UGU is fixed and the Doctor was me!

Gosh, it has been a while since I have sat down to write a blog, but today I made the special effort to celebrate my experience.

Last week I went to take UGU for her first run of 2016, but on starting her I knew immediately something wasn't right.  Parked in an underground garage she limped to the garage door but didn't have the power to pull up the driveway and was running so rough that anyone would have thought she was a diesel.

UGU sounding very sick

Unsure what to do I called my mechanic, who unfortunately was still on Christmas holidays.  I then turned to my Facebook group W(A)114/115, and posted a video of UGU's state of ill health.  It was here that I got my course of action.

UGU still looking pretty even with her bonnet up :)

It was suggested that UGU was running with at least one cylinder not firing, and that by systematically disconnecting the spark plug leads one at a time, any lead removed that did not cause the engine to run differently was at fault.

As it turned out both cylinders 2 & 4 were not firing! (No difference made to the engine running)

With my little helper and original Mercedes-Benz spark plug tool I carefully removed these two spark plugs and replaced them with new ones.

Daddy's little helper

Original Mercedes-Benz tools

Whilst doing this I was terrified of a similar result to that of my W116, where one of the spark plugs had been installed incorrectly stripping the threads, ending up with a halo coil being inserted.

Thankfully UGU's spark plugs came out easily, and the new ones went in without any problems. I crossed my fingers and turned the key, yeeha! She's alive and well.

The spark plugs that were removed were absolutely black, I am not sure if this is because she hasn't been on any decent runs in a long time, but for the minute the new ones are in, UGU is running and I am happy.

YUK! Source of the problem

New spark plugs ready for insertion with "neck collar thingy" removed

I proceeded to replace the remaining four spark plugs with a grin on my face and with them all replaced, I washed up and took UGU for a drive, finally her first run of 2016!!!

UGU on her first run for 2016 to Perth's iconic Kings Park

Whilst out on my cruise with UGU my efforts were rewarded as I was driving along Bagot Road in Subiaco, I just had to pull over, I couldn't believe my eyes!! Sitting parked at the side of the road, hiding from the sun under the shade of a tree, was a brand new Land Rover Defender 90, limited edition "Heritage"!

 Land Rover Defender, Special Edition Heritage, WANT ONE!

Now in business I am often referred to as a "details man", therefore it would not surprise many as to how much I love this Landy!

The Heritage Defender references the 1948 design features of the first Land Rover Series 1, affectionally know around the world as "Huey", his number plate was HUE 166.  You will see this number on the badges on the wings and as embellishments on the seats, the wire mesh style grille replaces the previous plastic version, door hinges are painted silver to acknowledge the original galvanised ones and the "Land Rover" badges on the grille and mudflaps have all been reverted back to the way they used to be.

 A nod to "Huey"

Original branding badges make a welcome return.  

Also check out the company on the wheel cover Milvill and Moon, they have some beautiful stuff, hand made in Africa

With the Defenders days now numbered and buyers going crazy to snap up the last models, the Heritage will be a future classic I have no doubt, perhaps it already is a classic?! In the future, when all the planets align, the clouds are the right shape, and a pig flies gracefully through the air,  I hope to have one to park alongside UGU and Leif.

Find out more about the Limited edition Land Rover Heritage: Land Rover Defender, special edition Heritage

UGU takes on more gravity

I have been meaning to write this blog post for almost a year, and finally got the motivation to do it when a fellow W114 enthusiast asked what I have done to UGU with regards to her ride height.

As those of you who have been following my posts will know, I am keen to keep UGU looking as original as possible, but there was one thing that had really bothered me which made me stray from that ethos. That issue was how much higher her nose sat relative to the rear.  This first came to my attention when UGU was lined up at a Mercedes Club display day.  Sitting between a W113 Pagoda and a W108, her nose was notably higher than her neighbours.

UGU with her nose in the air (5th car in line from the foreground)

I asked a few other owners if their coupes had the same issue; the general consensus was that they all sat lower at the back, perhaps to give that sportier look, but UGU's nose did seem to be excessively high with almost 90mm clearance between the top of the tyre to the wheel arch, while the back was almost flush.

Front wheel clearance, looking very high!

Front tyre clearance almost 90mm....

...whilst the back was almost flush.

After displaying UGU at another classic car meet where the following photo was taken, I  decided enough was enough - it was time to do something!

