches of rust spreading towards the rear.

Rear driver-side floor section is solid and rust free, but does have cobwebs

 Passenger floor and footwell is full of rust allowing daylight to be seen

As I moved to the drivers side the story got a whole lot worse.  I find it amusing that I was able to get into the car and drive it and not notice that there was no accelerator pedal!  The lack of pedal is an excellent clue to the dreadful repair that had been done previously to the drivers footwell.  The repair is crude to say the least, and the fact they did nothing to address the rust issues as that repair was being executed, just made things worse.

Special edition light weight accelerator!  You can see the floor is wet following me washing the car, so water must be leaking through the firewall somewhere. Not good.

Drivers side floor.  I don't know if you could call this is repair, but what ever you call it, it is a disaster!!

It is enough to make you sick!

At this stage things are looking very bleak, but I had to keep looking.  The harder I looked the worse things got.  

These next photos are not for the weak hearted, and will potentially upset fellow lovers of not only the stroke 8, but all classic cars out there.

The boot is very rusty and is thinner than paper at the back edge and around the fuel filler

Holes through the body work where the boot closes

Rust bubbles around back window

More bubbles starting to come through in the rear quarter panel, a common stroke 8 rust spot

Rear wheelarch, passenger side.... 

which after a bit of poking with my finger became this, then....

THIS!!!!!  I stopped at this point.

Driver side footwell.  Again I am not sure why water would be seeping in here, but it cannot be a good thing.

Game over!

No doubt by this time, like me you will all be feeling sick to the stomach.  The rust is horrendous, and I sure, like an iceberg, there is a lot more that I cannot see at this stage.

It breaks my heart to do it, but I have decided that there is no hope for Jade.  There is no way I could commit to the investment it would take to fix her.  It would take a full bare metal restoration to cut out all this rust. I hope to salvage as many parts as I can to help save some other series 1 C114's; UGU included, before sending Jade for a permanent vacation. 

Looks can be deceiving

I decided to name my new C114 Jade, not only because of her colour, but also because that was the name of the street on which I found her.

Not long after the tow truck delivered Jade to my house, I couldn't stop myself from giving her a wash. I was excited to see what she looked like with her wheel trims on, and the years of dirt and grime removed.

 These are the tools I am confident with

WOW!  What a difference a wash makes

Knowing the wealth of knowledge that is held within the Facebook Group W(A)114/115, I had remembered to take a picture of the chassis plates the first time I went to see Jade.  I wanted to share the information with the group and see what anyone could tell me about the car.

I had already noticed the engine bay was a different colour (grey rather than green), so I was suspicious that green was not the original colour.  

What we determined was that the original colour was 124G Arabian Grey, and also that the car was not originally built for Australia, instead it was imported at a later stage.  I have no idea when this would have been, but the number plates on the car are from 1997, so perhaps that is a clue.

In addition to the original colour, we also determined that the car was an import.  All Australian delivered cars have the number 625 stamped on the plate.  As you can see that number does not appear.

Here you can see evidence of the original colour 124G Arabian Grey

I actually really like the grey, and would have loved for the car to have remained that colour, but the previous owner must have really disliked it.  The level of cover up of the grey is incredible, there is literally no trace of it anywhere other than in the engine bay. Take the door reveals for example, there were so clean you could eat of them!

Door reveals are in amazing condition, with no trace of the original colour

This stunning /8 is an example of what the original colour would have looked like. In my opinion this has got to be one of the best colour options available.  I cannot understand why you would want to cover it up!

Image reference: David Saffioti via Mercedes-Benz W114/W115 Appreciation Group

Keeping your cool

Living in Western Australia we are blessed with amazing weather for most of the year; even during winter we often get beautiful clear skies and 20 degrees Celsius days.

With all this sunshine and the intense summer heat, which often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius in the metropolitan area, and higher than that in inland regional areas, many of our cars suffer from sun exposure causing them to look old and tired before their time.

