When you get a car that is almost perfect, where do you start? Do you fix anything? Do you not touch it? Any used car, especially any classic car, has things that need fixing. In the case of my 1985 380SL, I had 2 issues that could effect performance. Both needed special parts and both required putting the car on ramps to get underneath to fix it. So I started with the easier stuff: body work. There wasn’t much, but every little bit helps.
Archive for March, 2007
Looking Good, Looking Better!
Sunday, March 25th, 2007Spring Is Here in Richmond!
Friday, March 23rd, 2007
This is just a quick post. By now I’m sure some people (if anyone is reading this at all) are beginning to wonder if my life revolves around cars. It doesn’t, but for now, I’m quite involved in the work I’ve done on my new 380SL (the 1985 red one if anyone is having trouble following all this) has taken up a lot of time and, of course, I’m quite excited about such a great find in terms of classic cars (okay, I say classic because I know an antique is at least 25 years old, but I figure I can call a 22 year old car a classic).
I know that all too soon I’ll be back to programming to finish my last major phase of work for my business (still smaller phases, but nothing as intense as what I have looming), so for now, it’s fun to be outside walking or working on a car instead of at the computer. I thought I’d include a picture here of me in the new car, just for fun.
If you haven’t noticed already, the pictures I post are thumbnails. You can click on it for a full sized picture. In this case, you don’t see much in the thumbnail.
I’ve finally got the hard top off and it looks like it’ll stay off for the season now. When I take off the hard top, that’s a sure sign spring is here!
Fixing Perfection
Wednesday, March 21st, 2007
It’s been almost two weeks since I bought my new classic Mercedes 380SL. It’s in excellent condition and one huge thrill is that it was drivable from the start. I didn’t have to drive it directly to the mechanics and leave it for days or weeks while they fixed it up so I could drive it. So what have I been doing with it since I got it? Fixing it up, of course! (more…)
A Matter of Pride
Monday, March 19th, 2007Here’s a poser: A little over a year ago I bought the ‘73 Mercedes 450SL that still has things to to for restoration and just a little over a week ago I bought the ‘85 380SL which is in excellent condition. Which one would or should make me feel prouder? (more…)
Looking for Mr. Goodcar
Sunday, March 11th, 2007
Pain and pleasure. Sometimes one leads to the other and sometimes you can’t have one without the other. I had been looking for a newer and nicer Mercedes SL, preferably a 380SL, but had other things to deal with during the last few weeks of my Father’s life and after he died. I ended up going through several disappointments and frustrating situations that, in the end, led me to the 1985 version of perfection.
In addition to how I got it, I have a lot of pictures of this car. In some you can see my white 1973 450SL in the background. Here is the link to the pictures.
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I Find My Convertible
Saturday, March 10th, 2007
While I had always wanted a Mercedes convertible of the kinds made from 1972 to 1989, I didn’t get a chance to buy one for myself until 17 years after they had stopped making them. For more pictures of this car, I will soon include a gallery page of thumbnails with a link here.
An Early Original: The Most Popular Mercedes Convertible Ever
Saturday, March 10th, 2007
A little over a year ago I bought a 1973 Mercedes 450SL convertible. This was my first exposure to shopping for, maintaining and even restoring a classic car. The body is the style Mercedes used for their convertibles from 1972 to 1989 and is remembered fondly by many of us as the car we drooled over while growing up or had often seen and wished we could be driving.
Shall We Dance?
Tuesday, March 6th, 2007I was talking to someone recently about Anna Leonowens. If you don’t recognize the name, think of a bald king calling her “Mrs. Anna” and saying, “Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.” Yes. She was played by Deborah Kerr in The King and I. Of course it’s hard to talk about her without eventually talking about the movie (or play). That led to one of my favorite musical numbers of all time, the Shall We Dance scene. My friend said she’s seen the movie 14 times and thinks of that scene whenever she hears the song. I told her that’s not what it reminds me of and whenever I hear the song I think of something a bit different that is quite a strong memory.