Professional photograph of UGU at Custom Cars & Coffee meeting

After checking that the rear shock absorbers were not worn causing the rear end to sag, I set about sourcing a spare set of front springs which could be reset to bring the front of the car down.  I find it amusing that I have kept the original even though I am positive I will never fit them again!

Sourced from a fellow enthusiast, spare set of front springs

Now, I know this is going to cause some purists to get their knickers in a knot, but this is what I did; it is not a recommendation for others.

Rather than taking a hack saw and cutting a few lengths of the springs I took them to a suspension specialist who heated the springs and reset them, reducing the overall length by 45mm.  Mercedes-Benz springs are cold wound, which is why heating them will cause some people to get upset; but this is what I did after much discussion with other car folk.

The picture below still confuses me, and I have no explanation for it. The freshly painted spring on top is the replacement spring.  You can see the coils on the left side are closer together than the ones on the right; these are the ones that were reset.  The confusing bit is that even after the replacement spring was reset, it is still longer than the original! Like I said, I can't explain it, maybe someone reading this will be able to shed some light on the matter.  

Replacement and original spring.  

Confusingly the reset replacement is longer than the original

With the help of a friend who has built one of the most unique classic Benz show cars I have ever seen, we spent the afternoon fitting the new springs to UGU.

I have heard some horror stories about trying to replace the front springs on a W114 due to restrictions on spring clamp locations. As it turns out we didn't even use spring clamps, just three trolley jacks, two axle stands and a few spanners.

UGU gets new springs with the help of a friend

With UGU up on stands and the front wheels removed, we tackled one side at a time. The  lower control arm was raised to remove the tension of the shock absorber so the bottom two retaining nuts could be removed.  The jack was then lowered and repositioned with another alongside, each one on the hinge points of the the control arm.  We then removed the two cam bolts (a fantastic fixing meaning that we didn't need to worry about alignment as they can only be fitted one way), the two jacks were carefully lowered at the same time allowing the spring to extend to its full length.  The spring will take on a scary bend when doing this so please be careful.  As I said this is what I did, it is not a recommendation to others, and I take no responsibility for harm caused to others by doing it.

With all compression removed from the spring it was removed and the new one seated in the lower control arm before the two jacks were used once again to lift the arm back into position.  I will admit that this was a very fiddly job as the shock absorber needs to be located at the same time the cam bolts are being fitted, all of which happens while the spring is under compression.  Careful adjustments with the trolley jacks finally allowed the bolts to slide home.

One side done, repeat for the other, job done! All that was needed next was to get the wheel alignment checked at the local tyre shop.

After taking UGU for a drive, the front began to settle down and by the time I got home the 45mm resetting of the replacement springs, directly translated to the height reduction in UGU's nose.  For the first time she sat level, and I love the look!

I have now been driving UGU for about a year since she was lowered and I have not had a single issue, no rubbing, bottoming out, and if anything I find she tackles speed bumps much better.  

So there you have an inexpensive exercise thanks to the help of a few friends with some knowhow, making one very happy me.

She's Alive!!!!!

Earlier this week I was so excited that I had managed to fit in some time between meetings to take UGU for a quick drive to blow the dust off her.  When I got to her all I received was a terrible impersonation of the Terminator winking at me!

Ignition, but no go

Needless to say, I was gutted, but I have no one to blame but myself.  It was stupid of me to just leave UGU in the garage thinking she would be ready and waiting when called upon; it has been over a month since she turned a wheel, and even then it was only to drive 2 kms!

Instead of taking her for a drive I ended up pulling the battery out after noting the red indicator on the battery which stated "do not recharge", bugger!

Red indicator, battery is stuffed

Not knowing how old the battery actually was, it was probably due for replacement anyway.  After a quick call to the RAC, the battery man turned up with a replacement, taking the old battery away.

Leif over-sees the exchange

Out with the old, in with the new

Just a point of interest, if you are able to fit the battery yourself the RAC offers members a further $25 reduction in the price. Confident in my ability to tighten two nuts I opted for this saving so $180 for a new battery, happy with that.

UGU's empty battery tray waiting for the replacement

With the new battery in, off we went to check the tyre pressure before making another detour on the way to a work appointment.

Tyre pressures checked and topped up

Quick detour for a photo opportunity

To make it up to UGU for my terrible behaviour and neglect, I have booked her in for a service at the end of the month with my trusty mechanic, Walter Epple.

Maintainer of UGU, Walter Epple, Auto Exclusive Perth