Boomerang!!

[speeder]

Having a generally terrible week, just got home from a long night and day in the ER due to some weird virus that made me sick and attacked my spine. Not Covid, not influenza...some new nasty one that they are apparently seeing now at the hospital. I'm going to make it, (fingers crossed), but had a battery of blood tests, and MRI plus X-rays. Still sick as a dog.

Anywho...I'm home now and I get a text from someone I sold my car to years ago, I really loved the car but he paid a pretty penny for it so I let it go. Always regretted it. As some of you know, I have a habit of buying old MB diesels and going through them mechanically to very stupid degree...just total OCD. Did the same thing with 911 cars at one time but those days are gone.

The text asked if this was still my number and when I confirmed, he told me that he really wasn't using the car anymore and wanted to give it back. As in free to me...says that it's still in great shape but doesn't fit his life anymore, probably drives a Tesla.

I just almost can't believe it on such an otherwise not great day. Huge shout-out to Micah, an designer and interior decorator living out in the desert, (Palm Springs area). All I need to do is go and get it, hopefully I can swing that soon. Right now, I'm land locked to my crib.

Here is the car, a 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300SD, the best year for this indestructible w116 chassis. These were of course taken when I owned it 5+ years ago, hoping for the best wrt present condition:

[speeder]

Anthracite with a Bamboo interior, only one I've ever seen. Kind of a mess in those photos, it was my dd for a long time. The various plates reflect registration in both states I lived in at the time.

[masraum]

Wow, life is giving you some balance. Something good to offset the bad.

Glad you're getting some balance!

[MMiller]

That's an awesome story and ride! Glad it's coming home..

Best to you and your health and sunny days ahead!

[Racerbvd]

Hopefully you will feel better soon, if I was close enough, I would help you reclaim the old girl..

[LWJ]

Awesome. Neighbor has a neglected one that I sort of drool over.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by LWJ

Awesome. Neighbor has a neglected one that I sort of drool over.

There are a lot of those around. They are amazing cars but they were never valuable enough as they depreciated to keep up for the most part. They got driven like cars are supposed to and eventually they wound up in the junkyard or in someone's driveway covered in leaves and dirt.

I used to really hunt for good ones and I bought the car above sight unseen from a lady in Northern CA after a phone call and a couple of bad pictures on CL. The colors and the overall condition was too great to risk losing it to someone local so I told her that I would pay her using PayPal right there during the call. The problem was that she did not have a PP account, (she sounded a little older), so I talked her into opening one over the phone and then wired her the entire amount during the call. She could not believe it. I then had someone from U-ship pick it up and deliver it to my door in LA. That was a lot cheaper back then.

Anyhow, I was in a great junkyard in Minnesota recently and saw some good parts cars. I freaking love junkyards, should start a thread just with my hundreds of junkyard photos:

[Evans, Marv]

My brother in law (passed away some years ago) had on for years and loved it. He always named his cars. I think he called his Gretta. What luck to get the car back for free. Hope you pull out of your health situation soon.

[GH85Carrera]

My in-laws had a Mercedes 300 Turbo diesel. 32 years ago we loaded it up, filled the huge trunk, 4 adults, ski rack on top, and went to Colorado to go skiing. We filled up the motel room with our luggage from the car. We got 36 MPH which blew me away. I loved plugging it in at the motel. In the morning all the other cars in the motel lot were covered in several inches of snow, and we had a car that was just wet, and warm. It started easily.

The bad news is back then very few average gas stations had diesel. We had to stop at a truck stop and use the pumps for semis. The ground was black and sticky with spilled fuel, the nozzle pumped fuel at an a massive volume. The tank was full in no time. The nozzle was slick with diesel. No way was I getting back in stinking of diesel. So I had my wife slide over and drive up to the building as I went in and washed my hands and even with gloves on, my hands were stinky of diesel. I had to put that pair of shoes in a plastic bag and use a different pair of shoes to drive.