It is not uncommon to see fairly modern cars with peeling and faded paint work. Plastic headlight lenses can become frosted and discoloured in appearance whilst red taillights can fade to pink or, in extreme cases,  totally loose their colour altogether.

Example of faded paintwork. (Thankfully not UGU) 
Image from www.meguiarsonline.com/forums

The Mercedes-Benz W210 is unfortunately one model that suffers particularly badly due to it's plastic headlights.

One of the first MBCCWA events I attended was a demonstration evening at Autovis in Osborne Park, a company who specialise in the refurbishment of plastic headlights.

The demonstrator explained the process in simplistic terms, saying that they sanded off the damaged coating layer, before reapplying a sunscreen layer which protects the plastic below.  I found the demonstration very impressive, and was informed that the cost to do this is significantly less than replacing the lenses.

There are of course plenty of videos on Youtube and DIY kit's you can buy at any auto parts store so you try this yourself.  As UGU has glass headlight lenses I have never had the need to use any of those products, but I would be interested to know what level of success anyone has achieved trying these DIY products.

Link to Autovis website

MBCCWA demonstration evening at Autovis, 2012

It is not only the exterior of our cars that suffer from the sunshine, the interior can also take a battering as plastic trims dry up, distort and crack. Head-linings drop, fabric seats wear and leather dries up sooner than they perhaps would in less harsh environment.

It is common to see dashboards with cracks in them. I assume this is caused by the expansion and contraction of the components over the years.  Some people opt to install dashboard mats, which are essentially a piece of carpet to cover the dashboard whilst sheep skin seat covers are installed to protect the seats.

I was very thankful that my first Benz had sheep skin seat covers. They had been installed when the car was new which meant that by the time I got the car, almost 30 years later, the original seats were in perfect condition.

The dashboard mats are not my personal cup of tea, and often they are used to cover up an already damaged dashboard, or people glue them to the dash causing more damage than what was there in the first place.

Example of dashboard mat

Really the best solution is wherever possible, keep your car out of the sun when it is not in use.  In Perth, as I am sure it is in many other places, it is always the underground car parks and shaded parking spaces that fill up first at the shopping centres. In the suburbs most people are also fortunate to have enough space for a garage or carport.

I have been very fortunate that UGU has been garaged her whole life, and whilst she has had a re-spray at some stage, the interior is pretty much perfect, with the exception of one crack in the dashboard.

Everyone I know with a stroke 8, has this crack in the same place, so perhaps it is a weakness in the dashboard design. The crack runs from the central speaker grille to the edge of the dashboard.  I did considered getting it fixed, but decided that it was part of her character so decided to leave it.

UGU's original interior photographed on the day I collected her

UGU's data card, reference 598 shows that as part of the Australian specification, "heat-insulating glass" was installed. I understand this to mean the glass is slightly tinted.

Tinted windows are standard in all new cars, but often further tinting is installed via the application of film.  You can tint the back windows as dark as you like, however strict laws govern how dark the tint can be on the front side windows. Tinting the windscreen is forbidden for obvious reasons.

UGU had had film installed many years prior to my purchase, however I am told that it had started to deteriorated over the years, developing cracks and bubbles, so the previous owner had a go at removing it.  Unfortunately as he did the layers of the film separated, leaving the glue residue and a layer of the film stuck to the back window making it impossible to see through.

This was one of the considered risks I took when buying UGU, I didn't know how hard this would be to remove, or if it was even possible to remove.  Worst case I thought a new  window might have been required.

UGU. Notice the back window is impossible to see through clearly

UGU. Note the dark window tint on the quarter-light window but not on any other windows

I needed to get UGU's back window fixed as soon as possible, as it made using the rear view mirror pointless, and with only a door mirror on the drivers side I was very conscious of not being able to see what was going on around me, so decided it was to dangerous to drive her until fixed.

A friend of mine has a window film company, so I spoke to him about the problem and he recommended I speak to a auto tinting expert, and gave me the details Steve Gale of Excel Window Tinting.

As UGU has no air-conditioning she gets very hot in summer, so I had already decided that I wanted to get her re-tinted after the old stuff was removed.  Window tinting film cuts out 99% of UV rays, and reduces the amount of light able to penetrate the windows which keeps the car cooler and the occupants safe from the harmful UV rays.  It also has the added benefit of laminating the glass so security of the vehicle is increased.

I wanted to keep UGU looking relatively standard so decided not to go for the darkest legal tint, instead I wanted to choose something more aesthetically pleasing to a car of UGU's age.

I called Steve and asked about my options.  He was able to post me some samples, and with my preference selected (a film with a brown hue to match the interior), he ordered the material and we booked in a day for the installation.  One of the beauties of Steve's business is that it is a mobile service, so he can come to you as long as you have a suitable place to work in.

I will say at this point, Steve did an amazing job and was very particularly about his work, the end product was flawless.

As Steve set to work scraping the glue and old tinting from the back window, I helped by removing all of the side door and window trims ensuring that as much of the glass as possible was exposed.  Just as it did when I installed the replacement check straps, the trim all unclipped and unscrewed perfectly, happy days!

UGU. Rear passenger side trim removed to expose the glass.  

In this picture you can see the outline of the old film which had been installed with the window in the closed position, therefore the edges had not been done which was pretty poor.  You will also note this window is not sitting straight as it had come out of its runner. This  has since been resolved.

With the old film removed and the glass cleaned, Steve set to work shaping the film for the back window. He did this by laying the material on the outside of the glass and then heating it with a heat gun to get the desired shape.  

New film is shaped on the outside of the glass before being installed on the inside

Following several hours work, the job was done 

I was delighted with the job Steve did, which I might add was very reasonably priced and comes with a lifetime warranty!

I have happily recommended Steve to my friends and family, and he has recently tinted my mother-in-laws new VW Golf to the same excellent standard.

Should you need you car tinted and live in the Perth Metro Area, give Steve a call and tell him you read about him on Tyrobenz.

Steve Gale

Excel Window Tinting

Tel: 0437 730 006

Ph:  08 9409 6164

Tyro Part Mart - Item 2 Indicator lens

Following the rebuild of my headlights, I now have a spare indicator lens for sale.

This lens has been used, but is un-faded and in good condition.
Suitable for all European type headlights for W114 & W115 vehicles: 220, 250 & 280.
Fits both headlight units on left and right side
Quantity - 1 only
Part number: N/A

AUD $8 excluding postage.

Tail lights: too hot to handle

The W114/W115 hit the market in 1968 as the first mid-sided Benz, later becoming the E Class we all know today. It was the year of manufacture that gave the model its other common references of Strich-Acht, /8 and Stroke 8.   

Originally only available as a sedan, a coupé variant was added to the range in 1969 which was the year UGU was built.  Her VIN# ends with the numbers 002510, so perhaps this means she was the 2,510th coupe made?

In 1973 the /8 underwent a face lift creating the series 2 which, to the untrained eye may not appear that different to the series 1.

Externally the changes included a lower and wider grille to match the styling of the larger W116 (S Class) with was introduced to the market in 1972. The /8's front double bumper was discontinued, retaining only a single bumper, and the front door quarter windows were deleted.  New mouldings were fitted to the A pillars to prevent water and dirt from the windscreen flowing around onto the side windows, and finally, with the same consideration for safety, new ribbed tail light lenses were introduced. As with the new front grille these tail lights were similar to those on the W116.

Mercedes-Benz display circa mid 1970's. Note W114 series 2 in the foreground with W116 beyond.  If you look hard, right at the back you will see a crash test W116, presumably to show the cars superior safety features.  You will also see a Citroen sign, making me believe this is a motor show display rather than a Mercedes-Benz showroom.

Image source unknown.