Most local gas stations have diesel now, and it looks better, but there is still a black stain near those pumps.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

My in-laws had a Mercedes 300 Turbo diesel. 32 years ago we loaded it up, filled the huge trunk, 4 adults, ski rack on top, and went to Colorado to go skiing. We filled up the motel room with our luggage from the car. We got 36 MPH which blew me away. I loved plugging it in at the motel. In the morning all the other cars in the motel lot were covered in several inches of snow, and we had a car that was just wet, and warm. It started easily.

The bad news is back then very few average gas stations had diesel. We had to stop at a truck stop and use the pumps for semis. The ground was black and sticky with spilled fuel, the nozzle pumped fuel at an a massive volume. The tank was full in no time. The nozzle was slick with diesel. No way was I getting back in stinking of diesel. So I had my wife slide over and drive up to the building as I went in and washed my hands and even with gloves on, my hands were stinky of diesel. I had to put that pair of shoes in a plastic bag and use a different pair of shoes to drive.

Most local gas stations have diesel now, and it looks better, but there is still a black stain near those pumps.

I know what you mean about truck stop pumps, especially if they are very old. Now days, most stations sell diesel and almost 100% along interstates do. Even truck oriented fuel stations always have an auto pump with a normal sized filler nozzle. None of the stations that I use in Los Angeles have stains like you describe or greasy handles, the biggest difference is that ULSD smells a lot better than gasoline and is a lot less toxic. I never use truck nozzles which sometimes are as you describe.

I'm trying to figure out how an engine block heater kept snow from freezing on your car(?) That's a neat trick that I've never seen and I'm from a place where many gas vehicles use them in the winter.

[GH85Carrera]

It was not my car, but I just know plugging it in kept the entire car warm enough to melt the falling snow. It was more than just a block heater. I don't know what options it had, maybe they came with some extra cabin heater when plugged it. I just loved getting it to go to breakfast and not having to scrape windows and sit in a cold car. It had a lot of options.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

It was not my car, but I just know plugging it in kept the entire car warm enough to melt the falling snow. It was more than just a block heater. I don't know what options it had, maybe they came with some extra cabin heater when plugged it. I just loved getting it to go to breakfast and not having to scrape windows and sit in a cold car. It had a lot of options.

I've never seen that, (only engine heaters which are common on diesels), but it sounds amazing.

[FPB111]

Heat the water in the block = hot water in the cabin heater?

[speeder]

Originally Posted by FPB111

Heat the water in the block = hot water in the cabin heater?

No. Even a car that is running with a warm interior, (engine running, 190deg coolant, HVAC fan blowing), will keep snow from landing on a car. All a block heater will do is warm the coolant in the engine. I suppose that someone could plug one in while the car already had hot coolant while they ate but can't understand why, especially if it was near the freezing point, (way too warm to need a block heater).

[speeder]

Pretty much all diesel vehicles sold are equipped with engine block heaters with cords unless they were sold in Arizona or some other really warm climate. And even those ones are equipped with the plug in the engine block, all that is needed is the cord to have a working heater. They all have the heater, in my experience.

They are meant to help the engine start in bitter cold weather, not 20 or 30 degrees above zero where they would be unnecessary if the battery and engine was in good condition.

[greglepore]

I remember that car from your posts long ago, a crazy nice 116. Congrats. You must be living right.

[911boost]

dang, i am sorry to hear about you not doing well Denis.

Get better soon!

[nota]

sure you know but buy some bug killer if the car has been sitting
and a few extra filters too

my 300sd needed a bunch until I dropped the in tank filer out
and ran tank cleaner in it [btw the small bottles of bug killer are the same same as the tank cleaner]
just cheaper in the tank cleaner bottles

[nota]

got to love used M-B junk yard prices

got a whole brake set up m/c all the wheel calipers and hoses ect for 50 total off a 450s
all the parts looked new

[speeder]

Originally Posted by nota

got to love used M-B junk yard prices

got a whole brake set up m/c all the wheel calipers and hoses ect for 50 total off a 450s
all the parts looked new

When was that?


Used parts prices have gone up a bit, even at self serve yards but I don't remember anyone selling 4 calipers and a MC for $50. I've only been into them for the last 25 years or so, though.