The idea behind this type of lens was that the ribs would prevent the entire lens from becoming obscured by road dirt and therefore making the car more visible to following traffic in poor weather.

Whilst I appreciate the advancement in safety, I personally prefer the original flat lenses with their chrome surround.  The ribbed lens is bigger than it's predecessor which meant the chrome surround was deleted.  In doing this, an element of visual bulk was added to the rear of the car which can be seen in these pictures:

 

Series 1 tail lights. Note the flat lens and chrome surround.

Image source: Mercedes-Benz W114 & W115 International forum

Series 2 tail lights. Note the new ribbed lens with no chrome.

 Image source: www.autoevolution.com

It's not often that you get to see what the tail lights of the car you drive look like at night unless someone has stolen your car and you are in hot pursuit haha.

To overcome this, I often find it useful to reverse up to a reflective surface such as a glazed shop front, so that I can do a quick check to make sure the reversing, tail and brake lights are all working. Indicators are an easy one to identify as the "clicker" and dash light flash speed increases once a bulb blows.

Not long after purchasing UGU I did a check of all the lights and everything was working, so no further inspection was done. It wasn't until my wife followed me home one evening in her car that she noticed that the drivers side light looked "weird" and different to the passenger one.  Once home I turned the lights back on and got down on my knees to look at the lights at eye level. It wasn't until I did this that it became obvious there was something wrong. The drivers side reversing light, located below the tail light, was being illuminated by the tail light above.

The next morning I opened the boot and unwound the two plastic caps that hold the lens in place allowing it to be removed exposing the inners of the lights. The problem was immediately apparent - the inside of the unit was melted and completely destroyed.

I pulled all the bulbs out and checked their wattage against the helpful stamped markings Mercedes-Benz included on the light reflector. This should stop someone installing the wrong bulb, but alas this was not the case with UGU.  All of the bulbs I removed were the correct wattage indicating that the damage had been caused by a previously installed and later removed bulb that had too high a wattage.

Warning: the following images may cause distress!

I apologise in advance and am aware it may be confusing, but the photographs below are a mixture of the left over parts which is why the melted area has no electrical component behind it.

As you can see in the pictures the reflector is extensively damaged and the division between the tail light and reversing light below is very distorted allowing the light to be emitted in both chambers.  You can also see the numbers indicating that a 5W bulb was the correct size to have been installed.

The heat from the incorrect bulb was so intense that the damage was not limited to the reflector but also melted the light lens.

There was further damage to the light reflector too, but not caused by the bulb.  Somehow someone had broken the end of the reflector off, perhaps by standing on it, but regardless of how it happened, I now had a melted and broken reflector that was destined for the bin.

I got online and started looking for a new rear light.  I sourced what I needed in Germany via Ebay, and the new light arrived a week later.  It was in great condition, the coloured lens was bright and un-faded, the chrome surround was in "as new" condition and it even came complete with bulbs!! It was like Christmas.

Removing the damaged tail light from the car is very straight forward and all done from inside the boot.  First unplug the electrical connection, then undo the four small nuts (one in each corner) remembering to keep a hand on the light as you don't want it to fall out of the car and smash on the ground.

With all the nuts removed and the electrical connection unplugged, the light will pull out from the outside.

Time for a cup of tea.

The simplest thing to have done would have been to install the new fitting in its entirety, however I noticed on the back there was a stamp stating it was produced in 1973.  To be true to UGU I decided to dismantle the 1973 light and rebuild it within the original casing.  This could not have been easier and only took an hour including cleaning of each part.

With the fitting complete it was time to reinstall it and check everything was working, which thankfully it was.  The only thing I would say to be careful of when doing this is to check you install the rubber seal carefully as you do not want water getting inside the boot through the light.

With everything working I fitted the new lens and the job was done. Easy.

I now have a few pieces left over that may be useful to someone else, such as the chrome surround and plastic housing.  I will list these in the Tyro Part Mart should anyone want to get in touch.